Butler

Butler Tops Evansville, Improves to 5-0

Bill Kintner — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:34:32 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS - It is Saturday afternoon in Indiana and today 5000 college basketball fans including Governor Mitch Daniels are engaging in the state pastime, which is basketball.

And there is no better place to watch college basketball than Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Today is another classic basketball experience with the sun shining in the windows high above the court and Evansville, a traditional regional rival, invading with a legion of purple-clad fans in attendance.

Today is the 114^th time that Evansville and Butler have faced off. These two old foes have a long history having played against each other in the old Indiana Collegiate Conference 1950-77 and in the Midwestern Colligate Conference (now Horizon League) 1979-94.

The game

This game ended for Evansville the same way every game against Butler since 2000 ended and that was in a loss as Butler wins again 75-59.

It took just 13 seconds into the game for Butler to draw blood as freshman Shelvin Mack hit a 3-pointer on a feed from Gordon Haywood. A minute later Evansville's Jason Holsinger hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at three points each.

The game stayed close most of the first half with Evansville (3-1) getting their only lead of the game on a jump shot by Denver Holmes to make it 11-10 at the 14:30 mark.

As the time ticked down in the first half the Purple Aces pulled to within one point at 31-30 as Holmes made two foul shots after being fouled by Matt Howard.

Butler's Will Veasley made a lay up and then 49 seconds latter sunk two foul shots after being fouled by Kaylon Williams to give Butler a 35-30 halftime lead.

Evansville coach Marty Simmons felt fortunate to be only down by five at the half with his team shooting just 38.1 percent (8-21) from the field.

"We didn't really have any good rhythm. We came out, gave up the lob to Haywood," explained Simmons.

Simmons was referring to the first play of the second half when Matt Howard lofted a lob that Haywood jammed in for a thundering dunk to put Butler (5-0) up 37-30.

"They do what they do a lot better than we do what we do," continued Simmons. "They play with a lot of confidence. They just kind of bring new players in and believe in their style of play. They have very smart, good, sound basketball players."

Evansville did follow up the Haywood dunk with a layup by Pister van Tongeren to get the score back within five points at 37-32.

From that point on Mack went on the attack. During a little more than a four minute stretch starting at the 17:42 mark Mack hit a 2-pointer, a 3-pointer and two free throws that put the Bulldogs up by 10 points at 49-39.

When the smoke cleared Mack put in 13 points in the second half for a total 18 points for the game which led all scorers.

"We just kept running the plays and finally I got the shot. Coach just told us to go out and play," said a very matter-of-fact Mack.

Butler coach Brad Stevens was impressed by Mack's shooting from the field, as well as his whole team's second half play.

"When you score 18 points on 11 shots and don't shoot any free throws, that is pretty good," said Stevens. "We played our best half of basketball and that contributed to the win. I thought we played at both ends of the floor."

At the 2:48 mark Butler got the lead to 23 points at 72-49 which was their largest lead of the game on a layup by Mack before the Purple Aces whittled the lead back down to the game ending 75-59.

Stevens was most impressed with the adjustments his team was able to make during the game to keep Evansville off balance.

"Being able to adjust on the fly, they do some things defensively that make you attack and our guys did a pretty good job making the adjustments," said Stevens.

Game Notes:

-Evansville leads the 88-year-old series against Butler 60-53, but the Bulldogs are 9-1 in the last 10 games. This series is Butler's long active series.

-All five Butler starters are making their first start versus Evansville.

-Butler is 48-4 in non-league games at Hinkle Fieldhouse since 1999-00.

-Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is a long-time Butler fan. He loves to tell the story of attending Butler games as a kid when you could get a season ticket for five dollars.

-Butler had the most wins of any Division I team in Indiana for the third straight year last year.

-Butler has won nine straight games against Indiana opponents.

-Former Wright State coach Ed Schilling was in attendance with former Butler player Julian Betko.

-Butler's next game is Thursday December 4^th at 8 p.m. and will be carried on ESPNU.

-Evansville - next game is Tuesday December 2^nd at home against SIU-Edwardsville at 7:05.

Butler Knocks Off Drake in Opener

Press Release — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:51:17 -0500

DES MOINES, IOWA - Butler held Drake to just 31.1 percent shooting from the floor to spoil the head coaching debut of Mark Phelps en route to a 58-48 victory in the season opener for both teams.

It was a rematch of the classic 2008 ESPNU Bracket Busters game which pitted then No. 16 ranked Drake at then No. 8 ranked Butler.

In a game which saw 15 lead changes, Drake came away with a 71-64 victory last Feb. 28 en route to finishing the season with a school-record 28-5 mark. Butler posted a 30-4 mark in 2007-08 while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

"We had our frustrations on the offensive end," said Phelps. "Butler was physically tough and made more plays than we did."

Butler scored 12 unanswered points to turn a 5-4 lead into a 17-4 advantage with 10:22 left in the first half and never looked back.

Drake made just five of 22 shots in the first half to trail 25-14 at intermission.

Junior All-Missouri Valley Conference guard Josh Young, who scored a career-high 25 at Butler, continued his torrid shooting against the Bulldogs by netting a game-high 19 points.

But the other members of Drake's starting unit - Brent Heemkserk, Adam Templeton, Jonathan Cox and Craig Stanley - combined for just 16 points.

"We need more than one double-digit scorer besides Josh Young," Phelps added. "We simply didn't play well. We need improvement across the board."

Drake surpassed its entire first half scoring total in the opening 9 minutes eight seconds of the second half.

Two free throws by reserve senior forward John Michael Hall pulled Drake within 34-29 with 11:52 remaining.

But Butler built the lead back to double digits with a 12-5 run fueled by five points from freshman forward Gordon Hayward to enjoy a 46-35 advantage.

Drake whittled the deficit down to six points twice in the last 3:15.

A three-point basket by Young with 1:03 left pulled Drake within 52-46. But sophomore forward Matt Howard, the lone returning starter for Butler, scored four of his team's last six points to seal the victory.

"We couldn't get over the hump in the second half due to our inability to get good shots," Phelps added.

Cox finished with seven points, five rebounds and two blocked shots for Drake.

Heemskerk tied a career high with nine rebounds for Drake. Heemskerk, Young and senior guard Jacob Baryenbruch had two steals apiece for Drake.

- Drake Media Relations

Horizon League Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:53:52 -0500

Conference Rank: 16th

10 year average: 15th

Conference Page

All-Horizon Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Josh Mayo	UIC	Sr
G	Cedric Jackson	Cleveland St	Sr
G	Vaughn Duggins	Wright St	Jr
F	J'Nathan Bullock	Cleveland St	Sr
F	Matt Howard	Butler	So
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans J'Nathan Bullock Matt Howard		Points: Josh Mayo 17.1 Rebounds: Scott VanderMeer 7.5 Assists: Cedric Jackson 4.9

Horizon League Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

53	Cleveland St	Horizon	1	NCAA
60	Wright State	Horizon	2	NIT
65	Butler**	Horizon	3	NIT
87	Valparaiso	Horizon	4
118	Green Bay	Horizon	5
154	UIC	Horizon	6
186	Loyola Ill	Horizon	7
194	Detroit	Horizon	8
220	Milwaukee	Horizon	9
262	Youngstown St	Horizon	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the HL?

Other OVC Content

Conference Media Poll

Cleveland State Tops HL Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: Horizon League

Preseason Mid-Major All-Americans: 08-09

CHN — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:39:54 -0400

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason Mid-Major All-America Team is dominated by a pair of impressive guards: Stephen Curry and Patrick Mills. Not surprisingly, Curry was a unanimous pick amongst all of our voters for Mid-Major Player of the Year honors. Besides Curry and Mills, other returning 2007-08 Collegehoops.net Mid-Major All-Americans include Lester Hudson (2nd Team last year), Al Fisher (3rd Team), and Ryan Wittman (3rd Team).

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Coming up soon is CHN's Preseason All-Freshman team.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Mid-Major Player of the Year: Stephen Curry (Davidson)

CollegeHoops.net First Team Mid-Major All-America

Stephen Curry	Davidson	JR	G
Patrick Mills	Saint Mary's	SO	G
Lester Hudson	Tennessee-Martin	SR	G
Matt Howard	Butler	SO	F
Diamon Simpson	Saint Mary's	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Second Team Mid-Major All-America

Al Fisher	Kent State	SR	G
Josh Akognon	Fullerton	SR	G
Kenny Hasbrouck	Siena	SR	G
Marqus Blakely	Vermont	JR	F
John Bryant	Santa Clara	SR	C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team Mid-Major All-America

Brandon Johnson	San Diego	SR	G
Edwin Ubiles	Siena	JR	G/F
Jonathan Rodriguez	Campbell	JR	F
Ryan Wittman	Cornell	JR	F
Carlos Monroe	Florida Atlantic	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention Mid-Major All-American

Josh Alexander	Stephen F Austin	SR	G
Michael Bramos	Miami	SR	G
J'Nathan Bullock	Cleveland State	SR	F
Garrison Carr	American	SR	G
Louis Dale	Cornell	JR	G
Devin Gibson	Texas-San Antonio	SO	G
Jeremy Goode	Mount Saint Mary's	JR	G
David Holston	Chicago St	SR	G
Robert Jarvis	Oral Roberts	SR	G
Dior Lowhorn	San Francisco	JR	F

Donovan Morris	Long Beach St	SR	G
Courtney Pigram	East Tennessee St	SR	G
Gyno Pomare	San Diego	SR	F
Ryan Thompson	Rider	JR	F
Mike Trimboli	Vermont	SR	G
Desmond Yates	Middle Tennessee St	JR	F
Ben Woodside	North Dakota St	SR	G

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Horizon League?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:16:36 -0400

Horizon Preseason Poll: Cleveland State #1

Press Release — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:29:44 -0400

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2008-09 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll

- voted on by league coaches

Votes (1st Place) 2007-08 Results

1. Cleveland State 478 (40) 21-13 / 12-6 T-2nd NIT

2. Wright State 412 (3) 21-10 / 12-6 T-2nd

3. UIC 361 (2) 18-15 / 9-9 T-4th

4. Green Bay 335 15-15 / 9-9 T-4th

5. Butler 326 30-4 / 16-2 1st NCAA

6. Milwaukee 216 14-16 / 9-9 T-4th

7. Valparaiso 207 22-14 / 9-9 T-4th CBI

8. Loyola 189 12-19 / 6-12 8th

9. Detroit 98 7-23 / 3-15 10th

10. Youngstown State 73 9-21 / 5-13 9th

Butler Basketball Schedule: 08-09

Press Release — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:57:02 -0400

Butler's young men's basketball team will be tested early and often in 2008-09. The Bulldogs' 29-game schedule, released on Thursday (Sept. 18), includes a pair of games against teams from last year's NCAA Tournament, two games against Big Ten foes and an always-tough slate of Horizon League contests.

The Bulldogs are coming off the best two-year men's basketball run in school history, including a school- and Horizon League-record 30-4 campaign last season. Butler won the Great Alaska Shootout, captured league regular season and tournament championships and posted a first round win in the NCAA Tournament, while being ranked in the "Top 25" for a school- and league-record 19 consecutive weeks!

But five seniors, who helped Butler to a 59-11 record over the past two years, are gone. Second-year head coach Brad Stevens will enter the 2008-09 season without a senior on the squad and just one returning starter, 6-8 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Matt Howard. Six freshmen will be part of Butler's 14-player squad.

"We have a very challenging schedule, especially for a young team, but we've always sought to play great teams in our non-conference games to prepare us for the rigors of our league schedule," said Stevens, who owns the fourth-best career start in NCAA Division I basketball history. "I think a big thing for our team and for our fans is having 15 home games and the chance to play some really good teams at Hinkle Fieldhouse."

The Bulldogs will open the season on Nov. 15 at Drake, the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference a year ago and a participant in the NCAA Tournament. Butler also will visit NCAA Tournament participant Xavier on Dec. 23. The Musketeers were formerly in the same conference with Butler, but the two teams have not me since 1998. Big Ten foe Northwestern will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Nov. 26, and the Bulldogs will visit Ohio State on Dec. 13.

Butler will play four consecutive home games in November, including visits from state rivals Ball State (Nov. 22) and Evansville (Nov. 29). That home stretch will lead directly into a rugged December schedule that includes consecutive road games at Horizon League power Cleveland State (Dec. 4), Youngstown State (Dec. 6), Bradley (Dec. 10) and Ohio State. The December slate also includes home contests against Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 20) and a first-time visit from UAB (Dec. 30), coached by former Indiana University head coach Mike Davis and featuring former Pike High School and Indiana standout Robert Vaden.

The Bulldogs will face every league foe twice, and this year's league schedule includes a pair of Friday night games. Butler will host state rival Valparaiso on Friday, Jan. 30, and UIC on Friday, Feb. 13. Both games will be televised by ESPNU, and both will start at 7 p.m. (ET). Butler's remaining league home games will be against Wright State (Jan. 8), Detroit (Jan. 10), Green Bay (Jan. 22), Milwaukee (Jan. 24), Loyola (Feb. 15), Youngstown State (Feb. 26), and Cleveland State (Feb. 28). The Horizon League Tournament will begin with first round games on March 3.

2008-09 Butler Basketball Preview: #65

Joel Welser — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:55:15 -0400

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Butler Bulldogs

Overall Rank: #68

Conference Rank: #3 Horizon

2007-08: 30-4, 16-2, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: NCAA

Butler pretty much ran a seven man rotation during their magical 2007-2008 campaign. Five of those guys are now gone and this year’s Bulldog team has some work to do to live up to the recent success. Yet, Butler is never about the players as much as it is about the system. Coach Brad Stevens knows how to win and the Bulldogs will not slip as much as it would appear. But Butler does not have any seniors on their roster either and for a team that usually depends on experience and leadership, the lack of seniors will keep the Bulldogs on the outside of the Horizon League championship race for now.

Who’s Out:

Mike Green, A.J. Graves, Drew Streicher, Julian Betko and Pete Campbell were the heart and soul of the Bulldogs. Green led the team with 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists during his senior year. Nobody is going to replace all of that production any time soon. Graves and Campbell were both extremely prolific outside shooters. In fact, the departed players accounted for approximately 92 percent of the team’s total three-point shooting. Even Ben Slaton, a three year walk-on who only played in five games last year, is not returning to the team. Slaton would have been the only senior on the roster.

Who’s In:

The future of Butler basketball is in good hands with another solid recruiting class. Point guard Ronald Nored could take over the starting duties as a freshman. At the least, he will play an important role off the bench. Chase Stigall and Shelvin Mack will give the team more options in the backcourt. It is Mack who is expected to make a huge impact right away. The 6-3 guard is like Green in the sense that he can fill up the stat sheet in just about every category. Mack is also a superb shooter who can help fill the void left behind by Graves and Campbell. If Mack is not starting from day one, it will be a surprise. On most teams Garrett Butcher and Gordon Hayward would be playing on the wing. At Butler, they will likely spend some time at the four spot as well. Hayward has the outside shooting ability to fit into the Bulldogs scheme, but he will need to add some more weight before he can play defense in the paint against most opponents.

Who to Watch:

The alternative to Hayward at the four spot is Avery Jukes. The 6-8 junior will not put up huge numbers, but he is a good scorer and a capable rebounder. The frontcourt will depend on the only returning starter, Matt Howard, to do most of the damage around the basket. Howard averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks as a freshman. Now that he is the main threat on the team, Howard should have a huge sophomore campaign. What makes Howard different than most Butler players is the fact that he is not a three-point shooter. His ability to open up space for the shooters on the outside is very important.

Final Projection:

Now the team just needs to find a few more shooters. Zach Hahn is the most prolific shooter returning and he averaged less than ten minutes per game last year. Like Hahn, Shawn Vanzant showed some potential during his limited action as a freshman. Those two will have to play a big role in the backcourt. If they struggle, so will Butler. Willie Veasley was in the regular rotation as a sophomore and averaged 4.5 points per game and is the most experienced player on the team. The 6-3 wing might not replace the scoring of Green and Graves, but he will have to help replace their leadership.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Shawn Vanzant, Sophomore, Guard, 1.0 points per game

Shelvin Mack, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Willie Veasley, Junior, Guard, 4.5 points per game

Avery Jukes, Junior, Forward, 3.2 points per game

Matt Howard, Sophomore, Forward, 12.3 points per game

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