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HOUSTON – "We're not finished yet! Unfinished business, baby!"

That was the rallying scream from the Butler Bulldogs, who are headed backwards to the denomination game, not as lovable underdogs but a aggroup intent on making up for terminal year's heartbreak.

Maybe this instance that final, riveting essay module go in.

Maybe this instance Butler won't requirement it.

"We're not feat to resolve on meet essay back," said Zach Hahn, who came up bounteous soured the governance in Butler's 70-62 conclusion over VCU on Sat period that gave the Bulldogs a do-over and ended the warm-and-fuzzy news of this year's NCAA men's tournament.

"I advert the sour discernment it mitt in my representative terminal year, and I meet think this group, we're here today and we hit a chance. That's every you crapper ask."

Shelvin Mack scored 24 points, chemist scored every octad of his points during a 90-second span in the ordinal half that gave Butler curb of the mettlesome for beatific and the Bulldogs shut downbound hot-shooting VCU with their stylemark vindictive defense. The eighth-seeded Bulldogs (28-9) module face America on Monday night, the lowest-seeded aggroup to endeavor for the domestic denomination since Villanova won it as a No. 8 seed in 1985.

"We've meet got to be digit essay meliorate than terminal year," railcar Brad filmmaker said.

VCU (28-12) sure didn't countenance aforementioned a aggroup critics unemployed as "unworthy" — and a whole aggregation worsened — after it skidded into the NCAA competition with fivesome losses in its terminal octad games. But Butler's sulphurous accumulation was likewise such for the Rams, exclusive the ordinal No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four.

"Butler was the aggressor for the majority of the game," VCU railcar Shaka Smart said. "We had our runs."

But not sufficiency of them.

Jamie Skeen scored 27 and pressman author had 15, including threesome 3-pointers before the mettlesome was modify heptad transactions old. But filmmaker is famous for his tactical acumen, and this mettlesome was no different. He tweaked Butler's defense, and author had meet digit more threesome the rest of the night.

VCU had always managed to encounter a essay when it necessary it in its prototypal threesome games, but Butler simply wouldn't allow it. VCU was meet 8 of 22 from long range, though that was still sufficiency to ordered the NCAA achievement for most 3s in a competition with 61. But Brandon Rozzell, who equal his career broad with sextet treys against Georgetown, was 0 for 3. Slippery saucer guard Joey Rodriguez didn't attain a essay until 8:30 mitt in the game, closing with exclusive threesome points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Butler also submissive the boards, outrebounding VCU 48-32.

"Some of our shots didn't fall. Open shots, shots we'd been making," Rodriguez said. "I think if you go backwards and countenance at the tape, you'll see some of them were in and outs. Almost felt aforementioned it wasn't supposed to happen or something."

The accumulation — and the bounteous period by Mack — prefabricated up for a lackluster showing by directive official and rebounder Matt Howard. The grownup had 17 points, but essay meet 3-of-10 and picked up his fourth dishonor with 9:22 left.

"It's not digit man making plays," said Hahn, whose total Sat was digit saucer inferior than he'd had in Butler's previous four competition games combined. "It's literally a collective effort; it's every 14 guys."

The Bulldogs came within a snap of winning it every terminal year. But Gordon Hayward's last-ditch, half-court ascent caromed soured the rim, and Butler had to watch Duke fete the denomination with a 61-59 win.

"Last assemblage we didn't intend it done, so that's in the backwards of my mind," Mack said.

That the Bulldogs are activity for the denomination again is maybe modify more awesome than the prototypal trip, having forfeited Hayward, their directive official and rebounder, to the NBA lottery. Butler also forfeited two added players who prefabricated significant contributions, Willie Veasley and Avery Jukes.

But it took Butler a patch to intend to this point. When the Bulldogs skidded finished four losses in fivesome games, including threesome straight, midway finished the Horizon League season, many wondered if they'd modify attain the tournament, forget most the Final Four.

But they've reeled soured 14 straightforward wins today and are activity with the modify selection of guys that don't poverty to be "first losers," as Mack called them earlier this week, ever again.

About every they requirement to do today is training those half-court shots — chemist uncomprehensible digit at the halftime buzzer that looked eerily aforementioned Hayward's last-ditch essay terminal year.

Every added part of their game, the Bulldogs are set.

"We poverty to win. We don't countenance at it as it's a mid-major that wants to win," histrion said.

After dropping behindhand 34-28 at the half, the prototypal instance in the NCAA competition they trailed at halftime, VCU reeled soured fivesome quick points to verify a 35-34 lead. Then it was instance for a lowercase mettlesome of "Can you top this?", starring Hahn.

Skeen prefabricated a 3 and chemist answered backwards with digit that didn't modify rustle the section of the net. Skeen converted a three-point play, and chemist prefabricated added 3. Rozzell showed he crapper reason from inside, too, with a layup, exclusive to hit chemist — who else? — attain a reverse that place Butler in front 44-43 with 12:20 left.

Butler clamped downbound on the Rams, not allowing added field content for more than threesome minutes. Meanwhile Mack, who attained most unpaid player honors in the Southeast Regional, showed soured his dazzling skills still again. He prefabricated back-to-back 3-pointers and then a layup to give Butler a 52-45 advance with 9:41 to play, and the mettlesome was every but over.

"We're a antitank team, so we don't requirement to reason 10 points in the terminal two transactions to intend the game," said saint Smith, who had heptad rebounds. "We'd such prefer to meet intend a some stops. That's kind of what we're prefabricated to do."

Butler's separate terminal assemblage inspired mid-majors everywhere, including VCU. The Rams had won a noble total of fivesome games in the NCAA competition before this year, never more than digit at a time.

But led by Smart, their modify and attractive 33-year-old railcar who is sure to be seen on the bounteous stage again, they showed the lowercase guys crapper endeavor with anybody, anytime.

After VCU uncomprehensible its prototypal fivesome shots of the game, author drilled a 3 to flash an 11-0 separate that gave the Rams an 11-5 advance with 15:38 mitt in the prototypal half. Another 3 by author most 2 1/2 transactions later place the Rams up 15-7, and filmmaker had had enough.

Burgess didn't reason again the rest of the half, and had exclusive digit more 3 the rest of the night.

"Of instruction it's not a erst in a period run. We're feat to essay to do this every year," said Smart, in his ordinal assemblage at VCU. "It's not easy, there's no discourse most it. ... If we're confident of reaching together as a assemble and activity aggressive, confident, loose basketball, and we hit the correct guys discover there, it's sure possible."

Just countenance at Butler.

Butler was an lovable news terminal year, a 4,200-student edifice activity for the domestic denomination meet sextet miles from campus. That the Bulldogs endeavor in the aforementioned field where "Hoosiers" was filmed exclusive added to the sweetness.

Although Butler has shown it has more substance than a flick sequel, study this: that 1954 city aggroup that was the foundation for Hoosiers? It didn't intend the denomination on its prototypal activate to the Indiana land finals.

It did it the ordinal instance around.

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