2007-2008 Season in Review

This was an incredible season for the Butler Bulldogs. Despite the sweet 16 run last season the Bulldogs were not ranked in the pre-season polls. The Dawgs started the season by defeating the Ball State Cardinals, Indiana State Sycamores and the Evansville Purple Aces. This year was the first time the Bulldogs defeated the Sycamores in at least 4 years.

The Bulldogs then proved that the deserved to be on the national stage by winning the Great Alaskan Shootout. They defeated Michigan, Virgina Tech (in OT) and Texas Tech. They did so by shooting the lights out at the tournament. While doing that they set a tournament 3 point record.

After the shootout the Dawgs battled Ohio State at Hinkle. This was a special game for many reasons. This was the first time a Big Ten team has come to Hinkle in over 10 years. The score at halftime was 30-20 in favor of Ohio State. The Dawgs shot 25.8% from the floor during the first half. At halftime Stevens talked about the law of averages meaning keep on shooting and eventually they will go in. To boost the player's confidence he had them crumble paper and throw it into a trashcan. The Dawgs came back and won 65-46. During the second half of the game Campbell was injured which kept him on the bench for a few weeks.

An early preview of league play began the next week. Butler barely escaped Detroit and then fell to Wright State in a nail bitter at the Nutter Center. After a week off for finals, the Bulldogs defeated Florida State at a Wooden Tradition Game at Conseco.

After the Ohio State game, Matt Howard was given the opportunity to start. During the games these games when Campbell was not available or was limited, Howard emerged as one of the teams stars. He presence at the post was one of the teams missing ingredient from last year. He proved corrected his play from earlier in the season by not getting into foul trouble. He started the rest of the year except for senior day when Campbell was given the starting job so all 5 seniors could start their final regular season game together.

The Bulldogs ended the calendar year by playing tough games at Florida Golf Coast and Southern Illinois. At the end of the Southern Illinois game Graves hit a shot from 28-30 feet away with defenders around him for the victory. This shot was described as the shot heard around the midwest. It was the top play on Sportscenter that night.

After the first of the year the Dawgs continued league play loosing only 1 of their remaining league games. This occurred was the game at Cleveland State. One of the highlights of this portion of the season has to be the game at Valpo which was televised on ESPN2 as part of ESPN's rivalry week games. The Bulldogs battled hard the entire game and game back from deficit. The Dawgs only lead for 17 seconds the entire game. At that point Campbell was left wide open and hit a trey for the win.

The Dawgs took a break from league play for the made for TV bracketbuster game in late February. This game turned out to be a battle of the Bulldogs as the Drake Bulldogs visited Hinkle. This was the premier game of Bracketbuster weekend as the both teams were ranked in the top 25. In fact, the Bulldogs were ranked 8th in both polls that week, their highest ranking ever. The Butler Bulldogs could not pull it out and lost 71-64. This was their only home last during the entire season.

The Bulldogs bounced back the following week and defeated Wright State 66-61 for the Horizon League regular season championship. After the game the Bulldogs cut down the nets in celebration. During that game Betko scored a career high 17 points. The win also secured home court advantage for the Horizon League Tournament.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the regular season against Detroit at Hinkle. Although the game was a blow out 65-31. All 5 seniors were honored after the game. In this era of college basketball it is very unusual to have a team with five incredible seniors on it.

The Dawgs defeated UIC and Cleveland State in the Horizon League Tournament. After the Cleveland State the Bulldogs cut down the nets in the celebration. This was the first time since the league gave the regular season champion hosted the quarter, semi and finals of the league tournament that the Dawgs won the league tournament. This win gave the Dawgs the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

One of the priceless moments came during the season came on Selection Sunday. The Dawgs were stunned and silent when they saw the were awarded a 7th seed in the NCAA tournament. This was a huge snub as the Dawgs play during the season earned them a 4th-6th seed.

The Dawgs played South Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Dawgs proved they should have been awarded a higher seed as they defeated the Jaguars 81-61 in their home state. Pete Campbell shot 8-10 form behind the arc and finished the game with 26 points.

Two days later the Dawgs played Tennessee. This was a rematch of the NIT Season Tip Off Tournament semi-final game from the previous season. The Tennessee Volunteers jumped out to a 13-2 lead, but the Dawgs never game up. In fact Tennessee had a 13 point lead at the 11:27 mark of the first half. The Dawgs battled back and tied the game at the end of regulation, but game up short at the end and lost 76-71. The Bulldogs left everything on the court which is all anyone can ever ask.

The Bulldogs finished the year with a 30-4 record. This was the most a Butler team has achieved in school history. This was an incredible season one that I will remember for a long time. This was an incredible team to watch as they truly know how to play as a team.

This also ends my posts for the season. I want to thank Josh for giving me the opportunity to write on this blog. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this blog throughout the season. I have enjoyed writing for this blog. I will continue to post during the off-season as news comes out and I look forward to blogging during the 2008-2009 season.

BU-TLE-aRe you a Bulldog? HELL YEAH!

Young Gunz

Hopefully we'll see another tough Butler team like this in the near future. Shawn Vanzant is reminding me more and more of Mike Green with his tough overall game. Zach Hahn has the shot strength and poise to fill Graves' shoes if he develops. Matt Howard is already a bona fide beast. How many years of eligibility does Jukes have left? Veasley is tough off the bench but did not get a chance to develop much this year. I don't think that I will ever be attached more to another Butler team since I am a senior and most of our best players are seniors as well, but thanks to these last two years I am a Butler fan for life! It was too bad to see an Elite Eight quality team fall so early in the tournament, but what a great game. Go Dawgs!

Tough game

Tennessee is damn lucky that we didn't play our best game. We tried, but things just wouldn't go our way.

I just wish it wasn't over. I'll really miss watching our five seniors play.

Thanks for everything fellas.

And young guys, you have some very big shoes to fill. Good luck, and I can't wait to see you progress in your time here too.

Hell yeah

B-U... T-L-E... R you a Bulldog?

Hell yeah!

Birmingham: The City

The NCAA assigns each to a hotel. Butler was assigned to the Wynfrey hotel, rated 4 diamonds by AAA, in one of Birmingham's suburbs. The hotel is located in a retail area. The hotel is connected to the main shopping mall in this part of town. The mall is average sized, but some stores have 2 locations. There are additional restaurants around the hotel/mall including Olive Garden and California Pizza Kitchen. At last year's first and second round site in Buffalo, NY there was absolutely nothing around the hotel which was also in a suburban area.

The cheerleading coach arranged a trip to the Birmingham Zoo for the band and cheerleaders. The zoo is located in a suburban area in the woods which gave the feeling it is away from everything. It is smaller than other zoos I have been to, but it was a nice way to get out of the hotel.

The weather here has been awesome. The sun has been out and the high has been in the low 70s. Due to the clear sky at night the lows are in the upper 40s to low 50s. Many people here are getting a slight tan. I am not getting used to it because I have heard that it is cold and snowy in Indiana.

To beat the Vols...

... We have to keep them from running up and down the court. Tennessee can play stifling defense. They're very physical and the refs let them play that way against American. So there's no reason to think that they'll be any less physical against us.

We have to body up against them on offense then. I hesitate to say the same for defense, because Howard in foul prone and he could get in trouble quick. Green was in foul trouble yesterday, so he might be a little gun-shy. If we play our style of defense, we should do fine. We haven't let teams get up and down on us or control the tempo -- except in the Drake game, and I'm sure we've learned from that experience.

Our biggest problem will be scoring. The Vols are big and fast. We're going to have to hit our jump shots. I doubt Howard will be a factor unless he draws a lot of fouls. We're going to need Veasley and Jukes to contribute to our points in the paint when they play. They're definitely strong and fast enough to battle the UT defenders. Sadly, Green probably won't be able to penetrate and score. So, we're going to need to reign down from 3-point land. If Graves and Campbell aren't hitting, we're screwed.

But, we have an X-factor. His name is Julian Betko, and he won't let this team underachieve.

I'm definitely nervous about this game, but American exposed the Vols' weaknesses and the Dawgs will definitely benefit from that. We played this team last year in the Pre-season NIT. Graves and Streicher played against Bruce Pearl when they were freshmen. We know what to expect. We just have to play our game, which relies on our excellent jump shooting.

I expect a low scoring game in the 60s, and I'll bet that Butler is with Tennessee up to the end. If we win this game, there's no reason we can't beat anyone in the country. We could be the George Mason of this tournament.

Let's hold our breaths and pray to the basketball gods for this one.

Take that Selection Committee

#10 South Alabama 61
#7 Butler 81

What a victory for the Dawgs they definitely proved they should have gotten a seed higher than 7. Here are my quick thoughts about the game.

The big difference in the game was the shooting percentage from behind the arc. The Bulldogs shot 15-28 (53.6%). It seems like they have not shot that well since the Great Alaskan Shootout. Much of this spectacular shooting is due to Pete Campbell. He hit 8 of 10 treys.

The Bulldogs were able to build up much of the lead while Green was on the bench. He was charged with 2 fouls early in the first half. Stevens replaced Green by Vanzant during that time.

During the first half South Alabama was able given many second half opportunities by offensive rebounds. During the second half Butler was much better off the boards. At the end of the game South Alabama had 30 rebounds and Butler had 28.

South Alabama started to press during the second half. The Dawgs were able to get passed it. This gave Butler a preview of there next opponent.

Butler players were also about to adjust to the refs during the second half. During the first half the Dawgs were charged with fouls putting South Alabama midway through the first half.

There was on section of South Alabama fans at the game so it was not much of a home game for them. The areana seats about 18,000. There were 14,420 at the session that Butler's game was played in.

Next up: Butler vs. Tennessee
This is a rematch of last year's NIT Season Tip Off last year. During the game Butler came back from a 12 point deficit to win. Tennessee will likely want revenge from last year's lost, but at the same time the Dawgs no they can beat them.

Keys to the Game

Key #1: Quick Offensive Start
During the season the Bulldogs have gotten off to a slow start. For example, the Bulldogs slow start almost cost them the game at Valpo. Keep in mind that the Bulldogs only lead the game during the last 17 seconds of the contest. An essential element to a win against Southern Alabama is to start the game like the Horizon League Championship and keep the Jaguars behind

Key #2: Rebound offensively and defensively
Southern Alabama is a great rebounding times. One of the problems during the regular season was allowing opponents to get rebounds which they turned into second chance points.

Other Stuff

Videos
Brad Stevens on ESPN's First Take
Gary Parrish's game preview
Bill Raftery's site preview

David Woods is in Alabama and has posted his first update from Birmingham on his blog.

WISH-TV is sending their top sports anchor, Anthony Calhoun, to Birmingham. He did the play-by-play of the Ohio State game on ESPNU and was the sideline reporter for the Wooden Tradition game which was on WNDY and HDNet.
The game is 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Tennessee vs. American game which tips off at 12:15 (Butler's game will likely start at 2:45). Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are calling the game. Click here to see where the game is available.

Final Note
I am leaving for Alabama tomorrow morning. I will post while I am there if I have Internet access.

Lunardi = idiot

So according to Lunardi at ESPN, he simply believes that South Alabama is going all the way, even past Tennessee. And funniest of all, he believes UCLA is going to win overall. He also has Georgia falling to Xavier - which I mean, I do think that Georgia got luck and home-court advantage on their side in the SEC tournament, but honestly, Xavier? He called Vanderbilt the most overrated in the field, which as much as I love 'em, they are only a little overrated, not the most overrated. I agree a 4-seed was too high for them, but I think they can make it out of the first round, giving they play like they did against Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium. At least I am glad to see he thinks Drake will be out first round.

Check out his other hilarious prediction here

Preview for Southern Alabama

So according to Mr. Bracketology himself who broke down each team in a video on ESPN, he thinks that South Alabama has a better shot in this game than we do - in that they are underestimated and it is practically a home game for them....since when did we become the designated losing team? With all the negative going against us thus far, now is the time that the Bulldogs fans need to show their pride!

As far as statistics go for the Jaguars - besides the fact that they clearly have the advantage in this game only being 3 hours from Birmingham (in Mobile), the Jaguars finished second in their conference (the Sun Belt), next to Western Kentucky. They are 16-2 in conference, having lost to Middle Tennessee State twice (11-7, 17-15) and North Texas (10-8, 20-11). So it's easy to say that they are in a similar conference as we are with the numerous mid-major teams. The only other non-conference losses they sustained this season were to Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Miami (Ohio). So I suppose one can deduct that they had a relatively good season, so how most sport's analysts can deduct that they are a "sleeper" team is beyond me. Granted I have not seen them play, so this argument could mean nothing right now, but in my general opinion, I feel like sport's analysts tag the name of "sleeper" or underestimated to just about any team they please. I think they are just trying to create upsets.

They do seem to have several strengths on the team, especially on offense as ESPN describes their season, but does not say much about defense. So sleeper team or not, I am not sure, but I know that they better not underestimate us.

My perspective

If you're interested in my opinion about the Bulldogs' NCAA tourney seeding, check out these blog entries that I've written for CollegeFanz.com.

http://www.collegefanz.com/blogs/DawgnetJosh/2008/03/17/the-bulldogs-tourney-resume

http://www.collegefanz.com/blogs/DawgnetJosh/2008/03/17/on-to-why-the-committee-is-composed-of-dunces

Dawgnet Article

Check out my opinion article on how we got snubbed.

okay sorry, one more

I just found another person who believes that we should have been in the top-5 seeds. Click here Read the ESPN Take about their season and it concludes with "These Bulldogs once again should be a top-five seed and very well could find themselves threatening another 1-seed in the Sweet 16."

At least he agrees with us....

The more people I talk to, and the video that Tim mentioned before from WishTv - Click here, the more it makes you realize that we aren't the only ones upset by this seeding. Although the ESPN reporter that claims to know everything about sports (I think it was Andy Katz according to David Woods) said that a Horizon League Champion does not deserve higher than a 6 seed, David Woods himself (the beat writer for the Bulldogs) agrees completely that Butler once again got snubbed. Clearly our exceptional record this year (better than last year's I might add) was not enough and that loss to Drake hurt us more than we think. I am honestly not surprised by the team's reaction of 'silence'. They really can't say anything. They already knew that they were in and the seeding was completely unexpected. They won't say that this will affect them in the long run, because I do not believe it will. Like David Woods' says in his blog, I am hoping they will use this as fuel for fire and make it even more impossible for South Alabama (I am almost completely shocked at the fact that they are practically playing a home game, thanks selection committee for sucking) to win. So here is the link to David Woods' blog, it made me somewhat happier to hear him say that this isn't right.

NCAA Tournament

I just saw a video on WISH TV of the teams reaction after seeing the announcement on CBS. The Bulldogs were stunned and silent. If WISH TV posts videos about Butler I will post links.

I am also extremely disappointed that Butler got shafted in the seeding process. I will post a link to a Dawgnet article with my thoughts when its posted.

2008 NCAA Tournament

Although I am somewhat disappointed in the seed we received, we are a 7 seed playing in Birmingham, AL on Friday -

Our bracket (east)in Birmingham:

(7)Butler
(10) South Alabama

(2)Tennessee
(15) American

oh well, at least this means that I get to pass through my hometown (NASHVILLE) and possibly see some people from high school (if we play Tennessee).

Bulldogs to be a No. 7 seed

I don't want to cry about it, but I guess that being No. 10 in the country isn't good enough anymore. Any thoughts?

Most importantly

Watch CBS today at 6 p.m. for the announcement of the NCAA tournament pairings (and seedings).

Championship Videos

Check out this You Tube video of highlights from the UIC and Cleveland State games.

The Horizon League Network also has a highlight video and has archived the postgame show that was streamed after the game. The postgame show has both press conferences, and interview with Graves and an interview with Streicher.

Green on the season thus far

"Hey. Your correct, things have been going well for us thus far this year. All the individual accolades are cool honors to have but it has always been about championships with us. We have three of the possible four and we are aware of what's at stake. Therefore we are working to get better so we can make a run at our ultimate goal, NCAA champions."

Mike Green

We are the Champions!!!

Unlike most game Butler started out on fire. At the 13:24 mark Butler led 20-6. Cleveland State got back into the game and tied the game with 1:50 remaining in the first half. It was all Butler in the second half.

Cleveland State tried to shut Matt Howard down throughout the game. Whenever they did he was fouled. Of the his 16 points, 10 were scored by free throws.

Butler needs 3 players to score a majority of the points in order to win. Last night Green scored 24, Howard scored 16 and Streicher scored 11.

After the game and Horizon League Awards ceremony the players and coaches cut down the nets. There was a lot less ceremonial than when they were cut down after the Wright State game.

This victory combined with Drakes winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament repairs the damage that was caused by the Drake loss. The have likely secured a 5th seed, but could depending on how other teams play go as high as a 4th seed.

Green was named Tournament MVP. Howard and Streicher joined Green on the all tournament team.

Next up: NCAA Tournament 1st Round Game. This will be announced on Sunday during the selection show on CBS starting at 6:00 PM.

Check out quotes from players and coaches about the game.

Check out these videos:
Stevens on ESPN's First Take from Today's show
ESPN's highlight video

Rankings

AP: 12
Coaches: 10

Complete rankings are are available here.

The Bulldogs can credit their rise to solid victory over UIC and losses by several teams ahead or near them including Stanford (two losses, Xavier, Louisville and Connecticut.

Butler vs. Wright State Highlights

Check out this You Tube video of highlights from the Wright State game.

Horizon League Semifinals

Semifinals Game 1:
Valpo 73
Cleveland State 78

Valpo was very inconsistent throughout the game. They scored most of their points in runs. These runs prevented Cleveland State from pulling away. Cleveland State looked very good throughout the entire game. Their players hit several NBA treys.

It was great to see the large contingent of Valpo fans in the building. The weather in Ohio must have kept Cleveland State fans away.

One final note, for being the first year in the Horizon League Valpo made a statement they belong in the league. Valpo finessed the season 21-13 (9-9). They have the potential to do really well in this league in the future.

Semifinals Game 2:
UIC 50
Butler 66

Just like previous games that Butler has played after a long break between games (7 days in this case). The Bulldogs started off extremely slow. This forced Stevens to use a timeout at the 18:36 mark. In the next 5:16 Graves hit 3 treys and Green had a 2 point layup. This set the stage for the rest of the game.

The one problem the Bulldogs had during the game is rebounding. The Bulldogs were out rebounded 20-12 in the first half. The dawgs caught up during the second half and only trailed in the final talley by 5, 37-32. UIC definitely took advantage of the extra opportunities by scoring 26 second chance points. Butler only scored 4 second chance points.

One a bright note, the Dawgs were 12-27 (44.4%) for trey. Observers have noted that if the Dawgs make 8 or more treys in the game, they win.

During the game Stevens substituted more than he usually does. Veasley got 23 minutes and Campbell got 25 minutes of action. Betko only got 14 minutes of playing time and Howard only got 20 minutes of playing time. Betko was injured near the end of the season. This leads me to ask has the injury come back?

Once the Dawgs built up a big lead, Stevens put in 4 bench players and 1 starter. During this time some of the lead was surrendered. Stevens made the correct response by putting more starters in the game.

My key to the game was not allowing Josh Mayo to score. The Dawgs held him to 5 points (one 2 point basket and 1 trey).

Next up": Cleveland State plays Butler on Tuesday 9:00 at Hinkle for the Horizon League Tournament Championship. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Dawgs to face UIC

Quarterfinals Game 2:
University of Illinois-Chicago 60
Loyola 49

The Dawgs beat UIC twice during the regular season. One January 26th the dawgs defeated UIC 73-57 at home. On February 20th, the dawgs defeated UIC 51-46 at UIC's gym. The best player on UIC's roster is Josh Mayo. He is small, athletic and a good shooter. If the Dawgs shut him down, they will win without a problem.

HL Tourney Update

Quarterfinals Game 1:
Valpo 72
Wright State 67

I watched parts of the game on the Horizon League Network. This was a very competitive game. Valpo did not secure the victory until the end of the game. Valpo will play Cleveland State tomorrow at 4:30 at Hinkle.


Looking ahead I will be rooting for Cleveland State tomorrow in the first game. My biggest reason is that Cleveland State is farther away from Hinkle than Valpo. This will decrease the chance that the opposing school will be able to fill the Fieldhouse with students. Since we (Butler students) are now on spring break, I am expecting there to be significantly fewer Butler students at the game(s). Of course, the Dawgs must win tomorrow otherwise what I just wrote is meaningless. The Dawgs play the winner of the UIC/Loyola game tomorrow at 6:30 or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Cleveland State vs. Valpo Game. Tomorrow's games are being televised on ESPNU.

Go, Dawgs!!!

Dawgs racking up the honors

Mike Green received the Horizon League Player of the Year award

Matt Howard got the HL Newcomer of the Year award

Julian Betko was named HL Scholar-Athlete of the Week

Drew Streicher was named HL Scholar-Athlete of the Month

Horizon League Bracket

Wright State - Wright State
Detroit

Valpo - Valpo
Green Bay

UIC - UIC
Youngstown State

Milwaukee - Loyola
Loyola

Friday, 2nd Round at Hinkle
Wright State vs. Valpo (6 p.m.)
UIC vs. Loyola (8 p.m.)

Candyce Brown on remainder of season

"Our last game against Cleveland State was a very big win for us! We now have the opportunity to tie for third place in the Horizon League and host some games in our conference tournament. We have one regular season game left against Valpo this Saturday. This game is very important to our team because it is the final regular season home game for our two senior players Cassie Freeman, Candace Bain, and our team manager Stacey Jackson. This game is also very important because with a win, we can clinch our third place finish in conference. We would appreciate everyone coming out to support the Lady Bulldogs and our seniors to get a big win this weekend!"

- Candyce Brown

Looking past Horizon League Tournament....

I know it is a little early to think about NCAA Tournament games (but not much) but right now, I have high hopes for both teams...more specifically, the men I know are going to win the Horizon League Championship. If they play like they did in the Detroit game, having something to play for and with a lot of passion, they will blow that game out of the water. But anyway, back to the point, who does everything think we are going to be matched with in the first round of the NCAA tournament? I am still holding onto to the dream that Vanderbilt and Butler will play each other, I really want to know who is better (and in case your wondering, I will cheer for both sides but I really want Butler to win). I still love Vandy, don't worry Josh, I will always love them. Give me some feedback though, who does everyone want to see us play, what seed should we or are we going to get? How far do you think we'll go? I know this is early to think about it, but still, I am pumped for March Madness! The ultimate question, who will be the NCAA Champion this year? (pretty sure it won't be Florida). My bet is on....mmmmmh, Memphis.

Reaction from Senior Drew Streicher...

"The game against Wright State was great. The crowd was electric and the Dawg Pound was extremely loud. We really appreciated their support. It was very gratifying to win the conference outright at home and to be able to cut down the nets in Hinkle.

Senior Day was really fun. Once again, we had a great crowd and we played pretty well. Detroit came out and tried to really slow the game down but we played with poise and guarded very well. Of course, Pete shot it really well, too! I thought everyone contributed to the win.

It was nice to win the regular season league title but that is only one of our goals for the season. The team is excited to take on the next challenge of winning the conference tournament. It is something that no one on our team has done so we are going to get to work this week at practice and prepare for next Saturday."

Drew Streicher

2008 Horizon League Tournament

First Round -- Tuesday, March 4 (games played at home of higher-seeded teams)

Game 1: (#10 seed) Detroit (7-22, 3-15) at (#3 seed) Wright State (20-9, 12-6), 7 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Game 2: (#7 seed) Green Bay (15-14, 9-9) at (#6 seed) Valparaiso (19-12, 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Game 3: (#9 seed) Youngstown State (9-20, 5-13) at (#4 seed) UIC (16-14, 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Game 4: (#8 seed) Loyola (11-18, 6-12) at (#5 seed) Milwaukee (14-15, 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Second Round -- Friday, March 7 (at Hinkle Fieldhouse)

Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Semifinals -- Saturday, March 8 (at Indianapolis / Hinkle Fieldhouse)

Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. (#2 seed) Cleveland State (20-11, 12-6), 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. (#1 seed) Butler (27-3, 16-2), 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Championship -- Tuesday, March 11 (at home of higher-remaining seed)

Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Last thoughts....

I just want to say that I am proud of all five seniors (as well as the rest of the team) and the wonderful season they had - and the future great games in the tournament. They had a great season and deserved it!

Finally...

... the Dawgs put a smack down on an HL team and returned to the form that we saw after the Great Alaska Shootout.

The Dawgs shot 41 percent from behind the arc with 12 3-pointers, while completely dominating the last-place Detroit Titans.

What made the win even more special was that the team shined on Senior Day in Hinkle. I can't even begin to explain how much these five guys have given us. Looking back on my first two years here, I always knew that we could be a good team, seeing how we advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2003. But we couldn't rise to another level to emerge at the top of the Horizon League in those first two years.

I've seen a lot of great Butler players in my four years at BU -- Bruce Horan, Avery Sheets, Brandon Polk and Brandon Crone. But our guys this year have really taken us on a special journey. I thought we could be good, but I would never have guessed that we'd be as good as a 2007 Sweet 16 team and now a record setting 2007-08 team.

These guys have pushed further and risen higher than I think most of us would have ever expected, and they've given us so much joy, fun and excitement over the past two years. There's also been heartbreak. We've lost some crushing games, and said 'goodbye' to some of our favorite players -- Crone, Brian Ligon and Marcus Nellums. But, our seniors this year have carried on our dream and it's really been an incredible ride to this point.

Through it all, we've had A.J. Graves along with us -- all of us seniors who've been here, just not on the basketball team -- for the entire ride. He was so much fun to watch as a freshman, but I'll bet most of us, myself included, didn't realize how good he was going to be. He's defied gravity and the realm of the imagination with the incredible shots and plays that he's pulled out of his back pocket just when the team's needed him the most. I can't explain to him how much fun he's been to watch.

What about Julian Betko, Pete Campbell and Mike Green -- they've been God-sends. I'm very confident in saying that we'd never have made it to the Sweet 16 or to 27 wins this season without these three guys. Green has elevated this basketball team to a new level of competition with his abilities to play and lead the offense. Betko is undeniably one of the most important leaders on this team, and has stepped up in so many games to provide the lift that we've needed. Campbell -- without his shooting Graves would get the double team every game. He has one of the purest shots I've ever seen, and it's been amazing to watch him knock down three and four 3-pointers in a row.

Last but certainly not the least, Drew Streicher. Drew, you have to know that every Bulldog fan out there loves you. You are the true underdog story that gives everyone hope that we can achieve our own dreams. Walking on as a freshman, you worked your way into the starting five and have proved to be one of the most vital role players. Without your defense, assists, rebounding and basketball knowledge we'd not be 27-3 today. Of course we want you to shoot and score more, but you've proven to be one of the most unselfish and key components of this team. You get lost in the shadow of Graves and Green, but you've also been here every day with me for the past four years, and it's been incredible to watch you rise right along with this team.

So, on behalf of the entire Bulldog nation, I want to thank you guys so much for making us one of the elite teams in the country -- giving way to the nature and attitude of our fans, that so many outside of our circle have to come to hate and fail to understand. Thank you for giving us reasons to scream hysterically and brag with glory, while having one of the most fun and exciting experiences of our college careers.

Thank you guys for everything. We're with you all the way, no matter what, and you'll always hold a special place in our hearts.

BU 65 UDM 31 Final

Butler sets school record for regular seasons wins (27-3) and ties Horizon League record for conference wins (16-2).

Green finishes with 11 points, 12 rebounds (ties career-high) and nine assists.

Campbell finishes with 24 points on eight 3-pointers (ties career-high)

Graves two points

Betko three points

Streicher four rebounds

Veasley eight points on 4-of-4 shooting with four rebounds

Howard and Vanzant four points each

Engelmann three points

Jukes, Hahn and Anglin two points each

The Dawgs will play at 6 p.m. next Saturday in Hinkle in the seminfinal round of the HL tourney

Dawgs vs. Detroit

BU 58 UDM 31 3:27 left

Green, Campbell and remaining seniors on the bench

Dawgs vs. Detroit

BU 56 UDM 29 6:52 left

Green 11 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists

Campbell 24 points, eight 3-pointers (one shy of new career-high)

Green and Campbell on the bench

Dawgs vs. Detroit

BU 45 UDM 27 11:34 left

Green eight rebounds, eight assists, 10 rebounds

Campbell tied career-high in 3-pointers with eight so far

Dawgs with six 3-pointers in the second half

Dawgs vs. Detroit

BU 40 UDM 22 14:45

Campbell seven 3-pointers, three to start the second half

Green eight points, seven assists, nine rebounds

Dawgs vs. Detroit

BU 25 UDM 18 halftime

Pete Campbell -- 12 points on 4-of-7 3-pointers

Mike Green -- five points, four assists and nine rebounds (possible triple-double today)

A.J. Graves -- two points on 1-of-5 shooting

Willie Veasley -- six points on 3-of-3 shooting