NCAA Basketball: Top 25 NCAA Tournament cinderellas since 2000
By Adam Childs
6) 2011 Butler Bulldogs, No. 8-seed
Record: 28-10, National Runner-Up
Beat: (9) Old Dominion Monarchs, (1) Pittsburgh Panthers, (4) Kansas State Wildcats, (2) Florida Gators, (11) VCU Rams
The Butler Bulldogs did it again. A year after making their first-ever trip to the national title game the Bulldogs did it again. After losing Gordon Hayward, the Bulldogs expected to be a good team, but most thought they would take a step back.
They did not have as good of a regular season as the previous year. Butler would enter the tournament 23-9 after winning their last nine games, including two in the Horizon League tournament to take the crown.
The Bulldogs would get a No. 8-seed and a date with the Old Dominion Monarchs, in which they needed a buzzer-beating tip-in by Matt Howard just to get to the second round. While that was a great game and almost put an end to Butler’s season, the fun was only beginning for the Bulldogs.
In the second round, the Bulldogs would take on the top-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers. After playing a great first half, Butler would take an eight-point lead into the break. Pittsburgh would storm back to set up a wild last two seconds of basketball.
Shelvin Mack of Butler would foul Gilbert Brown at halfcourt with 1.4 seconds left and a one-point lead. There was no reason to foul him and it looked like the Panthers would be in great shape to win the game, but Brown missed the second free throw after tying it and they fouled Howard on the rebound. He would hit one and the Bulldogs would have another huge upset.
In the Sweet 16, Butler slid past the Wisconsin Badgers before needing overtime to take out the No. 2-seeded Florida Gators to make their second straight Final Four. There they made it a cinderella matchup, as the No. 11-seed VCU was waiting for them.
VCU had made their run on great defense and turnovers, but Butler was able to fend all of that off and came up with an eight-point win, as Mack came up with another big game. It would be the second straight national title game for Butler.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they came up short again in the title game. This time against the UConn Huskies and this time it was an ugly display of offense for Butler. The Bulldogs shot a title game worst 18.8 percent from the field and scored only 41 points. It was a tough way to end their amazing two-year run. The Bulldogs may have come up short two years in a row, but they are still one of the greatest cinderella teams of all time.