2011 Final Four Schedule: Butler Punches its Ticket

The 2011 Final Four schedule has its first team as the Butler Bulldogs pulled off another unprecedented upset on Saturday night. In front of the New Orleans crowd, Butler won the Southeast regional bracket in an exciting overtime game. The No. 8 seeded Bulldogs pulled off a game that they weren't favored to win, and punched their ticket in the Final Four.

There weren't many college basketball analysts that picked Butler to go this far, even in a bracket that seemed ripe for upsets. First they beat Old Dominion in the first round with a 60-58 win, setting them up for a game against No. 1 seed Pittsburgh. Another close game had the Bulldogs winning it in the final moments 72-70 to advance to the Sweet 16. It was there that they faced another good team in the Wisconsin Badgers, but Butler was again up to the task, putting them down 61-54.

Butler has definitely become the "Cinderella" story of the NCAA Tournament, and there was quite a bit of buzz heading into the Butler-Florida game. It took an overtime period, but Butler beat them 74-71 to complete their third straight upset in the tournament. Butler has blasted their way into the Final Four, and now they just await the announcement of their opponent. They will now take on the winner of the Kansas vs. VCU game in the Southwest bracket.

The Butler-Florida game was definitely hard fought, and the Gators actually had a slim lead at halftime. Butler would tie it up to force an overtime with two free throws from Matt Howard, and they headed into the extra period to decide which squad would be heading to Houston. They would out-score Florida 14-11 in the overtime and what better way for the Bulldogs and their fans to celebrate moving on.

Shelvin Mack led the way for Butler, scoring 27 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out four assists in the victory. He was the guy who also scored 30 against Pittsburgh to help them get into the Sweet Sixteen earlier in the tournament, and has proven to be one of the most valuable players on the team. His next chance to impress the country will come on April 2 in Houston.

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NCAA_Tournament_Bracket