Lady Bulldogs Win On Saturday

The Lady Bulldogs defeated the Ball State University Cardinals on Saturday 66-49. Susan Lester scored 25 points for the Bulldogs including 21 points in the second half. At the 8:43 mark in the second half the score was 51-45. The Bulldogs' defense dominated the rest of the game. The dawgs first game in 2008 is at Valpo on Saturday.

National Media Articles from the SIU Game

Both espn.com and foxsports.com sent a writer to the game. The ESPN article has video highlights of the game including the game winning shot.

Sweet Redemption

I know that Graves and the rest of the Dawgs say that they take their games one at a time, and no one game is more meaningful than another and they don't seek revenge for past losses. But, that road win against the Salukis sure is sweet for me, especially since SIU beat Butler at Hinkle last year in the bracketbuster game.

So, on behalf of the Butler fans, thank you Dawgs for giving us something to brag about.

Happy new year everybody.

Green on SIU

"SIU was a tough team and the atmosphere was great. After playing there last night its evident why they had a 90% winning percentage at home. But our guys were tough physically and mentally the whole night, and we pulled it out."

Mike Green

Butler 57, SIU 55

It was A.J. Graves and his clutch buzzer shot that won the game for Butler against Southern Illinois. The lead went back and forth throughout the game resulting in a surprising win. Despite the fact that a three-pointer won the game, free throws made the difference. While Southern Illinois made 3 of 12 free throws, Butler made 21 of their 30. Graves finished with 10 points, not the game high or his career high, but his last shot made all the difference. This win closes out Butler's 2007 games. They play next at home against Horizon League newcomer, Valparaiso (10-2) on January 5.

For more results from the game, you can visit the Butler Athletics site -
http://butlersports.cstv.com/

Graves Hits Big Shot for Win

At the 2:06 mark in the second half SIU tied the game at 52. The score remined tied until the 1:12 mark when SIU hit a trey, but in between those score Mike Green missed 2 free throws. Green responded to the trey at the :33 second mark with a layup to make the score 55-54. Green fouled SIU's Tyrone Green. SIU was in the single bonus at that time, so T. Green had a one and one free throw opportunity, He missed his first shot. Butler rebounded the ball, but was unable to score even though several players tried to tap the ball in. At :07 Butler fouled SIU's Bryan Mullins. Mullins had a one and one opportutiy. Just like Tyrone Green he missed the first shot. SIU was called for a lane violation which stopped the clock and allowed the dawgs to take the ball out of bounds. With time expiring AJ Graves hit an amazing 28 foot jump shot for the 57-55 victory. This was the top play of the day on Sportscenter.

The key difference in the game were free throw opportunities and second chance points.

The dawgs went 21-30 (70%) from the line while SIU was 3-12 (25%). This is important due to the difference in the number of field goals attempted and made. Butler went 15-37 (40.5%, including 6-16 from beyond the arc, from the field, while SIU went 23-48 (47.9%), including 6-20 for trey.

The dawgs lost the battle of the boards 32-23. SIU scored a plethora of second chance points from offensive rebounds.

Matt Howard scored the majority of his 15 points during the first half. As the game progressed the Bulldogs did not pass the ball to him while he was in the post.

Campbell played 22 minutes off the bench. He went 3-8 from the filed which accounted for his 9 points. He did miss a couple of wide open shots that he wound normally make.

This was only the 5th time in 85 games that SIU lost at home. This victory should keep the Bulldogs in the top 25. They will probably move up a spot or two depending on how the teams ahead of them fared.

This weeks Rankings

AP: 16 (same as last week)
Coaches: 17 (up one spot)

Complete polls can be viewed here

Butler 78, FGCU 66

According to the Associated Press story, foul shots put Butler over the top - they made 14 of 15 free throws within the final six minutes. A.J. Graves led the team with 17 points, Mike Green scored 16 points, and Matt Howard and Julian Betko both scored 12 points to assist the Bulldog's win.

Florida Golf Coast Game

Just like the last few games, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start tonight against the Florida Golf Coast Eagles. The Eagles led by 9 points at a few points during the first half including 11-2. The Bulldogs came back to tie the score at 23. From that point on the game was extremely close until the 2nd part of the second half.

It's incredible to see the team come back from behind and win games; however, they will not be able to do this every night. Getting ahead on the road is extremely important as the environments can be very hostile. Anything the dawgs can do to take the crowd out of the game will help them succeed. At home it is important to get ahead right away to promote enthusiasm from the crowd. That way the opposing team know that Hinkle is the home of the Butler Bulldogs.

Another thing I have noticed the last few games is the number of turnovers. Tonight the Bulldogs had 12, they had 11 against Bradley and 15 against Florida State. Last year the Bulldogs turned the ball over an average of 9.5 turnovers per game. I should not be complaining too much though as this years team is 2nd place going into tonight game with game with an average of 10.6 turnovers per game.

Free throw shooting was the big difference maker tonight's 78-66 victory. The dawgs went 26-28 (92.9%). The Eagles went 17-28 (60.7%). The Bulldogs made 14 out 15 free throws in the last 6:21 of the game.

The bottom line is that wins and lose statistic is the most important one. The Bulldogs found a way to win tonight and in the end that's what counts. Coach Stevens mentioned on the radio broadcast that the dawgs will be off until Wednesday. Their next game is next Friday night at Southern Illinois starting at 9 EST. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

Green on Florida Gulf Coast

"Don't have much to say other than we need to get this win, so everyone can enjoy their Christmas. FGCU played us tough at Hinkle last year and I'm sure they have watched that tape and be well prepared. This game will be another good road test."

Mike Green

Lady Bulldogs Win

The Lady Bulldogs beat IPFW 70-55 in a lunch time game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The dawgs were led by Lade Akande and Susan Lester who had double doubles. Lester scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Akande scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Candace Jones scored 15 points and had 9 rebounds. This game wrapped up a 4 game home stand for the dawgs and was their last one prior to Christmas. The dawgs travel to Ball State for their next game on December, 29th for their last game in 2007. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3:00.

Butler vs. Bradley

Bradley 64, Butler 83

Also, Campbell played for 9 minutes in tonight's game. He did not start.
Avery Jukes was eligible for tonight's game, and he played for 2 minutes.

Bulldogs defeat Braves

The Butler Bulldogs defeated the Bradley Braves 83-64 tonight in front of a crowd of 4,596 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The dawgs were led by AJ Graves with 21 points. Other Bulldogs in double figures were Mike Green with 17 points, Matt Howard with 14 points and Willie Veasley with 12 points, a career high for him.

Pete Campbell played 9 minutes in the game tonight and scored 3 points. Coach Stevens told the radio postgame show that he had a 10 minute limit.

Avery Jukes also made his debut for the Bulldogs tonight. He made a great basket with 31 seconds left in the game. He was fouled on the play, but was unable to make the free throw. Jukes transfered to Butler from Alabama at the end after the fall 2006 semester. He had to sit out last spring and this fall due to NCAA rules. Now that classes and final exams are finished, he became eligible to play.

The game was tied at 17 at the 6:12 mark in the first half. At that point, the dawgs went on a 12-0 run that ended at the 1:01 mark when Bradley scored. With 9 seconds left in the half AJ Graves hit a trey. The dawgs went into the locker room with a 15 point lead, 34-19.

The dawgs largest lead was 53-26 at the 15:30 mark. Bradley played well at that point to cut the lead to 59-53 with 7:22 left in the game. The dawgs played very well at that point.

The big difference in the game is the 3 point shooting percentage. Both teams attempted 19 shots. The bulldogs made 8 of them (42.1%) and Bradley only made 3 of them (15.8%)

The Bulldogs travel to Florida Golf Coast for their next game which is set to tip off at 7:00 on Saturday.

Bulldogs move up in the polls

The Bulldogs are now ranked #16 in the AP poll and #18 in the coaches poll. They went up 2 spots in the AP poll and 1 in the coaches poll. I did not expect them to go up much since they only had 1 game last week. What is your opinion, is this were you expected the dawgs to be in the polls this week compared to last week?

This weeks schedule:
Home vs. Bradley, Wednesday 7:00
at Florida Golf Coast, Saturday 7:00

Women's Team Beats Tennessee State

The Lady Bulldogs beat Tennessee State 72-62 on Sunday. Lade Akande led the Bulldogs with 23 points including 3-6 at the free throw line. Susan Lester had a double double as she scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Bulldogs led for virtually the entire game. Their largest lead was 13 at the 12:10 mark in the second half. Tennessee State almost caught up several times, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring and playing great defense. The biggest stat that stood out to me is that Tennessee State turned the ball over 27 times which resulted in 22 points for the Bulldogs.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 8-1. Their next game is against IPFW on Thursday at Hinkle. The tip off is at Noon.

Dawgs beat Florida State 79-68

Butler looked great this game compared to our last two against Detroit and Wright State. We really stepped it up against a tough team who was literally much bigger, stronger and faster than us. Good job guys.

Key Butler Stats:
- A.J. Graves had 25 points and went 7-for-16 from downtown
- Mike Green scored 20 points, made 10-of-11 of his free throws and led the Dawgs with 6 rebounds
- Drew Streicher had 4 steals
- As a team, Butler made a blistering 52.2 % of their field goal attempts

Green on Wright State

"The Wright state game was a heartbreaker. We defended well, but didn't execute on offense. I have been beating myself up about it, and take responsibility for that loss. I didn't lead our guys. But we faced adversity before, we just need to bounce back."

Mike Green

Polls

Despite the league road loss on Saturday and a close game at Detroit on Thursday, the dawgs are still in the top 20. They are ranked #18 in the AP poll and #19 in the coaches poll. The dawgs next game is on Saturday against Florida State at Conseco Fieldhouse in game 2 of the Wooden Tradition.

The good news...

... for all you nay-sayers, my sister included. The men's team still has 21 games left in the season. I repeat 21 games. And if you thought they were going to go undefeated, get real. College basketball features teams in every conference that are good enough to beat any team in the country. The competition is incredible.

We played a bad game against Wright State. We played bad at Detroit, but got away with a win. We are good enough to have bad nights and still get a W, we proved that in the Motor City and against the Buckeyes.

We're going to start hitting our shots again. We aren't going to score 40 points per game for the rest of the season. We're going to get Campbell back, Graves is going to start hitting again, and Howard will continue to emerge as an offensive leader.

So, for all of you worrying out there, yes it sucks that we lost to the Raiders, again. But look at the level of competition that we've played this year. We have beaten very good teams, and can play with anyone. The team will bounce back. Don't get down on them yet or ever. We still play W2U at home this year.

The Dawgs will play again at 6 p.m. on Saturday against Florida State in the Wooden Classic.

Highlights of my roadtrip

A. Michael Bolton's love songs

B. Finding Springfield, Ohio on accident

3. And, seeing the Wright State cheerleaders misspell their own school's initials... it looked like this -- W2U -- at least we know how to spell at Butler.

Other than that, I don't think I'm driving to Dayton ever again.

Green on Detroit

"The Detriot game was a struggle last night as we anticipated. We expect a tough game against Wright state tommorrow too. In this league you must win away from home to seperate yourself from the pack."

Mike Green

Call a Bulldog

Five members of the men's basketball team have recorded a children's story or poems. To hear the story or poems call 317-275-4444. The player and story changes each Monday. The schedule is below:


December 3rd - Mike Green, "Roly-Poly Puppies"
December 10th - Matt Howard, (poems from) "Slam Dunk: Basketball Poems"
December 17th - A.J. Graves, "Good Sports: Rhymes About Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More"
December 26th - Julian Betko, (poems from) "Slam Dunk: Basketball Poems"
December 31st - Drew Streicher, "Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!"

Story of the game

The past two games have seen struggles for the men's offense, but they were able to correct those struggles in the second half against Ohio State. Last night was a little more scary. The Dawgs never bounced back in the second half finishing 3-of-19 from beyond the arc. The only three in the second half came at a very, very clutch moment from Betko. Green and Graves didn't make a three in the game, and combined for 5 field goals in 18 attempts.

We've been lucky that Matt Howard has stepped up his game in both contests. He helped push the Dawgs past Detroit with 20 points. But, at some point, the other team will find a game plan to stop Howard, and we'll need our backcourt phenoms to start hitting shots again.

Wright State is going to be a very tough game. We lost both matchups on the road against the Raiders, and they're picked to finish second in the Horizon League. Thank goodness that DaShaun Wood isn't back this year, or we'd be in trouble.

Does anyone know who started in Campbell's place last night?

Both men and women battle a close game

Both the women's and men's basketball teams finished with a win tonight, but not so easy. The women's team battled at home against Evansville (4-4), while the men's team started their conference games on the road against Detroit (4-4). Both Candace Brown and Susan Lester led the team with 32 points. The Bulldogs went into half-time with the lead by three points. This is the fifth straight win for the lady bulldogs and improved their record to 7-1. The Purple Aces did not give up without a fight, even up to the end when they came within three, foul shots pushed the Bulldogs lead even higher, along with a technical foul called on the opposing team's coach. The next game for the women's basketball team will be after finals, Dec. 16 against the Tennessee State Tigers. For the men, the next game will be on the road against Wright State, on Saturday evening.

Dawgs barely get by

BU 53 - UD 46 Final

BU 51 vs. 46 0.25 left

BU 49 vs. UD 46 0:40 left

BU 47 vs. UD 42 1:54 left

BU 47 vs. UD 42 2:30 left

update

BU 45 vs. UD 42 2:59

4th media TO

Butler 41 vs. Detroit 40 3:57 left

Update

Butler 38 Detroit 35 6:43 left

2nd media TO

28 Detroit vs. Butler 26

1st media TO in second half

Detroit 25 vs. Butler 22

Halftime in Detroit

Butler 20 vs. Detroit 17

Some background on Detroit

Jon Goode leads the Titans (4-3) with 15.1 points per game, while Josh Samarco averages 11.9 and Chris Hayes netts 11.7. As a team, Detroit is shooting about 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc, which mirrors the Dawgs' 48 percent FGP and 44 percent 3-point percentage. Goode and Samarco take most of the 3-point shots, and average 42 and 44 percent from that range. Hayes is also a threat for three, sinking 7-of-9 so far. They score about 65.7 points per game compared to their opponents 63.0. They have no rebounding advantage.

Graves should matchup well with the 5'10'' Goode, while Green or Betko (maybe Betko because Butler's defense rallies around him) can handle the 6'2'' Samarco, and Streicher or Howard can battle the 6'9'' Hayes. Butler averages 71 points per game, while holding its opponents to 57. We have a slight rebounding disadvantage.

The Dawgs have played a much higher level of competition than the Titans, so we should be prepared for this game. But, a road game is always tough in the Horizon League, and the Titans are picked to finish third in the conference. The Bulldogs played twice last year in a very hostile Wright State environment. They just played in one of the craziest environments imaginable against the Buckeyes. Hopefully, they can fall back on this experience to seal this win.

Women's Game Tonight

The 6-1 Lady Bulldogs take on the 4-3 Evansville Purple Aces tonight at 7:00 in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Did you know...

... that Dick Vitale was the head coach for the University of Detroit Mercy from 1973 to 1977. He compiled a 78-30 record for Titans, and led his them to an NCAA tournament berth in his final season as coach. He was inducted into the Titans Hall of Fame in 1993.

I don't think you'll hear Dickie V call the Dawgs vs. Titans game tomorrow night, but you should be able to watch the game by going to the basketball page, selecting the Detroit game in the schedule and then clicking on "watch" under the Gametracker. If you don't have a username or password for the Horizon League Network, create one. I have one, and haven't receive any annoying e-mails or junk mail.

Update on Campbell

David Woods of the Indianapolis Star is reporting that Pete Campbell will be out for an "indefinite period" of time due to a knee sprain.

This is a big loss for the Bulldogs as Campbell is a main threat from behind the three point arc. The Bulldogs have a plethora of talent that will allow them to continue playing basketball at their current level without Campbell. At their current level, another player on the team will step up each game while he is absent.

So, who should start in place of Campbell?

Matt Howard is a logical choice after the Ohio State game. He scores a majority of his points in the post something other players on the team do not. This will provide more options for shots in the beginning of the game besides the trey. This is important for the road games as getting an early lead and keeping it will keep the crowd out of the game. The crowd is a tremendous benefit for the home team (Detroit and Wright State this week) as their fans will be fired up to to support their team in the game against Butler. The Bulldogs will experience this the entire year due to the fact they are the favorite to win the league and (assuming this keeps up) are in the top 25.

What do you think, who should start in Campbell's place and why?

Bulldogs get another win

The Lady Bulldogs(6-1) beat Oakland City 77-46 tonight in Hinkle.

They played in front of 172 people... and that's a gift number. So, listen up all you loyal Bulldog fans and DogBlog readers (hopefully there's more than three of you but I can't tell with all of the anonymous comments), try to get your butts to the women's games, especially Dawg Pounders.

This is a good team, and if they weren't they still deserve our support. They have played a competitive non-conference schedule so far this year, seeing No. 23 Purdue, Ohio, Miami (Fla.) and Indiana State. They won the Miami (Fla.) Thanksgiving Tournament. Lade Akande is tearing up the stat sheets, and some freshmen have really stepped up, lookout for Brittany Bowen. They're picked to finish third in the Horizon League but are currently at the top of the standings in wins.

B...U...T...L...E...R you a Bulldog? Hell yeah!! So, do your best to get to the men's and women's games in Hinkle. We are very lucky to have two great teams and that incredible facility. Don't take them for granted.

The next home game is against Evansville at 7 p.m. this Thursday. Take a break from the stress and get to the game.

Bulldogs Move Up in the Polls

The Butler Bulldogs are the 13th ranked team in the country this week in both polls and are the highest ranked school in Indiana. The Hoosiers are ranked are ranked 15th in both polls. I did not expect the Bulldogs to go up 3 spots due to the fact they only had one game last week and struggled during the first half.

Horizon League Player of the Week Awards

The men's and women's Horizon League Player of the week are Butler Bulldogs this week.

Matt Howard is the men's award winner. He earned this honor by scoring a career high 23 points on Saturday in Butler's victory over Ohio State. He led all scores in the game. He also had had 7 rebounds, tied for the game high, 2 assists and a steal.

Lade Akande won is the women's award winner. She earned this honor by scoring 20 points, a game high, in just 20 minutes of action in Butler's victory over Indiana State on Saturday. She also had 9 rebounds in the game. This is the third time in four weeks she has received this award.

Women's Game Tonight

The 5-1 Butler women's basketball team takes on Oakland City tonight at 7:00. The only lost was against Purdue who was ranked at the time This is the first home game for the Lady Bulldogs since they won the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament.

Lickliter update

Iowa (6-4) snapped its four game losing streak with a 57-45 win at home against Eastern Illinois last Saturday.

Green on last night

"The atmosphere last night was great. The crowd gave us a very much needed boost as we struggled. Now we are on the road for two conference games and it is time for us to increase our focus. But the atmosphere last night is why we play the game and we really appreciate the support."

Mike Green

Picture: Mike Green scored 15 points with 8 assists and 4 rebounds in Butler's 65-46 win over Ohio State (that feels so good to say). Green averaged 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game before the Buckeye matchup. Photo courtesy of Liz Goerlitz

Update on Campbell

The Indianapolis Star is reporting that Pete Campbell will have an MRI on his knee today. Campbell went out of the game at the 11:47 mark of the second half in last nights game. During the remaining portion of the game, his knee was iced.

What do you think about student seating?

Does anyone know how many students did not get into the game because it was too full? What about the crowd: was it at least 90% Butler fans or less than that? What would you guys think about switching to student season tickets that were around $80-$100 per year? Just some thoughts...

BU vs. ISU

The women's team (5-1) defeated Indiana State 83-70 tonight in the Hoosier Classic.

Greatest game I've ever been to

Wow. If you didn't make it to the Butler/OSU game, I'm sorry. You missed out on the craziest and most fun thing that I've ever been to in my four years at Butler.

BU 65 OSU 46

Where do I start? How about here. The Bulldogs haven't beaten Ohio State since 1978. Tonight's game marks the first time a Big Ten opponent has played the men's team in Hinkle since 1993. The Buckeyes own the series at 30-8. Former Butler basketball player (1988-90) and head coach (2000-01) Thad Matta returned to Hinkle against Butler's head coach Brad Stevens, who Matta hired as director of basketball operations. Ohio State ended last season in the NCAA tournament championship game. The Buckeyes' started three players from last year's team, and a 7-footer, who was runner up in last year's Mr. Basketball in Ohio and could play for the Greek national team, and the Mr. Basketball in Ohio. The Bulldogs just played their first game in a week since winning the Great Alaska Shootout with a record-setting 47 three pointers in three games. The Dawgs entered the game ranked No. 16 in the AP and started five seniors from last season's Sweet 16 team.

All this being said, I think you can see why I and so many were so excited for this game. I knew that I'd see two of the best teams in the country on my home court with 1,000s of beautiful Butler fans surrounding me. I knew that Butler had a great team and could play with the best in the country. But, I didn't know if they could beat Thad Matta and his tall and talented Buckeyes.

Brad Stevens and crew, especially Mike Green who posts things for us, please forgive me!

But, you had me scared in the first half. The Dawgs looked, in a word, atrocious in the first half. The three-point shooting was ridiculous. The only three made was at the buzzer going into halftime!! What the hell. I know what it was. They wanted Matt Howard to prove how valuable he is to this team and set the stage for one of the greatest second half comebacks I've ever witnessed.

I don't know how to do this game justice, because there was so much emotion and desire and excitement and terror and complete joy. I remember thinking at one point, "this is what college basketball should be." Not a one year sentence time for 18 and 19-year-olds before the NBA. Not the millions of dollars poured into public universities to provide a level competition that many schools could never hope to achieve. This game was a true contest against great teams, and the levels of talent and amounts of money didn't matter.

There truly is a Butler Way, and I saw it tonight. I think that what I saw was a group of individuals so closely connected, well coached and confident in each other and themselves that they were able to out score a taller, more "talented" and better funded team 45-16 in the second half.

I'm rambling. Bottomline, the Bulldogs kicked ass and didn't even play their best game of the season. Matt Howard carried us through the game, and this was only his seventh game as a Dawg!! Somehow, they found a way to shut down the Buckeye offense, granted that offense has been pretty bad for the past three games against ranked opponents. Graves and Green didn't have good first halves, but they did what they always do in the second half... school opponents on the dribble and from beyond the arc.

I can't put this game into words. If you were there, you know. And if you weren't, that sucks. Bring on Detroit. And Wright State, we're coming for you.

Picture: Julian Betko had a steal in the first possession of the second half that coach Brad Stevens said started the Bulldogs' off on the right foot to turn the game around. Photo courtesy of Liz Goerlitz

OSU Game: Tale of 2 Halves

Today's game proved the difference a half can make. The Bulldogs trailed 30-20 at the end of the first half, but came back to win 65 to 45.

The dawgs got off to a slow start during the first off as OSU scored the first 5 points. Throughout the half, the buckeyes made shots while the dawgs where not able to.

The biggest stat from the first half was 3 point shooting. The Dawgs went 1 for 16 which is equivalent to 6.3%. It was clear that OSU watched the film from the games in Alaska as the Buckeyes' defenders were at the 3 point arc guarding the Bulldogs. Many of the missed treys where decent looks as several bounced off the rim.

It also appeared that the Buckeyes wanted Butler to prove they can play in the post. Matt Howard responded to this challenge. Howard scored 13 of Butler's 20 points in 14 minutes of playing time in the first half. He also committed 1 foul during the period. It was great to see him play without getting called for fouls.

The biggest lead of the first half for the Buckeyes was 14 at the 7:06. BU got the lead down to 13 points when they had the ball for the final position of the half. During that possession AJ Graves was wide open in the corner of the court and sank a trey with time expiring. The refs reviewed the play to confirm that the ball was released in time.

During the second half, OSU scored the first basket making the score 32-20. Pete Campbell and Mike Green made three point shots which forced OSU to take a full timeout at the 17:46 mark with the score 32-26. After the 2 treys, the crowd got back into the game and was the 6th man for the dawgs for the rest of the night.

Right after play resumed Campbell hit a trey making the score 32-29. The score remained the same until the 14:30 mark when OSU's Koufos made a bucket. The score was 34 to 29. In the next 4:30 the game completely changed. At the 10:00 mark Graves hit a trey which tied the score at 38. From that point on the dawgs scored 27 points and the Buckeyes scored 7. The dawgs scored 45 points in the second half and the Buckeyes scored 16 points.

During the second half Howard scored 10 point which gave him 23 total for the night. He was the leader for the Bulldogs in scoring. Green scored 15 and Graves scored 11 in the second half.

During the second half the dawgs shot 60% from the field and hit 57.1% of their shots behind the 3 point arc (8 for 14). After the game WISH TV asked Mike Green what coach said at halftime. Green talked about how coach discussed the law of averages. It was clear the dawgs were going to make the shots, it was just a matter of time and that the law of averages caught up to them.

One thing I noticed during the second half was the ball control. The dawgs did an incredible job passing the ball. Zach Hahn at the end of the half showed amazing dibbling skills as he was able to keep the ball away from OSU defenders.

Campbell left the game during the second half. While the dawgs had possession he fill onto the court in front of the Butler bench (I was not watching him so I am not sure how he got onto the floor). From what I could tell he was holding one of his legs. This forced the officials to call a timeout. He was able to get off the floor and did not play during the rest of the half.

The dawgs begin league play next week and the first test of the Horizon League's Thursday/Saturday schedule. The dawgs will be at Detroit on Thursday and at Wright State on Saturday.

More Pregame Pictures

I arrived at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 5:15 and took pictures of the line. I was amazed at how long it was.
The front of the line at Gate 1.
The line curved away from Hinkle towards the HRC.
The line in front of the HRC.

This was the end of the line at the time these photos were taken.
A wider prospective of the portion of the line in front of the HRC.


Hinkle Fieldhouse filled up very quickly. I took these pictures at 5:45, 15 minutes before the doors opened.

At that point my camera indicated that its memory was full and I realized that I forgot to put my memory card back into it. I was planning on getting a picture of the sold out crowd so you could see the difference.

Butlerville, USA Population: 6

This morning 5 Butler students and recent Butler graduate starting camping out in front of Hinkle Fieldhouse Gate 1 at 8:00 AM for the game tonight. I talked to them briefly and they said Barry Collier came out and brought them apple cidar and a sign for the their tent pictured below.

What do you think about the student ticketing procedure for todays game? Would you have prefer to get a ticket (at no cost) in advance from Hinkle or Clowes Hall? Or do think that lining up before the doors open is a great part of college basketball? Please comment with your thoughts. The produce is below for reference.

"Please be assured that as a Butler student you will still be able to enter the game free of charge with a valid Butler student ID, provided you are among the first 1,500 students to enter the game. Gates will open at 6 p.m., and we ask that you please arrive no later than 7 p.m.

Students must enter the building through Gate 1. All must visit the check-in table to receive a wristband. This wristband will guarantee you admission to the student section, located in the upper level sections 23, 24, and 25. Seating within those sections will be general admission. "

Go, Dawgs!

Women's bball team player

I hear the shout-outs from you, and I absolutely agree that we have to treat the men and women's teams equally. But, please keep in mind that we need the players to agree to blog. Mike Green and I have a class together, and he was gracious enough to agree to write for the blog. So, if anyone out there reading this knows players on either team, please ask them if they would be willing to contribute.

We'll definitely work on getting equal voices for this blog.

Bottomline, go Dawgs! Just a reminder, the women play ISU tomorrow, and the men play OSU at Hinkle. Get to Hinkle early if you're a student. It appears we are no longer priorities when it comes to getting into the games.