Butler used its traditional opponent-stifling defense to propel itself to the next round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament with a 68-56 win over Bucknell.

It was the defensive-minded Butler basketball that the nation was introduced to during the Final Four run in 2010.  It was the kind of basketball where you can only score 21 points in the first half and still win.

It was the kind of Butler basketball where you can go from having a double-digit lead to being down by six and still win.

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“They have some mettle, they have some intestinal fortitude that is built up over time, but also a core part of our program,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “But it is truly a Butler team, which I feel really good about.”

The Bulldogs took a 21-14 lead into the locker room at half-time.

They were only shooting 32 percent and had yet to make a 3-point field goal.  But, they had held Bucknell to a mere 25.9 percent shooting from the field and Naismith Player of the Year finalist, senior center Mike Muscala to only two points.

“It may not have been esthetic the entire game, you know missing our first 13 3’s,” Stevens said. “But our defense was really good in the first half. “

The team’s defense let up for about ten minutes at the beginning of the second half, when Bucknell went on a 19-2 run led by senior Joe Willman and Muscala.

Butler went over three minutes without scoring a basket and the Bison extended its lead.

“We knew they were going to make a run,” senior center Andrew Smith said. “We were prepared for something like that and fortunately were able to fight back.”

Stevens called a timeout after Willman scored a jumper to give Bucknell it s largest lead at six points.

Coming out of the timeout freshman guard Kellen Dunham sunk two free-throws to break the dry spell, but it was the seniors who really got Butler going.

Smith hit the first Butler 3-pointer of the game two possessions later, followed by a steal by Marshall to Clark for his first three of the game.

It was the start of a Butler 22-5 run.

“I told them in the locker room there’s a lot of teams in this tournament that wouldn’t be able to withstand a 16-point swing,” Stevens said. “And then have a 16-point swing of their own.”

Butler built its lead to 12, the largest of the game for either team and cruised to the win with 12 made free throws at the end.

Clarke led Butler with 17 points, followed by sophomore Roosevelt Jones and Smith both with 14. Smith finished the game with a double-double by adding a career-high 16 rebounds.

He also set a Butler record for rebounds in a NCAA Tournament game.

Sophomore Alex Barlow set a career-high with 10 points and added five rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot.

“Barlow was dialed into a different level than pretty much any other guy we had on our team the last couple of days,” Steven said. “With his study, getting into the film room, with his ability to read actions.

Bucknell’s Willman finished the day with a career-high 20 points and six rebounds in his last collegiate game.

Butler held Muscala to nine points, tying a career-low.

Butler will play Marquette on Saturday. Butler beat the Golden Eagles back in Novemeber during the Maui Invitational on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Clarke.

The time has not yet been announced.

See photos from the game here.

This year’s team:

• 26-8 overall record
• 6^th NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in seven years and the 11^th in 17 years.
• 18-18 overall NCAA tournament record.
• No. 6 seed was the third highest in Butler history. The only higher ones were No. 5 seeds in 2007 and 2010.
• Has never lost to a lower seed in the tournament.
• There are three players on the Butler roster that have played in a national championship game: Andrew Smith, Chase Stigall and Khyle Marshall
• Was 4-0 against RPI Top 20 teams and 6-6 against RPI Top 50 teams.
• Had zero losses outside of the RPI Top 100
• Has had nine different players start this season
• Two Geico Player of the Year finalists in Alex Barlow with his shot against Indiana and Roosevelt Jones’ game winner against Gonzaga
• The top three wins by Butler this season against Indiana, Gonzaga and Marquette were decided by a combined four points
• As a team averages: 69.3 points, 34.8 percent 3-point shooting, 68.9 percent free throw shooting, 36.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 13.4 turnovers, 5.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game
• As a team allows: 63.8 points, 41.8 percent opponent field goal shooting and 33.3 percent 3-point field goal shooting per game.

Brad Stevens:

• Has an 11-4 NCAA tournament record as head coach
• Butler has had six Top 10 wins with Stevens as coach
• Has moved into the top spot on the NCAA Division I list for best career coaching starts by wins in six seasons, with a record of 165-48. He hold the NCAA three, four and five-year record.

Rotnei Clarke

• Butler is 10-1 when Clarke scores 20 or more points per game
• He leads the team averaging 16.7 points per game
• Has scored 518 points this season
• He is first on the team in free-throw shooting, with an average of 88.6 percent
• Is third in Butler history for single-season 3-point field goals with 108
• Has scored in double-figures in all but five games he’s played in this season
• He missed three games after suffering a severe neck sprain at Dayton in January.
• Is a member of the Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference
• Scored a season-high 27 points in the loss to Illinois during the championship game of the Maui Invitational.

Andrew Smith

• He is the only player in the country to have played in two national championship games
• Is Butler’s second-leading scorer averaging 11.1 points per game
• He and Roosevelt Jones lead the team in rebounding averaging 5.7 rebounds per game
• Smith is a finalist of the Lowes Senior Class Award, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team and is an Academic All-American

Roosevelt Jones

• Jones is the only Butler player to start in all 34 games this season.
• He is one of three Butler players averaging in double-figure scoring with 10.1 points per game
• He averages 30.4 minutes per game, second-most on the team.
• He leads the team in assists with 3.5 per game
• Jones is a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team

Khyle Marshall

• Butler is 15-1 when Marshall scores in double-figures
• He averages 9.9 points per game
• Shooting 56.4 percent from the field, he is second on the team in field goal percentage
• Marshall averages 4.7 rebounds per game

Kellan Dunham

• Made the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team
• He averages 9.9 points per game
• He shoots 38.2 percent from the field and 87.1 percent from the free throw line

Kameron Woods

• Has scored in double figures four times this season, three coming in the last five games. Butler has won all four of those games
• He leads the team in field goal shooting percentage with 56.9 percent
• Woods is averaging 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 points per game

Alex Barlow

• Has started 21 games this season for the Bulldogs.  The team is 17-4 in those games and 8-3 when he comes in off the bench
• Averages 43.1 percent field goal shooting
• Has 66 assists this season, averaging two per game
• He has the best assist to turnover ratio on the team with 1.7

Erik Fromm

• Averages 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game
• He had a season-high 13 points in the loss at Charlotte

Chase Stigall

• Stigall is a 77.8 percent free-throw shooter
• He averages 10.6 minutes, most of the time coming off the bench. He has started in three games for the Bulldogs this season
• Stigall has a season-high 12 points in the 77-58 win at St. Bonaventure

You’ve heard the story before. The one about the big star on the team who hits a game-winning shot.

But have you heard the story about the little-known walk-on who takes the same shot and knocks off the number one team in the nation?

Alex Barlow is a walk-on sophomore for the Butler men’s basketball team, and he did just that. On Dec. 15, 2012, Barlow drove toward the basket at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and hit a 6-foot floater in the lane with 2.4 seconds left.

Barlow’s shot took down formerly unbeaten and in-state powerhouse Indiana, securing his name in Butler basketball history. It was the first time the Bulldogs have ever beaten a top-ranked opponent in the regular season.

Barlow’s path to that shot was directed by his dream to one day become a basketball coach.

“You know, I just wanted to be a coach, a college coach,” Barlow said. “I’ve wanted to be that since I was in middle school.”

Barlow turned down many scholarship offers at Division II schools and decided to walk on at Butler to learn under one of the nation’s fastest-rising coaches, Brad Stevens.

“I feel like after looking at all my options, I felt like Butler was the best school for me,” Barlow said. “It just gave me the best chance to play, and Coach Stevens is a great coach and definitely somebody I want to learn under and learn what he knows.”

At Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Barlow earned All-State honorable mention his senior year on the basketball team. He also earned second-team All-State honors as a shortstop on the baseball team.

Barlow followed in the footsteps of many great baseball players for the Crusaders, including Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Buddy Bell.

Barlow, however, decided to switch his focus from baseball to basketball the summer before his senior year when he wasn’t receiving much attention from baseball scouts.

“I learned as Alex got older, he always had his own plan, and over time I learned to listen to him,” said Tom Barlow, Alex’s father.  “When he said baseball wasn’t in his heart, I knew he meant it.”

Carl Kremer, his high school basketball coach, said Barlow came to him the spring after his senior season and told him he wanted to become a college basketball coach.

“I told him he would have to consider walking on at a Division I school,” Kremer said.

Kremer has known Stevens for a long time through basketball recruiting. Stevens recruited Mike Monserez, a 2004 Butler graduate, from Moeller.

Kremer directed Barlow toward Butler.

“There would be no better place than Butler,” Kremer told Barlow.

Kremer spoke with Stevens, who said he wanted Barlow on the team. From there, Barlow saw a small amount of playing time his freshman year.

But his minutes increased at last season’s conclusion during the College Basketball Invitational.

Barlow was put on scholarship this semester due to a unique opportunity. After Chrishawn Hopkins and Chris Harrison-Docks transferred, a scholarship became available and was given to Barlow. Barlow’s scholarship will be reviewed at the end of the semester, just like that of every other player.

The Moeller community had its eyes on the Butler-Indiana game, including Barlow’s baseball coach, Tim Held.

Held said he watched most of the game but didn’t see Barlow’s shot live because he was in church.

“My phone was going crazy in my pocket in church, so I knew something was up,” Held said. “I pulled out my phone after church, and that’s when I heard.

“I just felt so proud that he played in our baseball program.”

Kremer was finishing up a youth basketball clinic and saw the end alone in his office. He compared it to the championship scene in the movie “Hoosiers.”

“When Hickory wins the state championship and the character is alone in the hospital and jumping, that’s what I felt like,” Kremer said. “I was all alone in my office, and I jumped and started screaming.”

Kremer said it was one of the most dramatic things he had ever seen.

“I couldn’t be more proud of one of my players, ever,” Kremer said.

As for Barlow’s coaching career, Kremer sees nothing but success.

“I think he’ll be a natural coach,” Kremer said. “There’s a lot of time, and there’s still two-and-a-half years left, and I won’t be surprised if he becomes a graduate assistant somewhere and starts that long journey of a college basketball coaching career.”

Tom Barlow said he could tell Alex would be a coach from a very young age.

“You could tell when he was five or six years old,” Barlow said. “He was always instructing the other kids.”

Senior teammate Rotnei Clarke said he feels Barlow will be a good coach.

“He’s a smart guy, and he’s good with X’s and O’s,” Clarke said. “He knows the game really well, and he’s got a high basketball IQ.”

Freshman teammate Kellen Dunham said Barlow is serious when he needs to be, but he’s an overall goofy guy.

“He’s always trying to play jokes,” Dunham said. “He’s a scare-you-around-the-corner type of guy.”

Barlow has embraced his role as the underdog, Clarke said.

“He likes to think he’s Rudy from Notre Dame,” Clarke said.

Though the team likes to joke around, Dunham said Barlow is a model player and thinks he will be a successful coach.

“Alex is a really hard worker,” Dunham said. “And I look up to him in that aspect.”

The Butler men’s basketball team moved to within a half game of first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings after beating Duquesne 68-49 Tuesday night.

Senior guard Rotnei Clarke finished with 16 points. Clarke has scored in double figures in each of the last eight games since his return from a neck injury suffered against Dayton on Jan. 12.

Junior forward Khyle Marshall added 14 points while freshman guard Kellen Dunham tallied 11 for the Bulldogs (22-5, 9-3).

“Khyle has always risen to the occasion as the season has progressed, and we are towards that latter part of the season,” coach Brad Stevens said. “And we’re going to need everybody to rise to that.”

Guard Derrick Colter was the only player in double digits, for Duquesne (8-18, 1-11) with 11 points. Jerry Jones and Jeremiah Jones each added nine.

The Dukes’ 49 points were the fewest allowed by Butler since it held Richmond to 47 on Jan. 18.

“I think collectively we’re guarding better,” Marshall said. “We held a great 3-point shooting team to only 49 points, so I think that’s a pretty big accomplishment on our part.”

Stevens said he was pleased with the team’s defensive effort.

“Our guys were locked in defensively,” Stevens said.

Sophomore Alex Barlow opened the game with a 3-pointer from the corner, and the Bulldogs never looked back. Butler never trailed in the game. Its biggest lead was 22 late in the second half.

After tonight’s men’s basketball game against St. Bonaventure, Butler will officially be halfway through its inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The Bulldogs currently sit in second place in the A-10 standings, with an overall record of 18-4 and a conference record of 5-2.

The two conference losses have come against La Salle on a last-second shot at the end of regulation on Jan. 23 and against Saint Louis on Jan. 31.

Virginia Commonwealth sits at the top of the conference standings with a conference record of 6-2.

Just one game in the loss column separates the top nine teams in the A-10 standings. Only the top 12 go on to the A-10 tournament in March.

The A-10 currently has 10 teams in the top 100 of the RPI, according to RPIRatings.com, second most of any league behind the Big East (13).

Butler is ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press Top 25. That marks the eighth consecutive week for Butler in the Top 25.

The A-10 has six other teams that have received votes in the AP, ESPN and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Saint Joseph’s, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier have all gotten votes in both polls. La Salle and VCU both received votes in last week’s polls.

Butler’s current seniors are 51-8 in Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs have five of their final nine contests on their home court.

BUTLER PLAYERS TO WATCH

Rotnei Clarke­—The senior guard leads his team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game.

He has scored in double figures 15 times this season.

Clarke is one of 50 players named in the Atlanta Tipoff Club 2012-13 Naismith Early Season Watch List.

Khyle Marshall—The junior forward averages 10.2 points per game, one of five Butler players averaging double figures in scoring.

Marshall also averages five rebounds per game, third best on the team.

Butler is 12-0 this season when Marshall scores in double-figures.

Roosevelt Jones—The sophomore forward has averaged 10.6 points per game on the season, including 13.3 points over the last 10 games.

Jones leads the Bulldogs in rebounds with 5.5 per game.

He also leads the team in assists with 3.6 per game.

Andrew Smith—The senior center is the only active collegiate player to have played in two national championship games.

He is the second-leading scorer for Butler, averaging 11.5 points per game.

Smith became the 34th Butler player to score 1,000 career points during the recent win against Rhode Island.

Kellen Dunham—The freshman guard is averaging 10.6 points per game and 12.4 in Hinkle.

He leads the A-10 and ranks fourth in the NCAA Division I in free throws, shooting at 92.1 percent.

Alex Barlow—The sophomore guard  has started in 15 games for the Bulldogs this season.

He is leading his team with more than one steal per game.

Erik Fromm—The junior guard is averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

When Butler made the jump from the Horizon League to the Atlantic 10 conference it set itself up for a new schedule and new sights to see.

Experiencing new places is something the team looks forward to each road game, sophomore men’s basketball guard Alex Barlow said.

“All of the places we have been able to see are usually very historical and unique,” senior center Emerson Kampen said.

The team played Indiana University at Bankers Life Fieldhouse  on Dec. 15.

“Playing at Bankers Life was a pretty cool experience for me overall as a freshman in the Crossroads Classic,” freshman guard Kellen Dunham said. “Playing there reminded me of my Indiana All-Star days.”

The team enjoys the ability to see the history and cultures in cities of some of the other programs it plays.

“On some road trips we will see educational things, like when we stopped at Constitution Hall in Philly after playing St. Joe’s,” Barlow said.

During its trip to Philadelphia for its game against Saint Joseph’s, the team immersed itself in the city’s culture with Philly cheesesteaks and cannolis.

The night before every game, the team has a meal together out on the town.

Of all the places the team traveled to, Kampen said Maui was no doubt his favorite place to travel.

The team took part in the EA Sports video game tournament, went snorkeling and had a free day at the beach in Maui, Dunham said.

Although it may seem fun to take vacations from school, the players often miss class, and schoolwork can become hectic at times.

Kampen said it means, in addition to everything else, on the road, the men’s basketball players like to catch up on sleep or get caught up with their studies.

In NCAA Division I men’s basketball, many programs have likely come to accept that if Butler’s squad makes the championship tournament, it will be a dangerous and unpredictable force.

No matter who the Bulldogs play come tourney time, they can almost always guarantee a nail-biting affair.

Butler has established its relevance with years of success on the nation’s highest stage.

But this season’s team has established something that could be considered just as important.

This team is making Butler a scary school to face in the regular season.

Imagine you’re looking at your team’s schedule for the new season. There are the games that don’t really stick out and games that make fans say, “That should be a good game.”

But there’s a third category.

“This could be trouble.”

Personally, I saw the Indiana and Gonzaga games in this light. I believed they would be fantastic contests, but as a fan I was equally as prepared for a loss as for a victory.

This season’s Bulldogs have turned Butler into one of those teams, whether they know it or not.

They have proven they can beat other teams in a variety of ways and under numerous sets of circumstances.

Not to mention they have done so in rip-your-heart-out fashion, from the opposition’s perspective.

It’s hard to imagine Marquette, Indiana and Gonzaga players feeling very good after their last-second losses to Butler.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few looked exhausted and beleaguered after Saturday’s 64-63 Butler win. He looked like a man who had pulled out all the stops, who knew his team was on the cusp of a strong victory.

Butler ripped the rug out from under Few and his Bulldogs.

Few should know this story better than most. His mid-major program has beaten the big boys and forced them to take notice: you’d better not schedule us if you want a guaranteed victory.

It all starts with Butler coach Brad Stevens.

The man must have at least one android or monk as a parent. He was the calmest individual on the Hinkle Fieldhouse floor after Saturday’s win when many coaches would have been going bonkers.

But this is how he operates his program.

He has a way to simplify everything.

“It’s not like it’s doomsday,” Stevens said of trailing by a point with 3.5 seconds left and the ball going the wrong way. “Just go play (and) figure it out.”

This attitude trickles down.Sophomore guard and recent hero Roosevelt Jones is a soft-spoken man. But his description of the game-winning play against Gonzaga oozes of Stevens-talk.

“Just making a basketball play,” he said.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham on replacing injured leading scorer Rotnei Clarke?

“I just tried to contribute as much as I could.”

Nothing intimidates these Bulldogs. Stevens has built a mid-major monster on that idea.

It’s a simple concept that has created a complex team. And one that will provide a scare on any schedule down the road.

What can the Butler men’s basketball team do with 3.5 seconds and the ball in the opposition’s possession?

Apparently, win a nationally televised game over a Top 10 team at the buzzer.

Sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones stole an Gonzaga inbound pass near midcourt and completed a layup with one tenth of a second remaining to give the No. 13 Butler Bulldogs a stunning 64-63 win over the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The basket sent what was an often-raucous Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd into a full-on frenzy that included a storming of the court.

“I never did in my life,” Jones said of hitting a buzzer-beating shot.

Butler (16-2, 3-0) was sure glad he chose this game for that career first.

Down 63-62 with just less than five seconds remaining and possession of the ball, sophomore guard Alex Barlow traveled on the inbound pass, setting up the dramatic game-winning play.

“(Gonzaga) made a great play running at (Barlow), forced him to walk,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “At that point, you’re still in the game because, no matter what, you’re gonna get a shot even if they make two free throws.

“It’s not like it’s complete doomsday.”

It is that mentality that has helped lead Butler to its ever-growing list of shocking victories, and it earned them one more on this evening in Indianapolis.

Gonzaga junior guard David Stockton attempted to lob an inbound pass over Butler junior forward Khyle Marshall to a teammate, but the ball ended up in the hands of Jones instead.

“I heard the (Gonzaga) coach tell Olynyk to get the lob, so I just played behind him and stole it,” Jones said. “I looked at the clock and I think it was four seconds, so I knew I could get it down (the court).

“Then I sprinted and I see Olynyk coming up to me and I floated it over him.”

It was a thrilling finish to a game that saw both sets of Bulldogs grind out every possession like it might be their last.

The final 1:26 of the contest saw five lead changes, each resulting in a one-point advantage.

Early on, Butler had a difficult time obtaining any sort of lead.

Gonzaga (17-2) came out firing on all cylinders, led by a career night from junior center Sam Dower.

Butler went up 3-2 minutes in on a 3-pointer by Barlow. From there, Gonzaga went on an 11-1 run to grab a 13-4 advantage.

Dower had four points during the run and went on to score 16 total in the first 20 minutes. He was averaging 7.2 points per contest coming in.

“(Butler defenders) jump the guards, and we were able to throw it back to (Dower),” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “He’s a very good face up shooter. It’s kind of his wheelhouse.”

Butler started connecting on its 3-point attempts later in the half to turn the tide.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham drained his first 3-point shot a little more than six minutes in to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 13-7.

With about 11 minutes remaining in the opening 20, Dunham hit another 3-pointer, which was closely followed by senior guard Chase Stigall’s first triple of the evening.

“I just tried to contribute as much as I could,” Dunham said. “(My teammates) did a great job of giving me the ball when I needed it.”

Dunham’s third 3-pointer of the half pushed Butler out to a 22-20 lead with 7:52 to go in the half.

More back-and-forth action followed, and Gonzaga would eventually take a 33-32 advantage into the locker room.

“You saw it, it was a pretty even game,” Few said. “I thought, in the first half, they shot the ball really well from three.”

Butler connected on seven of 13 3-point attempts in the first 20 minutes, but was unable to replicate that success in the second half.

Stevens acknowledged that replacing injured senior guard Rotnei Clarke’s offense through the entire game was not possible. Clarke missed his second consecutive game following a neck injury at Dayton last Saturday.

“No offense to anybody on our team, but nobody on our team does exactly what Rotnei does,” Stevens said. “You have to scheme a little differently, and I thought we really did a pretty good job of doing that all game.”

The second half saw the hard-nosed play continue, as easy points were at a bare minimum.

Both teams scraped together 14 points in the paint in the final 20 minutes.

Butler took a quick four-point lead with a layup by Jones and a 3-pointer by Dunham, the team’s only long-distance field goal in the second half.

The largest lead for the remainder of the contest was a five-point cushion for Butler at 55-50 with 4:31 to play.

A predominantly pro-Butler crowd sat on the edge of its collective seat for every play in the game. In the final two minutes, however, it seemed Hinkle might be lifted off its foundation.

With Butler leading 59-58, Gonzaga senior forward Elias Harris made a layup to give his squad a one-point advantage with 1:26 remaining.

Jones responded with a layup of his own to push Butler back out in front, but Harris banked a shot in off the glass on Gonzaga’s next possession to give the Zags a 61-60 lead.

Not to be outdone, Barlow kissed a shot off the glass and in with 24 seconds left to put Butler ahead 62-61.

Gonzaga was unable to break down the Butler defense on its next possession, but junior forward Kelly Olynyk managed to draw a foul in the paint with 4.5 seconds left.

He sank two free throws, and the Zags lead 63-62 to set up the final, nail-biting sequence.

Butler had chances to add breathing room through free throw shooting, but was often unable to do so. Butler finished the game 12 of 23 from the charity stripe, as no player who went to the line shot 100 percent.

Jones recorded a game-high 20 points with five rebounds and four assists. Dunham was the only other Butler player in double figures with 14 points.

Senior center Andrew Smith led Butler with seven rebounds while doing his best to limit Olynyk and Harris down low.

Harris and Dower both tallied 20 points, and Olynyk dropped 14 for Gonzaga. Harris and Olynyk both recorded seven rebounds as well.

The game was the first stop for ESPN’s College GameDay. Multiple ESPN personalities arrive on a custom-made bus to analyze and cover the game, and the crew taped a show early Saturday morning on the Hinkle floor.

During that show, Butler student Kevin Schwartz hit a half-court shot to win $18,000.

“It was great,” Stevens said of the experience. “We hope we might earn our way back sometime on GameDay.”

Butler will head back into Atlantic 10 Conference play Wednesday in a road game against La Salle. Stevens said Clarke is “unlikely” to play in that game.

Stevens said Butler cannot afford to focus on the victory over Gonzaga for too long with conference play resuming this week.

“I think the biggest thing is we’ve got to move on from here,” Stevens said. “We don’t have time to bask in anything.”

The Butler men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to 12 games after a 62-47 win over Richmond Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs (15-2, 3-0) were not hindered by the absence of senior guard Rotnei Clarke who sprained his neck in Saturday’s game against Dayton.

“We had to focus on the game, and I didn’t have any question that we would do that,” coach Brad Stevens said. “Sometimes when you lose a guy, it heightens your focus a little bit.”

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham started in Clarke’s place and scored 11 points in 31 minutes.

Without Clarke’s outside shooting, Butler was able to exploit the Spiders’ (11-7, 1-2) defenders inside and did so successfully.

Richmond was significantly out-rebounded by Butler, with the Bulldogs grabbing 53 rebounds to Richmond’s 20.

20 of Butler’s 53 rebounds were grabbed off the offensive glass.

Senior center Andrew Smith took advantage of the team’s inside presence and scored a game-high 15 points and added seven rebounds.

“Without Rotnei, we lose one of our shooters, so we focused on going inside a little bit more,” Smith said. “But it doesn’t really change what we did a whole lot.”

The Bulldogs held the Spiders to just 21 first half points and 28.6 percent shooting from the field as Butler pulled out to a 33-21 halftime lead.

Richmond was down by as many as 20 points in the second half before making a brief 9-0 run to cut the lead to nine with 8:23 remaining.

However, this offensive burst came too little too late for the Spiders as Butler’s defense held Richmond to a season-low 47 points and a season-low field goal percentage of 32.7 percent.

Sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones led the team with 12 rebounds and also scored 10 points on the way to recording a double double.

Sophomore forward Kameron Woods scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win.

Sophomore guard Alex Barlow spent much of the game playing point guard in Clarke’s absence and finished the game with five points and five rebounds.

Alex Barlow hit a tear-drop layup with less than three seconds remaining in overtime, and the Butler men’s basketball team shocked No. 1 Indiana 88-86 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday.

The game was the first of two in the second Crosstown Classic.

“My initial thoughts were we were in trouble when it was 84-80 with three guys sitting on the bench next to me,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “Such a gutty effort by our guys. Don’t use this as an excuse to get down on Indiana.”

With about 19 seconds remaining in the game, the score was tied at 86 and Barlow moved the ball upcourt off an inbound pass. He let some time tick off the clock, then drove it straight into the paint, twisting and turning as he released the floater. It bounced around the rim and eventually fell with 2.5 seconds remaining.

“I was looking for the options, and they weren’t open,” Barlow said. “I saw the clock at about six (seconds), so I figured I’d try to make a play.

“The floater is a shot I work on a lot, and I just happened to get a lucky bounce.”

Indiana called a timeout to draw up their final play, but senior guard Jordan Hulls was unable to connect from near half court as time expired.

The Bulldogs (8-2) played all of the overtime frame without senior center Andrew Smith and sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones, who both fouled out in regulation.

Many of Butler’s key players struggled with foul trouble all afternoon. In addition to Smith and Jones, junior forward Erik Fromm fouled out during the overtime period. Barlow had tallied four by the end of the contest.

The game started at a slow pace, which played into Butler’s hands. The Hoosiers (9-1) scored the first points of the game nearly two minutes in.

The Bulldogs grabbed an early 9-5 advantage with four points from Jones and a 3-point basket from Smith.

Indiana moved in front 13-12 on a dunk by junior guard Victor Oladipo with 11:38 remaining in the half. Butler would not lead again until the 5:54 mark of the second half.

Indiana led 37-33 at halftime, spurred by nearly 44 percent shooting from the field and 12 free throw attempts to Butler’s four.

The Bulldogs shot better than 39 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, but they struggled to contain Oladipo, who tallied 10 points in that time.

While the Hoosiers’ defense did a good job containing senior guard Rotnei Clarke in the first half (six points), Jones was all over the court. He posted eight points, eight rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes of action.

“I thought it was hard for them to guard Roosevelt, really hard,” Stevens said. “With all due respect to everyone else on the court, I thought he was the best player on the floor when he was on the floor. When that ball went up to the rim, he found ways to get it on both ends of the floor.”

Clarke credited Oladipo with attempting a different type of defense while guarding him.

“Most guys will stay below me, but Oladipo went high and kind of denied me, trying not to let me touch the ball,” Clarke said. “It was my teammates in the second half.”

The Bulldogs trailed 57-50 after senior forward Christian Watford hit a free throw with nine minutes remaining.

Butler began its push toward regaining the lead after the converted free throw. The Bulldogs scored six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 59-56. Smith then made a pair of layups, sandwiched around a 3-point basket from Dunham.

Stigall then drained a 3-pointer to push Butler to a 66-59 lead.

The Hoosiers did not hit a field goal between a 3-pointer by junior forward Will Sheehey at the 11:24 mark and a layup by sophomore guard Remy Abell at the 3:43 mark.

Up 71-64 with 2:25 remaining, Butler attempted to fend off a push by Indiana. The Hoosiers pulled to within two with 1:14 remaining at 71-69.

Dunham made one of two free throws — the miss was only his second of the season — on the next possession to give Butler a three-point lead. Freshman guard Yogi Farrell then committed a turnover with 49 seconds remaining, after which Dunham was fouled again. This time, he sank both free throw attempts to put Butler up 74-69.

Farrell made a layup on IU’s next possession, and Oladipo used a full court press to steal the ball from Dunham on the ensuing inbound pass. Oladipo made a layup to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to one.

Barlow was fouled on the next possession and made a pair of free throws, giving Butler a 76-73 lead.

Indiana gave the ball to Farrell on offense, and he responded by sinking a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left to tie the game.

Butler senior guard Chase Stigall attempted a 3-point shot of his own on the final possession of regulation, but he was unable to convert.

“We had a timeout left, but as he was dribbling down the court, I didn’t see us getting a better look than that,” Stevens said.

Butler shot nearly 52 percent from the field in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to put away the Hoosiers just yet. Indiana hit 18 of 24 free throw opportunities in the second half to stave off defeat in regulation.

The Bulldogs entered overtime without Smith and Jones, who both fouled out in the final two minutes of regulation. They also went into extra time with Barlow and Fromm both sitting on four fouls.

“Proud of your effort, keep it going,” Stevens said of his message to the team heading into overtime. “We switched a ton of ball screens. We didn’t feel like we wanted to give that up on those guys.”

The Hoosiers took an 84-80 lead with 2:14 remaining in overtime after a layup by sophomore forward Cody Zeller. The Bulldogs would not be denied, however, as Clarke and Stigall sank back-to-back 3′s after the Zeller basket to give Butler an 86-84 advantage.

Zeller made another basket with 23 seconds remaining to knot the game up at 86, setting the stage for Barlow’s dramatics.

It was Butler’s first victory over a No. 1 team in the regular season. The Bulldogs posted their fifth consecutive victory overall and their sixth straight at Bankers Life.

“I told Rotnei, you didn’t come here to win a game in December,” Stevens said. “As a coach, I’d like to have Xavier and Illinois back, but I’m not going to be greedy.”

Jones called the victory “a good confidence boost,” but said the Bulldogs are aware of their ability.

“We already know how good we are and how good we can be,” Jones said. “So we just want to prepare for Evansville and get ready to play hard again another game.”

Clarke finished with a game-high 19 points on 7 of 19 shooting, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. Clarke, who is in his first season with Butler, played all but a few possessions in the contest.

“I think it’s work ethic,” Clarke said of his ability to play for long stretches. “Just going into the gym every night and shooting game-like shots and doing game-like things has really prepared me for this.”

Jones had a game-high 12 rebounds and tallied 16 points in 29 minutes. Smith finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Khyle Marshall and Fromm also reached double figures in scoring.

Oladipo was Indiana’s offensive sparkplug, tallying 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He also had four steals and a pair of blocks.

“Oladipo is just a hard guy to play against,” Stevens said. “We walked out of our locker room, I turned to (assistant coach) Matthew Graves and said ‘I’ve never seen a guy that athletic.’”

Zeller also recorded 18 points, although 10 of them came from the free throw line. Sheehey (13), Ferrell (12) and Watford (10) all posted double-figure points as well.

Butler outrebounded Indiana 40-38, including a 24-17 advantage at halftime. The Hoosiers turned the ball over just one time outside of Oladipo and Ferrell, who each had six turnovers.

The Bulldogs will now prepare for Evansville, whom they’ve lost to in overtime each of the last two seasons. This season’s contest will happen at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 2:00 Saturday.

“Ready to go,” Clarke said. “We’ll enjoy this one today, but we’ll get prepared and be ready for them.”