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."