Butler Bulldogs men's basketball


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.
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History

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. 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. The Bulldogs also went to the championship game in the following NCAA tournament, falling to UConn after defeating [2010–11 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team|VCU Rams men's basketball team|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.
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

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. In June 2011, USA Today ranked Butler as one of the top five colleges making use of social media. Specific to basketball, Butler's mascot, Butler Blue, the men's basketball program, head coach Thad Matta, and other coaches have university-endorsed Twitter accounts. Also, online communities Butler Hoops and /r/ButlerUniversity 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.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 24–16.
1962–First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Regional Third Place Game		Bowling Green
Kentucky
Western Kentucky		W 56–55
L 60–81
W 87–86
1997No. 14First RoundNo. 3 CincinnatiL 69–86
1998No. 13First RoundNo. 4 New MexicoL 62–79
2000No. 12First RoundNo. 5 [1999–2000 2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida Gators men's basketball team|Florida]L 68–69 OT
2001No. 10First Round
Second Round		No. 7 Wake Forest
No. 2 Arizona		W 79–63
L 52–73
2003No. 12First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		No. 5 Mississippi State
No. 4 Louisville
No. 1 Oklahoma		W 47–46
W 79–71
L 54–65
2007No. 5First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		No. 12 Old Dominion
No. 4 Maryland
No. 1 Florida		W 57–46
W 62–59
L 57–65
2008No. 7First Round
Second Round		No. 10 South Alabama
No. 2 Tennessee		W 81–61
L 71–76 OT
2009No. 9First RoundNo. 8 LSUL 71–75
2010No. 5First 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
2011No. 8First 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
2013No. 6First Round
Second Round		No. 11 Bucknell
No. 3 Marquette		W 68–56
L 72–74
2015No. 6First Round
Second Round		No. 11 Texas
No. 3 Notre Dame		W 56–48
L 64–67 OT
2016No. 9First Round
Second Round		No. 8 Texas Tech
No. 1 Virginia		W 71–61
L 69–77
2017No. 4First 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
2018No. 10First 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

The Bulldogs have appeared in ten National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 5–10.
1958N/AFirst RoundSt. John'sL 69–76
1959N/AFirst Round
Quarterfinals		Fordham
Bradley		W 94–80
L 77–83
1985N/AFirst RoundIndianaL 57–79
1991N/AFirst RoundWyomingL 61–63
1992N/AFirst RoundPurdueL 56–82
1999N/AFirst Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Bradley
Old Dominion
Clemson		W 51–50
W 75–68
L 69–89
2002N/AFirst Round
Second Round		Bowling Green
Syracuse		W 81–69
L 65–66
2006#8Opening Round
First Round		Miami
Florida State		W 53–52
L 63–67
2019#5First RoundNebraskaL 76–80
2024#4First RoundMinnesotaL 72–73

CBI results

The Bulldogs have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 2–1.
2012First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Delaware
Penn
Pittsburgh		W 75–58
W 63–53
L 62–68 OT

CBC results

Butler has appeared in the College Basketball Crown once. Their overall record is 1–1.
2025First Round
Quarterfinals		Utah
Boise State		W 86–84
L 93–100

Bulldogs in the NBA

NBA & ABA players who attended Butler University

Bulldogs in the NBA G League

Bulldogs in international leagues

Awards

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
National Coach of the Year
All-Americans
Denotes Honorable Mention
Academic All-Americans
Denotes 1st team

Denotes 2nd team

Denotes 3rd team
Academic All-American of the Year
  • Matt Howard – 2011
McDonald's All-American
  • Tyler Lewis – 2012
Senior Class Award
  • Alex Barlow – 2015
Big East Coach of the Year
Horizon League Player of the Year
Horizon League Coach of the Year
Indiana Collegiate Conference Player of the Year
  • Tom Bowman – 1962
  • Wayne Burris – 1977
  • Tom Orner – 1978
Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year
  • Tony Hinkle – 1956, 1961, 1962
  • George Theofanis – 1973, 1977
  • Joe Sexson – 1978
MAC Most Valuable Player
Information on the awards comes from the 2009–2010 media guide.

Record

Record vs. Big East opponents

Source

All-time leading scorers

RankNameYearsPoints
1Chad Tucker1983–19882,321
2Kelan Martin2014–20182,047
3Darrin Fitzgerald1983–19872,019
4Kamar Baldwin2016–20201,956
5Kellen Dunham2012–20161,946
6Matt Howard2007–20111,939
7A. J. Graves2004–20081,807
8Lynn Mitchem1979–19831,798
9Darin Archbold1988–19921,744
10Billy Shepherd1969–19721,733
11Jermaine Guice1990–19941,607
12Darren Fowlkes1985–19891,543
13Roosevelt Jones2011–2013, 2014–20161,533
14Wayne Burris1973–19771,531
15Shelvin Mack2008–20111,527
16Jon Neuhouser1994–19981,485
17Bobby Plump1954–19581,439
18Keith Greve1951–1954, 1957–19581,400
19Jeff Blue1961–19641,392
20Rylan Hainje1998–20021,388
21Khyle Marshall2010–20141,373

Sources of information