The priority points system for Butler men’s basketball season ticket holders will remain in place as Butler makes its move to the Big East Conference.

The current system has been in place for six seasons.

The system, which rewards donations to the university with priority seating access, has given Butler a boost in making resources available to student-athletes, said Matt Harris, manager of fan development.

“When people make a gift to the Hinkle Campaign, that counts toward their priority points,” Harris said. “It has helped smaller things over the last few years: the football field renovation, the new (baseball and softball) hitting facility, the track renovations. Those are all things that we were able to do because of people’s gifts.”

The priority points system gives a bonus point to longtime season ticket holders, but the bulk of the points are earned via recent donations.

Each donation of $100 over the past year is worth twice as many priority points as a similar donation made in the four years prior.

Additionally, each year of consecutive season ticket ownership is worth one priority point per year, according to the Butler athletics website.

As Butler men’s basketball has grown in reputation, Harris said the demand for seats dictates how the priority points system functions.

“We don’t have a donation requirement for any seat,” Harris said. “If demand increases, the number of points necessary to get a certain seat is going to be higher.”

Harris expects this demand to go up when the Bulldogs join the Big East, but he said it all comes down to one thing.

“I would expect that the move to the Big East would be a small part in increasing demand, but winning consistently is still the biggest factor,” Harris said.

Although the system does reward the largest long-term donors, Butler does not have a minimum donation requirement to buy season tickets.

“People who have made that commitment (to donate) are rewarded with the opportunity to buy better seats, but people who don’t want to make a gift or can’t afford it for whatever reason can still buy tickets,” Harris said. “Nobody is left out.”

Butler will take on Patriot League regular-season and tournament champion Bucknell Thursday in the opening round of this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Bison (28-5, 12-2) own wins over two NCAA tournament teams, earning victories against WAC champion New Mexico State and Atlantic 10 Conference school La Salle.

Other notable games include a season-opening 70-65 win at Purdue on Nov. 9 and a narrow 66-64 loss at then-12th-ranked Missouri on Jan. 5.
Besides a 79-67 road loss to Princeton, Bucknell lost four other games by a combined nine points.

The Bison also finished the season ranked 52nd in RPI, helping the team grab the East Region’s No. 11 seed.

Bucknell coach Dave Paulsen said in an interview with the Associated Press that he bases his program’s philosophy off Butler.

“Butler, to me, is the gold standard for mid-major programs,” Paulsen said. “So much of what we do, or try to do, is modeled on Butler.”

Bucknell is led by 6-foot-11-inch forward/center Mike Muscala, who averaged a double-double this season with 19 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Muscala tied for third in rebounding nationally.

Muscala also recently became the school’s all-time leading scorer.

The big man received all major awards in the Patriot League this season, winning Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year while also being named the conference tournament MVP.

Muscala joins Rotnei Clarke as one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Award.

Like fellow center Andrew Smith, Muscala was one of 15 players named to this year’s Academic All-America team and is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.

The Bison have three other double-digit scorers, including junior guard Cameron Ayers with 12.5 points per game, senior guard Bryson Johnson with 11.1 points per game and senior forward Joe Willman with 10.3 points per game.

Bucknell is 2-5 all-time in five NCAA tournament appearances.

The program made headlines during the 2005 NCAA tournament when No. 14 seed Bucknell shocked No. 3 seed Kansas 64-63 in the first round.

Bucknell followed up its 2005 tournament performance with a ninth seed in 2006, defeating No. 8 seed Arkansas 59-55 in the first round.

The Bison last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2011 when they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the second round.

It is a question many college basketball fans across the nation likely ask when looking at each year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket.

How do some teams wind up with the seeds they’re given?

It clearly isn’t entirely based on records. Memphis finished with a mark of 30-4 this season and earned a No. 6 seed. That record was the second best in the tournament field.

Butler also landed a No. 6 seed with a final record of 25-8. So how did the Bulldogs grab the same number seed as a team with 30 victories?

A few major factors go into determining each team’s seed in the tournament, not to mention if a team makes the tournament at all.

The NCAA’s 10-person selection committee makes seeding decisions based on these factors. There is no set-in-stone way for a team to earn a specific seed, short of having consistent success throughout the season.

Since about half of any team’s season consists of in-conference contests, the selection committee looks closely at how strong each team’s conference is.

The Atlantic 10 Conference is the seventh strongest of the 33 Division I leagues in the nation.

This statistic is determined by compiling a conference’s overall record against different groups of opposing squads during the season.

Teams are placed in said groups based on their Rating Percentage Index—better known as RPI.

RPI is a measure of a team’s strength of schedule and how the team does against that schedule, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Butler has the nation’s 23rd-best RPI of more than 300 Division I teams. This boded very well for the Bulldogs during the selection committee’s deliberations, as only three teams with a top-50 RPI did not make the tournament this season.

Six of Butler’s eight losses came to squads with a top-50 RPI, and none came to teams with an RPI of worse than 100.

When most of a team’s losses are against strong competition, it boosts that team’s tournament resume and likely ensures a better seed.

Butler’s overall record versus its strength of schedule was another factor the selection committee had to take into consideration.

Butler had the 32nd-strongest schedule in the nation. This means the Bulldogs’ average victory was a lot more difficult to come by than that of a team with the 150th-strongest schedule in the nation.

The selection committee wants to make sure teams that were successful against primarily good opponents make the tournament versus teams that were successful against typically poor competition.

A team that does well despite a difficult schedule is also able to earn key victories that look good on its tournament resume.

For Butler, wins over two No. 1 tournament seeds—Indiana and Gonzaga—certainly helped drive the team up the seeding chart.

So while all of these factors combined didn’t guarantee that Butler would earn a No. 6 seed, it helps explain why they did.

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 fell short against Saint Louis Friday night, losing 65-61.

Junior guard Mike McCall Jr. led the Billikens (21-5, 10-2) with 18 points while junior forward Dwayne Evans added 17 points.

Sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones and senior guard Rotnei Clarke had 13 points each for the Bulldogs (22-6, 9-4).

Turnovers were an issue for Butler, who turned the ball over 14 times compared to Saint Louis’s four turnovers.

The Billikens were able to capitalize and scored 19 points off Butler turnovers.

Saint Louis’s shooters struggled early in the first half as they went more than five minutes without scoring, letting the Bulldogs take a 17-9 lead with 11:47 remaining in the half.

The Billikens also shot only 1 of 10 from behind the 3-point line in the first half.

Freshman guard Kellen Dunham led all first half scores with 14 points, going 2 of 3 from 3-point land and making all four of his free throw attempts.

Unfortunately for Butler, Dunham was held scoreless for the remainder of the game.

Saint Louis went on a key 19-7 run to start the second half as they pushed the lead to 48-41 with 13:27 to play.

The Billikens’ lead grew to as much as nine points before the Bulldogs got back into the game with key shots from Clarke.

Though Butler came within a point of Saint Louis with 3:32 to go in the game, they were unable to come away with the lead after having several chances to put them on top.

Free throw shooting did not come easily to either team as the Bulldogs shot 57.7 percent from the line while the Billikens shot 53.8 percent.

Coach Brad Stevens said Saint Louis’s early second half run was crucial to the game’s outcome.

“The start of the second half was the difference in the game, the first eight minutes or so,” Stevens said. “We stalled in the second half.”

Saint Louis dominated inside, outscoring Butler 38-14 in the paint.

Butler had previously lost on the road to the Billikens 75-58 on Jan. 31.

“To lose to a team twice, it hurts more than most,” Jones said.

Saint Louis remains in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings at 10-2 in league play.

VCU is currently in second at 9-3 while Butler is in third at 9-4.

The Bulldogs are not back in action until Saturday, March 2 when they will take on the Rams of VCU in a road matchup.

Butler previously played VCU in the national semifinals of the 2011 Final Four.

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at noon.

Senior center Andrew Smith of the men’s basketball team has been named one of 10 finalists for the sport’s 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award.

The award is given to seniors who have excelled in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.

The acronym CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.

Smith said Butler has equipped him well in balancing classwork and basketball.

“It really helps for me to go to a school like Butler,” Smith said. “They just kind of set you up for success in the classroom and on the court as well.”

Smith is a finance major and carries a 3.55 grade point average as an honor student.

“It’s all about time management,” Smith said. “Fortunately, we have guys like Matt Howard. He was a finance major as well.

“He kind of took me under his wing and kind of gave me the ability to help me with what classes to take and teachers to take, and he really helped me manage my time and figure out how to be a successful student-athlete.”

Smith was selected to the Capital One Academic All-District V Team last month and has previously been named to the Butler Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.

Coach Brad Stevens said the Senior CLASS Award ranks among the highest honors a college player can receive.

“As a senior, to me, there are probably two recognitions that you can really look at nationally that are ones that we really value,”  Stevens said. “That’s being named one of the Senior CLASS finalists because of all that it entails when it considers and takes into account character and community service, and certainly academic achievement and achievement on the court.”

This is the third consecutive season a Butler player has been a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.

Smith joins former Bulldogs Howard—a finalist in 2011—and Ronald Nored (2012) as finalists for the award.

“It means a lot to me to be in the same category as them as far as this award, and I’m glad to be able to represent Butler and this team,” Smith said.

Stevens said it has not been tough to bring in players that are just as talented academically as they are athletically.

“I don’t think that’s the difficult part,” Stevens said. “These guys are ambitious guys. They want to do well on and off the court.
“Andrew’s always been a good student and certainly has really found his niche in the School of Business and what he wants to do after school is over and after his playing career is over.”

Voting is underway, and fans can vote on the Senior CLASS Award website or the Senior CLASS Award Facebook page until March 25.

Fan voting makes up one-third of the total vote.  NCAA Division I coaches and national media account for the remaining two-thirds.

The winner of the Senior CLASS Award will be revealed at this year’s Final Four in Atlanta in April.

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 phrase “signature victory” is thrown around quite a bit in college basketball.

In NCAA Division I men’s basketball, a team generally needs at least one in a season to garner consideration for the 68-team championship tournament field.

The phrase basically refers to a win over an opponent that was either an upset or very difficult to attain. Such a win shows a team’s mettle and proves it belongs with the proverbial ‘big dogs’.

Unsurprisingly, the term has popped up quite a bit since the 2006-07 season when pundits mentioned the Butler men’s basketball team.

This season’s Bulldogs have seen the term applied to at least one of their victories so far.

As Butler coach Brad Stevens has done each season since becoming head coach, the Bulldogs were peppered with a tough non-conference schedule, one that could reward Butler with some

Collegian File Photo

signature wins in exchange for strong play.

Butler did not show up against Xavier in November in what was their only true bad loss so far.

Following that game, the Bulldogs slipped past now-No. 25 Marquette, suffocated then-No. 9 North Carolina and were clipped by current No. 23 Illinois.

Some might consider the contest against the Tar Heels a signature win, but UNC has shown that it really is not a great team, at least not yet.

I think Butler would beat Marquette more convincingly given another matchup, and Illinois has been inconsistent as of late, proving those aren’t really signature victories either.

Four games and four victories after the Illinois loss, Butler had a chance for its first true signature win this season.

The game against then-No. 1 Indiana on Dec. 15 screamed signature win if Butler could get it done.

And the Bulldogs did.

Butler was ranked No. 19 in the nation after the heartstopping overtime win. The Bulldogs were victorious in the remainder of their games heading into Atlantic 10 Conference play for the first time.

At this point, some may be asking: are these “signature victories” really that important in the grand scheme of a season?

If Butler loses to Indiana and everything else remains the same, you have a 14-3 team that still recorded strong victories against UNC, Marquette, Northwestern and three above-.500 teams in the A-10.

If the Bulldogs continue to be strong in A-10 action, finish with four, five or six losses, they’re still set up for a solid tournament seed, right?

Let’s take a look back at Stevens’ last year as a Butler assistant coach and first season as the man at the helm.

Butler was part of the Horizon League prior to this season. Not exactly a NCAA men’s basketball champion-producing league.

Signature victories were needed consistently by Butler’s squads in order to secure a stronger position in the NCAA championship tournament.

During the 2006-07 season, Butler defeated a 24-11 Tennessee team that made the Sweet 16 and was nationally ranked when it faced Butler, a 24-7 Notre Dame squad, a 22-11 Indiana squad and a 23-10 Gonzaga team.

The result: a No. 5 seed and a trip to the Sweet 16.

The 2007-08 season saw Butler face typically strong programs facing down seasons, including a four-game stretch against Michigan, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech and Ohio State.

The Bulldogs finished 29-3 in the regular season, better than the previous season’s 27-6 record.

The 2006-07 squad earned a No. 5 seed without winning the Horizon League tournament.

The 2007-08 team won that same tournament, won more games overall and garnered a No. 7 seed.

The message: signature wins matter.

Now let’s get back to this season’s team.

The A-10 is a solid conference overall. Seven of the 16 teams have no more than four losses against at least 12 victories. Xavier is not included in those seven but is one of four teams to start 3-0 in league play.

The other three are Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and Charlotte. VCU is No. 22 in the nation right now at 14-3, and Charlotte is 15-2 against a relatively unimpressive non-conference schedule and three A-10 foes.

Butler plays VCU once in the regular season, barring a conference tournament matchup. While a victory in that contest for Butler could be considered a signature win, it is now a game the Bulldogs will be part of each year for the foreseeable future.

In-conference victories don’t tend to be signature unless it’s the last-place team toppling the first-place one.

So it would seem Butler will have to make do with the signature win(s) it has, since A-10 play is well underway.

However, there is one not so small matter remaining:

No. 13 Butler still has a non-conference opponent to face this regular season. The game will take place tomorrow at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

It’s against No. 8 Gonzaga.

If it’s even possible, the stage might be set for an even more momentous Butler signature victory this weekend.

Let’s start with the uncontrollable factors.

Gonzaga, like Butler, has been a very strong mid-major program in recent years. These Bulldogs are rolling along much like Butler’s.

In fact, both teams’ last loss was to Illinois, although the Zags fell at home and Butler on a neutral court.

Scheduling Gonzaga in the midst of conference play is a test for any team. For Butler, add on that this is its first season in the A-10, and the level of risk rises.

Also, being ranked eighth nationally is obviously a bit stronger than being ranked 13th.

Even with Gonzaga being the travelling squad, this is clearly a signature victory opportunity for Butler.

There is one more crucial detail to bring to light, however.

Butler senior guard Rotnei Clarke is not expected to play in the game with a neck injury.

Photo by Heather Iwinski

He is the team’s leading point scorer and one of its best—if not the best—offensive playmaker.

He’s mobile, agile and can free up space for a 3-point shot from out of nowhere.

His effect on any Butler game cannot and should not be understated.

In the 16 games that Clarke has played in this season, he has scored more than 10 points 12 times. He led or was tied for the team lead in scoring in 10 of those games.

Butler is shooting 47.4 percent from the field in the 12 games mentioned just before.

In the four games Clarke scored less than 10 points, including the five in his injury-shortened Dayton outing, that percentage drops to 44.8.

Against Richmond Wednesday, the Bulldog churned out a motley 37.5 percent performance from the field. Butler’s stingy defense more than made up for this.

That might not work so well against Gonzaga.

Butler rebounds slightly better than Gonzaga (94th nationally versus 109th), but the Zags are a far better shooting squad than Richmond.

They are eighth in the nation in points per contest and the second best shooting team, percentage-wise.

Making matters more difficult, Gonzaga has allowed more than 70 points in a game just four times this year.

Butler can continue to work the shutdown defensive strategy that led to a victory over Richmond, but the Bulldogs will need to play far better offensively than they did Wednesday to grab win number 16.

The addition of Clarke to Saturday’s lineup would go a long way toward that.

But that is not one of the cards Butler has been dealt.

So we come back to signature victories.

Many key statistics and facts suggest Gonzaga should pull this game out.

Of course, Stevens and his Bulldogs have never really cared about what the statistics and facts suggest.

And that’s how season-changing games—signature wins—are created.

This is a chance for Butler to show it has enough pieces to stop a Top 10 team despite its sidelined leading scorer.

This is a chance for Butler to prove to the nation—and specifically the A-10—that teams should be very afraid to come to Hinkle Fieldhouse.

This is a chance for Butler to display its mettle on an ESPN telecast and to give those who make the NCAA tournament bracket a heck of a lot to think about in March.

Clarke is expected to be back for the Bulldogs next week. For now, however, Butler has an opportunity to prove it can live—and even thrive—without him.

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.”

The Butler men’s basketball team will take on No. 1 Indiana University Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Follow Collegian managing editor Colin Likas and associate multimedia editor Matt Rhinesmith Saturday as they blog live from the event. They will provide in-game updates and analysis on the action. The blog link is below, and coverage will begin at 1 p.m. The game starts at 2 p.m.

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The game is the first of two in the second Crossroads Classic. Purdue and No. 22 Notre Dame will play at 4:30.

For more in-game updates on Saturday, follow @BUSportsWriters on Twitter.