In the first game of the Crossroads Classic between Purdue and Butler, it was a tale of two halves. Butler trailed for all but the final 16 seconds, but fought back to beat Purdue 67-65 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Ronald Nored drives to the hoop as Butler just edges Purdue. (via ButlerSports.com)
This game had a March Madness feel to it, down-to-the-wire, with a tip-in for the win. Butler went on a 11-1 run to close the game, and it was an Andrew Smith buzzer-beater to lift the Bulldogs.
The win may be a season-changer for the Bulldogs (5-6) who have been up and down to this point. Before Christmas, Butler heads out west, facing Gonzaga and Stanford before Christmas.
Robbie Hummel was impressive for Purdue (9-3), just over a year removed from his second ACL surgery. He led all scorers with 16 points and also added six rebounds. Ryne Smith was hot in the first half, tallying 14 points, but was held scoreless in the final stanza.
Purdue’s defense was impeccable in the first half, scoring 16 points on nine Butler turnovers. The tide turned down the stretch, as it was Butler forcing turnovers, getting hand in the shooters face and not allowing easy buckets around the basket.
More than anything, it was yet another utter-collapse for Purdue. They led a quality Xavier team by 19 and lost. Against Butler, they had a 15-point lead. The Boilers scored just one point in the final 6:40, and one field goal in the nine minutes.
Poor free throw shooting plagued both teams — Butler connecting on 12-22, Purdue was 7-12.
Butler Coach Brad Stevens demeanor has been different this season, coming across more upset and vocal. Blame it on their inexperience or poor decision making. At one point in the first half, he called a timeout to chew at junior center Andrew Smith.
Impressive attitude change for Smith, who ultimately gave Butler the win. Coach Stevens is one of the best coaches in the country drawing up a play at timeouts. Two plays before the winning basket, he setup a play which resulted in an easy Smith flush.
It’s easy to criticize a good team for their lack of quality of opponents but Butler took on too challenging of a schedule for their lack of experience and talent this season. Given, most of the schedule is done in advanced, before Shelvin Mack declared for the NBA draft, but this rough start has to be eating away at the Bulldogs. This is unfamiliar territory for this team after unprecedented success in the Brad Stevens era. Having six freshman on the roster doesn’t help.
But I got to give credit to Butler coach Brad Stevens who despite a young roster, has had a very challenging schedule. Louisville, Indiana, Xavier, Purdue, and coming up — Gonzaga and Stanford. That’s no easy task.
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Where was Chrishawn Hopkins you may have wondered? Seated very comfortably on the Butler bench throughout most the game. Hopkins is a big game player and unmatched elevation. Playing just four minutes against Purdue, he was clearly in the doghouse, seated way at the end of the bench. With such a decimated lineup, Hopkins has to be a factor for the Dawgs.
Coach Stevens said postgame that Hopkins wasn’t injured and he thought they had a great rhythm going without him.