Butler Bulldogs men's basketball

Butler Bulldogs
2023–24 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
UniversityButler University
First season1896–97
All-time record1,560–1,114 (.583)
Head coachThad Matta (2nd, 3rd overall season)
ConferenceBig East
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
ArenaHinkle Fieldhouse
(Capacity: 9,100)
NicknameBulldogs
Student sectionDawg Pound
ColorsBlue and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament runner-up
2010, 2011
NCAA tournament Final Four
2010, 2011
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2010, 2011
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1962, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017
NCAA tournament round of 32
2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
NCAA tournament appearances
1962, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Conference tournament champions
1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011
Conference regular season champions
1933, 1934, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

The Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school's team currently competes in the Big East Conference. They play their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

History[edit]

Butler competed as part of the Horizon League since its founding, and played basketball in other regional conferences before that, including the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2012 they left the Horizon League for the Atlantic 10 and the year after, moved to the Big East.

Despite having played in a mid-major conference, Butler rose to national prominence in the late 1990s. They ranked in most media polls for all but a few weeks from the 2006–07 season to the 2011–12 season, and competed in the postseason every year since 1997, except for 2004, 2005, and 2014. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, Butler was the National runner-up to Duke, advancing to the National Championship Game after defeating Michigan State in the Final Four.[2] With a total enrollment of only 4,500 students, Butler is the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.[3] The Bulldogs also went to the championship game in the following NCAA tournament, falling to UConn after defeating VCU in the Final Four. With the victory over VCU, Butler became the first mid-major program to reach the championship game in successive seasons since 1979, when seeding of the tournament began, and the only team from the state of Indiana to reach back-to-back championship games. The Bulldogs also won the National Championship in 1927, though it was before March Madness so it does not count for NCAA records.[2]

After spending one season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Butler moved into the realigned basketball-only Big East Conference for the 2013–14 season. Their first season was mediocre, finishing 9th out of 10 teams with a 14–17 record, their first losing record since 2004–05. In their second season, despite being picked to finish 7th, the Bulldogs surprised many by finishing tied for second place in the conference. Butler finished the 2015–16 season in a tie for fourth place in Big East play with a record of 21–11, 10–8 in conference and receiving a bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Second Round.

Basketball community[edit]

Because of the school's history of basketball success, location in the heart of the land of "Hoosier Hysteria", and lack of a scholarship football program, the Butler University fan base is primarily basketball-oriented. Other athletics enjoy substantial followings of current students and alumni, but only basketball has garnered interest from a national audience.

Two studies estimated that television, print, and online news coverage of Butler's 2010 and 2011 appearances in the NCAA tournament championship game resulted in additional publicity for the university worth about $1.2 billion. In an example of the "Flutie effect", applications rose by 41% after the 2010 appearance.[4] In June 2011, USA Today ranked Butler as one of the top five colleges making use of social media.[5] Specific to basketball, Butler's mascot, Butler Blue,[6][7] the men's basketball program,[8] head coach Thad Matta,[9] and other coaches have university-endorsed Twitter accounts. Also, online communities Butler Hoops[10] and /r/ButlerUniversity[11] exist to facilitate discussion among fans.

In recent years, the Butler program has also received national attention for its philosophy to the game, which it calls "The Butler Way". At its core, The Butler Way calls for complete commitment and exalts teamwork above self.[12]

Postseason[edit]

NCAA tournament results[edit]

The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 24–16.[13]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1962 – First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Third Place Game		 Bowling Green
Kentucky
Western Kentucky		 W 56–55
L 60–81
W 87–86
1997 No. 14 First Round No. 3 Cincinnati L 69–86
1998 No. 13 First Round No. 4 New Mexico L 62–79
2000 No. 12 First Round No. 5 Florida L 68–69 OT
2001 No. 10 First Round
Second Round		 No. 7 Wake Forest
No. 2 Arizona		 W 79–63
L 52–73
2003 No. 12 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 No. 5 Mississippi State
No. 4 Louisville
No. 1 Oklahoma		 W 47–46
W 79–71
L 54–65
2007 No. 5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 No. 12 Old Dominion
No. 4 Maryland
No. 1 Florida		 W 57–46
W 62–59
L 57–65
2008 No. 7 First Round
Second Round		 No. 10 South Alabama
No. 2 Tennessee		 W 81–61
L 71–76 OT
2009 No. 9 First Round No. 8 LSU L 71–75
2010 No. 5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship Game		 No. 12 UTEP
No. 13 Murray State
No. 1 Syracuse
No. 2 Kansas State
No. 5 Michigan State
No. 1 Duke		 W 77–59
W 54–52
W 63–59
W 63–56
W 52–50
L 59–61
2011 No. 8 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship Game		 No. 9 Old Dominion
No. 1 Pittsburgh
No. 4 Wisconsin
No. 2 Florida
No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Connecticut		 W 60–58
W 71–70
W 61–54
W 74–71 OT
W 70–62
L 41–53
2013 No. 6 First Round
Second Round		 No. 11 Bucknell
No. 3 Marquette		 W 56–68
L 72–74
2015 No. 6 First Round
Second Round		 No. 11 Texas
No. 3 Notre Dame		 W 56–48
L 64–67 OT
2016 No. 9 First Round
Second Round		 No. 8 Texas Tech
No. 1 Virginia		 W 71–61
L 69–77
2017 No. 4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 No. 13 Winthrop
No. 12 Middle Tennessee
No. 1 North Carolina		 W 76–64
W 74–65
L 80–92
2018 No. 10 First Round
Second Round		 No. 7 Arkansas
No. 2 Purdue		 W 79–62
L 73–76

*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.

NIT results[edit]

The Bulldogs have appeared in ten National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 5–10.[14]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1958 N/A First Round St. John's L 69–76
1959 N/A First Round
Quarterfinals		 Fordham
Bradley		 W 94–80
L 77–83
1985 N/A First Round Indiana L 57–79
1991 N/A First Round Wyoming L 61–63
1992 N/A First Round Purdue L 56–82
1999 N/A First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Bradley
Old Dominion
Clemson		 W 51–50
W 75–68
L 69–89
2002 N/A First Round
Second Round		 Bowling Green
Syracuse		 W 81–69
L 65–66
2006 #8 Opening Round
First Round		 Miami (OH)
Florida State		 W 53–52
L 63–67
2019 #5 First Round Nebraska L 76–80
2024 #4 First Round Minnesota L 72-73

CBI results[edit]

The Bulldogs have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 2–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2012 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Delaware
Penn
Pittsburgh		 W 75–58
W 63–53
L 62–68 OT

Bulldogs in the NBA[edit]

NBA & ABA players who attended Butler University[15]

Bulldogs in the NBA G League[edit]

Bulldogs in international leagues[edit]

Coaching history[edit]

Coach Years Win–loss Win % Conference titles NCAA Tourn.
appearances
Harlan Page 1920–1926 98–36 .731 0
Tony Hinkle 1926–1942,1945–1970 560–392 .588 6 1
Frank Hedden 1942–1945 18–15 .545 0
George Theofanis 1970–1977 79–105 .429 2
Joe Sexson 1977–1989 143–188 .432 1
Barry Collier 1989–2000 196–132 .598 2 3
Thad Matta 2000–2001, 2022–Present 56–41 .577 1 1
Todd Lickliter 2001–2007 131–61 .682 3 2
Brad Stevens 2007–2013 166–49 .772 4 5
Brandon Miller 2013–2014 14–17 .452 0
Chris Holtmann 2014–2017 70–31 .693 0 3
LaVall Jordan 2017–2022 83–74 .529 0 1

Awards[edit]

Information on the awards comes from the 2009–2010 media guide.[18]

Record[edit]

Record vs. Big East opponents[edit]

Source[19]

All-time leading scorers[edit]

See also: Butler Bulldogs men's basketball statistical leaders
Rank Name Years Points
1 Chad Tucker 1983–1988 2,321
2 Kelan Martin 2014–2018 2,047
3 Darrin Fitzgerald 1983–1987 2,019
4 Kamar Baldwin 2016–2020 1,956
5 Kellen Dunham 2012–2016 1,946
6 Matt Howard 2007–2011 1,939
7 A. J. Graves 2004–2008 1,807
8 Lynn Mitchem 1979–1983 1,798
9 Darin Archbold 1988–1992 1,744
10 Billy Shepherd 1969–1972 1,733
11 Jermaine Guice 1990–1994 1,607
12 Darren Fowlkes 1985–1989 1,543
13 Roosevelt Jones 2011–2013, 2014–2016 1,533
14 Wayne Burris 1973–1977 1,531
15 Shelvin Mack 2008–2011 1,527
16 Jon Neuhouser 1994–1998 1,485
17 Bobby Plump 1954–1958 1,439
18 Keith Greve 1951–1954, 1957–1958 1,400
19 Jeff Blue 1961–1964 1,392
20 Rylan Hainje 1998–2002 1,388
21 Khyle Marshall 2010–2014 1,373

Sources of information[20][21][19]

Tournament titles[edit]

Season Tournament Results
1923–24 AAU National Tournament W vs. Schooley-Woodstock 34–29
W vs. Hillyards 35–29
W vs. Kansas St. Teachers 40–21
W vs. K. C. Athletic Club 30–26
1947–48 Hoosier Classic W vs. Purdue 52–50
W vs. Indiana 64–51
1948–49 Hoosier Classic W vs. Indiana 64–55
W vs. Purdue 47–43
1960–61 Hoosier Classic W vs. Illinois 70–68
W vs. Purdue 65–63
1996–97 MCC Tournament W vs. Milwaukee 48–36
W vs. Green Bay 57–52OT
W vs. UIC 69–68
1997–98 MCC Tournament W vs. Loyola 62–53
W vs. Wright State 67–48
W vs. Green Bay 70–51
1999–00 MCC Tournament W vs. Loyola 61–57
W vs. Milwaukee 65–51
W vs. Detroit 62–43
2000–01 MCC Tournament W vs. Loyola 78–52
W vs. Wright State 66–58
W vs. Detroit 53–38
2001–02 Top of the World Classic W vs. Radford 73–56
W vs. Delaware 76–59
W vs. Washington 67–64
2001–02 Hoosier Classic W vs. Samford 45–37
W vs. Indiana 66–64
2006–07 NIT Tip-Off W vs. Notre Dame 71–69
W vs. Indiana 60–55
W vs. Tennessee 56–44
W vs. Gonzaga 79–71
2007–08 Great Alaska Shootout W vs. Michigan 79–65
W vs. Virginia Tech 84–78
W vs. Texas Tech 81–71
2007–08 Horizon League Tournament W vs. Illinois-Chicago 66–50
W vs. Cleveland State 70–55
2009–10 Horizon League Tournament W vs. Milwaukee 68–59
W vs. Wright State 70–45
2010–11 Diamond Head Classic W vs. Utah 74–62
W vs. Florida State 67–64
W vs. Washington State 84–68
2010–11 Horizon League Tournament W vs. Cleveland State 76–68
W vs. Milwaukee 59–44
2016–17 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational W vs. Vanderbilt 76–66
W vs. Arizona 69–65
2019–20 CBE Hall of Fame Classic W vs. Missouri 63-52
W vs. Stanford 68-67

References[edit]

  1. ^ Butler Athletics Visual Identity Guide (PDF). November 29, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "NCAA basketball tournament History: Butler Bulldogs – ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  3. ^ Neville, Susan S.,Butler's Big Dance. Indiana University Press, 2010
  4. ^ Dosh, Kristi (March 2012). "Tournament pays handsomely for schools". ESPN. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  5. ^ "The 20 colleges making the best use of social media | USA TODAY College". www.usatodayeducate.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011.
  6. ^ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  7. ^ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  8. ^ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  9. ^ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  10. ^ "butlerhoops.com". butlerhoops.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  11. ^ "Butler's Reddit Community". reddit.com. 2012-12-02. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
  12. ^ Woods, David (2007-02-15). "'Butler Way' includes sense of urgency". Usatoday.Com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  13. ^ "Butler". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  14. ^ "2008–2009 Media Guide: History and Records Section" (PDF). Grfx.cstv.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  15. ^ "NBA & ABA Players Who Attended Butler University". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  16. ^ "Former Butler Bulldog signs with Pacers". The Indianapolis Star.
  17. ^ "Unknown".[dead link]
  18. ^ "2009–10 Butler Men's Basketball Media Guide – Butler". Butlersports.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  19. ^ a b "2016_17_MBB_Media_Guide_Complete.pdf – Butler Bulldogs" (PDF). butlersports.com. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  20. ^ "BUTLER OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE – Men's Basketball". Butlersports.cstv.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  21. ^ "Butler University – The Official Athletics Site". Butlersports.cstv.com. Retrieved 2014-03-19.

External links[edit]

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