Aces Stun Butler, get Routed by Hoosiers
The first two regular season basketball games at the Ford Center were played this past week, and I got to cover both of them. The city actually held a press conference to announce Butler University, who at the time had just made the elite eight in the NCAA Tournament last spring, would be the first team to visit the arena for a regular season game against Evansville and that they would be followed by Indiana University a few days later. None of that should have come as a huge surprise as Butler, who plays in the Horizon League, is still considered a mid-major program and was honoring the second half of a home-away series with Evansville. Indiana would be gaining star freshman Cody Zeller who’s brother Tyler Zeller convinced the University of North Carolina to play a game in Evansville when he was recruited there.
Nonetheless, at the time the games were seen as huge draws, and when Butler made another appearance in the national title game, the excitement only grew in town. Tickets sold out for both games shortly after going on sale, and the only empty seats in the Ford Center at either game were in the student section. Thats not to say UE students don’t support their basketball program, but the school only has 3,000 students, and no school gets 50% of the student body to show up to any single event.
Evansville gave Butler a shock in the opener. After being down 12 points midway through the second half, the team rallied to tie the game when Colt Ryan hit one of two free throws with .9 seconds on the clock at the end of the second half. The game seemed destined for overtime, but Butler drew up a play that almost worked. Catching a deep inbounds pass at the basket, center Andrew Smith turned with two men on his back and laid the ball in before time expired. The team celebrated like they’d finally won a national championship, diving on the floor on each other, but the refs waved the basket off after review, saying Smith was fouled before the shot with .2 seconds remaining. Now, all Smith had to do was a make a basket, it’s impossible to sink a shot with less than .4 seconds on the clock, but Smith missed both and the Aces never trailed in overtime.
The same didn’t happen against Indiana. The Hoosiers were led by their star freshman who looks as if he’s doubled in size since his senior year at Washington High School where I covered his run to a state title. I’m willing to bet he’s spent every day in a weight room since graduating bulking up and it showed as he frequently pushed veteran college players off the ball and moved through the paint with little trouble. Indiana jumped out to a 35 point lead in the second half at one point, and that was when I left. More because I had to make deadline, but there wasn’t much to stay for. Luckily, though, it was the first game at the Ford Center I tried an overhead mount, and it was well worth it.
Gallery: Aces Stun Butler in OT Thriller
Gallery: Aces Can’t Hang with Hoosiers
University of Evansville guard Ned Cox (22) yells to the crowd at the Ford Center as time expires in overtime following his steal in the closing seconds of Evansvilles 80-77 win over Butler on Saturday, November 12, 2011.
Indiana University forwards Cody Zeller, left, and Christian Watford, center go up for a rebound against University of Evansvlle forward Rokas Cesnulevicius, second from left, as guards Kenneth Harris, second from right, and Colt Ryan, right, look on in the second half of a game at the Ford Center on Wednesday, November 16, 2011.
