SPECIAL TOURNAMENT EDITION
the butler
INSIDE: How does Butler stack up against Bucknell heading into tomorrow’s game? Page 2
VOL. 127 ISSUE 21 ESTABLISHED 1886 INDIANAPOLIS
COLLEGIAN
OUR PICKS: Our editors take a guess at who will win the tournament. Page 3
BUTLER UNIVERSITY | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013 | WWW.THEBUTLERCOLLEGIAN.COM
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BUTLER JOINING BIG EAST After weeks of media speculation, it is now official: Butler University will be a member of the Big East. Butler will enter the new Big East— consisting of the seven Catholic schools departing the current Big East—alongside Xavier and Creighton on July 1. Butler President Jim Danko officially announced the school’s intention to leave the Atlantic 10 Conference after one academic year at a press conference in New York this morning. Ben Hunter, chief of staff, said school officials were delighted to receive an invitation to the Big East. “For us, it creates long-term stability not only for the university’s athletics and academics, but it gives us greater control over the decisions that impact our sports program,” Hunter said. Butler’s football team will remain in the Pioneer Football League, as it did when the
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COLIN LIKAS CLIKAS@BUTLER.EDU MANAGING EDITOR
Joining the Big East is an unprecedented opportunity for Butler and represents an ideal fit for us—academically, athletically and geographically. —University President Jim Danko
school jumped to the A-10. The women’s golf team will leave the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and join the rest of Butler’s athletic teams in the Big East. “Joining the Big East is an unprecedented opportunity for Butler and represents an ideal fit for us—academically, athletically and geographically,” Danko said in a press release. Hunter said he was unsure how much it would cost the university to leave the A-10 on such short notice. Previous reports from the Associated Press said Butler would be forced to pay a $2 million exit fee, for not giving 27 months
Back in the Big Dance
notice before switching conferences. Xavier will also depart from the A-10, while Creighton will jump from the Missouri Valley Conference. The three schools will join the ‘Catholic 7’ in the Big East after those seven schools purchased the rights to the conference name. The seven schools already in the Big East are: DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova. “This new opportunity to compete against Big East universities—which have a rich tradition of excellence across a wide range of sports—will enhance the Butler experience for all our student-athletes,” said Barry
Collier, vice president of athletics, in the release. This is the fifth athletic conference Butler has been a member of since 1946, excluding a yearlong independent stint. Butler was a charter member of what eventually became the Horizon League in 1979, and the school stayed there until leaving for the A-10 in 2012. “The A-10, like the Horizon League, is an outstanding conference, and we were honored to be a member,” Danko said in the release. “After in-depth deliberations and analyses, we determined that joining the Big East was the right thing to do for our students and our institution, regardless of the timing of past conference transitions.” Hunter said the move is a bold moment for Butler and is a culmination of Danko and past presidents’ leadership. “This is writing the next chapter of Butler University,” Hunter said. “This is a truly momentous change for the university. I hope there’s great excitement around this, not only for the opportunities it brings in sports, but also in academics.”
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Butler earns a No. 6 seed in East Region, will play Bucknell tomorrow Butler was selected as a No. 6 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs will take on the Bucknell Bison tomorrow at 12:40 p.m. in Lexington, Ky. The game will air on TruTV. The Bulldogs finished their season with 25 victories. Their most recent contest was a 67-56 loss to Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10
Conference tournament semifinals. Butler achieved key regularseason victories over two NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds, Indiana and Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have faced four teams in the East Region this season: Indiana, Marquette, Illinois and Temple. Butler went 3-1 in those games. Here is a look at some of the season’s biggest moments.
Photo by Jill McCarter
MAY 29, 2012 Officials announce that Butler will move to the A-10 immediately.
Photo by Rafael Porto
JANUARY 19 | Roosevelt Jones (21) makes a last-second shot to win against No. 8 Gonzaga. It was the second win over a Top 10 team this season.
DEC. 15, 2012
MARCH 16
Butler wins against No. 1 Indiana. It was the first win in Butler history against a No. 1 ranked opponent.
Butler loses to Saint Louis for the third time this season in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.
Photo by Brian Spurlock
SEPT. 12, 2012 Chrishawn Hopkins dismissed from the team for violating team rules.
Collegian file photo
JAN. 23 Butler’s 54-53 loss against La Salle was the first conference loss. It also broke the team’s 13-game winning streak.
Photo by Rachel Opperman
JAN. 9
MARCH 2
Butler’s 72-66 win over St. Joseph’s was Butler’s first game and win in the A-10.
Butler loses to VCU in the teams’ first meeting since the 2011 NCAA tournament (pictured). The 84-52 loss was the worst in Brad Stevens’ tenure. Collegian file photo
PAGE 2 | THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
OUR TAKE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013
INSIDE TOMORROW’S MATCH-UP
Why a six seed for Butler? COLIN LIKAS
MANAGING EDITOR
It is a question many college basketball fans across the nation likely ask when looking at each year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket. How do some teams wind up with the seeds they’re given? It clearly isn’t entirely based on records. Memphis finished with a mark of 30-4 this season and earned a No. 6 seed. That record was the second best in the tournament field. Butler also landed a No. 6 seed with a final record of 25-8. So how did the Bulldogs grab the same number seed as a team with 30 victories? A few major factors go into determining each team’s seed in the tournament, not to mention if a team makes the tournament at all. The NCAA’s 10-person selection committee makes seeding decisions based on these factors. There is no setin-stone way for a team to earn a specific seed, short of having consistent success throughout the season. Since about half of any team’s season consists of in-conference contests, the selection committee looks closely at how strong each team’s conference is. The Atlantic 10 Conference is the seventh strongest of the 33 Division I leagues in the nation. This statistic is determined by compiling a conference’s overall record against different groups of opposing squads during the season. Teams are placed in said groups based on their Rating Percentage Index—better known as RPI. RPI is a measure of a team’s strength of schedule and how the team does against that schedule, according to Yahoo! Sports. Butler has the nation’s 23rdbest RPI of more than 300 Division I teams. This boded very well for the Bulldogs during the selection committee’s deliberations, as only three teams with a top-50 RPI did not make the tournament this season. Six of Butler’s eight losses came to squads with a top-50 RPI, and none came to teams with an RPI of worse than 100. When most of a team’s losses are against strong competition, it boosts that team’s tournament resume and likely ensures a better seed. Butler’s overall record versus its strength of schedule was another factor the selection committee had to take into consideration. Butler had the 32nd-strongest schedule in the nation. This means the Bulldogs’ average victory was a lot more difficult to come by than that of a team with the 150th-strongest schedule in the nation. The selection committee wants to make sure teams that were successful against primarily good opponents make the tournament versus teams that were successful against typically poor competition. A team that does well despite a difficult schedule is also able to earn key victories that look good on its tournament resume. For Butler, wins over two No. 1 tournament seeds—Indiana and Gonzaga—certainly helped drive the team up the seeding chart. So while all of these factors combined didn’t guarantee that Butler would earn a No. 6 seed, it helps explain why they did.
Bucknell poses tough challenge AUSTIN MONTEITH AMONTEIT@BUTLER.EDU ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Butler will take on Patriot League regularseason and tournament champion Bucknell Thursday in the opening round of this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Bison (28-5, 12-2) own wins over two NCAA tournament teams, earning victories against WAC champion New Mexico State and Atlantic 10 Conference school La Salle. Other notable games include a season-opening 70-65 win at Purdue on Nov. 9 and a narrow 6664 loss at then-12th-ranked Missouri on Jan. 5. Besides a 79-67 road loss to Princeton, Bucknell lost four other games by a combined nine points. The Bison also finished the season ranked 52nd in RPI, helping the team grab the East Region’s No. 11 seed. Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen said in an
interview with the Associated Press that he bases his program’s philosophy off Butler. “Butler, to me, is the gold standard for midmajor programs,” Paulsen said. “So much of what we do, or try to do, is modeled on Butler.” Bucknell is led by 6-foot-11-inch forward/ center Mike Muscala, who averaged a doubledouble this season with 19 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Muscala tied for third in rebounding nationally. Muscala also recently became the school’s alltime leading scorer. The big man received all major awards in the Patriot League this season, winning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and ScholarAthlete of the Year while also being named the conference tournament MVP. Muscala joins Rotnei Clarke as one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Award. Like fellow center Andrew Smith, Muscala
was one of 15 players named to this year’s Academic All-America team and is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. The Bison have three other double-digit scorers, including junior guard Cameron Ayers with 12.5 points per game, senior guard Bryson Johnson with 11.1 points per game and senior forward Joe Willman with 10.3 points per game. Bucknell is 2-5 all-time in five NCAA tournament appearances. The program made headlines during the 2005 NCAA tournament when No. 14 seed Bucknell shocked No. 3 seed Kansas 64-63 in the first round. Bucknell followed up its 2005 tournament performance with a ninth seed in 2006, defeating No. 8 seed Arkansas 59-55 in the first round. The Bison last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011 when they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the second round.
A-10 grabs five bids to the Big Dance Coming into this school year, the Butler men’s basketball team likely knew the Atlantic 10 Conference would feature a significant increase in competition from the Horizon League. This has been confirmed by the appearance of
SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS
five A-10 teams in this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket. Some outside of Indianapolis may be wondering how the four A-10 squads that aren’t Butler made it to the Big Dance.
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH RAMS
Here’s our breakdown of how those teams managed to secure bids into the tournament.
TEMPLE OWLS
—Colin Likas Managing Editor, clikas@butler.edu
LA SALLE EXPLORERS
27-6 13-3 A-10
26-8 12-4 A-10
23-9 11-5 A-10
21-9 11-5 A-10
MIDWEST NO. 4 SEED
SOUTH NO. 5
EAST NO. 9
WEST NO. 13*
The Billikens rode an emotional wave, caused by the death of former coach Rick Majerus in December, to an A-10 regular season title, an A-10 tournament championship victory and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. Saint Louis started its season 3-3 before winning 24 of its next 27 games— the first of those wins coming the day after Majerus’ death. The Billikens stampeded through their conference schedule and the A-10 tournament, dispatching Butler three times and VCU twice. Credit has to be given to interim head coach Jim Crews, who has obviously motivated the men to jump into high gear after a slow start. The Billikens know how to score when necessary, but they’ve truly thrived on strong defense. The squad was the only team in the A-10 to hold opponents to less than 60 points per game (58.1). Junior forward Dwayne Evans, with 13.7 points per game, leads a cast of five Billikens who each averages more than nine points per contest. Evans is also the sixth-best rebounder in the A-10, averaging nearly eight per game. Saint Louis has proven it can frustrate most any opponent by forcing poor shots from outside the paint. This was a key reason Butler didn’t hit the 60-point mark against the Billikens last week.
VCU turned many heads during the 2011 tournament by advancing to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed. The Rams had to win a play-in game to even earn that seed. This season, it is unlikely the Rams are sneaking up on anyone. Shaka Smart’s group finished the season with 26 victories against eight losses. Only one of those losses came to a team outside the tournament field (Richmond). There were two key reasons the Rams were successful prior to the tournament: strong offensive output and the ability to force turnovers. VCU has four players who average more than 10 points per game. Sophomore guard Treveon Graham leads the charge with 15.5 points per game. Senior guard Troy Daniels has contributed a league-leading 118 3-point baskets to VCU’s offense. The squad scores more than 77 points per game. In short, it will be a force to reckon with for tournament opponents on the offensive end. The Rams also have two players in the top three of the A-10’s steals list. Forcing turnovers is a big reason for VCU’s success on defense and just as big a reason the team earned a No. 5 seed in the tournament.
One of four teams in Butler’s part of the bracket that the Bulldogs have faced this season, Temple rode a hot finish to a No. 9 seed. The Owls ripped off seven consecutive victories before falling to Massachusetts in the A-10 tournament. Wins over then-No. 3 Syracuse, Saint Louis and Villanova, as well as a close loss to Kansas, helped bolster Temple’s tournament résumé. Senior guard Khalif Wyatt has been tearing opponents apart offensively. He averages just shy of 20 points per game, tops in the A-10. He sits in the top 15 of four individual statistical categories within the A-10. Senior forward Rahlir HollisJefferson and sophomore forward Anthony Lee will grab a decent number of rebounds per game too. A key Owl who has stayed out of the spotlight most of the season is senior guard Scootie Randall. But he could be key to any run Temple makes in the tournament. Randall will be a go-to player for Temple’s offense. He averages 11.8 points per game and the most minutes per contest of all the Owls. Temple can get scoring from a couple different sources, but they usually need Wyatt and either Hollis-Jefferson or Lee to play well to succeed.
*La Salle must win a play-in game to earn the seed. The Explorers snuck into the tournament bracket thanks to some key wins both in and outside A-10 play. La Salle topped tournament entrants Villanova and Iona, as well as Butler and VCU in back-to-back contests. A 13-2 home record factored into much of La Salle’s success, but it had just one game on a neutral court this season. The team’s road and neutral court records combined are a not-sosterling eight wins versus seven losses. The Explorers have numerous players who can produce a lot of points. Senior guard Ramon Galloway and junior guard Tyreek Duren both average more than 15 points per game. This team is capable of pulling out quality wins, but the roster doesn’t have much tournament experience and is capable of being shut down offensively. In spite of this, an opponent cannot simply defeat La Salle by limiting top scorer Galloway. Butler held Galloway to six points during a regular season game and still lost. Defensively, La Salle allows 66 points per game. Where the Explorers have really succeeded on defense is the area beyond the arc, as opponents are shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range.
Butler’s non-conference opponents earn NCAA spots AUSTIN MONTEITH AMONTEIT@BUTLER.EDU ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Butler entered the 2012-2013 season with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. The Bulldogs fared well outside Atlantic 10 Conference play, going 12-2 in non-conference games, including the Nov. 13 loss to Xavier that was considered a nonconference contest. Five of Butler’s non-conference opponents were selected for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs went a combined 4-1 against these five teams. Let’s take a look at the résumés of these five squads as they enter the tournament. MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES 23-8, 14-4 Big East | East No. 3 seed Butler defeated Marquette 72-71 on a Rotnei Clarke buzzer beater in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational Nov. 19. Since then, the Golden Eagles finished in a three-way tie for the Big East regular season title with No. 1 overall seed Louisville and No. 2 seed Georgetown. Marquette was ranked 15th in the final AP Top 25 poll of the season and 16th in the USA Today
Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs could potentially play the Golden Eagles in the third round of the tournament if they beat Bucknell and Marquette defeats No. 14 seed Davidson. Marquette went 6-7 against eventual tournament teams in the regular season. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS 24-10, 12-6 ACC | South No. 8 seed Butler shocked then-ninthranked North Carolina 82-71 in the Maui Invitational semifinals Nov. 20. The Tar Heels finished third in the ACC behind No. 2 seed Miami (FL) and No. 2 seed Duke. North Carolina was a mere 2-8 against eventual tournament teams during the regular season, with their only wins coming at home against North Carolina State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. North Carolina faces No. 9 seed Villanova in the second round Friday. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI 22-12, 8-10 Big Ten | East No. 7 seed Illinois knocked off Butler in the Maui Invitational Championship 78-61 on its way to a 12-0 start to the regular season. The Fighting Illini handed No. 1 seed Gonzaga its first of only two
regular-season losses, stunning the Zags on their home court 85-74 on Dec. 8. Illinois’ strong start did not translate well to Big Ten play, as it often struggled and suffered bad losses to Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa. However, the Illini provided one of the most thrilling finishes of the season by defeating top-ranked Indiana on a layup at the buzzer Feb. 7. Illinois went 6-9 against eventual tournament squads in the regular season. The Illini take on No. 10 seed Colorado in the second round Friday. INDIANA HOOSIERS 27-6, 14-4 Big Ten | East No. 1 seed Indiana entered the season as the top-ranked team in the country and began the year 9-0 until Butler handed the Hoosiers their first loss on Dec. 15. The Bulldogs’ 88-86 overtime victory proved to be one of the most memorable games of the season. Indiana has remained a nationaltitle contender throughout the season with the play of junior guard Victor Oladipo and sophomore forward Cody Zeller. Zeller leads the Hoosiers with 16.9 points per game and
8.2 rebounds per game. Oladipo averaged 13.6 points per game and 2.2 steals per game. Indiana had a winning record of 9-6 against eventual tournament teams in the regular season. The Hoosiers will meet the winner of Long Island UniversityBrooklyn and James Madison in the second round Friday. GONZAGA BULLDOGS 31-2, 16-0 WCC| West No. 1 seed Gonzaga ended the regular season with the best record in the NCAA and the top spot in the final AP Top 25 poll and USA Today Coaches Poll of the season. The Bulldogs enter the NCAA tournament with a 14-game winning streak. The team’s last loss came at Hinkle Fieldhouse when Butler defeated then-eighth-ranked Gonzaga on a Roosevelt Jones buzzer beater. Standout junior forward Kelly Olynyk led the Bulldogs with 17.5 points per game and finished second on the team in rebounding with 7.2 per contest. Gonzaga played strongly against eventual tournament teams in the regular season, going 8-2 versus those opponents. The Bulldogs play No. 16 seed Southern University in the second round Thursday.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 3
WHO WILL WIN?
Collegian editors give their picks for this year’s tournament DON’T COUNT ON UPSETS
SAFE BETS AND UNDERDOGS
AUSTIN MONTEITH
P
FINAL FOUR No. 3 Michigan State (Midwest), No. 2 Ohio State (West), No. 1 Kansas (South), No. 1 Indiana (East) The Big Ten proved it was the strongest conference in the country during the regular season, and three teams will represent the conference in the Final Four. RUNNER UP Michigan State The Spartans will win the tough Midwest Region and make it to their second title game in five seasons. CHAMPION Indiana It may be treasonous, but I think the Hoosiers’ scoring threat will run through the field and give the Big Ten its first national champion in 13 years. TEAM TO WATCH No. 4 Saint Louis (Midwest) Watch for the A-10 champions to upset No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight. TEAM THAT WILL DISAPPOINT No. 4 Michigan (South) The Wolverines will barely survive South Dakota State before VCU wreaks havoc on them in the Round of 32.
COUNT ON THE SPORTS NEWBIE
JILL MCCARTER
COLIN LIKAS
MARISSA JOHNSON
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR redicting who exactly will come out on top of the NCAA tournament each year is always a difficult task, and this year could arguably be the toughest yet. Unknown teams can make surprising runs, and favorites can bow out at any moment. However, since it is so unpredictable to determine which teams will move on, my philosophy is to not go too far in predicting upsets. I instead bet on the expected. But I still love to be proven wrong.
TOO MANY SIMILARITIES TO CHOOSE
T
I
his college basketball season made this bracket one of the toughest to choose. We’ve seen countless games won on last-second shots, and no numberone team was ever at the top for long. I am definitely no expert, but I tend to go with the safe bets, even though I secretly cheer for the underdogs every time.
’m certainly no expert at filling out tournament brackets to begin with, but the parity among this year’s field made it even more difficult for me this time around. My picks should be taken with a grain of salt, as experts would likely deem some of them foolish.
FINAL FOUR No. 1 Louisville (Midwest), No. 2 Ohio State (West), No. 5 VCU (South), No. 2 Miami, Fl. (East) The No. 1 seeds are overrated for the most part, leading to two powerful No. 2 teams having the strongest showing. But there had to be at least a semi-Cinderella in the mix, with VCU seeing success in the weaker South bracket.
FINAL FOUR No. 4 Saint Louis (Midwest); No. 2 Ohio State (West); No. 1 Kansas (South); No. 2 Miami, Fl. (East) While parity does exist throughout the tournament field, the No. 1 and 2 seeds are a fairly safe bet in the end. Saint Louis has the chance to surprise down the road.
RUNNER UP Miami, Fl. The Hurricanes are a good team, but the squad’s ultimate lack of experience and the toll it will take on them to get past IU will be too much to overcome.
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
RUNNER-UP Kansas Kansas is a defense-oriented team, and that defense is more than capable of taking the Jayhawks to the National Championship game.
M
arch is about the only time I care to pay attention to sports. The world of college basketball makes me nervous, and Butler games make me feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. March is the one month I can bear to watch. I am truly an outsider to this bracket thing, but I still fill one out each year. And I always lose. For your entertainment, here are my picks this season. FINAL FOUR No. 1 Louisville (Midwest), No. 2 Ohio State (West), No. 5 VCU (South), No. 6 Butler (East) Louisville will power through the region. Ohio State will make it to the Final Four just so that everyone can hit up social media and claim their Buckeye pride. I chose VCU and Butler because it’s hard to count them out. RUNNER UP Louisville The Cardinals’ momentum will continue well into the final game. But then, they will slow down and lose.
CHAMPION Ohio State Behind the play of Deshaun Thomas, the Buckeyes are peaking at the right time and will carry their momentum to a National Championship.
CHAMPION Ohio State I really don’t like my championship pick that much, but the Buckeyes are coming off a Big Ten Championship and could really benefit from being on the low end of the West Region bracket.
TEAM TO WATCH No. 6 Butler (East) You can never really count out Butler. I know, a stereotypical Butler answer, but with people already calling an upset on the Bulldogs, you have to imagine Butler will thrive in its oh-so-familiar Cinderella role.
TEAM TO WATCH No. 14 Northwestern State (South) The Demons have a series of potentially favorable matchups, starting with a Florida squad that could still be reeling from a loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Championship game.
TEAM TO WATCH No. 7 Creighton (Midwest) As an Evansville native, it hurts me to say that the Purple Aces’ Missouri Valley Conference foe will be the team to watch. Creighton will power through until the Elite Eight. I just feel it.
TEAM THAT WILL DISAPPOINT No. 1 Indiana (East) With the talent and expectations of this team, anything less than a National Championship would be a disappointment. The possibility of not making it to Atlanta would make this a great time for police to stock up on tear gas and pepper spray.
TEAM THAT WILL DISAPPOINT No. 1 Indiana (East) Anything short of a Final Four appearance would largely be considered a disappointment for the Hoosiers, who I think will struggle with Miami in an Elite Eight matchup.
TEAM THAT WILL DISAPPOINT No. 2 Duke (Midwest) There are very few teams I like less than the Blue Devils. There are few reasons to like them. They are sure to fall apart under pressure, disappointing the tens of actual Duke fans and millions of bandwagon fans across the United States.
CHAMPION Butler I am extremely optimistic, but how could I cheer against the Bulldogs? No one ever puts money on Butler, but this could be our year.
NCAA Tournament Bracket 2013 (1) Louisville (16) N.C. A&T (8) Colorado State
(1) Kansas Lexington, Ky. March 21
Kansas City, Mo. March 22
(9) Missouri
(13) NM State
Auburn Hills, Mich. March 21
Atlanta, Ga. April 6
MIDWEST
North Texas
Auburn Hills, Mich. March 21
(14) Northwestern State
CHAMPION
(7) Creighton
(7) San Diego State
Atlanta, Ga. April 8
Philadelphia, Penn. March 22
(2) Duke
Philadelphia, Penn. March 22
(15) Florida Gulf Coast
(1) Gonzaga (8) Pittsburgh
(1) Indiana Salt Lake City, Utah March 21
Dayton, Ohio March 22
(9) Wichita State
(13) La Salle/Boise
San Jose, Cal. March 21
WEST
Los Angeles
(6) Arizona Salt Lake City, Utah March 21
(3) New Mexico
(15) Iona
(4) Syracuse (6) Butler
Lexington, Ky. March 21
(11) Bucknell (3) Marquette (14) Davidson (7) Illinois
(7) Notre Dame (2) Ohio State
(12) California (13) Montana
EAST
Washington, D.C.
(14) Harvard (10) Iowa State
(8) NC State (5) UNLV
Kansas City, Mo. March 22
(4) Kansas State
(11) Belmont
(16) LIU/NMU (9) Temple
(5) Wisconsin (12) Ole Miss
(10) Oklahoma (2) Georgetown
(15) Albany
(16) Southern U.
(11) Minnesota (3) Florida
(14) Valparaiso (10) Cincinnati
(4) Michigan (6) UCLA
Austin, Tex. March 22
(3) Michigan State
(12) Akron (13) S. Dak. State
SOUTH
Indianapolis
(6) Memphis
(5) VCU
FINAL FOUR
San Jose, Cal. March 21
(4) Saint Louis
(11) St. Mary’s
(8) North Carolina (9) Villanova
(5) Oklahoma State (12) Oregon
(16) Western Kentucky
Dayton, Ohio March 22
Austin, Tex. March 21
(10) Colorado (2) Miami (Fl.) (15) Pacific
The Butler Collegian is your source for all things Butler basketball. Check us out on Twitter or online. @butlercollegian | @busportswriters | www.thebutlercollegian.com
PAGE 4 | THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013
THIS YEAR’S TEAM
BRAD STEVENS HEAD COACH
Three players on the roster have played in at least one National Championship game—Andrew Smith, Chase Stigall and Khyle Marshall.
As head coach he boasts an 11-4 record in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Nine different players have started games this season.
Butler has had six Top 10 wins under Stevens.
The top three Butler wins this season against Indiana, Gonzaga and Marquette were decided by a combined four points.
He has a 165-48 (.775) record as Butler’s coach.
The team went 4-0 against RPI Top 20 teams and 6-6 against RPI Top 50 teams.
BUTLER BASKETBALL 2012-2013 ANDREW SMITH CENTER Smith is the only player in the country who has played in two National Championship games. He is Butler’s second-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game this season.
ROTNEI CLARKE GUARD
He and Roosevelt Jones lead the team in rebounding, averaging 5.7 per game.
Butler is 10-1 in games when Clarke scores 20 or more points.
Smith is a finalist of the Senior CLASS Award, was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team and is an Academic AllAmerican.
He leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. He has scored 518 points this season. Clarke was named A-10 First Team AllConference. Clarke is third in Butler history for single-season 3-point shooting.
KHYLE MARSHALL FORWARD Butler is 15-1 when Marshall scores in double figures. He has averaged 9.9 points per game this season. Marshall shoots 56.4 percent from the field, second on the team in field goal percentage.
ROOSEVELT JONES FORWARD Jones is the only Butler player to start in all 34 games this season. He is one of three players averaging in double-figure scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game. Jones was named to the A-10 All-Defensive Team.
He averages 4.7 rebounds per game.
KELLEN DUNHAM GUARD
KAMERON WOODS FORWARD
ALEX BARLOW GUARD
ERIK FROMM FORWARD
CHASE STIGALL GUARD
Dunham made the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
Woods has scored in double figures four times this season—including three of the last five games.
Barlow has started 21 games this season. The team is 17-4 in those games and 8-3 when he comes in off the bench.
Fromm averages 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He has played in all but one game this season.
Stigall is a 77.8 percent free-throw shooter and has played in all 34 games this season.
He leads the team in field goal shooting percentage at 56.9 percent.
He has 66 assists, averaging two per game this season.
He had a season-high 13 points in the loss to Charlotte.
Stigall had a season-high 12 points in the 77-58 win over St. Bonaventure.
He averages 9.9 points per game, shoots 38.2 percent from the field and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line.