Posted by Jeff Borzello

HOUSTON – Monday night’s title game was critically panned for its lack of excitement, its sloppy play and its general offensive hideousness.

How bad was it? Let’s take a look.

• There was a stretch in the second half when Butler went 1-for-23 from the field.
• Butler made three 2-point shots. The Bulldogs were 3-for-31 from inside the arc.
• In the first half, Butler was just 6-for-27 from the field. However, that number looks terrific compared to its second-half performance. After halftime, the Bulldogs were 6-for-37 from the field – 16.2 percent.
• For the game, Butler shot 18.8 percent from the field.
• The two teams combined for 37 offensive rebounds. On the surface, that looks fantastic. Think about the fact that there were 88 missed shots, though, and that number just seems like another example of offensive ineptitude.
• Connecticut shot 2-for-23 from 3-point range in its last two games. At least the Huskies realized they should stop shooting from the outside, though; Butler went 9-for-33 from deep.
• Butler’s offensive efficiency for the night was 70.7 – if the Bulldogs had done that for an entire season, they would have ranked last in Division I, by nearly 10 points per possession.
• On the other side, Connecticut’s offensive efficiency was 91.4 – that would have ranked No. 304 in the country.
• Butler was outscored in the paint, 26-2.
• The two teams had 37 offensive rebounds, yet had just 33 second-chance points. Not very efficient.
• Butler’s free-throw rate of 12.5 would have ranked last in the NCAA by 11 percent. Meanwhile, Connecticut’s free-throw rate of 25.5 percent would have ranked next-to-last.