The Final Four at Reliant Stadium established a new standard for the event's highest total attendance — 145,747.

Those numbers were much more palatable than the ones posted by Connecticut and Butler on Monday during a universally panned title game won by the Huskies 53-41.

But not even a lackluster final could dampen the enthusiasm generated in a city that hadn't hosted the Final Four in 40 years.

"This is what a showcase, what a national championship should feel like," NCAA interim executive vice president of championships Greg Shaheen said Tuesday. "It was exactly what we hoped it would be."

Which is good for Houston, since the Final Four returns in 2016.

VCU announced on Monday that it has agreed to terms on an extension with Shaka Smart.

"[N.C. State] talked to [Smart] and made an offer," VCU athletic director Norwood Teague told the Charlotte Observerafter Doyel's initial report. "We countered and he is staying."

The financial terms of the agreement have not been announced.

Smart had a base salary of $325,000 this season.

Saturday night's Final Four broadcast on CBS posted an 8.9 rating and a 17 share. That's tied for the highest since 2005.

Butler's 70-62 win over Virginia Commonwealth in the first game drew an 8.3 rating and averaged 14.2 million viewers while Connecticut's 56-55 win over Kentucky in the second game drew a 9.5 rating and pulled in 16.7 million viewers.

Overall ratings for the NCAA tournament are up more than 9 percent over last spring.

Virginia Commonwealth has shot its way through the bracket, swishing 53 of 121 3-pointers, a mind-boggling number only outdone by this one: In five games, the Rams are outscoring their opponents by 90 from the arc.

VCU’s torrid shooting has turned the 3-point line into the line of demarcation here for Saturday’s national semifinal between Butler and VCU.

Whoever controls it wins.

“I don’t think it’s the key to making Butler play our game, but it’s the key to making the scoreboard move,’’ coach Shaka Smart said. “The scoreboard never moves any faster than when that ball goes in from behind the arc, for any team, not just us.’’
VCU players have a perpetual green light from their trusting coach.

“In two years I have never heard Shaka say, ‘That was a bad shot,’’’ Rhoades said. “They know they have the freedom to keep shooting and it’s been like that from Day 1. That’s why a guy like Brandon Rozzell can play the way he does. I’m not sure he could play for a lot of other coaches in the country, but here it’s perfect for him.’’

Butler will look to keep Virginia Commonwealth off the 3-point line, said coach Brad Stevens.

“With 3-point defense, you've got to know who the guys are that are the most dangerous; that starts in transition," Stevens said. "Then the game has evolved so much with regard to ball screens, and everybody always talks about ball screens and pick-and-roll like there's only two guys involved, but it's where the other three guys are located that gives you all the fits. You can only help so much.

"We've done a very good job of that at times throughout the tournament and not as good at times. If we're not as good (tonight) we'll probably get beaten very quickly, very early."

Butler has held their last two opponents – Wisconsin and Florida – to just 10-of-43 shooting from beyond the arc.

Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart called the tempo question "a battle of wills, a big-time challenge."

"The other end of it is, we have to push the ball and get them on their heels," Smart said. "Any time you're playing a great defensive team, the best way to battle against their defense is to beat them down the floor before they get set."

Shelvin Mack, Butler’s leading scorer in the NCAA tournament with a 21.3-point average, stressed the importance of taking care of the ball.

"We can't turn the ball over and give them easy buckets in transition," Mack said. "They do a great job of executing off other teams' mistakes on turnovers and get out in transition. If we take care of the ball, we can help out our defense."

Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart didn't immediately command the same kind of respect as his predecessor, Anthony Grant. Players were intimidated by Grant. Some of them actually would laugh when Smart got mad.

"With coach Smart being different, guys felt he didn't know what he was talking about and didn't know what he was doing, because he wasn't running it like coach Grant," junior guard Bradford Burgess said.

But Smart won them over by building relationships. One of the guiding principles of sports is that what's good for individuals is secondary to what's good for the team. Smart takes a slightly different approach.

He said his core philosophy is to develop players to the best of their ability on and off the court. If you do that, Smart said, team success will follow.

"If you spend time with your guys, they know that you have their back," Smart said. "They know that you care about them and care about their families. Then when they do get on the court and you ask them to do something, and we ask a lot, then they're more likely to do it."