2010 Big East Tournament: Day 3 ups and downs

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

NEW YORK — Da'Sean Butler wanted to savor his moment just a little bit more. So after he escaped his jubilant teammates, he took a few steps back, looked up and watched the play all over again on the JumboTron screen at Madison Square Garden.

3.1 seconds remaining, game tied at 51. He catches the ball on the right wing, takes one dribble left, and throws up a fade away three-pointer over the outstretched hands of 6-foot-6 Lance Stephenson at the buzzer.

Butler wasn't sure if it would go when he released the shot, but he was positive when it banked off the square.

"He called it," said Stephenson. "He said ‘Bank.' I said ‘What?' I turned around and I see it go in. Oh man."

At this point in his career Butler has broken a lot of hearts and earned the right to call his own shots. His game-winning heroics in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament pulled out a 54-51 win for West Virginia over Cincinnati, providing a memorable ending for an otherwise forgettable game.

In fact his teammates have co-opted a familiar nickname for Butler.

"Mr. Clutch," said Kevin Jones.

Hope the legend with his own statue in front of the West Virginia Coliseum won't mind.

After Butler hit the shot he wanted to jump on the scorer's table and rejoice, but he played it cool. By now he's made so many big plays Butler can act like he's been here before.

For Butler, the 6-foot-7 senior from Newark, the final three points of his 15 total were certainly the most spectacular, but by now his teammates expect it. He hit a foot-on-the line jumper with two seconds remaining to steal a victory from Marquette in December and has made countless other big plays this season.

While he may not have won the conference's Player of the Year award, he certainly can make a case for the most valuable.

"Without Da'Sean I don't see us winning as many games as we did," said Jones. "He's the heart and soul of the team. Whenever he's playing, we're all playing well. He's always trying to find a way, even if he's not scoring, other ways to get us to play well. He's definitely the most valuable player to me."

For the season Butler is averaging 17.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He has had to run the offense as the point guard, be the go-to-scorer and still keep the other two parts of the Mountaineer's trifecta - Jones and Devin Ebanks - happy.

It hasn't always been buzzer beaters but Butler has made the late plays that win games. After unfulfilling end to last season that saw them not get out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Butler knew he had to change things.

Always an avid eater ("If I wasn't playing basketball, I'd be overweight."), he hit the Stairmaster for an hour every day, worked on his core, strengthened his legs and fixed his diet. With games being a 40-minute distance race, he was now ready for that final kick.

Last night, with 1:09 remaining he tried to drive into the lane, fell but somehow snatched a loose ball away from three Bearcats to hit Jones for a layup that put his team up 51-48.

Then with the game tied with 6.1 seconds left after a Stephenson three-pointer and an ensuing wasted possession by the Mountaineers, he pressured Dion Dixon into fumbling the ball out of bounds to set up his shot.

West Virginia (25-6) was trying to avoid becoming the fourth higher-ranked seed to be upset that day with all three of the previous games ending in unexpected outcomes. And their coach Bob Huggins added more pressure the night before when he chewed out the team after a bad practice.

When it came time for the final play, everybody knew where the ball was going. It doesn't faze Butler anymore; he knows it's all on him. That's when he turns into Mr. Clutch.

"It might not be his official name but that's what he's been for us all year," said Jones.

Endorsement of the Night

Former President Bill Clinton, a Georgetown grad, took in the night games Thursday and after seeing his alma mater pull out a win over Syracuse he is convinced they can do some damage.

"If they played like they did in the second half, they can beat anyone in the country," said former President Clinton.

Sounds like the Hoyas received the ultimate endorsement. It will be interesting if they meet Kentucky in the tournament, who received a phone call from current President Barack Obama. Seeding won't matter there, it will be 42 vs. 44.

Day to Remember

Notre Dame: I know that their makeover has already been written about here and everywhere else, but the win over Pittsburgh was something different. The Panthers, who are amongst the best and toughest-minded defensive teams in the country, were at wits end by the end of the game in defending the Irish. The constant whittling of the shot clock, the second chances, the pugnacious mindset, it all took its toll on Pitt. And if Notre Dame can do that to Pittsburgh, then they can do it to anyone else.
Jason Clark: The unsung hero for Georgetown, Thursday's effort was the quintessential example of what he provides. He scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists and came up with three steals. Clark does a little bit of everything, along with playing great on the ball defense. Defenses always find a way to forget about him and he always burns them. Exhibit A: Syracuse.
Lazar Hayward: He is the forgotten Big East star. He isn't dynamic but he is productive. Hayward scored 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and hit the three-pointer that put Marquette up for good in their win over Villanova. He also managed to outshine Scottie Reynolds. Oh, and Marquette is making a case to go further in your brackets than the formerly hyped Wildcats.

Day to Forget

Syracuse: Let's face it, this day could not have gone any worse for the Orange. They lost to Georgetown - which its simplicity was the least of their problems, found their 2-3 zone exposed and their starting center may have potentially injured himself badly enough to miss tournament time. They should still be a No. 1 seed but are no longer one of the overwhelming favorites to get to the Final Four.
West Virginia and Cincinnati: Let's face it, that was an ugly, miserable game. It wasn't a battle of defense but horrific offenses. One of them had to win, so the Mountaineers move on. Let's all promise never to talk about this again and burn the tape.
One poor reporter: In the postgame press conference following Marquette's win over Villanova, one reporter asked coach Buzz Williams how they would prepare for their next opponent. Williams retorted by asking who the opponent was. Crickets. Guess he didn't expect his question to be answered with a question. Somebody clued him in and he changed the scope of the question to save face.

Corporate Shills

Nike likes to fashion itself a creative type. And they have wont for ruining tradition and aesthetic norms in the process. Consider the jerseys seen this week. St. John's and Syracuse played in a new jersey that featured a design watermarked on the back underneath the numbers. Syracuse, which has long been a Nike puppet if you remember their combination of skin tight muscle tops matched with Hammer pants-baggy shorts, had a design of the Hall of Languages meshed together with the Carrier Dome that came off looking like a warehouse underneath two crystal orbs. The Orange are 4-3 since they started wearing them. Karma wins again.

Game of the Day

Syracuse and Georgetown got the day started off right. They played a high scoring, highly entertaining game with the Hoyas pulling off an upset over the No. 3 Orange. It had the feel and drama of an important March affair, with the crowd going berserk. Throw in the possible seeding ramifications and unwished upon injury that Arinze Onuaka incurred that added to the theatre and this was the game of the week so far. Afterwards the Orange were crushed and the Hoyas were unimpressed. That's how you know it was a great game between two very good teams. Because defeat is bitter and victory isn't enough to quench the thirst for success.

For more Big East Tournament coverage, along with Rutgers and Seton Hall basketball news, follow Mike Vorkunov on Twitter at @Mike_Vorkunov

Day 3

Syracuse tries to stay positive after Georgetown loss, injury to Arinze Onuaka

Day 2

2010 Big East Tournament: Day 2 ups and downs

Seton Hall sits on NCAA bubble after loss to Notre Dame

Big East Tournament: Marquette over St. John's in a nail-biter

Georgetown's Austin Freeman facing life with diabetes

Big East Tournament: Georgetown sends South Florida packing

Day 1

Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson ends Rutgers' season

2010 Big East Tournament: Day 1 ups and downs