Butler's 70-62 win puts them back into the NCAA title game for the second year in a row and it marks the first time a team from a non-major league reached the title game since the 1983 and 1984 Houston team. The battle between Butler and VCU was a back-and-forth game throughout the evening, and the main difference in the game was the rebounding advantage that Butler had. The Bulldogs out rebounded VCU 46 to 30 overall and 15 to five on offensive rebounds. Even with that disparity VCU was able to keep this game close and have the outcome in doubt until about one minute left in the game.
VCU made their run in the tournament and after starting hot in the first half they cooled off and eventually ended up shooting 36 percent from three-point range. Butler was in the same boat as well and was shooting even worse then VCU, but they made up for it from the free throw line where Butler had 26 attempts compared to VCU's 13 attempts.
VCU's Jamie Skeen did all he could to keep his team in the game as he scored a game high 27 points and was only one of two VCU players to score in double-figures. Brandon Rozzell who had been having an excellent tournament for VCU had one of hi worst games of the year by scoring only two points and five rebounds.
To start the second half both VCU rushed out to a 7-0 lead, but that was the last time they would take the lead as Butler responded witha 10-2 run of their own to take a 56-52 lead. Butler kept onto that lead and when Butler seemed to have the game won with a 61-54 lead, but then VCU guard Jamie Skeen hit a three-pointer to make it 61-57 and was fouled with 2:34 left in the game. After a television timeout, Skeen missed the golden chance of converting on a four-point play and cut the lead to three. That was the end of the game as Butler's Matt Howard scored the next four points to put the game out reach for VCU.
Butler now takes on Connecticut in the national championship game Monday night.