Butler reaches Final Four

The Butler Bulldogs have defied all odds by going through the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in their region to reach the Final Four.

Making their first trip to the Final Four all that more exciting is the fact that it is being played in Indianapolis, which is just down the road from the Butler campus.

The team reached the final four by knocking off the Kansas State Wildcats, 63-56, behind 22 points and 9 rebounds from forward Gordon Heyward.

Much like their win over Syracuse, Butler held the lead for almost the entire game before Kansas State made a late run to tie the score at 54.

Just like the Syracuse victory, Butler refused to get rattled or lose their cool. The Bulldogs went on to score the next nine points and seal their trip back to Indianapolis.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 7:50 pm by steve

Butler stuns Syracuse, 63-59

The Butler Bulldogs got an early lead, lost it late and then rallied back for a 63-59 upset of the Syracuse Orange.

The big matchup of the game was expected to be Butler against Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 zone.

Butler struggled from three-point range, but 18 Syracuse turnovers proved to be the difference.

The Bulldogs are now just one step away from the Final Four, which will be played right down the street in Indianapolis.

They will have to find a way to get past Kansas State, which will challenge them with their quick guards.

Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 11:06 am by steve

No. 23 in a row pushes Bulldogs into Elite Eight

By Bud L. Ellis

Make it 23 consecutive victories for the Butler Bulldogs. No. 24 would send the Bulldogs home … to Indianapolis … to the Final Four.

Butler roared into the regional finals for the first time in the program’s history Thursday night, the Bulldogs taking the fight to Syracuse and knocking the West Regional’s top seed from this wild NCAA Tournament with a 63-59 victory in Salt Lake City.

A victory? Yes. An upset? Not really. Butler (31-4) proved it belongs on the big stage with anybody in the nation. They added validity to that statement Thursday. First the Bulldogs ran out to a 35-25 halftime lead. Then the Bulldogs survived a Syracuse surge, one that saw the Orange holding a 54-50 lead with 5:23 left.

Butler scored the next 11 points in a row, building a 61-54 lead that would send the Bulldogs into the Elite Eight.

The Bulldogs won arguably their biggest game ever, and extended the nation’s longest winning streak, despite struggling from the field (40 percent from the field, 6-for-24 from 3-point range). The Bulldogs made up for it on defense, forcing 18 turnovers.

Gordon Hayward led Butler with 18 points.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 10:13 pm by bud

Tags: Butler Bulldogs, Final Four, Gordon Hayward, NCAA Tournament, Syracuse

Butler holds off pesky Murray State, advances to Sweet 16

By Bud L. Ellis

Twenty-two victories and counting for the Butler Bulldogs, but No. 22 was anything but easy.

Murray State already had knocked one higher seed from the NCAA Tournament, and nearly ended the Bulldogs winning streak and season. But Ronald Nored’s three-point play with 25.4 seconds left helped Butler dodge the upset bid, the Bulldogs winning 54-52 Saturday in the second round of the West Regional in San Jose, Calif.

Next up for 30-4 Butler: a trip to the Sweet 16 against Syracuse. But it nearly didn’t happen. Trailing 26-22 at halftime and slogging through a 36-percent shooting day, the Bulldogs clamped down just enough on defense to get back into this one.

Matt Howard made one-of-two free throws with 17.2 seconds left to make it 54-52. Murray State had a last chance but Butler forced a turnover on the final possession to seal the deal.

Nored scored a game-high 15 points. Gordon Hayward scored 12, Shelvin Mack added 11 and Willie Veasley scored 10 for Butler.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 9:15 pm by bud

Tags: Butler Bulldogs, Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard, Murray State, NCAA Tournament, Ronald Nored, Shelvin Mack, Syracuse, Willie Veasley

Butler takes Horizon title

After going undefeated in regular season play and winning the Horizon League title, the No. 11 Butler Bulldogs had only one thing left to do.

The Bulldogs ran through the Horizon League tournament to clinch an NCAA tournament bid.

Butler routed Wright State, 70-45, to claim the league’s only bid and continue the nation’s longest winning streak.

Butler hasn’t lost since December 12 at Alabama-Birmingham, and they hope to keep that streak going for a few more weeks.

Had the Bulldogs not gained an automatic berth by winning the conference tournament, they still would have made the NCAA field.

Friday, March 12, 2010 at 9:54 pm by steve