Butler coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged that Vanderbilts size and zone defense presented problems in the Bulldogs 76-66 win Thursday, and he expects the task to be more difficult against No. 8 Arizona on Friday.At least Holtmanns team, which is 5-0, does not have to concern itself with a zone defense utilized by Arizona coach Sean Miller.Being from the same family of coaches, as Holtmann calls his Midwestern roots and those of Miller, both teams figure to play man-to-man when they meet in the championship game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET.The Wildcats (5-0) also have size much like Vanderbilt presented with 7-foot-1 NBA prospect Luke Fornet and 6-10 center Djery Baptiste. The Wildcats start two 7-footers -- freshman forward Lauri Markkanen and center Dusan Ristic.Vanderbilts size bothered us a little bit, but you have to give our guys some credit for responding there down the stretch, said Holtmann, whose team rallied after Kornet made a 3-pointer to put the Commodores up by two with 9:04 left in the game.Butler freshman guard Kamar Baldwin made back-to-back layups before a dunk by junior forward Tyler Wideman capped a 17-3 run that put Butler up 70-58 with 1:33 remaining.Fornet and Baptiste struggled on the offensive end, making only 3 of 14 shots combined from the field. It was their defense in the post that affected Butlers shooting. The Bulldogs made 40.4 percent of their field-goal attempts.It is important going against a team like Arizona that we showed we can respond when we were not playing great and the other team was coming after us a little bit, Holtmann said. Arizona is clearly the most talented and gifted team we will have played. They play really hard, and theyre disciplined.Arizona sophomore guard Allonzo Trier did not make the trip because of an undisclosed eligibility issue that has kept him out of the first five games. The Wildcats held off a pesky Santa Clara team, winning 69-61, to set up the championship game with Butler. Markkanen led Arizona with 16 points and nine rebounds, while freshman guard Kobi Simmons added 14 points, making all three of his 3-point attempts.Miller and Holtmann share a past centering around Illinois coach John Groce. Miller is a good friend of Groce, and Holtmann served as an assistant under Groce at Ohio.I am very familiar with their program coming from Xavier, said Miller, who was the Musketeers head coach from 2004-05 to 2008-09. They are a Top 25-caliber team and NCAA Tournament team. We are potentially playing our best opponent (Friday). We know that, and were going to have to play a great game to beat them.Butler senior forward Andrew Chrabascz recorded his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulldogs win over Vanderbilt. Guard Tyler Lewis scored 15 points, and forward Kelan Martin added 14 points.Its going to be an honor playing against those guys, said Martin, a preseason All-Big East selection. Its a big-name school. They have a good team. They have a lot of tradition.We have to be ready to play them, especially playing back-to-back (days) like this. Tyler ONeill Cardinals Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Tony Cingrani Cardinals Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/1314t-kolten-wong-jersey-cardinals.html . 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He craves it and will do everything in his power, but Lance Franklin says he does not need an AFL premiership to justify his move to Sydney.And coach John Longmire has declared the superstars mega salary is warranted whether the Swans win Saturdays grand final or not.The Swans have made the season-decider twice in the three years since Franklin was recruited on a $10 million, nine-season deal, missing out only last year when the 29-year-old took time out from finals to deal with mental health issues.Theres been an external perception among some that the Swans need to win a premiership to justify the mammoth investment on Franklin.But Longmire has rubbished such talk, explaining his biggest star was recruited to help with the clubs regeneration.Theres no team that would ever think that and no team ever will, and certainly not the Sydney Swans, Longmire said.He was recruited because we knew we were going through a transition phase as far as some older players going out the door, some stars of the past and some younger players coming through.We thought he could help us be competitive. I think hes certainly helped us be competitive.He was really keen to come to Sydney and theyre the reasons why ... we know its about a full team effort, the full 22 this week.When Franklin contests his fifth grand final, against the Western Bulldogs, the 2014 decider will still be fresh in his memory.Despite booting four goals -- his biggest grand-final haul - the triple Coleman Medallist and two-time Hawthorn premiership player admitted that 63-point humiliation by the Hawks still burned a little.ddddddddddddYet he did not feel pressure to claim a first flag with Sydney.I love playing football and Im living in Sydney now. I dont have to justify it by winning a premiership, Franklin said.If we find ourselves in that position then well get the chance to win one and Ill be doing everything I possible can to get that.I think its been a pretty consistent season for myself ... but at the end of the day it means nothing.All I want to do is win this premiership and play in another premiership.The Swans outlay has already been returned this campaign, with Franklin delivering 80 goals to eclipse his previous best in a season for Sydney of 79 in 2014.His towering influence has been key in leading a mostly inexperienced forward line and Longmire expected his chasing and tackling to prove daunting for Bulldogs defenders.Hes been terrific this year, Longmire said.Not only his performances but his training - hes been so consistent and leading our young forward line around.Being able to contribute both on the field but also off the field with our group has been highly valuable and its been great to have him playing. 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