Butler Bulldogs men's basketball

Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
2025–26 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
University	Butler University
First season	1896–97; 130 years ago
Athletic director	Grant Leiendecker
Head coach	Ronald Nored 1st season, 0–0 (–)
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Arena	Hinkle Fieldhouse (capacity: 9,100)
NCAA division	Division I
Conference	Big East
Nickname	Bulldogs
Colors	Blue and white
Student section	Dawg Pound
All-time record	1706–1256 (.576)
NCAA tournament record	24–16 (.600)
NCAA Division I tournament runner-up
2010, 2011
Other NCAA Division I tournament results Final Four 2010, 2011 Elite Eight 2010, 2011 Sweet Sixteen 1962, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017 Appearances 1962, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Conference tournament champions
Horizon League: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011
Conference regular-season champions
MVC: 1933, 1934 MAC: 1947 ICC: 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1978, Horizon League: 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
AAU Tournament National Champions
1923–24
Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia National Champions
1928–29
Uniforms
Home Away
Note

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

History

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

Despite having played in a mid-major conference, Butler rose to national prominence in the late 1990s. They ranked in most media polls for all but a few weeks from the 2006–07 season to the 2011–12 season, and competed in the postseason every year since 1997, except for 2004, 2005, and 2014. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, Butler was the National runner-up to Duke, advancing to the National Championship Game after defeating Michigan State in the Final Four. With a total enrollment of only 4,500 students, Butler is the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Bulldogs also went to the championship game in the following NCAA tournament, falling to UConn after defeating VCU in the Final Four. With the victory over VCU, Butler became the first mid-major program to reach the championship game in successive seasons since 1979, when seeding of the tournament began, and the only team from the state of Indiana to reach back-to-back championship games. The Bulldogs won the National Championship Tournament in 1924 and were crowned National Champions by the Veterans Athletes of Philadelphia in 1929, though it was before March Madness, so it does not count for NCAA records.

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

Basketball community

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

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

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

Postseason

1929 national championship trophy awarded to Butler by the Veteran Athletes of Philadelphia

NCAA tournament results

The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 24–16.

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

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

NIT results

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

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

CBI results

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

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

CBC results

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

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

Professional players

Bulldogs in the NBA

All-time NBA/ABA players

NBA & ABA players who attended Butler University

Player	NBA Draft	Years	Career Highlights and Awards
Jerry Steiner	1940 No NBA	1945–47
Bob Evans	1949 Round 4	1949–50
Ralph O'Brien	1950 Round 6 Pick 68	1950–53
Billy Shepherd	1972 Undrafted	1972–75
Gordon Hayward	2010 Round 1 Pick 9	2010–24	NBA All-Star (2017)
Shelvin Mack	2011 Round 2 Pick 34	2011–19
Kelan Martin	2018 Undrafted	2019–22
Sean McDermott	2020 Undrafted	2020–21

Bulldogs in the NBA G-League

Draft Year	Player	Pos.	Team	NBA Affiliate
2026	Michael Ajayi	PF	Greensboro Swarm	Hornets
2025	Jahmyl Telfort	SF	San Diego Clippers	Clippers
2020	Sean McDermott	SF	Valley Suns	Suns

Bulldogs in international leagues

Current players overseas

Draft Year	Player	Pos.	Team	Country
2025	Patrick McCaffery	PF	CS Vâlcea 1924
2025	Pierre Brooks II	SF	Tecnoswitch Ruvo Di Puglia
2025	Andre Screen	C	Kapfenberg Bulls
2022	Bryce Nze	PF	Dinamo Sassari
2022	Bo Hodges	SF	Uni Baskets Münster
2022	Christian David	SF	Blackwater Bossing
2020	Kamar Baldwin	PG	Bayern Munich
2020	Jordan Tucker	SF	Promitheas Patras
2019	Paul Jorgensen	PG	Básquet Coruña
2018	Kelan Martin	SF	UCAM Murcia CB
2018	Tyler Wideman	PF	Nuova Pallacanestro Vigevano 1955

All-time players overseas

The following former Butler Bulldogs have played professionally in leagues outside of the United States.

• Jermaine Guice
• Thomas Jackson
• Ryan Hainje
• Brandon Polk
• A.J. Graves
• Mike Green
• Matt Howard
• Shelvin Mack
• Rotnei Clarke

Coaching history

Coach	Years	Win–loss	Win %	Conference titles	NCAA Tourn. appearances
Harlan Page	1920–1926	98–36	.731	0
Tony Hinkle	1926–1942; 1945–1970	560–392	.588	6	1
Frank Hedden	1942–1945	18–15	.545	0
George Theofanis	1970–1977	79–105	.429	2
Joe Sexson	1977–1989	143–188	.432	1
Barry Collier	1989–2000	196–132	.598	2	3
Thad Matta	2000–2001; 2022–2026	87–77	.530	1	1
Todd Lickliter	2001–2007	131–61	.682	3	2
Brad Stevens	2007–2013	166–49	.772	4	5
Brandon Miller	2013–2014	14–17	.452	0
Chris Holtmann	2014–2017	70–31	.693	0	3
LaVall Jordan	2017–2022	83–74	.529	0	1
Ronald Nored	2026–present	0–0	.000	0	0

Awards and honors

Hall of Fame inductees

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

• Harlan Page (Coach) – 1962
• Tony Hinkle (Coach) – 1965

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

• Tony Hinkle (Coach) – 2006
• Harlan Page (Coach) – 2006

Individual coaching honors

National Coach of the Year 2007 Todd Lickliter NABC

Conference Coach of the Year 1956 Tony Hinkle Indiana Collegiate 1961 Tony Hinkle Indiana Collegiate 1962 Tony Hinkle Indiana Collegiate 1973 George Theofanis Indiana Collegiate 1977 George Theofanis Indiana Collegiate 1978 Joe Sexson Indiana Collegiate 1984 Joe Sexson Horizon League 1991 Barry Collier Horizon League 1997 Barry Collier Horizon League 1999 Barry Collier Horizon League 2000 Barry Collier Horizon League 2001 Thad Matta Horizon League 2005 Todd Lickliter Horizon League 2007 Todd Lickliter Horizon League 2009 Brad Stevens Horizon League 2010 Brad Stevens Horizon League 2017 Chris Holtmann Big East

Individual Player honors

National Player of the Year 2003 Brandon Miller Guard Chip Hilton Award 2008 Mike Green Guard Chip Hilton Award, Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award 2010 Matt Howard Forward Elite 88 Award 2011 Matt Howard Forward Academic All-American of the Year, Elite 88 Award 2015 Alex Barlow Guard Senior CLASS Award

Conference Player of the Year 1949 Ralph "Buckshot" O'Brien Mid-American Conference 1962 Tom Bowman Indiana Collegiate Conference 1977 Wayne Burris Indiana Collegiate Conference 1978 Tom Orner Indiana Collegiate Conference 1991 Darin Archbold Horizon League 1997 Jon Neuhouser Horizon League 2002 Rylan Hainje Horizon League 2006 Brandon Polk Horizon League 2008 Mike Green Horizon League 2009 Matt Howard Horizon League 2010 Gordon Hayward Horizon League

Conference Individual Awards 2014 Alex Barlow Guard Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2015 Alex Barlow Guard Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Big East Sportsmanship Award 2016 Kellen Dunham Guard Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Big East Sportsmanship Award 2018 Tyler Wideman Forward Big East Sportsmanship Award 2019 Nate Fowler Center Big East Sportsmanship Award 2019 Paul Jorgensen Guard Big East Sixth Man of the Year 2020 Kamar Baldwin Guard Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Big East Sportsmanship Award

All-Conference team selections
Year Name Pos. Conf. 1980 Tony Warren† G MCC 1981 Lynn Mitchem† F MCC 1982 Lynn Mitchem† F MCC 1983 Lynn Mitchem† F MCC 1983 Tim McRoberts‡ F MCC 1984 Tim McRoberts† F MCC 1985 Chad Tucker† C MCC 1986 Chad Tucker† C MCC 1987 Darrin Fitzgerald† G MCC 1987 Darren Fowlkes‡ F MCC 1988 Chad Tucker† C MCC 1988 Darren Fowlkes‡ F MCC 1989 Darren Fowlkes† F MCC 1991 Darin Archbold† F MCC 1992 Darin Archbold† F MCC 1993 Jermaine Guice‡ G MCC 1994 Jermaine Guice† G MCC 1994 John Taylor‡ F MCC 1996 Jon Neuhouser† F MCC 1997 Jon Neuhouser† F MCC	Year Name Pos. Conf. 1997 Kelsey Wilson‡ G MCC 1999 Mike Marshall† F MCC 2000 Mike Marshall‡ F MCC 2000 LaVall Jordan‡ G MCC 2001 Thomas Jackson† G MCC 2001 LaVall Jordan‡ G MCC 2002 Thomas Jackson† G Horizon League 2002 Ryan Hainje† G Horizon League 2003 Joel Cornette‡ F Horizon League 2003 Brandon Miller‡ G Horizon League 2004 Mike Monserez‡ B Horizon League 2005 Brandon Polk‡ F Horizon League 2006 Brandon Polk† F Horizon League 2007 A.J. Graves† G Horizon League 2007 Mike Green‡ G Horizon League 2008 A.J. Graves† G Horizon League 2008 Mike Green† G Horizon League 2008 Matt Howard‡ F Horizon League 2009 Matt Howard† F Horizon League 2009 Gordon Hayward† F Horizon League	Year Name Pos. Conf. 2010 Matt Howard† F Horizon League 2010 Gordon Hayward† F Horizon League 2010 Shelvin Mack† G Horizon League 2011 Matt Howard† F Horizon League 2011 Shelvin Mack‡ G Horizon League 2012 Ronald Nored‡ G Horizon League 2013 Rotnei Clarke† G Atlantic-10 2014 Kellen Dunham‡ G Big East 2015 Kellen Dunham† G Big East 2015 Roosevelt Jones‡ F Big East 2016 Roosevelt Jones‡ F Big East 2016 Kelan Martin‡ F Big East 2017 Andrew Chrabascz† F Big East 2017 Kelan Martin‡ F Big East 2018 Kelan Martin† F Big East 2019 Kamar Baldwin‡ G Big East 2020 Kamar Baldwin† G Big East
† – denotes First-Team All-Conference
‡ – denotes Second-Team All-Conference

All-Americans

• H. W. Middlesworth – 1924
• Frank Baird – 1934
• Jerry Steiner – 1940
• Bob Dietz – 1941
• Ralph "Buckshot" O'Brien – 1950
• Jimmy Doyle – 1950
• Ted Guzek – 1957
• Billy Shepherd – 1971
• Chad Tucker* – 1985
• A. J. Graves* – 2007
• Mike Green* – 2008
• Matt Howard* – 2009
• Gordon Hayward* – 2010
• Kelan Martin* – 2018

(*) Denotes Honorable Mention

Academic All-Americans

• Chris Miskel – 1995***
• A. J. Graves – 2007*, 2008**
• Drew Streicher – 2008***
• Matt Howard – 2009**, 2010*, 2011*
• Gordon Hayward – 2010***
• Ronald Nored – 2012**
• Andrew Smith – 2013**
• Alex Barlow – 2015**

(*) Denotes 1st team
(**) Denotes 2nd team
(***) Denotes 3rd team

McDonald's All-American

• Tyler Lewis – 2012

Information on the awards comes from the 2009–2010 media guide.

Record

• See List of Butler Bulldogs men's basketball seasons

Record vs. Big East opponents

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

Source

All-time leading scorers

See also: Butler Bulldogs men's basketball statistical leaders

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

Sources of information

Tournament titles

Season	Tournament	Results
1923–24	AAU National Tournament	W vs. Schooley-Woodstock 34–29 W vs. Hillyards 35–29 W vs. Kansas St. Teachers 40–21 W vs. K. C. Athletic Club 30–26
1947–48	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Purdue 52–50 W vs. Indiana 64–51
1948–49	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Indiana 64–55 W vs. Purdue 47–43
1960–61	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Illinois 70–68 W vs. Purdue 65–63
1996–97	MCC Tournament	W vs. Milwaukee 48–36 W vs. Green Bay 57–52OT W vs. UIC 69–68
1997–98	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 62–53 W vs. Wright State 67–48 W vs. Green Bay 70–51
1999–00	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 61–57 W vs. Milwaukee 65–51 W vs. Detroit 62–43
2000–01	MCC Tournament	W vs. Loyola 78–52 W vs. Wright State 66–58 W vs. Detroit 53–38
2001–02	Top of the World Classic	W vs. Radford 73–56 W vs. Delaware 76–59 W vs. Washington 67–64
2001–02	Hoosier Classic	W vs. Samford 45–37 W vs. Indiana 66–64
2006–07	NIT Tip-Off	W vs. Notre Dame 71–69 W vs. Indiana 60–55 W vs. Tennessee 56–44 W vs. Gonzaga 79–71
2007–08	Great Alaska Shootout	W vs. Michigan 79–65 W vs. Virginia Tech 84–78 W vs. Texas Tech 81–71
2007–08	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Illinois-Chicago 66–50 W vs. Cleveland State 70–55
2009–10	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Milwaukee 68–59 W vs. Wright State 70–45
2010–11	Diamond Head Classic	W vs. Utah 74–62 W vs. Florida State 67–64 W vs. Washington State 84–68
2010–11	Horizon League Tournament	W vs. Cleveland State 76–68 W vs. Milwaukee 59–44
2016–17	Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational	W vs. Vanderbilt 76–66 W vs. Arizona 69–65
2019–20	CBE Hall of Fame Classic	W vs. Missouri 63–52 W vs. Stanford 68–67
2024–25	Arizona Tip-Off	W vs. Northwestern 71–69 W vs. Mississippi State 87–77
2025–26	Greenbrier Tip-Off	W vs. South Carolina 79–72 W vs. Virginia 80–73

External links

• Official website