The magic of Butler University exists on and off the court, and that is why this school is special.

I did not find out about Butler, nor did I apply here, because of basketball fame.  The university sent me a letter, and my mother pushed me to look into the school.

I fell in love with Butler not because of what I saw at Hinkle Fieldhouse but because of what I saw in the campus as a whole.

If the Butler men’s basketball team does not find a way into the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, everything will be OK.

There is much to look forward to next season, and there is, after all, more to this school than what happens at Hinkle.

After wins against Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Loyola of Chicago and Indiana State, the Bulldogs seem to have their February mojo working in full force.

But is it too late?  I believe so.

The team has struggled with consistency for much of the season, losing games to Evansville, Valparaiso and Ball State, as well as a pair against Detroit.

After last night’s victory over Illinois-Chicago, a victory against Valparaiso on Friday would give the team a 19-12 record in the regular season.

Hopefully that can propel the team to one of the top two seeds in the Horizon League tournament.

The Bulldogs will then need to win the conference tournament to have a hope of returning to March Madness. I do not see that happening.

Despite what happens with the remainder of this season, the program has a bright future.

Coach Brad Stevens has one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters in senior transfer Rotnei Clarke, who will play his final year of eligibility for the Bulldogs next season.

Stevens also has a solid recruiting class, staring 6-foot-5 shooting guard Kellen Dunham, coming to campus next season.

I expect that these two will provide effective outside shooting—something that the team has been lacking this season.

More than anything that will be seen in Hinkle over the next few years, I find comfort in the fact that even without the two deep runs in the tournament, Butler would still be the fantastic school it is today.

Butler students are blessed to attend such an amazing school.  While the school has garnered fame from basketball, but without a good background, it would not mean much.

The Butler men’s soccer team broke a four-game losing streak with a non-conference victory over Evansville Saturday at Arad McCutchan Stadium.

The 1-0 victory over the Purple Aces (5-7-1) also broke a scoreless streak for the Bulldogs (6-6-2, 1-2-1) that lasted for more than 400 minutes.

Photo by Maria Porter

Sophomore forward Austin Oldham fired the ball past Evansville freshman goalkeeper Eric Teppen in the 36th minute.

The goal was Oldham’s team-leading sixth and his second game-winning goal of the season.

Photo by Maria Porter

Junior defenseman Jordan Burt picked up the assist on the play after feeding Oldham the ball across the pitch.

“It was a total team effort,” coach Paul Snape said of the scoring play.

The start of the match was consistent with the past three weeks for the Bulldogs, with the Purple Aces out-shooting them 8-4.

The turning point of the match was Oldham’s goal, which seemed to ignite Butler on both sides of the ball.

“We had four or five opportunities to put more in the back of the net,” Snape said.

In the second half, the Bulldogs out-shot the Purple Aces 8-2 and held them to a single shot on goal.

Overall, the Bulldogs out-shot Evansville 13-11 and held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.

Burt led a strong offensive attack for the Bulldogs with three shots on goal. Oldham added two shots on goal.

Justin Sass, a junior defenseman who transferred  from Evansville to Butler prior to the start of the season, turned in a strong performance against his old team with two shots on goal.

Butler sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson quietly turned in a solid effort, recording six saves en route to the third shutout of his career.

The Bulldogs will take on Horizon League opponent Cleveland State tonight at the Butler Bowl at 7 p.m.

The match will be the biggest of Butler’s season thus far, with the Bulldogs looking to get in the conference tournament picture.

Six teams qualify for the Horizon League Tournament at the end of the regular season. Butler is currently in seventh place, holding a similar record as Illinois-Chicago in league play.

The Vikings (6-8-1, 3-2-1) currently hold third place in the league.