Seth Wells | @Seth_Wells22
Jones the Hero, Again!
Roosevelt Jones mimicked his 2013 Gonzaga performance and delivered yet another buzzer-beating game winner Wednesday night to give Butler the upset win over #17 Cincinnati.
Rewind.
Butler led by three with 17 seconds remaining in the game. Cincinnati took a long time to find a shot, finally launching a 3 pointer that went off the iron. Cincinnati senior big man Octavius Ellis was there for the rebound and tip-in while also drawing a foul from Butler big man Tyler Wideman. That was Wideman’s fifth foul and was the second Butler big man to foul out after Andrew Chrabascz left with five fouls with about three minutes remaining. That left Austin Etherington as Butler’s acting big man for the final play and possibly overtime, more on him in a minute.
Ellis stepped to the free throw stripe for the crucial free throw to tie the game at 76 and drained it. Ellis ended the night eight of ten from the stripe, a good mark for a big man who was shooting just 59% from the line heading into the contest.
With the score tied at 76 the Bulldogs had a chance for the win, and desperately needed to convert. Cincinnati was the bigger team coming into the game, nonetheless with Butler’s only true bigs both fouled out. Overtime could have presented the Bulldogs with some matchup nightmares down low.
Now back to Etherington. The senior transfer from Indiana played only seven minutes in this one and didn’t record a stat in the statbook, but played a huge role in the last play. Etherington took the ball out with 4.7 seconds left and had to make a crucial pass to Roosevelt Jones that stretched 3/4 of the court. The play (video below) worked to perfection for Butler, and Etherington deserves a lot of credit for giving Jones a chance to get to it. The play gave Butler the 78-76 win.
Roosevelt, of course, is no stranger to buzzer beaters. Jones delivered one of the most memorable moments in Butler basketball history back in 2013 when the #13 ranked Bulldogs hosted #8 Gonzaga. A rivalry of two perennial bracket-busters with the fuel of ESPN’s College Gameday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Students rushed the floor of Hinkle after this incredible finish (video below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJOTrmNpT6I
The game Wednesday night however, was much different in many ways.
Overcoming the Crowd
Jones first delivered a buzzer beating win in front of a home crowd back in 2013, this time he did it in a hostile Fifth Third Arena on Cincinnati’s campus. I was at the game Wednesday and i can’t recall many crowds that were more hostile than this one was. Fifth Third Arena was LOUD, and i mean VERY LOUD. Even in the nose bleeds the place was seemingly shaking (my seats shown below).
In the tight game Cincinnati fans were fueled by a couple of altercations between the teams on the court as well as some decisions by the referee’s that they viewed as questionable. Anyhow, the arena was one of the loudest and most hostile atmospheres that Butler will play in, and Jones couldn’t have cared less.
Just like he did back in 2013, Jones gave Butler fans another thrill with his terrible looking yet consistent finish around the rim. Doing it at home was one thing, now he showed he is just as clutch on the road. Jones even hit a pair of clutch free throws late in this one, which probably surprised all Butler fans a little bit as Jones is shooting just 52% from the line this season.
After the game Chris Holtmann said it was “a Butler win”, which he claims is the highest compliment he can give. Kellen Dunham led the team with 24 points and Butler also received good play from their bigs Wideman and Chrabascz before they fouled out. Lewis on the other hand put together another not-so-great performance, tallying a grand total of zero points with just four assists and two rebounds.
Surely the Bulldogs will get a big confidence boost by the tough road win and they will probably jump back into the next AP Poll barring a loss at home to Indiana State on Saturday.
Looking Ahead
With the win the Bulldogs improved to 5-1 on the young season and handed #17 Cincinnati their first loss as the Bearcats dropped to 7-1.
The Bulldogs will look to build off of Wednesday’s momentum on Saturday when they host Indiana State at Hinkle Fieldhouse at noon. They will play home again on Monday against VMI before a four day rest; after which they will host Tennessee on Saturday December 12th.
Many in-state fans have already turned their attention to the Crossroads Classic, where Butler could face its next ranked team in Purdue. If both teams continue to win until their matchup on December 19th, it could possibly be a matchup of two top-15 teams. The Crossroads Classic will be held once again at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The first game of the day will be Indiana vs Notre Dame at 2:00 P.M. Followed by Butler vs Purdue at 5:00 P.M.
Stat Leaders
PTS: Butler, Dunham 24. Cincinnati, Ellis/Evans 16.
REB: Butler, Wideman 9. Cincinnati, Ellis 12.
AST: Butler, Lewis 4. Cincinnati, Caupain 6.
Seth Wells covers the MLB and Butler Men’s Basketball for BU:30.
srwells@butler.edu | @Seth_Wells22