INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Michigan State coach Tom Izzo thinks Butler looks a lot like those stingy, grind-it-out teams he sees all season in the Big Ten. He means it as a compliment.
Butler has ridden a 25-game win streak into the NCAA championship game against Duke on the strength of its rugged defense. It came up big again Saturday night, holding Michigan State to 43 percent shooting in a 50-52 national semifinal victory.
It wasn’t always this way.
Butler had a lackluster 5-4 stretch early in the season. The Bulldogs were particularly unhappy with a 67-57 loss to UAB on Dec. 22 and had a team meeting to discuss it.
They haven’t lost since, giving up an average of 57 points per game and never more than 69 in the streak. NCAA tournament opponents haven’t scored more than 59.
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