LEXINGTON, Ky. — This time there was no last-second shot, no dagger in the heart that kept getting ripped open every time the Marquette Golden Eagles saw that ESPN commercial in which Butler’s Rotnei Clarke drained a last-second jumper that gave the Bulldogs a one-point win in November.
This time there was so much more on the line.
This time Marquette, a team coach Buzz Williams seems to patch together every year and get to play in his image — passionate, relentless, under appreciated — made the two key defensive plays that gave the Golden Eagles a 74-72 win in an East Region third-round game at Rupp Arena and send them to the Sweet 16.
“Every game that we play in, it’s going to be a grind out, hard, boxing match from the start ’til the end,’’ said Marquette guard Junior Cadougan, who smothered Clarke in the second half, holding him scoreless over the final 15 minutes after he had 24 of Butler’s first 49 points. “You know, Marquette’s known for grinding it out. We come ready to play.’’
The Golden Eagles had something to play for. Williams’ wife, Corey, had an emergency appendectomy when the team arrived Wednesday and was hospitalized during the team’s two games. She was expected to fly home on the team charter.
Third-seeded Marquette was down five to Davidson with 41 seconds left in its second-round game and kept punching until Vander Blue swooped in for a last-second layup. Last night, Blue was the star again, scoring 19 of his 29 points in the second half, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 90 seconds remaining as Marquette rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit.
After taking a 74-70 lead with free throws, Marquette needed its defense to make one last stand. With 4.7 seconds left, Marquette’s Jamil Wilson goal-tended an Andrew Smith’s layup attempt to make it a two-point game. On the ensuing inbounds play, Blue’s pass for Wilson went out of bounds, giving Butler one last chance with 2.4 seconds left.
But the Golden Eagles smothered Butler, leaving Smith to take the inbounds pass at the top of the key and fling a shot that hit backboard. It ricocheted off the backboard and Butler wasn’t going to make a third trip to the Sweet 16 in the last four years.
Marquette (25-8) will face the winner of today’s Miami-Illinois game. The Golden Eagles tied for the Big East regular-season title but were given third billing in the conference. They also were given a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but had to get past No. 6 Butler, and its vaunted defense.
It was Marquette’s defense at the end that was better. On the last inbounds play, Butler coach Brad Stevens said his players mistook Marquette’s defense for zone when it was man.
“That one will eat at me, that’s for sure,’’ he said.