Now, with the 2011-12 season upon is, it begs the same question. With Mack and Howard gone, they surely can’t do it again can they? Coach Brad Stevens is the one constant through it all, and the young coach seems to believe his team will be competitive once again — they have, like always, key veteran role players, and the Bulldogs’ national success has helped lure a few coveted recruits to Indianapolis as well.

Brad Stevens joined WNDE in Indianapolis with Query and Schultz to discuss his expectations heading into another season following a loss in the national championship game, and which players on the Bulldogs squad will be counted on to step in and fill the void left by the departures of Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack.

What are your expectations heading into the season?:

“I think you mentioned a couple of those guys and certainly we’re all thankful for what Matt Howard did, not only for Butler, but for college basketball in general. The way he acted on and off the court is what you’re looking for out of a student-athlete. And Shelvin and Gordon did the same thing while they were in school. If you would have told me that those two guys were going to leave school early to go to the NBA, and this is the team we have, I just really feel fortunate that we have been able to continue to bring in the right guys to not only represent Butler well but to field a team that I think can grow into a pretty darn good basketball team.”

Is there a feeling in the locker room now that the veterans have to bring it and step in for the guys that are gone?:

“There’s no doubt. That’s the way that you’ve got to be. I do think our older guys have improved, which is important. I think that a couple of them are guys that will always have to embrace and be really good in their role. They’ve definitely improved, definitely gotten better and now it’s a matter of how you perform in that role. And there’s one or two guys whose roles may drastically change. … That’s what we’re looking at with our older guys and I’m really excited about their development and I’m excited about their leadership.”

Listen to Brad Stevens on WNDE in Indianapolis here

Butler head coach Brad Stevens joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about how much sleep he got last night, what it was like inside the Butler locker room after the disappointing performance, how he felt like his team took plenty of good shots that simply just didn’t go down like they normally do, how UCONN’s impressive team and individual defense played a big part in Butler’s woeful shooting, if this year’s title game loss stings more than last year’s, if he would change anything about he prepared his team were he given a coaching mulligan, what he said to star senior Matt Howard following the game, and how he plans on being back at Butler provided he’s not run out of town for his team’s poor showing on Monday night.

On how much sleep he got last night:

“I slept reasonably. We got up for an early flight but we got delayed a little bit so we might be sitting here awhile. But we’re just spending time together as a group, and some of these guys are going to be moving on after that so you’re going to cherish every minute with them.”

What the Butler locker room was like after last night’s loss:

“Really difficult, but you never prepare for that last locker room. But, we were one of two teams that knew we were going to have our senior sendoff. And we were really fortunate that that was the case. But it was really hard, our guys wanted to shoot the ball better, there’s no question about that. And anytime you go 12-for-64 you’re not going to win. But it’s kind of remarkable that if we had shot 25 percent, we would have been one possession down with a chance to win the game.”

How he would have felt as a coach if he had just been shown where his team would shoot from, not whether they were successful attempts or not:

“I would have felt pretty good. I think we hit only three 2s the whole night. We really struggled in the paint, and their length and aggressiveness had a lot to do with that. I think Connecticut, and certainly I think there’s a lot of good teams that we’ve played, but I think defending in that 40 minutes, that was the best team that we played in the last two years. They challenge shots, you know, you think you’re open for a split second, and Jeremy Lamb is in the lane and you’re at the three point line and he challenges your shot as well as most guys would from five feet away; Oriakhi is a terrific defender. Oriakhi might be as good as an interior defender as we’ve played since Zoubek with Duke. So my hats off to them. We went 12-of-64.  Do I think we missed some that we normally do? Yes. Do I think they had a lot to do with a lot of those other misses? Yes.”

Whether this year or last year’s loss in the title game stings more:

“This year right now because we’re only 12 hours removed from it. But I always talk about this after we win, and I want to look at it the same after we lose — this is about the way you prepare, the way you act, and the way you compete. And again, I would have liked to have won, this is two years in a row that our season has ended on the first Monday in April. But I’m not regretful with how our guys go about their way and the way that they played in any way.”

If he had a coaching mulligan, is there anything he would have done differently to prepare his team for UCONN:

You know, that’s a great question. I thought defensively we played as well as we had all tournament. Until we started gambling a little bit and trapping late, they were really struggling to score too. We were really good on Walker, we were really good on all their ball screens. I thought our guys were absolutely terrific defensively. You know, I think the thing you’d probably say is I think we probably needed to work the ball for another reversal or two to try to see if we could get a better shot. But sometimes in the heat of a game or if things are not quite going your way, you try to force it to make it go your way. That’s human nature. But again, I think our guys did what they could and sometimes it comes down to did you knock down a few to keep yourself in a game and give yourself a chance. Every single time the last two years we’ve done that, and last night we didn’t.”

On what he said to his start senior Matt Howard after the loss:

“Well all five seniors. But with Matt, I talked to the whole team about him and all five seniors. And with Matt specifically, I just said we don’t have enough time and there aren’t enough words to express what you mean not to our team but to Butler University. He’s an amazing person, he’s an amazing competitor. He’s hurting because he didn’t play as well as he would have liked to. But you know what’s beautiful about Matt Howard is he was hurting after league games when he didn’t play as well as he would have liked to. For four years he never took a day off in the classroom and on the court. To me, he’s a poster boy for what this should be all about.”

If he’s received any inquiries from schools about leaving Butler to be their coach:

“I haven’t heard from one place. Nobody’s called and nobody’s talked, and now I have to say Dan, I’ve turned my cell phone off most of the time. Anything else is speculation and talk because I know this: nobody’s talking to me and nobody’s talking to my wife.”

Is he planning on being at Butler next year:

“Well if they’ll keep me. They may not want me. But again, this is a place where if they want me to be their coach, right now this is where my job is.”

Listen here to Stevens on The Dan Patrick Show

When the Huskies did just that, and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, most people thought they’d bow out early. Winning five games in five days at the Big East tournament would certainly have used up all their gas, right? That was the argument that I heard the most.

That’s why, while most people out there seemed to be rooting for underdog Butler in last night’s championship game, that UConn makes just as much of a compelling story as the Cinderella. Winning six consecutive games to win the national championship is impressive enough. Winning 11 in a row in the postseason is unheard of, a feat that will may never be beaten.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun joined ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to discuss why he thinks it shouldn’t be considered an ugly game, his halftime speech, the Huskies run through the postseason, how this championship compares with his first two, how the team will celebrate and whether or not he’ll return to coach next season.

His argument to those who say it was an ugly title game:

“Calhoun: I keep hearing this game referred to as a bad night. An all time shot blocking record was set in the game. We held a team to 18%. Everybody keeps saying like they know. … It wasn’t a pretty game, no question, and it wasn’t artistically lot of balls going in the basket. But I’ll tell you what. It was two teams competing at the end of a long, long season.”

What did you say to your team at halftime?:

“I said a lot of things, but mainly we need to get our butts going and get back to playing full motion. We’re too good of a basketball team to look like we did in the first half, particularly offensively. We picked the defense up, we trapped some, we had a chance to block a lot of shots, rotation, and just answer the bell. And that’s what I told them at the end. After really going after them, this was too good a team to go out like that. And of course, we didn’t go out.  We won the national championship.”

Did he give them a “Shut Up” rant?:

“On this particular one, that was probably the kindest thing I said.”

If someone told him after the first Big East Tournament victory that they’d win the national championship, what would he have said?:

“I would have said ‘Let’s go to the next game, because I have no idea what’s going to happen. Let’s probably get number 2, and until we beat Pittsburgh, who I thought was the best team in our league, I start to feel a little bit different than I thought. … We just were a whole different team during the stretch. We were a good team during the season. Twenty-one wins, beat Tennessee, beat Michigan State, beat Kentucky, etc., but all the little pieces, the young kids coming together, molding.”

How does this championship compare to winning his first two?:

“As sweet as the first one. The middle one was sweet, too, with Emeka and Ben.  This ride was sweet because these kids are so young, so little was expected from them and they gave so much.”

How will he and the team celebrate?:

“We’ll enjoy it when we get back to campus today. The Gampel Pavilion with 11-12,000 will be packed. The whole line all the way to the Gampel will be packed with people. Getting to really truly celebrate with friends and family. Then after that, I have some things I need to do as far as looking forward to next year and getting our team ready and then, thank God, I’ll be headed for Hilton Head in mid May, and going down for about ten days for a golf trip with 16 friends of mine. I’ll get plenty of chances with them to celebrate. … They’ve got a state parade in downtown Hartford. I know we already got a call from Dave Letterman. I’m supposed to get a call this morning from Obama. All the great things. So, we’ll have plenty of chances to celebrate, though.”

Will you coach next year?:

“I fully plan on coaching basketball next year. You know, once again, we’ll have time in the next couple of months as I settle down, as we kind of look over everything, and I fully expect that I would. … I’ve always been in love with basketball, I’ve never fallen out of love with basketball, but this team reaffirms me that kind of what we’re doing is worthwhile because the kind of kids you have.”

Listen to Jim Calhoun on ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle & Silvy

The “Cinderella” Butler Bulldogs truly looked atrocious in this contest as they shot 12-for-64 shooting, which is good for a measly 18.8 percent. Butler couldn’t get anything going in the second half and were stifled in the paint being outscored 26-2. One of the key contributing members of this young Huskies team was freshmen guard Shabazz Napier, who played in 27 minutes, scoring 4 points and adding 4 rebounds to help out UConn’s effort coming off the bench.  He started in the second half allowing Kemba Walker to play off the ball which also opened up more opportunities for Jeremy Lamb. Napier discussed the feeling of being a National Champion along with what Coach Calhoun said to his team to get them going on the second half surge that sealed the National Championship.

Shabazz Napier joined Into the Night with Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio to discuss how crazy the post-game scene was after the University of Connecticut Huskies won the 2011 National Championship, what did Coach Calhoun say to the team at halftime regarding the low scoring, was the defense in the paint the key to winning the 2011 National Championship, when did the Huskies realize they had what it took to become a National Championship contender, does he think Coach Calhoun will stick around next year or retire and does this National Championship victory validate all the hype surrounding the Big East Conference in the NCAA tournament.

How crazy is it there?

“It’s crazy man a lot of people are here. A lot of people who supported us and a lot of media right now.”

What did Coach Calhoun say to you guys at halftime regarding the low scoring, the defense played, and the team not scoring that well?

“He just told us defensively we was playing great, but offensively we wasn’t getting into our stuff. He really got at me because he feels like I’m a spark and I come off the bench now, I’m the spark plug. He just told me if we don’t get this going, if I don’t really push them defensively than we might lose this game. The best thing I could do at this point right now is go hard and sacrifice myself. I felt like that’s what I did. We just picked it up.”

Was the defense in the paint the key to winning the National Championship because Butler could not score at all in the paint area? Was the key that Butler was missing shots or you were playing great defense in the paint?

“The key was just try to disrupt them offensively. That was by pressing the ball at the full court, try to allow [Shelvin] Mack to not get the ball. We felt like if he [Shelvin Mack] had the ball in his hand and controlling the pace it’s going to be tough for us to guard because he’s a great shooter. I felt as though once they got the ball in the middle our guys, Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu, I felt like they played great defense. They disrupted a lot of shots and that left us to get easy rebounds and to press the break on them. I felt like we pushed everything on them and we just applied great defense.”

This has been an unbelievable run starting at the Big East Tournament. When did you guys realize that you were a National Championship Caliber contender?

“After we beat Kentucky. I felt as though we understood that we were one game away. We didn’t want to envision too far ahead. We felt as though we should worry about who we have at that point whether it be Bucknell, Cincinnati, and so fourth on. Once we got by Kentucky we were like we have Butler next, they’re a great team, and we just understood what we had. I felt as though the speech that Coach [Calhoun] made at halftime before the second half that just pushed us to the limit.”

I gotta ask you about your coach Jim Calhoun. He has three national championships now. He’s sixty-eight years old. The oldest coach to win a National Championship. Does he stick around or you think he’s going to leave?

“I’ve been hearing that for so long. I don’t really know, I mean it’s going to be tough for him to leave but if he decides to leave I guess it’s a great time for him to leave. He’s leaving on top, but like I said that’s not really my ballpark. I felt as though he’s been a great coach to me and if he decides to stay it’s great for us and great for the university, but we have a great coaching staff and Coach [George] Blaney, [Kevin] Ollie, and those guys. He’ll be missed, but we’ll be able to keep it up.”

One last thing does this National Championship victory validate the Big East Conference in your mind?

“A lot of people still won’t think so because we were at point where there was only 2 of us left in us and Marquette. I don’t think people understand how much we beat up on each other during the [Big East] Conference games. I feel as though we have the best conference in the country just because how much talent we have. You really couldn’t understand how much we beat up on each other and that puts a lot on your body. I felt as though the team that would survive in the tournament is the team that feels as though they could handle the pressure of playing against other conferences and handle the pressure of the body. I felt like we were the team that handled that pressure and we did it well.”

Listen to Shabazz Napier on Into the Night with Tony Bruno here (Interview starts at 27:08 in the podcast)

As for Butler, it has been an extremely impressive run through the tournament for a second straight year. For the Bulldogs, it’s been a tourney filled with buzzer-beaters, freak plays at the end of games, and a toughness that can be admired by all college basketball fans. Despite the fact that they are the eighth seed in their region, they’ve got the experience playing under the bright lights of the NCAA Championship game. It’s experience that can’t be overlooked heading into tonight’s game.

On the other side, UConn has made a run that goes beyond superlatives. Incredible. Unbelievable. Mindboggling. Pick any word that means the same as brilliant and it would be fitting. Yes, they have the best player in America in Kemba Walker and yes they were a number three seed, but what makes their run so incredible is the fact that the last ten games they have played dating back to the start of the Big East tourney have been elimination games played under immense pressure. For UConn to handle the pressure of being in a one and done scenario for ten straight games all the way to the championship goes beyond words.

Butler has the experience, they have two guys that can start anywhere in the country with Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack, they have one of the best coaches in America, they never get rattled, but they don’t have the best player in America on their side. They don’t have Kemba Walker. On the biggest stage, Walker’s greatness will be on display and he will lead his Huskies to a National Championship and cap off one of the greatest individual seasons in college basketball history.

Seth Davis joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about who will have more fans tonight between Butler and UConn, who he thinks should be favored, whether or not he thinks Bard Stevens will stay at Butler, and if the Bulldogs have become the standard for mid-majors.

On what team will have the crowd tonight:

“Gosh I will say Butler because I think people that aren’t even Butler fans are going to be rooting for Butler tonight. They still carry that underdog label even though Jim Calhoun was trying to convince me they were the favorite and he had all the stats for me. I live in Connecticut like you Dan and you think about how popular UConn is in the state and the kind of following they have, those fans really do not travel. Our platform was right in the student section and even that thing wasn’t totally filled. I was a little surprised at how under-represented UConn was on Saturday night. I think more people in the dome are going to be rooting for Butler.”

Who he thinks should be favored:

“I think UConn should be favored. They’re still the beast from the East, but I’m actually a little surprised to see the line where it is because I’m not sure there is a talent gap. When you look at Butler you see Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, those two guys can play with anybody and those two guys can start for any team in the Big East, plus they’re older. Even though Jeremy Lamb is a great talent, Alex Oriakhi is a sophomore for UConn, Butler has some older guys and guys that have played in the National Championship game before. I’m not seeing a real talent gap. I see an evenly matched basketball game.”

Whether or not he expects Brad Stevens to stay at Butler:

“I think Brad Stevens could retire as the coach of Butler. I think if Indiana opened up I could see him moving into that job. He makes a good living there, he will probably keep making more and more money, it’s a great fit, he’s an Indiana native, and it’s a much better job than a lot of these schools in power conferences. You look at what Mark Few has done at Gonzaga and Brad Stevens has taken that to another level. I don’t think he leaves for a place like N.C. State. If a Duke, Carolina, or a Kansas came open then maybe one of those jobs. Outside of Indiana I think he’s gonna stay at Butler for awhile.”

Whether or not Butler has surpassed Gonzaga as the standard:

“With all due respect to Gonzaga and Mark Few, not only are they higher than Gonzaga and playing in their second straight Championship game,  but they are in a state that is loaded with players, good players that love to play basketball, and love to play basketball close to their home. He’s made his living finding guys who have quote unquote slipped through the cracks. Shelvin Mack is from Lexington, Kentucky and Kentucky didn’t recruit him. Brad Stevens can recruit kids from Indiana who love to play basketball, who are good students, and he can coach guys that he likes to coach. If he goes to another school, he might be recruiting a different kind of individual. Not worse, not less character, but just different. He’s in the perfect situation, he knows he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder, he knows he doesn’t have to worry about message boards, it’s not easy to sustain and obviously he’s not going to be in the National Championship game every single year, but he’s an incredible grounded and even-keeled mature individual for 34. Outside of Indiana I think he can potentially stay at Butler for the rest of his life.”

What his prediction is:

“UConn.”

Listen to Seth Davis on the Dan Patrick Show here (Audio begins 14:45 into the podcast)

I’ll admit that I’m shocked Butler is back, and I certainly have a bracket to prove it. While I correctly predicted that Connecticut would be playing tonight, I had the Bulldogs losing in their first game to Old Dominion. Oops.

But the more you watch, the more you realize that Butler is no fluke. First of all, any team that makes the title game two years in a row simply can’t be. But with Butler it’s easy to see they have a great combination of senior leaders who have been clutch in close games, young talent that has meshed with the veterans well and a young coach who is proving he’s amongst the best in the business. Perhaps that all adds up to the Bulldogs finding themselves in a different spot tonight than a year ago. Perhaps they’ll win it all.

Butler athletic director Barry Collier joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Grady and Big Joe to discuss the unlikeliness of Butler being in this spot for a second straight year, how it happened, how he’ll use the money Butler is making because of it, the challenge of facing Connecticut and the differences in the two title game appearances.

Did he ever imagine the Bulldogs playing in the title game in back-to-back years?:

“I don’t think there’s any way you’d know that or think about it or dream it. Our focus has always been on the next game or the next task, yet here we are and it’s a beautiful thing.”

How has this happened?:

“You have to have a lot of things come together. Mostly, you have to have a team made of players, and don’t miss that they’re the ones that are making the shots, blocking out, playing together, playing hard on defense. And you’ve got to have a coach that can bring all those players to the school and get the most out of them. … We’ve got some good things going at Butler. As far as what affects recruiting, we’ve got a great school … we’re in a great city … and we’ve got a beautiful campus. Then you stark thinking about Hinkle Fieldhouse and basketball and winning and we’ve got a good thing going.”

What will he do with the money that Butler gets from making the Final Four and championship game?:“Most of all, we’re going to try to raise money to preserve Hinkle Fieldhouse. We’ve got a fundraising project underway on that. … The other thing is that we’ve got another classic, historic piece at Butler, Brad Stevens. He’s maybe not as old as Hinkle Fieldhouse, but he’s certainly as valuable. We’re going to keep doing everything we can do to keep improving.”

On the challenge of facing Connecticut:

“Any team that gets in the tournament and advances like they have … are incredibly capable of playing great basketball and winning it all. When you have a great individual player like Walker, who makes others better around him, it’s a tough, tough task. Butler’s approach has always been to have five guys guarding the ball to know that they’re supporting each other and helping with penetration or post-ups. … Undoubtedly there will be numerous players on both teams that will be key.”

How is the feeling of being in this position the same or different based on being in Houston rather than in their own back yard like last year?:

“On a couple levels last year it was different in that it was the first time that the team has gotten to the Final Four and the championship game. Secondly, it was in our hometown and we had to go a full six miles all the way down to Lucas Oil Stadium. … Here we are 1,000 miles away from Indianapolis and yet the scene is strikingly similar in this big-domed stadium and all that comes with the Final Four. … This is a little bit different and maybe it allows for some more focus. I’m not sure.”

Listen to Barry Collier on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here

You can guarantee Coach Stevens will have Butler as prepared as ever against Virginia Commonwealth with a return trip to the national title game on the line.  VCU, another Cinderella story of its own, has stolen some of Butler’s thunder with four of its five NCAA tournament wins coming by double digits, but I think this Butler team is better because of the invaluable experience it gained last year.  Brad does an incredible job teaching his players the little things, which they consistently do and continue to win, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Butler is the last team standing.  Brad Stevens has the opportunity to become the second-youngest coach to win a national championship, but he figured out early in his career that he must continue to learn.

Brad Stevens joined Dan Patrick to talk about how Butler is going to defend the three-point shot against VCU, if he gets scared watching VCU on film, whether their experience from last year’s Final Four will benefit his team in any way, and Butler will beat VCU if…

How Butler is going to defend the three-point shot against VCU:

“So, all you have to do is stop them from shooting threes?  Easier said than done.  I think one of the things you are talking about is you better guard them with a huge sense of urgency because they are rolling like maybe no other team I can remember in the NCAA Tournament, probably rolling as much as North Carolina was two years ago when they won it.”

If he gets scared watching a team as good as VCU on film:

“First and foremost you look at them with a lot of respect and a lot of passion for the game of basketball.  I like seeing basketball played in a way in which teams move the basketball, they share it, they play together, they care about one thing, they try to make each other better, that is what you see with the VCU team, it is just a fun, fun group to watch.  So first and foremost you respect it and you admire it.  Yeah it certainly gets your attention with the way they are rolling, they are shooting 45% from three in the NCAA Tournament, a remarkable, remarkable statistic, and I think it is because they are not only great shooters but they have drawn such great energy from their play on both ends of the floor.”

Whether their experience from last year’s Final Four will benefit his team in any way:

“Well I think where it helps is in your week of preparation, you know I have been able to close my door and watch film.  I have been able to spend time with my family when I have a minute, you know, assistants same way.  Our guys have been able to manage the media requests and everything else in such a way that they are still students first, and that is a hard thing to do.  You have already missed  a bunch of classes in a row in the last three weeks and the thing that kind of gets lost in the shuffle is how hard it is to catch up as a student-athlete when you miss this kind of class.  So my biggest thing for this week was to have a sense of normalcy, but really, really get caught up in everything you are doing before we left for Houston and then hopefully we come prepared and play well.”

Butler will beat VCU if…

“We win possessions.  I know it sounds simple but it is a major possession game.   I think you talk about things like turnover margin, you talk about things like rebound margin, the team that maximizes each possession at this level and magnitude wins.”

Brad Stevens on Dan Patrick

After a tough start to the season that included some head-scratching losses, Butler is back in the Final Four and this year’s run might be even more impressive. This year Butler had to overcome the loss of their best player, Gordon Hayward, who bolted to the NBA after being the darling of the NCAA Tournament last year. Not to mention this year Butler had an even tougher road to Houston and it took a lot of late-game heroics to get it done. Whether it was a Matt Howard tip-back, a Pittsburgh foul, cold-blooded shots by Shelvin Mack against Florida, or late free throws, Butler has found to make the winning plays every game of the tourney so far. This isn’t a fluke either. Butler belongs in the Final Four because they are tough, they are gritty, they are resilient, they never get rattled, they have future NBA players on the roster, and they understand what it takes to win on the biggest stage. They are in the Final Four because they have followed Butler Way to Houston.

Former Butler Hoops Coach and current Butler AD, Barry Collier, joined 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis with Dan Dakich to talk about locking up Brad Stevens, if he ever thought this kind of success was possible at Butler, why Butler is in the Final Four for the second straight year, whether or not people are less excited this year about the Final Four because it is not close to home this time, and whether or not he expects teams to try and hire Brad Stevens away from Butler.

On giving Brad Stevens an extension last year:

“Well Dan if it was possible to lock him up for his career I would do that. I want you to know he has a lifetime contract right now, but that’s my lifetime and not his. (Laughing) That’s a short one.”

Whether or not he ever expected this kind of success for the program:

“You know what I never looked that far down the road. I knew what would happen if we won our next game. That was all that I figured on. You made a thought come to mind. The ‘89-90 season was a disaster with a young, stupid coach named Barry Collier. We went 44 days without a ‘W’ much less with winning like they are now. It’s like two different worlds and the program has gotten better and better and better and better. Now it’s just out of sight. It’s fantastic.”

Why Butler is back in the Final Four this year:

“I think there’s a lot of things, but maybe the most important thing is the toughness and resolve that you would like the team to have. In my mind I would rather have that one trait than anything else on the books as far as something to start with.  They have that at a very, very high level. This is a talented group and maybe they haven’t had the recognition, and I don’t know how that can happen being in two Final Fours, and Brad Stevens is as good as there is in my opinion and has proven it. I just think they have a tough, tough mindset and they lock in defensively and give themselves a chance in virtually every game when they do that.”

If people are taking this trip to the Final Four because of last year’s success:

“No actually I think it’s even more. It’s different because we are going 1,000 miles away, but it is not taken for granted. As a matter of fact I really thought we might not sell all of our student tickets because we get 884 this year, but they sold out in a few hours. That’s about a fifth of our student body, which is a pretty darn big percentage. People have been here with cameras, in the bookstore, and in the spirit shop here at Hinkle Fieldhouse where they’re selling stuff right and left. It’s pretty neat to see. In fact the people in the bookstore and the spirit shop tell us they’re selling more stuff than they did last year. It’s up another level I think.”

Whether or not he expects people other schools to try and lure Brad Stevens away from Butler:

“Athletic Directors are not smart people as a group and I can attest to that, but I do think they’re smart enough to see a great coach when they see him so I’d be somewhat surprised if they didn’t. There will be at least one dead body if that happens and it would be mine. We will do everything we can. All that stuff is facetious, but our main thing at Butler is to figure out how to get better and keep improving. That means together with our coach and all the parts of our program and we are dead set on doing that. We didn’t arrive last year and are just gonna rest on that. We’re going to get better, we’re going to invest, and be committed to our coach and our program. I like that setup, I know Brad does, and we’re going to march on together.”

Listen to Barry Collier on 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis here

Ryan joined Mike & Mike in the Morning (with Doug Gottlieb filling in for Mike Greenberg) on ESPN Radio to talk about the Badgers overcoming a late deficit against Kansas State, the mood on the sideline when the Badgers had their backs against the wall, the last two defensive possessions where Jordan Taylor fouled a three point attempt and then blocked the final Wildcats’ shot, the respect he has for Wisconsin’s Sweet 16 opponent Butler, how he wouldn’t consider being unethical and reaching out to longtime protege Rob Jeter who coaches against Butler multiple times each year as the head coach of UW-Milwaukee in the Horizon League, and what he thinks accounts for his team being the most efficient offensive squad in the country according to Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings.

On the Badgers staying poised and overcoming a late deficit to topple Kansas State:

“Well I think our schedule that we played during the year, guys, prepared us for moments like that. It’s one of those things where you can’t change who you are. You’ve got to go to your strengths, you’ve got to play it out, and we had some guys hit some big shots. Even though Jordan Taylor struggled with his shooting accuracy needless to say — he was 2-for-16, I think that qualifies as struggling — we were able to find some other guys to get it done. And we did it with our defense and we did it with our free throws.”

On his star Jordan Taylor fouling a three-point attempt on the second to last possession, then blocking (yet nearly fouling again) a three pointer once more on the final shot:

“Well you must have had a mic down there because it was interesting needless to say. First of all, for me to question whether or not there was contact on the other foul I can’t say, because you know our rules about talking about officiating. But there’s a case, the angle sometimes can make the difference. But on the other one that he blocked, he was well out in front of him. Actually I was surprised and when I looked at it again, the reason he was able to get a piece of it was the low trajectory. And I think he was maybe anticipating contact again, but Jordan was well out in front of him. We really don’t want to foul a three-point shooter, but we rallied from that and we got it done at the other end by hitting a couple of free throws to give us the three point lead again.”

On Wisconsin’s Sweet 16 opponent, the Butler Bulldogs:

“Well nobody respects teams like the Butler’s of America like yours truly. I coached in that league a couple of years at UW-M and have watched Butler for a long time. It’s a great program, and Brad (Stevens) does a great job, and the coaches before him did the same thing. Good solid basketball, good shooters, guys that can take you inside and outside, and they had been winning for a reason — because they’re solid. I have a lot of respect for them.”

On resisting the temptation to get a scouting report on Butler from his protege Rob Jeter who’s now coaching UW Milwaukee in the Horizon League:

“Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, we did talk yesterday about something else but no scouting reports. But we do have the films that we take ourselves, it isn’t films that were sent to us. You know with synergy now, you can get every clip…it’s so different now, scouting, Doug then when you played. You can get every out of bounds play, every three-point shot, every post feed — anything on another team you can get. So visually they have us, we have them. So talking to other people about a scouting report, first of all it’s unethical in the league so that hasn’t happened. But we have everything on them, and they’ll have everything on us.”

On his team being the most efficient offense in the country according to Ken Pomeroy’s ratings and what he believes accounts for their success at that end of the court:

“Even after that Penn State game? Smart players, guys who value the basketball, guys who utilize what our assistant coaches do with the scouting reports and the things that they bring to the table. You have to look at something like that and say ‘well this isn’t the first year that we’ve been way up there in offensive efficiency ratings.’  It’s our teams have been willing to commit to that and it’s just something that you’re willing to accept every day in practice. It’s the way we chart our possessions, it’s the way we analyze each practice, it’s all about efficiency. Maybe some teams don’t have the same athleticism as other teams, maybe some teams aren’t as big, aren’t as coordinated, maybe some teams don’t have as many outside shooters. But there are certain absolutes that you have to have in basketball to give yourself a chance. And that’s taking care of the ball, playing position defense, getting on the glass, making free throws. Those things just have to be there to advance, or to even get to the tournament in the first place, and then to advance.”

Listen here to Ryan with Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio (interview begins at 25:50 mark)

How they got here was quite incredible. First, they escaped the 8/9 game against Old Dominion when Matt Howard tipped the ball in following a frenzied final few seconds near the Butler rim. Then, against No. 1-seeded Pittsburgh, the Bulldogs got more of the same. First, they fouled the Panthers with just over one second remaining, allowing Pitt to tie the game at the free-throw line. However, the Panthers missed the second free throw and fouled Howard on the rebound, who made a free throw to win the game.

Perhaps the victories came in surprising fashion, but the Bulldogs are quickly proving that advancing in the Big Dance is no fluke and we should not be surprised that they’ll be playing in the second weekend. Next, they get Wisconsin for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.

Brad Stevens joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis with Grady and Big Joe to discuss the final seconds of the Pitt victory, why the Bulldogs have been so good in late-game situations, what spurned their 11-game winning streak, what it’s like to coach at this point in the season, if we’ve gotten to the point where we can’t call Butler runs magical anymore and the matchup with Wisconsin.

What he’s telling the team after it fouled Pitt in the final seconds, giving the Panthers a chance to take the lead:

“The first thing that’s going through my mind is I hope we have more than 0.9 seconds left and they change it to 1.4. Then, we’ve got a lineup in that we’ll run a bunch of cutters on the other end of the floor and try to throw a baseball pass and see what we can get. … I’m trying my best — and it’s not always easy because you’re competitive and in the moment — to take emotion out of it.”

Why are the Bulldogs so successful in close games?:

“I think we play til the final horn. I think we’ve got guys that believe in one another and that extends throughout our entire team and staff. We’re all on one page. And then, certainly, there is an element of fortune and luck that’s involved.”

What has been the difference for the team during the 11-game winning streak:

“One of the great problems with the way the scrutiny during the season goes is sometimes you can play relatively well in certain areas and lose because you get beat on a given night. … We never mentioned the Youngstown loss again. We mentioned what we did well and tried to build on it.”

On what it’s like to coach during the tournament, especially during runs like this:

“One thing that I learned last year after this run is you’re straight going on adrenaline at this time of year and you do have to prioritize some rest. It’s a draining, draining season as it is if it ends in the conference tournament.”

Are we at the point where a Butler run is no longer magical or a Cinderella story?:

“We’re all prideful enough to think that you control your own destiny in every which way. When you’re at the gym as a coach or a player six or seven days a week for six months, you really feel like the investment is something that’s unique. We’re investing the same amount that everybody else is investing that we’re playing against. … If you want to call it magical, if you want to call it luck, if you want to call it an extra good bounce, that’s part of the game.”

His thoughts on the Sweet Sixteen matchup with Wisconsin:

“I don’t know if [Shelvin Mack and Jordan Taylor] will guard each other or not, but they’re certainly two of the better guards in the Midwest and in the country. Both have played really well. And then you look down, as well, at [Jon] Leuer and [Matt] Howard and you’re looking at guys who have also established themselves as some of the best forwards in the country. … This team is really unique in their skill level. I think they’re the No. 1-rated offense in the country and their defense is outstanding, too. Bo Ryan has himself … a legitimate Final Four, national championship contender.”

Listen to Brad Stevens on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis here