Bulldog Basketball

New York, Here We Come!

2009-12-08T01:21:00.003-05:00

In just a few hours, the Collegian Sports editors and assistant editor plus our wonderful photographer will be traveling to NYC to watch the Bulldogs take on Georgetown at Madison Square Garden! Check back here for updates, pictures, and blog posts documenting the trip!

Emily Newell

Asst. Sports Editor

Looking ahead...

2009-04-07T11:33:00.003-04:00

First and foremost, Coach Brad Stevens has been rewarded with a contract extension until the 2015-16 season.

And, according to David Woods, Butler is recruiting Michael Jordan's son. I already thought that Jordan had a son who played for Illinois, but apparently he has an 18-year-old younger son.

Here's a link to the story

Bracket Madness

2009-03-26T22:39:00.002-04:00

Well, minus a few surprises in the opening rounds (Butler and Cleveland St.) - my bracket is staying alive.

My sweet sixteen included Louisville v. Wake Forest (I think everyone was shocked by the Wake Forest loss loss). Instead it's Louisville v. Arizona

Kansas v. USC - which obviously I was wrong there too, its Kansas v. Michigan St.

In the West, I had UConn, v. Purdue (Purdue already lost this game tonight)

Mizzou v. Memphis: the Tigers are my team! but they are not looking so good right now. If they lose, then my bracket will be messed up because I have Memphis in the final four.

In the East, I have Pitt v. Xavier (Xavier already lost)

Villanova v. Duke (Duke is losing currently, but that would also ruin my bracket. i also have Duke in the final four).

In the South, I have UNC v. Gonzaga (this is a potential upset)

Syracuse v. Oklahoma (My other team, go Syracuse!)

How's your bracket doing?

Reaction to Butler's Seeding

2009-03-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

This is a little old, but I was unable to get it up on the Dawgnet site before the tournament started. Several students from the online journalism class went around campus asking people what they thought of the men's basketball seeding in the NCAA tournament. This occurred the Monday after Selection Sunday. Bobby Fong even has a comment!

An amazing season comes to an end

2009-03-21T00:42:00.002-04:00

Yes, yes it's true. Everyone should know by now that we fell to the overrated LSU Tigers (sorry, I am still bitter). But, on the lighter side - the men's team still had an amazing season for a "rebuilding" year as some would describe. I just can't wait to see these guys tear up the court next year.

On worse news, Cleveland State won today, upsetting Wake Forest. I am not happy about this but at least the Horizon League still has a representative. I believe they take on Arizona next but don't quote me on that.

The women's team is still in their tournament as well having beat Duquesne in Pittsburgh, PA. They now face Marquette in Milwaukee, WI for the next stage of the WNIT. Go Dawgs! They play at on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.

More for March Madness coming...my bracket is still somewhat alive.

Another seed, another opportunity

2009-03-16T18:07:00.002-04:00

After the announcement of Butler's 9 seed, I am honestly not surprised. I was hoping for a 7...maybe even a 6, but alas, a 9 seed is reasonably fair and all too predictable a seeding from the NCAA Committee. Honestly, there is no difference between an 8 seed and a 9 seed; either places Butler in the same bracket location. I believe we got the 9 seed bc 1) we lost the HL tourney final and 2) we are in a non-power conference (power conf. = Pac-10, Big 12, ACC, Big East, SEC, and Big 10). The results are out, so now the men's team must take things for what they are and start preparing for LSU.

The LSU Tigers are an incredibly similar team to the Bulldogs, although Butler has a deeper bench. LSU's backcourt is led by redshirt junior guard Marcus Thornton, and their frontcourt is led by senior forward Tasmin Mitchell and senior center Chris Johnson. Predicted defensive match-ups are Ronald Nored & Shawn Vanzant trading responsibility for Thornton, Willie Veasley guarding Mitchell, and Matt Howard controlling Johnson. This should be one of the best games of the whole NCAA Tournament, and poetically enough, it will be the first game of the whole process (beginning at 12:20 EST).

Go Dawgs!!

9 seed in Greensboro

2009-03-15T18:48:00.003-04:00

Biting my nails the entire time, they finally showed that Butler will be playing in Greensboro, NC as a 9 seed against the LSU Tigers. I think that is definitely a doable game, but that fact that the next step is UNC is a little scary - but hey, we can finally challenge Tyler Hansborough.

LSU is more than beatable. This year has been somewhat hilarious and terrible for the SEC. One example of why we can beat LSU - easy, THEY LOST TO VANDERBILT. As much as I love Vandy, and I do, they simply did not have a good year. They also lost to Auburn, Miss St (the SEC champs), and Xavier (whom we beat). There are a few others as well. In summary, we should have been the 8 seed, but beggars can't be choosers.

To view the entire 65 team bracket, click here.

Since the final game....

2009-03-14T01:10:00.003-04:00

In case anyone has been out of it for several days, the Bulldogs lost the tournament final game to Cleveland State. They led most of the game up until about five minutes to go when they couldn't really even buy a basket. The final score ended up being 57-54, close but not enough. It's sad but not a complete tragedy (or really even close). The bright side is that the Horizon League gets a little more attention in the March Madness festivities. With two teams in the tournament, this is a great thing for the league. And if you are a die-hard fan like myself, you will enjoy seeing Cleveland State get stomped in the first round....just kidding, a little.

On to Bracketology...it is guaranteed (well pretty much guaranteed) that Butler will receive an at-large bid for the tournament. If they don't, many ESPN analysts including Joe Lunardi will be dubbed dumba..., excuse me, idiots. Right now, in Lunardi's bracketology, he has us listed as an 8 seed in Philadelphia playing Dayton. This isn't the first time he had us matched against Dayton, but I am never sure how correct he actually is. Last year, he had us at a 5 and we were officially seeded as a 7. So, while I am sure we will receive at least an 8, you never know - those over at the NCAA confuse me. Preferably, it would be nice to be a 5 or 6, but that's just wishful thinking. Either way or what we get, at least we are in it. If we do receive an 8, in Philly, against who Lunardi thinks we will play...and if we make it past round 1, we will be up against the 1 seed Connecticut. But this could definitely change considering last night's Syracuse game against Connecticut. After 6 overtimes in the Big East's Quarterfinals, Syracuse beat UConn 127-117...the game was truly phenomenal. How two teams can continue overtime that long is beyond me, but they are sure to receive nice seedings in the tournament (just maybe not number ones). Syracuse continued to the semifinals tonight and beat West Virginia with only one overtime, 74-69.

Anywho, back to the Bulldogs....if I had to guess, I would say we will be an 8 seed most likely playing either in Philly or Greensboro, NC...but who knows. Selection Sunday is in two days, so we will find out soon enough. The Selection Show airs at 6p.m. EST on CBS.

To check out Joe Lunardi's Bracketology predictions on ESPN, click here.

To create your own predictions on ESPN, click here.
I don't quite understand this one, it doesn't even include all the teams, but I guess it is to compare with past games.

Keep reading the blog for an update of the brackets on Sunday.

Saturday night's semi-final win

2009-03-09T13:30:00.002-04:00

Hello, Bulldog fans. It's been awhile, so I thought I'd drop a line.

While it is incredibly nice to be on Spring Break, it is even better to be spending a good part of it at home...for two reasons: 1) I live in Carmel, so I'm 20 minutes from Hinkle Fieldhouse, and 2) I live in Carmel, so I'm 20 minutes from Hinkle Fieldhouse!! Needless to say, I'll be at Tuesday night's conference final game...I'm also recording it on the house DVR. One can never get enough of Butler Basketball.

It's exciting to think that the Dawgs could secure another solid NCAA tournament seed with just one more win, and it's even more exciting to think that the same squad will be back next year to defend whatever success they find in the coming weeks of college hoops.

Tuesday night's game will be the third BU-Cleveland State meeting this season, and it will also be a rematch of last season's conference tournament final. Butler won the 07-08 tournament matchup, 70-55. This year's game, however, will be more competitive, I think. The two BU wins in the 08-09 regular season were by two points each...one off of a Zach Hahn buzzer-beating three and one off of a halted Viking advance at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The coming final game goes down at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.

P.S. For those who watched/heard about Shelvin Mack's leg injury, per information from student assistant Erick Brown, the leg issue was cramp-related, not a medical injury so to speak. Mack is said to be ready for the final conference game. You can read Erick's stories on the men's basketball team (as well as other stories on all BU athletics) in the Dawgnet Sports section at http://www.dawgnetnews.com/index.php/sports.

Thanks for reading.
Go Dawgs!!

Dawgs bring the championship home

2009-03-01T17:36:00.006-05:00

Thanks to their ability to pull off a successful win on Saturday, the men's basketball team have brought the Horizon League championship to Hinkle Fieldhouse. Their last two games were, in a brief description, dynamically different. For everyone at Thursday night's game against Youngstown St., they got to see several players that rarely receive game time, take the court. The bulldogs stomped the Penguins, 78-57. That's putting it nicely. The game might even got a little boring, no offense to the team - I always love to see them win. I was almost wishing for that on Saturday, however the closer games are always more exciting (if we win of course).

On Saturday however, the lead changed a couple of times throughout the game - with the Cleveland State Vikings taking a small lead in the beginning. The Bulldogs recovered the lead however before half-time. In the second half, there was a period when the dawgs did not score for awhile, giving the Vikings a chance to catch up. The last five minutes became the most nerve-wrenching. Butler freshman Ronald Nored made the last points of the game that gave the Bulldogs the final lead. Both games against Cleveland State this season came down to two points. They will undoubtedly face the Vikings again in the HL Tournament.

The women's bball team have two more games in their season before their season is over as well. The Bulldogs faced HL leader Green Bay on Saturday, losing by only five points. However, they pulled out a win on Thursday evening, beating Milwaukee in overtime. The Bulldogs go on the road against Youngstown St. and Cleveland St. this Thursday and Saturday.

The following pics are from the Thursday night men's and women's games (photos by Sports Editor Steven Peek):

Check out Dawgnetnews.com for more pictures.

2 losses + an awesome win

2009-02-23T11:49:00.002-05:00

As some might say it was out of characteristic for the Bulldogs to drop two losses in a row, which may or may not be true, but every team loses at some point. I'm hoping those losses are mostly behind us now (even if we still feel the reburcussions). The Bulldogs played phenomally on Saturday against Davidson. Despite a little rough shooting in the beginning, it is easy to say that their defense was unstoppable. As David Wood's mentions in his article on Indystar.com about Ronald Nored's performance against Stephen Curry, it was rather mind-boggling. As Wood's describes Nored's performance against Curry, he related it to the dizzy bat game where a person places their head to the top of a baseball bat, spins several times, then tries to run. He says thats what it looked like when Nored was running all over the court chasing Curry. Not only did he play consistant and dominating defense in the game, he scored six points (one including a dunk) and led the team with the number of steals (3). Gordon Hayward led the team in points, with 27, and rebounds, with 9. Click here for a link to his story.

Apparently the decision to let Curry play (after an ankle injury two games ago) was only made an hour before the game. Curry was held to only 20 points in Saturday's game (which is significantly lower for the nation's leading scorer). This is exactly what the Bulldogs needed in order to win this game. Ironically enough, the Bulldogs had to go away to actually win the Bracketbuster. The bracketbuster games in the past three years have been at home and have been losses(Southern Illinois in 2007, Drake in 2008 and Kent State in 2006). It could be irony but I honestly thought they were fed up with losing. Oh, and if you were wondering what the score was to the Davidson game, it was 75-63.

This game also might have secured the Bulldogs an at-large seed for the NCAA tournament (coming up pretty soon). Though they shouldn't risk anything, clinching the horizon league title and winning the championship would be nice to have. The Bulldogs have two games left, and the way it looks, if they win both games - the tournament will indeed be at Hinkle Fieldhouse (although Green Bay is one game out).

The women's basketball team also played Saturday, at Valparaiso. Unfortunately they fell short, 75-65. Three of the Bulldogs were in double digits, but unfortunately it was not enough to hold Valpo, who shot 52 percent throughout the game. The Bulldogs are still staying strong at second place within the Horizon League, three games behind UW-Green Bay (who are undefeated in league play). The Bulldogs have a winning record (16-9, 11-3).

Both the men's and women's next games are on Thursday, back-to-back at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The women's team is taking on UW-Milwaukee at 5 p.m. est. The men are battling Youngstown State at 7 p.m. est. Their game will be shown on WNDY-23 as well.

On the Bright Side...

2009-02-15T16:51:00.002-05:00

While I am sure many Butler Basketball fans are somewhat unhappy due to this afternoon's loss to Loyola-Chicago (13-15, 5-11), this isn't something to worry too much about. Chalk it up for another loss, only unfortunately, it is their first loss of the season at home. What some sports analysts would say is that this was going to happen eventually - being a young team and all, but honestly, a game is a game. Today, the Bulldogs were just not on their game, and it's not because they are so young either. Granted, they are young and still have some growing to do, but it just seems that Loyola came out stronger and wanted it more. There were a few moments in the end where we could have pulled it off, but the game would have still belonged to Loyola. They fought and held the lead the entire game. Sorry to say, but they were the better team....today. Let them have their glory today, because we still have a long road ahead of us.

The Bulldogs are still in the lead in the Horizon League (the closest is UW-Green Bay who are two and half games out) and still have a few more games to go in this season, not to mention taking on strong mid-major Davidson next weekend. While Davidson is not ranked, they are a pretty tough team with Stephen Curry leading the pack. They are a lot similar to us in that many can consider them underestimated, mostly due to the league they are in. They were the mid-major team last year that made it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, only to lose to 2008 NCAA Champion, Kansas. Like us, they do not have really any other power teams in their league. Next weekend's game will surely be tough for the both of them...and I hope this loss will give the Bulldogs that extra boost to walk all over their next opponents, but that's only wishful thinking.

In summary, while difficult, this loss was nothing but a loss. All we can do is cheer for the team again when they take the court. Their next couple of games are away at U-W Milwaukee and Davidson, followed by Youngstown State and Cleveland State at home. Without a doubt, we will be in the Horizon League Tournament and hopefully granted a great seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Message from Matt Howard!!

2009-02-12T04:22:00.008-05:00

Sophomore forward Matt Howard has graced this blog with his words. Below are some thoughts on the team's recent developments that he sent me to publish for all of you...enjoy!!

It's great to be back at the friendly confines of Hinkle Fieldhouse after what seems like a very long road trip. The only nice thing about the roadtrips are the comfortable beds at the hotels. I must say they are much better than the thing I sleep on at school! I think everybody but Gordon [Hayward] would rather play at home (if you look at his road stats, you may understand). It's always great to have the support and also the familiar surroundings to help us.

The past week has been something else, though. It seems like from the two times I've played in Detroit, that nothing "good" has come from playing there, regardless of their record. This year, we had another tough game and lost Shawn [Vanzant], or the "BTP" as he is called by some, to injury. But it did feel great to leave Wright State on Saturday with a solid win. I still haven't forgotten the feeling I had from leaving there with a loss last year. I knew it meant something more to last year's seniors than just our first loss of the year because of the history there. Games that are considered rivalries and feel like that because of the atmosphere and way people talk about them really do mean a litlle more emotionally.

On a different note, I think everyone has put last Monday's game [at Green Bay] in the past and decided that while there were lessons to be learned, such as not fouling so much (of course talking to myself more than anyone else), it is better to take a motivated mindset into our future games. Teams rarely go undefeated in conference, and so the goal is to make sure that after a loss, you don't compile it with back-to-back losses. That is where conference titles are lost.

This weekend brings some different and unique challenges for us. UIC likes to zone with their big frontcourt and see if we can hit shots, and Loyola has a lot of talent offensively. I think my goal for the weekend is to play as hard as normal without picking up the cheap fouls. I know Coach Stevens would appreciate it and may be surprised as well if I do that!

-Matt, #54

Thanks for the message, Matt. The men's team plays at home this Friday (ESPNU) & Sunday. The women's team is on the road Thurs. night and Sat. afternoon. Try to keep up with all the basketball action...Go Dawgs!!

Bracketbuster

2009-02-07T16:30:00.003-05:00

The Butler Men's Basketball team is taking on the Davidson Wildcats on Feb. 21. The game will be an away game for the Bulldogs.

....just in case you were wondering, Davidson is in North Carolina

Recovering from a loss

2009-02-06T00:21:00.004-05:00

After Monday night's first conference loss to UW-Green Bay, Butler bounced back tonight with a 66-61 win over Detroit. Both of these games were away, and they were both very close throughout the entire game. In my own personal opinion, I would say that the Bulldogs usually rebound with more stamina and vengeance after a loss, but then again, this may be true for most basketball teams.

During Monday night's game, the Bulldogs sort of ran into a wall of perfect free throw shooting. Green Bay's leading scorer, Ryan Tillema had 21 point total, 10 of which were free throws. However, during tonight's game, one of the sports announcers made the comment that Gordon Hayward scores most of his points at away games. I believe they said he averages about 16 points per game when they are away. As evidence to support their theory, he scored 22 points in Monday night's game and in tonight's game.

In the league standings, their win tonight against Detroit kept them a game ahead of Green Bay. Their next game is against Wright State...at Wright State. Now, the past two years, I have made the roughly 2-3 hour trip to Dayton, OH. They have also lost the last three games they played at the Nutter Center. Both of the past two year's away games there, and the Horizon League Championship game that was played there in 2007. There is just something about the Nutter Center that is a curse. So in summary, Saturday night's game is going to be huge!

Rankings:
ESPN/AP Poll - 11 in the country
RPI Rating - #9
Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 - #1
Bracketology (updated Feb. 2) - #4 seed in Portland

Before Saturday's game, the women's team is playing Wright State at home. It is also going to be playing on ESPNU. They lost their past two games, both away and both against University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Green Bay). Until their first loss to UW-Green Bay, they were undefeated in their conference. UW-Green Bay is the only undefeated team in the conference now.

In other news: University of Tennessee Women's basketball coach Pat Summitt won her 1,000th game tonight against Georgia. She is the first coach of both men's and women's D-1 basketball, to reach this milestone. To read more about it, click here.

Men's B-Ball: Jan. 30th - Feb. 7th

2009-01-30T11:22:00.003-05:00

Hello, Bulldog Basketball fans. I am very excited to now be a part of your blogging experience, especially when that experience involves Butler Basketball!!

The coming 8 days are important ones for the men's team here at BU. They begin the second circuit of conference play tonight when Valparaiso comes to Hinkle for a 7 p.m. EST game. The Bulldogs (9-0 in the HL) beat the Crusaders, 75-62, in Valparaiso in what was an incredibly intense game earlier this month. I attended the game, and there is certainly no shortage of competition in this in-state rivalry. Look for tonight's game to be an especially exciting one, considering the Crusaders have a couple of starters returning from injuries.

Tonight's game will unfortunately be the last home game until Feb. 13th. The men will travel to UW-Green Bay for a Monday night game and then will return back to campus for a day before beginning a weekend on the road. The coming Thursday's game will be at the Univ. of Detroit, and then BU will finish the road trip with a game at Wright State next Saturday. (BU students, look for information on a fan bus to the Wright State game.)

Keep on cheering for the Dawgs these next 8 days; they are are big ones. Tonight's game vs. Valpo can be watched on ESPNU for those of you who aren't able to make it to Hinkle. Go Dawgs!!

P.S. Look for the women's basketball team (7-1 in the HL) to be playing at Hinkle next weekend (Feb. 6th & Feb. 8th).

Will be posting again soon!

2009-01-18T17:13:00.003-05:00

Just a small recap and post that we will soon be blogging about Butler Basketball soon!

The men played an away game against UIC on Saturday, Jan. 17. They pulled it out in the end with a 59-52 win, after trailing most of the game.

The women's team played on Saturday as well. They played the UIC Flames at home, and pulled out a 58-48 win.

In recent news

2008-04-01T02:47:00.002-04:00

Both Mike Green and A.J. Graves will be traveling to San Antonio this weekend, just not with the entire team. A.J. Graves will be participating in the 3-Point Championship on Thursday, April 3 on ESPN at 9 p.m. (ET). Green will take the court at the Alamodome on Friday, April 4, to play in the NABC All-Star Game. The game features two teams of college basketball's top seniors and will be played in the Men's Final Four venue for the first time. Tip-off for the NABC All-Star Game is 5:15 p.m. (CT) (all info posted on Athletics site).

In somewhat sadder news, one of the men's basketball players asked and was granted a release from the basketball team. Sophomore Elliot Engelmann was granted a release from the basketball team to transfer to another school. The school in which he will attend was neither given or hinted at there is one yet, in the press release. Career-wise, I must say this is a good move for him, because with the new freshman they are getting in along with the possible junior college player that they may get in for next season, he may not see that much playing time. This I am not sure about though, just a guess. I am somewhat sad to hear that he will be leaving though, best of luck to him in the future.

2007-2008 Season in Review

2008-03-25T19:38:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-23T23:51:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-23T22:39:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-23T22:39:00.001-04:00

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

Hell yeah!

Birmingham: The City

2008-03-22T21:32:00.003-04:00

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...

2008-03-22T12:32:00.002-04:00

... 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

2008-03-21T21:13:00.002-04:00

#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

2008-03-19T23:20:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-19T18:03:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-18T23:11:00.005-04:00

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

2008-03-17T23:45:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-17T12:40:00.003-04:00

Check out my opinion article on how we got snubbed.

okay sorry, one more

2008-03-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

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....

2008-03-17T08:56:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-16T23:40:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-16T19:28:00.007-04:00

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

2008-03-16T19:28:00.005-04:00

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

2008-03-16T16:16:00.002-04:00

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

Championship Videos

2008-03-14T00:31:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-13T19:08:00.000-04:00

"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!!!

2008-03-12T13:21:00.004-04:00

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

2008-03-10T15:57:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-10T14:47:00.002-04:00

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

Horizon League Semifinals

2008-03-10T12:59:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-08T00:53:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-07T21:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-04T23:35:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-04T16:45:00.004-05:00

"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....

2008-03-03T09:13:00.004-05:00

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...

2008-03-02T15:11:00.003-05:00

"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

2008-03-02T13:08:00.004-05:00

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....

2008-03-01T16:46:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-03-01T15:58:00.003-05:00

... 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.

2008-03-01T15:46:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-01T15:36:00.001-05:00

BU 58 UDM 31 3:27 left

Green, Campbell and remaining seniors on the bench

Dawgs vs. Detroit

2008-03-01T15:28:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-01T15:17:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-01T15:08:00.001-05:00

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

2008-03-01T14:43:00.003-05:00

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

Detroit Game

2008-02-29T23:31:00.002-05:00

Butler plays Detroit to close out the regular season. Although the game is meaningless in the Horizon League standings it is meaningful in other ways. The Bulldogs need to continue to win to repair the damage caused by the Drake loss. Any other loss especially to a team that is struggling could drop Butler to a 6th or 7th seed in the NCAA Tournament. Detroit record is 7-21 (3-14). Also, the Bulldogs will have a week off. A win will help carry momentum into the Horizon League semifinal game. Hopefully the bench players will get to play to give the starters a break.

Go, Dawgs!!!

Pics from WSU game last night

2008-02-29T17:48:00.009-05:00

Willie Veasley

Avery Jukes

Matt Howard

Mike Green

A.J. Graves

Photos by Liz Goerlitz, Dawgnet photographer

For more pictures, check out Dawgnetnews.com and www.collegefanz.com

Lady Dawgs win in Youngstown

2008-02-29T17:36:00.002-05:00

The Bulldogs defeated Youngstown State on the road 61-60 last night to improve their Horizon League record to 8-8. The Dawgs are currently sitting at fifth in the conference and have played one more game than the four teams in front of them.

They have two games to try to improve their tournament seeding, including a road game against Cleveland State on Saturday. Green Bay has already clinched the HL regular season championship, but Milwaukee and Cleveland State possess 9-6 records with three games left.

Let's hope they do better in Cleveland than our guys did.

Go Dawgs!

W2U game

2008-02-29T03:50:00.001-05:00

It feels sooooo good to beat Wright State for the HL regular season championship. Over the past two years I've developed quite an intolerance for that team and their fans. Thank you Dawgs for finally shutting them up.

Now we just have to make it through the HL tournament.

ESPN stuff

2008-02-28T18:30:00.003-05:00

ESPN asked me to manage a blog about Butler basketball on www.collegefanz.com. So, when you're done reading our glorious posts here, stop over and give me some support on the other blog.

Big Game Tongiht & Blue II Videos

2008-02-28T16:43:00.003-05:00

The Butler Bulldogs play Wright State tonight at 9:00 at Hinkle. This is a huge game for several reasons. One, the Bulldogs need to make a statement after the Saturday's loss to Drake. Two, the Wright State is the only team in the Horizon League the Bulldogs have not beat this season. Third, a victory tonight will guarantee the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals and semifinals will take place in Hinkle. Butler has already secured the #2 seed in the Horizon League tournament and thus has a bye until the semifinal round.

Blue II Videos
1. Destroys a Wright State Raider
2. Destroys a cardboard box with Spike, the Drake Bulldog in it

Mike Green

2008-02-27T10:52:00.001-05:00

Q. WSU has beaten you three out of the last four games and took the HL tournament last year. So, is there any extra importance with this game for you, especially to win the HL regular season? Will the game be a vindication for the Drake loss and past losses to WSU?

"The game on Thursday is very important for both teams, with a win we can clinch first place in the conference. In my opinion this is the most important game of the year. We all made goals at the beginning of the year, and winning conference was at the top of the list. This game would bring us another step closer."
Mike Green

If it makes you feel better....

2008-02-26T22:55:00.001-05:00

Drake lost tonight to Missouri State (86-83)

BracketBuster Thoughts and Rankings

2008-02-26T00:53:00.004-05:00

Check out my column on Dawgnet on the game and how the loss affects the team.

Rankings
AP: 14
Coaches: 13
Note: Drake dropped 4 spots in the AP poll and 2 spots in the coaches poll and now are ranked 20th in both polls.

In case anyone missed the e-mail...

2008-02-25T20:20:00.001-05:00

"To The Butler Community:

Last Saturday we had an opportunity to showcase Butler University and Butler basketball to a national television audience. The environment at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the match-up of two “Top 25” teams was electric and the enthusiasm of the fans when the teams took the floor was breathtaking. Both teams played a very competitive game, and the effort of the players reflected positively on both institutions. Unfortunately, the actions by a few fans late in the game were less than positive. Throwing objects on the floor and yelling profanities is simply unacceptable. Those actions reflect poorly on our team, our athletic program and the university as a whole. Our team strives to represent Butler University in the best possible way, and our fans always have done the same. We want to hear you cheering, and we’re inspired by your support. But it’s important to do it in a first class manner that reflects positively on your team, on your school and on yourself. We have something special here. Let’s show that the Butler Way is more than a phrase with our actions. Please come out and pack Hinkle again this week and cheer for the Bulldogs in our final two regular season games against Wright State and Detroit.

Brad Stevens
Head Coach"

A Letter from Spike to the Officials

2008-02-24T23:54:00.003-05:00

Dear Don Daily, Kip Kissinger and Jerry Heater,

Thank you for the excellent job you did on Saturday officiating the game. You had a mission to ensure that we, the Missouri Valley, team won the game and you did it perfectly. I was very impressed that you never changed course despite the abundant displeasure expressed by the sellout crowd. Without every single questionable call or no call going our way, I know we would not have won the game. I have sent a letter to the Missouri Valley Conference recommending that you receive a bonus for your fine work. I have also put each of you on my Christmas card list. I will be sending you a Christmas card with a $1,000 check in it to each of you later this year.

Love,

Spike
Mascot, Drake University

Note: This is for humor only.

Mike Green

2008-02-24T23:36:00.000-05:00

"The atmosphere Saturday was great and it sucks to not be able to pull it out. Luckily for us that lost is not a set back toward what we are trying to accomplish. We are playing for a conference championship. That game for me personally will be hard to swallow because of the decision I made toward the end. I will go back and watch film and keep working to get better."

Mike Green

Heartbreak

2008-02-23T21:57:00.004-05:00

Every time the Dawgs lose at home it breaks my heart. But, we played a good game. We stopped scoring for about a five-minute period in the last 10 minutes of the game, and you can't do that against top-ranked teams. Drake's an outstanding team, and they can go far in the NCAA tourney.

Hopefully we'll apply what we learned today in the upcoming Wright State game, and carry some momentum into the HL tourney.

On a side note, I really don't appreciate Butler fans swarming toward the exit with 30 seconds left in the game just because the team lost. Of course we want to beat the crowd out of the gates and try to get out of the parking lot, but in reality at a sold-out game, you're not going anywhere in a hurry. Those guys deserve better support from us. They've given us so much, it's the least that we could do for them.

I also don't like the sportsmanship that many Butler fans are displaying. I realize that we want to intimidate our opponents when they play in Hinkle, but throwing stuff on the court while the game's in progress, needing security guards and police officers to protect the Drake fans, and the chantings of "you suck" and all the booing that happened before the game even started really reflects poorly on our university. We can certainly intimidate our opponent without being assholes.

I wonder if there's any truth behind crusaderguy08's claims about the types of fans that the Butler team draws.

Please don't take any of this personally, and let me know if you're seeing the same things that I am, or if you have a different perspective on this.

Now something fun...

2008-02-22T15:45:00.002-05:00

I really don't have much to say about the team at this point in the season, but I was wondering who's everybody's favorite player?

Dawg Pounders, maybe you could work something out where we rally in groups for our favorite players during the Horizon Leagure tournament coming up... maybe have a group sitting together that goes bananas when A.J. hits a shot or makes a great play. I don't know, but we have some planning to do since the tourney's in our backyard.

On to business -- My favorite player has got to be Mike Green.

Before Mike, we really struggled for leadership within the offense and as a team. Avery Sheets was a great player, but he wasn't nearly as explosive and as clutch as Mike has proven to be in tough games. I'm sorry Avery. You were a great player, and I appreciate all the effort you left on the court.

Mike's also a great person... at least he appears to be from my limited interaction with him. When I approached him about the blog, he said 'sure' without a hesitation and has consistently responded every time I've asked him to. Every time I've talked with him one-on-one he's been great.

Brandon Crone also really grew on me last year with his great play late in the season, but I digress.

So, you have my two cents, give me yours! Who's your favorite? And the entire team is a great answer too.

Something of interest

2008-02-22T15:39:00.004-05:00

Jon Burkett left this comment on Mike Green's post. Ya'll might find this interesting --

"Team DDB,

Amy Hyerczyk profiled Butler for us on Basketball University. Check it out:

http://mvn.com/basketballuniversity/2008/02/21/profiling-the-field-butler/

Would appreciate a plug plus your feedback on the site!"

Drew Streicher on First Take

2008-02-22T13:31:00.005-05:00

Drew Streicher was the next player to be interviewed on ESPN 2's First Take. Along with a phone interview with Drake's Klayton Korver, both players were asked similar questions concerning their previous games, what they are looking forward to in Saturday's bracketbuster and their career thus far, in basketball.

Check out the video here

Preview for Saturday's game(s)

The girls play their Detroit(4-20, 1-12) this Saturday at noon for their fourth to last game of the season. They lost their last two games against UWisconsin-Green Bay and Wright State (last night's late in the second half loss 65-60). The team is 16-9 for the season, 6-8 in the Horizon League (putting them in seventh place).

The men, of course, are taking on the Drake Bulldogs for the Bracketbuster game at
5 p.m. on ESPN 2. The "battle of the bulldogs" is what the game has been called by many sports spectators. Drake and Butler have also been compared very similarly, they are both ranked mid-majors with similar game plans. The game will be without a doubt, a challenge. We are just lucky that we have home court advantage.

Mike Green

2008-02-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

"I don't know anything about Drake, other than what everyone else knows. UIC is the next game and that's all I'm concerned with right now. As far as the season goes I haven't had much time to set back and reflect. Time is flying and all I seem to think about the end, which we all hope is April the 7th."

Mike Green

Dawgnet Article

2008-02-18T18:59:00.003-05:00

Last Week I mentioned that I was writing an article for Dawgnet on an experiment that occurred last Thursday and again last Saturday. The athletic department started playing canned (recorded) music during 30 second timeouts. You can read my reaction to this experiment here. Please post your thoughts and reactions. Which is better, band or canned music?

Rankings

2008-02-18T18:54:00.002-05:00

AP: 8
Coaches: 8

You can see the complete polls here.

Thought
Since the Bulldogs play in the Horizon League, the only way they will climb in the polls. They have also received help from teams above them by the other teams loosing.

The highest ranked Big Ten team is Wisconsin at 10/11.

Saturday's Games

2008-02-17T23:35:00.002-05:00

Men
Cleveland State 46
Butler 51
The Bulldogs managed to survive for the victory. During the last 9:03 of the game, the dawgs only scored nine points. The defense stepped up though and only allowed the Cleveland State Vikings to score 6 points in the last 14:32 of the game. Looking at the offensive statistics, the scored 40.5% of their shots, which is not that bad. Both teams committed a plethora of fouls. The Bulldogs had 19 and the Vikings had 23. The dawgs also committed 11 turnovers. Some of them were easy take aways. Overall the game was ugly, but a good game to get a W due to the fact they lost at Cleveland State earlier this season. The Bulldogs have secured at least the 2 seed in the conference tournament and have a 2 game lead over the second place team, Wright State.
Next Game: Wednesday 8:00 @ Illiniois-Chicago

Women
Butler 59
Green Bay 84
I knew after Butler played Green Bay that it was going to be a tough game for the Lady Bulldogs. Looking at the womens league standings the Green Bay has only one lost and the second place team, Cleveland State, is 4 games behind. After the game Butler is tied for 6th place. The big keys to Green Bay's victory were scoring 51 points in the first half and shooting 52.5% from the field.
Next Game: Thursday vs. Wright Sate 7:00 @ Hinkle

Thursday Nights Games

2008-02-15T22:45:00.002-05:00

Men
Youngstown State 73
Butler 89
The men finally got a big win. This was important as it allowed the starters to sit our during most of the second half. The Bulldogs shot extremely well ending the game with a 62.3% shooting percentage. Since Butler had a big lead Stevens should have allowed the entire team to play. Engelmann and Leinendecker did get some playing time. Shamless plug, check out Dawgnet on Monday to read my passionate thoughts about the expiremented that occurred on Thursday night.
Next Game: Saturday vs. Cleveland State 2:00

Women
Butler 75
UW- Milwaukee 73
Next Game: Saturday at Green Bay. Tip is at 4:00 on ESPNU.

Campbell on First Take

2008-02-13T16:33:00.006-05:00

The next Bulldog interviewed on ESPN 2's "First Take" was Pete Campbell after last night's overtime defeat against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Click Here for a link to the site

P.S. Look out for a new Bulldog to blog for us...

Green says...

2008-02-13T08:52:00.001-05:00

Q. How is this team able to go on the road, play such a close game (and be losing in the final minutes like against Milwaukee and Valpo), and still find a way to come out with a win?

A. "This team had one goal in mind and that is to win ball games by all means. We are getting better as a team, on any giving night we can have 8 or 9 guys contribute one way or another. At the same time we thrive on adversity, the time is running out for some of us and we want the season to be memorable."

Mike Green

Wonderful night... for me

2008-02-12T23:23:00.002-05:00

The Bulldogs won. Vandy won. I couldn't be happier.

Not only did the Dawgs win, but, for those of you who were in school when UWM used to dominate the Horizon League under Bruce Pearl in my freshman year and then following that up the next season... I always love beating UWM, especially at home and especially after the Horizon League championship two years ago.

As for my Dores, they handed Kentucky its worst loss in SEC play and finished with their largest margin of victory over the Cats at 41 points. Damn that felt good. Bring on the Vols and Bruce Pearl now! I just can't understand for the life of me how Vandy is a projected 10 seed for the NCAA tourney. WTF... how much do they pay analysts to be idiots? ... probably as much as they pay weather forecasters to be wrong.

No matter what, it's a good night for me. I would love to see Vandy and Butler meet in the Final Four or even the national championship... and on a night like tonight I can dream that dream.

For those of you who don't care about Vanderbilt, let me know who your favorite team(s) (outside of our beloved Dawgs) is and how they're doing.

P.S. I think Purdue and Indiana should schedule games against Butler. How can they claim to be the best in this state when neither will play the No.9 team in the country barely an hour away from each institution! Gotta be scurred.

Men against Milwaukee

2008-02-12T18:26:00.000-05:00

The men's team is now ranked ninth (in AP poll), highest in school history. Tonight, they face a challenge against UW-Milwaukee. The game is at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU, so go check out a local bar that will be playing the game.

Campbell on Valpo

2008-02-08T02:34:00.000-05:00

"About the game, I really feel like this was one of the biggest wins of the year for our team thus far. We knew that we were going to be in for a tough and ready valpo team but as everyone could see, we were not as ready to play as they were. It took a twelve to zero start to wake us up but eventually we responded like we needed to. The rest of the game was a battle of wills and it was tough playing in that kind of environment without Julian, and Mike and Matt being in foul trouble. I feel like the true character of our team came out during this game. We had all kinds of people step up and that started at halftime when we decided that no matter what the outcome was going to be, we were going to take a stand on the defensive end of the court. As they say the rest is history and in this case we played hard enough and stayed poised enough to pull out a tough conference win on the road. Now we move our focus even further north and go take on two of the hardest road challenges of the year. To come home with two wins is going to take the kind of effort and toughness we showed in the second half at valpo but this is why we play the game and I know we will be ready for the challenges ahead."

Pete Campbell

Side note

2008-02-07T18:53:00.002-05:00

Dawgnet has started a new blog in our opinion section! The blog is dedicated to the 2008 political elections.

We just started it this week, so we have a few things to finalize. But, you can access the blog through the "Let It Out" feature under the Opinion section.

Also, I was in class earlier today and the professor posed the question, "What's going on on campus?" No one knew anything that was happening. If you want to get some "suck-up points" with your superiors, check out Dawgnet... we're publishing daily.

Opinion DogBlog

Update on Coach Lickliter

2008-02-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

The Hawkeyes are 11-13 this season and 4-7 in the Big Ten. They beat Ohio State and Michigan State at home, but it's not looking too good for them right now.

Interestingly, Lickliter's team played Drake at home earlier this season and lost 56-51 to our bracketbuster opponent.

The Hawkeyes will play their next game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Minnesota (14-7, 4-5). I've always liked Tubby Smith, so I wouldn't mind seeing him get a home win in this one.

Women tonight against UIC

2008-02-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

Well, despite the fact that apparently we are elitist and don't have fan support, let's try to prove that wrong with coming to the women's bball game tonight at 7 p.m. against UIC. The women play again on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Loyola while the men play Saturday evening away against UWGB. While I am very proud of each team, I feel like fan support for the women is lacking very much. The men could use more support too, although Hinkle is always mostly packed for their games. It is approaching March Madness and both teams could use all the fan support they can get. If you are proud to be a Bulldog, come show it!

Attention Valpo: It's not over til' it's over

2008-02-07T00:49:00.000-05:00

To all you Valpo fans chanting the goodbye song with under a minute left up by 3... That's just stupid. The Bulldogs are a top 10 team in the country, have two of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the nation, and you're going to chant the overused "nah-nah-nah- hey- hey-hey-goodbye"? It makes no sense.

The sad thing is, Tuesday nights game was far and away the best game the Crusaders played all season. They did it in front of a record crowd at the atheltics and recreation center, and that crowd was hostile. But guess what? The Crusaders still lost.

And that tough of a game was the best thing that has happened to Butler all year. It proved in front of a national audience that we can go into a conference opponents house and beat them, with our big man riding pine, and our leading scorer in foul trouble the entire game. That is something that schools from the six power conferences cannot do. For instance, Michigan St. going into Iowa, and getting beat by the Hawkeyes 62-39.

A.J. Graves looks to be back to his normal self, and Pete Campbell has developed into that third clutch player Butler needs. It's absolutely scary to think about how good the Dawgs would be if Howard's inside play, and the perimeter game clicked at the same time.

Tuesday's game was just the Bulldogs coming out party to the rest of the country. ESPN commentators Doug Gottlieb and Tom Brennan were impressed. They haven't seen a thing yet.

(Tuesday was Howards first game in the last 13 where he didn't score double figures. He only play 15 minutes, and scored 6 points and grabbed 2 rebounds)

Green on Valpo

2008-02-06T16:38:00.001-05:00

"The win last night against Valpo was a statement game. It showed that this team can go into a tough environment, under any circumstance and fight. Matt and I didn't not play very much and our bench stepped in to fill that void. Pete and Aj in my opinion played their best games last night. As a team we answered the call. As far as the bracketbuster game goes its a great opportunity, but we have a lot on our plates before then."

Mike Green

Graves on First Take

2008-02-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

ESPN2's first Take just showed highlights of last nights game. At the conclusion of the highlights, the host mentioned that AJ Graves will be on First Take tomorrow (Thursday). First Take airs from 10-Noon and repeats from Noon-2.

Also check out this unofficial site that has similar statements that are made about Chuck Norris except they are about Graves and basketball.

Valpo who??

2008-02-05T23:06:00.001-05:00

You gotta win one to make it a rivalry! Hey crusaders, Indiana is Butler's holy land!

A.J. Graves played like a true senior tonight. Those drives to the hoop and fade-away shots were so clutch when we needed some offense.

Pete had to take that shot at the end too. He hits three's, that's what he does and he got a wide open look.

The Dawgs have the hearts of champions, maybe not in Ohio but we're done there for a while.

Damn they're fun to watch.

Butler vs. Valpo Tonight 9:00

2008-02-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight's game is being televised on ESPN2 as part of rivalry week. My first reaction after hearing about this a long time ago was "Since when are Butler and Valpo rivals?" This is the first year Valpo is in the Horizon League; however, Butler and Valpo have been in the same football conference. This does have potential to be a rivalry now that Butler plays Valpo in basketball and football every year due to conference affiliations and how geographically close the sh schools are.

Go, Dawgs!!!

Battle of the Bulldogs

2008-02-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

What: #15 Drake Bulldogs vs. #10 Butler Bulldogs
When: Saturday, February 23rd at a time to be announced Feb. 11th
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse

The Drake Bulldogs and Butler Bulldogs have been Matched for the BracketBuster game. Drake has played really well lately so this is a great matchup. Fans will have to remember not to say "Bulldogs" though so cheers will be limited.

Rankings

2008-02-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

AP: 10
Coaches: 11

Complete polls can be viewed here.

Saturday's Women's Game

2008-02-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

Youngstown State 48
Butler 63

The Bulldogs got off to a rough start and trailed early in the games, but came back and won!

Next game: Thursday vs. Illinois- Chicago @ 7:00

Last Night's Cleveland State Game

2008-02-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

Cleveland State 68
Illinois- Chicago 74

Cleveland State's loss now gives the dawgs a 1 game lead in the Horizon League standings. Here are the current standings (number to the right of the school indicates the number of games behind):
Butler
Cleveland State- 1
UW-Milwaukee- 1.5
Wright State- 2
Valparasio- 2.5
UW- Green Bay- 3
Illinois- Chicago- 3
Loyola- 4.5
Youngstown State- 5.5
Detroit- 7

Saturday's Key Games
Cleveland State @ Loyola
UW-Milwaukee @ Wright State

Thursday Night's Womens Game

2008-02-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

Cleveland State 65
Butler 61

The Lady Bulldogs let one get away last night. The dawgs built had an 11 point lead at the 8:04 mark in the first half. Cleveland State made a basket that tied the game at 31 at the end of the first half. In second half the game was very competative. At :29 Susan Lester committed a personal foul and got a technical foul which gave Cleveland State 4 free throws (they made all 4) and a 62-59 lead. The women are now 13-6 (3-5). Their next game is Saturday vs. Youngstown State at 2:00.

Bulldogs and Snow

2008-01-31T15:40:00.001-05:00

Although the men's team is not playing until next week and it is going to snow tonight, that doesn't mean you can't come support the women's basketball team. The Bulldogs (13-5, HL 3-4) take on Cleveland State (11-7, HL 5-2) tonight at 7 p.m. in Hinkle. It’s “That’s My Dawg!” night with voting for your favorite Bulldog. The Bulldog with the most votes will host a post game pizza party for her fans.

The girl's take on Youngstown State (9-9, HL 4-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Polls

2008-01-29T00:11:00.000-05:00

AP: 12
Coaches: 12

You can view the polls here.

Quick Thought
Because the Bulldogs are off this week other teams ranked ahead of them will determine their place next week's top 25. If teams ahead of the dawgs lose, they will move up. If team ahead of the dawgs win, they will remain where they are at.

Green on Valpo

2008-01-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

"We haven't started to prepare for Valpo yet. We have 10 days before we play them, so I'm sure we will use this time to get better."

Mike Green