Butler knocks off top-seeded Syracuse!
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on March 26, 2010
After the Orange fell behind by 10 at halftime, a 2nd half effort to re-take the lead fell short as 5th seeded Butler moved closer to making a Final Four berth after their 63-59 upset win over Syracuse.
Syracuse never got an inside presence going, as junior forward Rick Jackson scored just 4 points while being hampered with 4 fouls throughout the game.
Junior forward Wes Johnson led the way with 17 points, while senior guard Andy Rautins added 15 in defeat.
Butler was led by sophomore forward Gordon Heyward’s 17 points, while sophomore guard Shelvin Mack provided a nice all-around game with 14 points, 6 assists & 5 rebounds despite his 5-for-19 shooting.
The dagger bucket came from senior forward & Chicago native Willie Vealsey, who rattled home a huge three-pointer right in front of the Butler bench to give the Bulldogs a 4-point lead with a minute remaining.
Syracuse’s loss leaves West Virginia as the only Big East team remaining out of eight, as Butler will move on to play Kansas State on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
