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

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.”

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.”

Butler will play its second and final exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis Saturday.

The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 27-12. The Greyhounds won the last meeting between the squads 74-72 in 1988.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Butler started its 2012-13 campaign with a 62-40 win over Marian in an exhibition game at Hinkle Fieldhouse last Saturday.

Sophomore forward Khyle Marshall and freshman guard Kellen Dunham led the Bulldogs with 12 points apiece.

Dunham scored all 12 of his points on four second-half 3-pointers, shooting four of six from beyond the arc overall.

The first half was rough for the Bulldogs, who shot 37.5 percent from the field. Despite this, Butler held a 25-20 lead at halftime.

The Bulldogs started the second half on a 16-2 run after finding their 3-point stroke.

Butler attempted 12 shots from long distance in the final 20 minutes and hit eight of them. The Bulldogs outscored the Knights 37-20 in the second half to pull away.

“I thought we had good action, and I thought we did our job in that second half on some of those actions,” coach Brad Stevens said.

Senior guard Chase Stigall, who started for Butler and finished with six points, said this year’s lineup is more balanced with the additions of Dunham and senior Rotnei Clarke.

“It takes pressure off one certain guy,” Stigall said. “The defense can’t focus strictly on one person.

“It’s nice to know that as soon as heads turn, they’re looking at one guy, they’re looking at Rotnei, they’re looking at me, they’re looking at Andy (Smeathers). The other three on the court are capable of making shots anytime.”

Saturday’s game saw the return of former Butler coach Todd Lickliter to Hinkle. Lickliter is in his first season coaching at Marian. He spent six seasons at Butler from 2001 to 2007 before leaving to take a coaching job at the University of Iowa.

The Butler men’s basketball team will be facing Atlantic 10 Conference competition for the first time this season without junior guard Chrishawn Hopkins.

Hopkins, who was dismissed from the team on Wednesday, Sept. 12, was expected to grow into more of a leadership role and be a force on the court for the Bulldogs this season.

With the loss of Hopkins, Butler loses a starter from last year’s squad.

The shooting guard played in all 37 contests last season, starting 24 of them. He averaged 9.1 points per game, good enough for third on the team.

The question now is: where does Butler go from here?

If this year’s team could afford to lose a player at any position, it would be in the backcourt. The 2012-13 version of the Bulldogs features plenty of backcourt depth. Stevens now will have an easier time giving players the minutes they need to improve.

Senior transfer Rotnei Clarke is already penciled in as the starter at point guard, replacing Ronald Nored. Hopkins probably would have started at the shooting guard position, but that spot is now vacant.

A platoon of players will step into that role for the team this season.

Sophomore guard Jackson Aldridge figures to play a more prominent role in the season. His playing time decreased down the stretch last season, but he should see some minutes early on.

Senior Chase Stigall and sophomores Elliott Kampen and Alex Barlow could also fight for time.

Stigall is a reliable defender and also is very familiar with Stevens’ offensive and defensive systems, having played in them for three years.

Kampen and Barlow, both walk-ons last season, saw important minutes down the stretch last year, leading me to believe that Stevens trusts them in important situations.

Butler’s three newcomers, Kellen Dunham, Devontae Morgan and Chris Harrison-Docks, all could see time at Hopkins’ position as well.

The 6’6” Dunham might see the most. While only a freshman, he proved himself a good shooter in his high school career.

Pair Dunham’s shooting skills with those of Clarke, and Butler could light up some Atlantic 10 scoreboards this season.

However, Dunham will need to show he is a capable defender as well, something not easily learned in Stevens’ complex system.

The rest of the starting lineup seems fairly predictable.

Senior Andrew Smith will anchor the Bulldogs in the paint.

Junior Khyle Marshall will bring athleticism to court, something the team will be lacking with the loss of Hopkins, and sophomore Roosevelt Jones looks to build off a strong freshman season.

Jones has an interesting skill set. While not the best shooter, he proved last year that he has the strength and stamina to play in the paint, as well as the athleticism and ball-handling skills to run the offense from time to time.

Whichever direction Stevens and the team decide to go, replacing Hopkins will not be easy, especially when joining one of the best college basketball conferences in the country this season.

Some might think the team will play better without Hopkins. They may say that the junior never truly fit into the offensive system the team was trying to run.

But that ability to create shots for himself was what made him so valuable to the program.

Though there’s still a month until practice officially starts, the Butler basketball team is making headlines.

As the spring sports season begins to wind down, many teams are already beginning to prepare for their next season.

The football team had its annual blue and white scrimmage, the men’s soccer team had its spring exhibition matches, and five teams have announced additions to their rosters for next year.

Let’s take a look forward and see how some of Butler’s teams will be changing for the 2012-13 school year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team finished the 2011-12 season with a 22-15 record, averaging 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were ranked eighth and 10th in the Horizon League in those categories, respectively.

The team has a chance to improve with the additions of senior guard and transfer Rotnei Clarke and incoming freshman guard Kellen Dunham.

In three seasons at Arkansas, Clarke averaged more than 15 points per game and shot nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.

Dunham averaged more than 29 points during his senior season at Pendleton Heights High School.

The Bulldogs will also be adding guard Devontae Morgan from Tampa, Fla., and guard Chris Harrison-Docks from Okemos, Mich.

Morgan led his high school team to a state championship last season, averaging more than 15 points and six rebounds per game.

Harrison-Docks averaged 21 points and five steals per game in his senior season.

The team will lose only two players—guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

Butler will have to make up for the loss of Nored’s defensive prowess, as well as the experience and leadership provided by the pair.

Clarke and seniors Emerson Kampen, Chase Stigall and Andrew Smith will likely be asked to step up and fill those roles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team concluded its 2011-12 season with a 13-17 record and said goodbye to two senior guards—Devin Brierly and Kaley May.

Brierly was the only Bulldog to start in all 30 of the team’s games. She recorded more than 32 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 11 points per game.

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm is the only returning player to average more than 10 points per game last season.

Hamm will be joined by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, freshman forward Hayley Howard and freshman guard Hannah Douglas, who all played key roles on the team last season.

Butler will also be adding four incoming freshman—forward Katie Brewer from Indianapolis, guard Blaire Langlois from Carmel, guard Lexus Murry from Indianapolis and forward-center Olivia Wrencher from West Chester, Ohio.

Brewer is a versatile player who has the ability to knock down three-pointers and battle down low.

Langlois has deep range on her jump shot but also has the ability to make plays with her passing.

Murry averaged more than 22 points per game during her senior season and can also be effective on the defensive end, where she averaged 3.5 steals per game.

Wrencher will bring size to the Bulldogs that will complement the play of Hamm and Howard under the basket.

SOFTBALL

The softball team will lose seven seniors at the conclusion of its current season, including four-year starting outfielder and third baseman Lauren McNulty, Butler’s home run record-holding first baseman Erin Falkenberry and catcher Mallory Winters.

Despite this, coach Scott Hall has five incoming players who could make an immediate impact on the program.

Alex Kotter, a shortstop from Vincennes Lincoln High School, had a .615 career batting average and was an Indiana first team All-State pick.

Chelsea Conover, an outfielder from Brownsburg, led her high school team in stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage for three years.

Audrey East is a utility player from New Palestine High School. East is one of the best power hitters in Indiana and boasted a .902 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 47 RBIs last season.

Taylor Lockwood, a pitcher from Southport High School, has good control and will be a solid addition to the pitching staff.

The same could be said for Kristin Gutierrez, a left-handed power pitcher from Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado.

Gutierrez, a 2011 Triple Crown All-American honoree, is a dual threat with her pitching and hitting. She led her conference with 127 strikeouts and recorded a .542 batting average.

The success of the pitching recruits could be key with the loss of senior pitcher Breanna Fisher and injuries to junior pitcher Jenny Esparza this season.

BASEBALL

The baseball team will add four players who could have an immediate impact next season.

Nick Bartolone is a left-handed outfielder from Harrison High School. Coach Steve Farley said he expects Bartolone to compete for position in the outfield next year.

Chris Marras, a catcher from Vernon Hills, Ill., will get the chance to work with two fifth-year senior catchers, Radley Haddad and Nick Hladek.

Nick Saldutti is a power-hitting first baseman from Westfield High School. He hit .477 with a .571 on-base percentage in his junior season.

Drew Small is a utility player from Zionsville. He was an All-State honorable mention.

His versatility and speed will help him compete for a spot in the outfield, especially with the loss of senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit.

The Bulldogs will also lose pitchers Dom Silvestri, Mike Hernandez, Brad Schnitzer, Brian Padove and Ryan Salvino, as well as senior infielder Griffin Richeson.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team is returning eight players who played in at least 50 sets last year and lost only one senior in Maureen Bamiro.

Bamiro, a former middle blocker, finished with the second-best attack percentage in Butler history and sixth all-time in kills and kills per set.

Last season, she was voted All-Horizon League.

The Bulldogs will return sophomore middle blocker Maggie Harbison, who will likely be a key contributor after being voted All-Horizon League last season.

Butler will also add two transfer students.

Freshman Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be an addition to the middle blocker position.

Stahl only has four sets of collegiate experience under her belt but was named among the top high school volleyball players by the Under Armour Watch list in 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Peterson, a setter from Middle Tennessee State, will have two years of eligibility with the Bulldogs.

She averaged 8.58 assists and 1.41 digs per set last season.

The Butler men’s basketball team opened the first round of the College Basketball Invitational with a 75-58 victory over Delaware on March 14.

The Bulldogs (21-14) received double-digit points from four players. Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins led the way with 19 points and five rebounds.

Junior center Andrew Smith (17 points, seven rebounds), senior guard Ronald Nored (12 points) and junior guard Chase Stigall (10 points) also finished in double figures.

For the Blue Hens (18-14), freshman guard Jarvis Threatt scored 31 points and tallied four steals off the bench.

With the win, Butler advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 16-team tournament. The Bulldogs will face off against Penn Monday at 8 p.m.

The Butler men’s basketball team pushed its winning streak to three games with a win over Horizon League opponent Loyola of Chicago Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (12-9, 6-3) beat the Ramblers (5-15, 0-9) 63-57 to end a pivotal conference road trip that began with a 57-49 Butler victory over Illinois-Chicago earlier in the week.

Against Loyola, Butler looked to senior point guard and defensive leader Ronald Nored for a strong performance.

“Down the stretch, Loyola played really well, and I played with poise and toughness,” Nored said.

Nored did not disappoint, finishing one assist shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine assists.

The nine assists marked a career-best for Nored.

“I felt like Ron was the best player on the floor,” coach Brad Stevens said.

Butler’s big men were also key in the victory, as sophomore forward Khyle Marshall and junior center Andrew Smith scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Marshall shot 6-of-7 from the floor in the second half to erase a scoreless opening half.

“Instead of getting frustrated about it, I focused on the second half,” Marshall said.

Photo by Taylor Cox

Smith also collected 13 rebounds, giving him his third double-double of the season.

The Bulldogs went into halftime with a 25-23 lead, but they would fall into a 28-28 tie two and a half minutes into the second half.

At that point, Butler went on a 7-1 run to take the lead.

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins and freshman forward Kameron Woods hit field goals and junior guard Chase Stigall added a 3-point basket to fuel the run.

Following the surge, the Bulldogs would hold off the Ramblers the rest of the way and pick up the victory.

Loyola was led by senior forward Walt Gibler and freshman guard Joe Crisman with 14 points each.

In addition to having three players finish with double-digit points, Butler received 12 points off the bench from the duo of Hopkins and Woods.

The Bulldogs also shot 68.2 percent from the free-throw line, with Nored making all eight of his attempts.

The showing improved Butler’s team percentage from the free throw line to 62.0 percent.

The Bulldogs also had a strong performance defensively, recording nine blocks and five steals.

In the first game of the Chicago trip, Butler defeated UIC 57-49 behind a strong performance from freshman forward Roosevelt Jones.

Jones finished with 16 points and five rebounds before fouling out of the game.

Nored was the only other Bulldog in double figures, with 10 points and seven assists.

Despite shooting just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, Butler got two triples from Woods, who came off the bench and finished with eight points.

The Flames (6-12, 2-6) pulled to within four points with 41 seconds remaining, but the Bulldogs hung on to grab a conference victory.

“You just have to play,” Stevens said. “[The Flames] did just that and fought through to the end of the game.”

Freshman guard Marc Brown and junior guard Gary Talton scored 11 points each to lead UIC.

Butler will move on from the Chicago trip and head to Wisconsin this week.

The Bulldogs will take on Wisconsin-Milwaukee (13-8, 6-3) Thursday before facing Green Bay (7-12, 3-6) Saturday.

Cleveland State coach Gary Waters said his team needed an act of God to help it win in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Vikings entered Friday’s Horizon League showdown just 2-17 all-time on the home floor of Butler’s men’s basketball team.

Waters got what he wanted.

Behind 18 points from senior point guard Jeremy Montgomery, Cleveland State used strong defense and rebounding to hold off a late Bulldogs rally.

Cleveland State won 76-69.

The Vikings (15-3, 5-1) won for the 10^th time in their last 12 games.  Using four seniors in the starting lineup, Cleveland State knocked off a younger version of the Bulldogs, who had won five straight in the series.

“They’re very old,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “That maturity played out well.”

Butler (9-9, 3-3) lost its second consecutive game, still struggling to find answers with a new-look roster.

“You don’t have Matt Howard, it’s a whole different ballgame,” Waters said, referring to the former Butler star who graduated last May.

Junior center Andrew Smith scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, with senior point guard Ronald Nored and junior guard Chase Stigall each contributing 12.

A season-long ailment, foul shooting, troubled Butler once again.  The Bulldogs missed 17 free throws despite attempting a season-high 42.  They entered the night ranked 325^th in free-throw percentage (60.8) out of 344 Division I teams.

“Everybody’s talking to them about it,” Stevens said. “You’ve got to dig deep, take a deep breath. It’s just you and the basket.”

Butler trailed 64-54 with 4:31 remaining.  The closest the Bulldogs came to evening the score was a banked-in 3 by Nored that made it 72-69 with 20 seconds to go.

Senior guard Trevon Harmon, who finished with 12 points, subsequently connected on two foul shots to give the Vikings a five-point lead and put the game out of reach.

Butler struggled from the field (40.5 percent), was outrebounded 31-24 and was outscored 28-12 in the paint.

“They physically outdid us inside the 3-point line,” Stevens said.

The Vikings put Butler in a big hole early. Freshman forward Anton Grady’s putback gave Cleveland State a 20-4 lead with just more than seven minutes gone by in the first half.

The Bulldogs gradually fought back by hitting six 3’s. Smith nailed the last of those, a shot from the top of the key to bring Butler within 35-33 at halftime.

Much of the Bulldogs’ early offense centered upon jump shots, perhaps a result of Waters’ defensive plan to stop Smith in the post.

“We were swarming that basketball, making them kick it out,” Waters said.

Cleveland State played a physical brand of defense.  The Vikings were whistled for 15 fouls in the first half, then committed nine more fouls in the first nine minutes of the second.

Peeved at the disparity, however, Waters yelled at an official standing at his side, earning a technical foul.

“Those guys will try to punch and fight and scratch,” Montgomery said. “We wanted to punch back.”

Butler felt the brunt of two fouls labeled Flagrant 1’s.  The second was particularly rough and sent sophomore forward Kyle Marshall sprawling to the floor with 7:04 to play after a midair collision with Harmon.

Stevens started Marshall for the first time since Nov. 23. Marshall added 11 points and blocked two shots.

The Vikings frequently made use of the dribble in this one, driving past Butler’s defenders to shoot 48.1 percent.

Cleveland State’s bigs did much of the damage.  Junior forward Tim Kamczyc had 17 points, senior center Aaron Pogue had eight, and Grady finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

But it was Montgomery who carried the day, scoring 16 points after halftime.

“We did a great job in the first half,” Nored said. “If you let your guard down for just a second, he’s that kind of player.”

Butler recovered from a 16-point deficit to lead 41-40 with 16:27 to play.  The Bulldogs lost that lead on the next possession and trailed the rest of the way as Montgomery got hot.

“We’ve got to play better,” Nored said. “We have to start [games] better. It’s obvious how good this league is.”

One positive for the Bulldogs was their improved ball movement.  Butler assisted on 14 of its 17 field goals, including a pretty lob from sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins to Marshall for a soaring dunk.

But another loss, coupled with the sounds of a red-hot Cleveland State team joyously shouting through the hallways of Hinkle, have left doubt as to whether Butler can win the league tournament for a third consecutive season.

“That was an unbelievable two years,” Waters said. “The intensity and how hard [the 2011-’12 team] played [Friday] was similar. Brad’s going to get them going, no question in my mind.”

Butler next plays Sunday at home against Youngstown State.  Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

FROM BLOOMINGTON–

Butler men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens’ jacket was gone midway through the second half of yesterday’s game against Indiana.

With it went Butler’s chances to win in Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers (6-0) defeated the Bulldogs (3-3) 75-59 Sunday night in the finale of the Hoosier Invitational.  It was the first matchup between the schools since Nov. 14, 2006.

The final score did not reflect a game that was close throughout.

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins led the Bulldogs with 19 points and sophomore forward Khyle Marshall scored 16.

No other Butler player had more than six as the team shot just 38.2 percent.

“I’m not big on losing,” Stevens said. “I know what type of team we have. We’ve got to do a better job.”

Indiana remained undefeated and has won each of its games by at least 16 points. Butler fell to .500 and trailed at halftime for the fourth consecutive contest.

Stevens said the raucous atmosphere in Bloomington was tough on the Bulldogs, and it showed in the statistics.

Butler turned the ball over 19 times, many on errant passes. Hopkins had a team-high seven turnovers and no assists.

“I needed to be tougher with the ball,” Hopkins said. “I didn’t do that.”

Sophomore forward Will Sheehey led the Hoosiers with a career-high 21 points. Freshman center Cody Zeller finished with 16, junior guard Jordan Hulls added 14 and sophomore guard Victor Oladipo had 10 for Indiana.

Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said it meant a lot to beat the Bulldogs.

“There’s no question why they win,” he said. “They’re well-coached, and they’re battlers.”

The Hoosiers scored the game’s first six points but neither team led by more than six until Indiana went ahead 44-37 with 11:10 to play.

At that point Crean used a big lineup to try to stay in front. He inserted Zeller, a center, as well as senior Tom Pritchard and junior Christian Watford, two power forwards.

Stevens countered with Marshall and junior center Andrew Smith.  This left the 6-foot-3 Chase Stigall on the 6-9 Watford, creating a mismatch that would result in points for the Hoosiers.

With 9:27 to go, Stevens summoned his team to the bench for the second time in less than a minute.

“We did not sustain,” Stevens said. “Does that mean we would have won? No, but you’ve got to sustain discipline.”

The anticipated duel of Smith and Zeller, a matchup of 6-11 centers, did not materialize.

Smith entered the game leading Butler in scoring with a 12.6 average. He finished with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Crean said Zeller did “an excellent job” guarding Smith.

Despite corralling eight offensive boards and holding the Hoosiers to 32 percent shooting in the opening half, Butler was behind 31-28 at intermission.

During the first half, Hopkins scored 11 of Butler’s 13 points in a five-minute stretch.  The last of those came on a crossover on the right wing. The crowd groaned as Hopkins sunk a long jumper.

Butler suffered when Hopkins cooled off in the second half.

“We did a better job staying with him,” Crean said. “They do a great job sending him off screens, and awareness was a key.”

Oladipo guarded Hopkins in the first half.  After the break, Butler’s emerging guard was checked by Sheehey, who made an adjustment.

“We were giving him too much room,” Sheehey said. “He could take a dribble or give a jab step. We played tighter.”

Marshall was also strong in the first half, recording a pair of dunks. One was a two-hand jam on a fastbreak, while the second was set up by a pass from freshman guard Jackson Aldridge.

Marshall did not start, however, as Stevens opted for seldom-used senior forward Garrett Butcher, a native of nearby Ellettsville.

Butcher did not score but responded with plenty of hustle, recording five offensive rebounds.

There were four ties and eight lead changes in a first half dominated by defense.

The game’s turning point came after Marshall slipped to the basket, hit a floater in the lane and was fouled seven minutes into the second half. He completed the three-point play to draw the Bulldogs within 38-35.

That’s when the Hoosiers broke loose.

Sheehey had six points and a steal in Indiana’s ensuing 13-4 run that caused Stevens to toss aside some clothing.

“We need to play 40-minute games,” Hopkins said, “not three-quarters of a game.”

Senior guard Verdell Jones made two free throws with 4:20 left for his only points. Still, the points triggered an 8-0 run by Indiana to put the game out of reach.

The victory over Butler was important to the players in cream and crimson.

“They’re a great team,” Hulls said. “It’s an in-state rivalry game. That’s a big thing trying to claim the state.”

The young Bulldogs got the chance to play in an arena sporting five championship banners and Stevens got to face the team he rooted for growing up for the first time as a head coach.

“I hope they have a great year,” he said. “It doesn’t get any easier for us from here on out.”

Butler next plays at home Tuesday against Oakland City.