2011 NCAA March Madness Final: 8 Reasons Buter vs UConn Was a Disappointment
68 teams, 14 venues and weeks of basketball have been overshadowed by April 4th 2011, the day we all wish we forgot. In the end, the team who scored two shots from 23 attempts from beyond the arc in the final four won.
A tournament filled with future stars, entertaining basketball analysts and athletes who give it their all with every bone in their body for nothing but a free education, a gift most of them will never use. It all came down to the final, Butler vs. UConn. Stephens vs. Calhoun, Mack vs Walker, the illustrious, historic program vs. the program who plays in a conference most have never heard about.
It was expected to be exhilarating, transcendent, captivating and spectacular.
Yet it possessed as much flare as a dentist appointment. As much joy as grocery shopping and as much excitement as watching the 22nd season of survivor.
For the casual, unattached basketball fan, it was a night to forget.
Here are 8 reasons why.
Regionality
1 of 8
Houston we have a problem.
No one should be blamed for this problem. It just so happened that two schools, located in Indiana and Connecticut both played the final game thousands of miles from home.
The lack of attachment was displayed.
This game lacked the personal touch which it contained last year. Butler was not longer playing in their back yard, they were playing in impartial territory. The state of Texas only cares about the state of Texas and they have every right to carry that attitude.
Had this game been between inferior regional teams like SMU or Rice ,the game would have boasted an electrifying atmosphere. Heck, even between state rivals like Oklahoma or Kansas, the atmosphere would have showed.
Asking Texas residents to express emotions for teams located in Indiana and Connecticut is like asking Charles Barkley to come out of retirement, a recipe for disaster.
Little to Hate
2 of 8
This finals missed the electrifying personalities.
Ashley Judd did not grace our television screens. The Cameron Crazies were not in attendance so we did not have something to hate. This did not even feature the attitudes of the 2007 Florida Gators who did the "gator clap" and made us all want yell at our screens.
This was about Brad Stevens, brilliant but boring. This was about Kemba Walker, too good to hate.
We had nothing to get angry at, the level of impartiality showed.
The National Anthem
3 of 8
The fact that the game was almost unbearable to watch gives validity to this point.
LeAnn Rimes. 13 albums yet I bet you can't name three.
She could be the world's greatest country singer and could have belted out the best National Anthem anyone has ever sung but she has to take some of the blame for the debacle that was the 2011 March Madness Championship Final.
On the bright side Mrs. Rimes has won two Grammy awards....14 years go.
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Mack Vs. Walker
4 of 8
This was expected to be a key match-up.
Shelvin Mack has the ability to hit big time shots when it matters and Kemba Walker has gifted handles and sweet stroke to compete with any collegiate athlete in the nation.
Instead we were duped.
Mack went 4-15 from the floor including an atrocious 1-11 from three point land. Walker went 5-19 from the floor and if this game were indicative of their offensive skills, they would both be demoted to Division II basketball.
Brad Stevens: Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride
5 of 8
The gifted, calm, cool and collected Brad Stevens was unable to perform any magic for us on this final.
He has been here before and did not get the outcome he wanted, many thought things would be different. It did not happen and it should not overshadow what he has done for the Butler program in recent years.
Not to take anything away from Brad Stevens but we were anxiously awaiting his magically skills to come into play, they never did. He showed us a glimpse of his capabilities by somehow, someway coaching a team to a three point halftime lead despite shooting 22% during the first half but that's all we'd ever see.
Butler Never Showed Up
6 of 8
On a night like the finals, the Bulldogs were non-existent.
They shot 18.8% from the field, the worst percentage in the history of an NCAA Championship Final. They missed open lay-ups, open looks from beyond the arc, open free throws and they lacked an interior presence.
They were out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-played by a team that played marginally better.
LeAnn Rimes should have ditched the mic and jumped into a Bulldogs uniform because she'd be about as effective as the players that played on the court for the Bulldogs.
The Game Was Not Close
7 of 8
Associated with March Madness is the notion that the majority of games go down to the wire. This tournament was no different. We saw miraculous buzzer beaters time and time again, this game was over well into the second half.
Despite UConn going on a run that saw them lead by only seven, it felt as though they led by 45.
Butler was simply terrible, almost as if they had such hate for Houston, they wanted to take the first plane back to Indianapolis.
Mediocre vs Terrible
8 of 8
Last year Butler lost by two. Casual basketball fans all around the world felt compassion. The school whose undergraduate enrollment is under 4000 had made it to the big game. They had did their team, school and state proud.
This year they had a similar run, unfortunately it will be marred by the fact that they shot their way into the history books. They made 12 field-goals the entire game.
Attrocious beyond comprehension.
For those of us who root for the underdog when we have no affiliation to any team/school remaining in the tournament, we were given a reality check. This Butler appeared as competitive a recreational basketball team that achieves participant trophies.
They were not defeated by Kemba Walker and company, they were defeated by rims. This should not take away all the great Kemba, Calhoun and the Huskies have done this season but this game was not so much about UConn vs Butler, it was about Butler vs the rim and the rim dominated beyond belief.
This was a showcase of two excellent teams that made it to the finals. Except one played mediocre in the final while the other was bad enough to write itself into the history books.
There's always next year.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
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