The first No. 1 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament has fallen after a wild, wild finish. No. 8 seed Butler has upset No. 1 Pittsburgh, 71-70, in a game with an ending unlike any we've seen in quite some time.
Matt Howard hit a free throw with under a second remaining for the final margin. Nasir Robinson fouled Howard on a rebound of a missed Gilbert Brown free throw. Brown got to the line after Shawn Vanzant committed a foul on the baseline at midcourt. Brown hit the first, but missed the second, setting up the foul on Howard.
Butler took a 70-69 lead with 2.2 seconds left on a brilliant inbounds play by Brad Stevens. Using Mack and Howard as decoys, Stevens ran a play where Shawn Vanzant fed Andrew Smith for a layup to take the lead. That preceeded Vanzant's foul on Brown, who hit the first free throw, then missed the second before Robinson's foul
Butler had a chance to take the lead with one minute left, but Matt Howard missed a three-pointer, and Smith missed a point-blank putback. The Bulldogs forced a shot clock violation on Pittsburgh's possession, setting up Smith's layup.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of Kansas State and Utah State in the next round.