Butler Bulldogs men's basketball

The Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school's team currently competes in the Big East Conference. They play their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
2024–25 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
University	Butler University
First season	1896–97
All-time record	1,560–1,114 (.583)
Head coach	Thad Matta (3rd, 4th overall season)
Conference	Big East
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Arena	Hinkle Fieldhouse (capacity: 9,100)
Nickname	Bulldogs
Student section	Dawg Pound
Colors	Blue and white[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament runner-up
2010, 2011
Other NCAA tournament results Final Four 2010, 2011 Elite Eight 2010, 2011 Sweet Sixteen 1962, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017 Appearances 1962, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Conference tournament champions
1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011
Conference regular-season champions
1933, 1934, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Pre-tournament AAU champions
1924
Pre-tournament Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia champions
1929

History

Butler competed as part of the Horizon League since its founding, and played basketball in other regional conferences before that, including the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2012 they left the Horizon League for the Atlantic 10 and the year after, moved to the Big East.

Despite having played in a mid-major conference, Butler rose to national prominence in the late 1990s. They ranked in most media polls for all but a few weeks from the 2006–07 season to the 2011–12 season, and competed in the postseason every year since 1997, except for 2004, 2005, and 2014. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, Butler was the National runner-up to Duke, advancing to the National Championship Game after defeating Michigan State in the Final Four.^[2] With a total enrollment of only 4,500 students, Butler is the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.^[3] The Bulldogs also went to the championship game in the following NCAA tournament, falling to UConn after defeating VCU in the Final Four. With the victory over VCU, Butler became the first mid-major program to reach the championship game in successive seasons since 1979, when seeding of the tournament began, and the only team from the state of Indiana to reach back-to-back championship games. The Bulldogs also won the National Championship in 1927, though it was before March Madness so it does not count for NCAA records.^[2]

After spending one season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Butler moved into the realigned basketball-only Big East Conference for the 2013–14 season. Their first season was mediocre, finishing 9th out of 10 teams with a 14–17 record, their first losing record since 2004–05. In their second season, despite being picked to finish 7th, the Bulldogs surprised many by finishing tied for second place in the conference. Butler finished the 2015–16 season in a tie for fourth place in Big East play with a record of 21–11, 10–8 in conference and receiving a bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Second Round.

Basketball community

Because of the school's history of basketball success, location in the heart of the land of "Hoosier Hysteria", and lack of a scholarship football program, the Butler University fan base is primarily basketball-oriented. Other athletics enjoy substantial followings of current students and alumni, but only basketball has garnered interest from a national audience.

Two studies estimated that television, print, and online news coverage of Butler's 2010 and 2011 appearances in the NCAA tournament championship game resulted in additional publicity for the university worth about $1.2 billion. In an example of the "Flutie effect", applications rose by 41% after the 2010 appearance.^[4] In June 2011, USA Today ranked Butler as one of the top five colleges making use of social media.^[5] Specific to basketball, Butler's mascot, Butler Blue,^[6][7] the men's basketball program,^[8] head coach Thad Matta,^[9] and other coaches have university-endorsed Twitter accounts. Also, online communities Butler Hoops^[10] and /r/ButlerUniversity^[11] exist to facilitate discussion among fans.

In recent years, the Butler program has also received national attention for its philosophy to the game, which it calls "The Butler Way". At its core, The Butler Way calls for complete commitment and exalts teamwork above self.^[12]

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 24–16.^[13]

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1962	–	First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional Third Place Game	Bowling Green Kentucky Western Kentucky	W 56–55 L 60–81 W 87–86
1997	No. 14	First Round	No. 3 Cincinnati	L 69–86
1998	No. 13	First Round	No. 4 New Mexico	L 62–79
2000	No. 12	First Round	No. 5 Florida	L 68–69 OT
2001	No. 10	First Round Second Round	No. 7 Wake Forest No. 2 Arizona	W 79–63 L 52–73
2003	No. 12	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	No. 5 Mississippi State No. 4 Louisville No. 1 Oklahoma	W 47–46 W 79–71 L 54–65
2007	No. 5	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	No. 12 Old Dominion No. 4 Maryland No. 1 Florida	W 57–46 W 62–59 L 57–65
2008	No. 7	First Round Second Round	No. 10 South Alabama No. 2 Tennessee	W 81–61 L 71–76 OT
2009	No. 9	First Round	No. 8 LSU	L 71–75
2010	No. 5	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	No. 12 UTEP No. 13 Murray State No. 1 Syracuse No. 2 Kansas State No. 5 Michigan State No. 1 Duke	W 77–59 W 54–52 W 63–59 W 63–56 W 52–50 L 59–61
2011	No. 8	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	No. 9 Old Dominion No. 1 Pittsburgh No. 4 Wisconsin No. 2 Florida No. 11 VCU No. 3 Connecticut	W 60–58 W 71–70 W 61–54 W 74–71 OT W 70–62 L 41–53
2013	No. 6	First Round Second Round	No. 11 Bucknell No. 3 Marquette	W 68-56 L 72–74
2015	No. 6	First Round Second Round	No. 11 Texas No. 3 Notre Dame	W 56–48 L 64–67 OT
2016	No. 9	First Round Second Round	No. 8 Texas Tech No. 1 Virginia	W 71–61 L 69–77
2017	No. 4	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	No. 13 Winthrop No. 12 Middle Tennessee No. 1 North Carolina	W 76–64 W 74–65 L 80–92
2018	No. 10	First Round Second Round	No. 7 Arkansas No. 2 Purdue	W 79–62 L 73–76

*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the Second Round and Third Round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 will be called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.

NIT results

The Bulldogs have appeared in ten National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 5–10.^[14]

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1958	N/A	First Round	St. John's	L 69–76
1959	N/A	First Round Quarterfinals	Fordham Bradley	W 94–80 L 77–83
1985	N/A	First Round	Indiana	L 57–79
1991	N/A	First Round	Wyoming	L 61–63
1992	N/A	First Round	Purdue	L 56–82
1999	N/A	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Bradley Old Dominion Clemson	W 51–50 W 75–68 L 69–89
2002	N/A	First Round Second Round	Bowling Green Syracuse	W 81–69 L 65–66
2006	#8	Opening Round First Round	Miami (OH) Florida State	W 53–52 L 63–67
2019	#5	First Round	Nebraska	L 76–80
2024	#4	First Round	Minnesota	L 72–73

CBI results

The Bulldogs have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 2–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Delaware Penn Pittsburgh	W 75–58 W 63–53 L 62–68 OT

CBC results

Butler has appeared in the College Basketball Crown once. Their overall record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2025	First Round Quarterfinals	Utah Boise State	W 86–84 L 93–100

Bulldogs in the NBA

NBA & ABA players who attended Butler University^[15]

• Bob Evans – drafted in the 4th round by the Indianapolis Olympians in the 1949 NBA draft
• Gordon Hayward – drafted 9th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2010 NBA draft.
• Shelvin Mack – drafted in the 2nd round by the Washington Wizards in the 2011 NBA draft.
• Sean McDermott – Signed as a free agent with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020–21
• Kelan Martin – Signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019–20. Signed with the Indiana Pacers for the 2020-2021 season.^[16]
• Ralph O'Brien – drafted in the 6th round by the Indianapolis Olympians in the 1950 NBA draft
• Billy Shepherd – drafted by Virginia Squires (ABA) in 1972
• Jerry Steiner – Signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Kautskys in 1940–41 and the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1946–47^[17]

Bulldogs in the NBA G League

• Kamar Baldwin, player in the NBA G League
• Sean McDermott, player in the NBA G League

Bulldogs in international leagues

• Tyler Wideman, player in Nuova Pallacanestro Vigevano 1955 Serie A2 Italian Championship

Coaching history

Coach	Years	Win–loss	Win %	Conference titles	NCAA Tourn. appearances
Harlan Page	1920–1926	98–36	.731	0
Tony Hinkle	1926–1942; 1945–1970	560–392	.588	6	1
Frank Hedden	1942–1945	18–15	.545	0
George Theofanis	1970–1977	79–105	.429	2
Joe Sexson	1977–1989	143–188	.432	1
Barry Collier	1989–2000	196–132	.598	2	3
Thad Matta	2000–2001; 2022–present	70–59	.543	1	1
Todd Lickliter	2001–2007	131–61	.682	3	2
Brad Stevens	2007–2013	166–49	.772	4	5
Brandon Miller	2013–2014	14–17	.452	0
Chris Holtmann	2014–2017	70–31	.693	0	3
LaVall Jordan	2017–2022	83–74	.529	0	1

Awards

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Harlan Page – 1962 Tony Hinkle – 1965 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Tony Hinkle – 2006 Harlan Page – 2006 National Coach of the Year Todd Lickliter – 2007 All-Americans H. W. Middlesworth – 1924 Frank Baird – 1934 Jerry Steiner – 1940 Bob Dietz – 1941 Ralph "Buckshot" O'Brien – 1950 Jimmy Doyle – 1950 Ted Guzek – 1957 Billy Shepherd – 1971 Chad Tucker* – 1985 A. J. Graves* – 2007 Mike Green* – 2008 Matt Howard* – 2009 Gordon Hayward* – 2010 Kelan Martin* – 2018 (*) Denotes Honorable Mention

Academic All-Americans Chris Miskel – 1995*** A. J. Graves – 2007*, 2008** Drew Streicher – 2008*** Matt Howard – 2009**, 2010*, 2011* Gordon Hayward – 2010*** Ronald Nored – 2012** Andrew Smith – 2013** Alex Barlow – 2015** (*) Denotes 1st team (**) Denotes 2nd team (***) Denotes 3rd team Academic All-American of the Year Matt Howard – 2011 McDonald's All-American Tyler Lewis – 2012 Senior Class Award Alex Barlow – 2015

Big East Coach of the Year Chris Holtmann – 2017 Horizon League Player of the Year Darin Archibold – 1991 Jon Neuhouser – 1997 Rylan Hainje – 2002 Brandon Polk – 2006 Mike Green – 2008 Matt Howard – 2009 Gordon Hayward – 2010 Horizon League Coach of the Year Joe Sexson – 1984 Barry Collier – 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000 Thad Matta – 2001 Todd Lickliter – 2005, 2007 Brad Stevens – 2009, 2010

Indiana Collegiate Conference Player of the Year Tom Bowman – 1962 Wayne Burris – 1977 Tom Orner – 1978 Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year Tony Hinkle – 1956, 1961, 1962 George Theofanis – 1973, 1977 Joe Sexson – 1978 MAC Most Valuable Player Ralph "Buckshot" O'Brien – 1949

Information on the awards comes from the 2009–2010 media guide.^[18]

Record

• See List of Butler Bulldogs men's basketball seasons

Record vs. Big East opponents

• Connecticut: 0–9
• Creighton: 12–16
• DePaul: 20–7
• Georgetown: 13–11
• Marquette: 24–24
• Providence: 6–19
• Seton Hall: 10–13
• St. John's: 11–12
• Villanova: 7–16
• Xavier: 25–46

Source^[19]

All-time leading scorers

See also: Butler Bulldogs men's basketball statistical leaders

Rank	Name	Years	Points
1	Chad Tucker	1983–1988	2,321
2	Kelan Martin	2014–2018	2,047
3	Darrin Fitzgerald	1983–1987	2,019
4	Kamar Baldwin	2016–2020	1,956
5	Kellen Dunham	2012–2016	1,946
6	Matt Howard	2007–2011	1,939
7	A. J. Graves	2004–2008	1,807
8	Lynn Mitchem	1979–1983	1,798
9	Darin Archbold	1988–1992	1,744
10	Billy Shepherd	1969–1972	1,733
11	Jermaine Guice	1990–1994	1,607
12	Darren Fowlkes	1985–1989	1,543
13	Roosevelt Jones	2011–2013, 2014–2016	1,533
14	Wayne Burris	1973–1977	1,531
15	Shelvin Mack	2008–2011	1,527
16	Jon Neuhouser	1994–1998	1,485
17	Bobby Plump	1954–1958	1,439
18	Keith Greve	1951–1954, 1957–1958	1,400
19	Jeff Blue	1961–1964	1,392
20	Rylan Hainje	1998–2002	1,388
21	Khyle Marshall	2010–2014	1,373

Sources of information^[20][21][19]

Tournament titles

Season	Tournament	Results
1923–24	AAU National Tournament	W vs. Schooley-Woodstock 34–29 W vs. Hillyards 35–29 W vs. Kansas St. Teachers 40–21 W vs. K. C. Athletic Club 30–26
1947–48	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Purdue 52–50 W vs. Indiana 64–51
1948–49	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Indiana 64–55 W vs. Purdue 47–43
1960–61	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Illinois 70–68 W vs. Purdue 65–63
1996–97	MCC Tournament	W vs. Milwaukee 48–36 W vs. Green Bay 57–52OT W vs. UIC 69–68
1997–98	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 62–53 W vs. Wright State 67–48 W vs. Green Bay 70–51
1999–00	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 61–57 W vs. Milwaukee 65–51 W vs. Detroit 62–43
2000–01	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 78–52 W vs. Wright State 66–58 W vs. Detroit 53–38
2001–02	Top of the World Classic	W vs. Radford 73–56 W vs. Delaware 76–59 W vs. Washington 67–64
2001–02	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Samford 45–37 W vs. Indiana 66–64
2006–07	NIT Tip-Off	W vs. Notre Dame 71–69 W vs. Indiana 60–55 W vs. Tennessee 56–44 W vs. Gonzaga 79–71
2007–08	Great Alaska Shootout	W vs. Michigan 79–65 W vs. Virginia Tech 84–78 W vs. Texas Tech 81–71
2007–08	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Illinois-Chicago 66–50 W vs. Cleveland State 70–55
2009–10	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Milwaukee 68–59 W vs. Wright State 70–45
2010–11	Diamond Head Classic	W vs. Utah 74–62 W vs. Florida State 67–64 W vs. Washington State 84–68
2010–11	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Cleveland State 76–68 W vs. Milwaukee 59–44
2016–17	Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational	W vs. Vanderbilt 76–66 W vs. Arizona 69–65
2019–20	CBE Hall of Fame Classic	W vs. Missouri 63-52 W vs. Stanford 68-67
2024-25	Arizona Tip-Off	W vs. Northwestern 71-69 W vs. Mississippi State 87-77