 |
March 16, 2002 NEW YORK, NEW YORK: The Bulldogs (26-5, 12-4 Horizon League), who opened NIT play with an 81-69 victory over Bowling Green, will head to New York for a second round tournament match against Syracuse (21-11) on Monday, March 18. The game, which will be played in the 33,000-seat Carrier Dome, is slated for a 7 p.m.(EST). The Orangemen defeated St. Bonaventure, 76-66, in their opening NIT game on Tuesday, March 13. Butler and Syracuse have not previously met as basketball opponents. Butler, which won its first two games in the NIT in 1999, is looking to advance to the NIT quarterfinals for the second time in the past four years. Butler is making its seventh appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. RECORD SEASON: Butler's win over UIC, 85-61, in this year's regular season finale gave the Bulldogs a school-record 25th victory. It marked the third time in the past three seasons that the Bulldogs have broken the school record for wins! Butler is the first team in the 23-year history of the Horizon League to post six straight 20-win seasons. The 2001-02 Bulldogs recorded more than 20 regular season wins for the first time in school history. ELITE COMPANY: Butler is one of just two teams in the nation (NCAA Division I) that has beaten every team on its schedule this season. All five of Butler's losses came to conference teams, and the Bulldogs in turn defeated each of those squads. The only other team to have at least one win over every foe on its 2001-02 schedule is Duke. Butler was unbeaten in non-league play for the first time in school history. TOP 20: Butler's winning percentage of .839 (26-5) is 11th best in Division I. The Bulldogs also rank among the "Top 20" teams in the nation in wins with 26. TROUBLESHOOTERS: When Butler fell behind Bowling Green by 14 points in the first half, head coach Todd Lickliter turned to seniors Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson and the two delivered like champions. The two sparked a 19-5 Butler run to close the first half and then helped the Bulldogs pull away to a 15-point margin in the second half. Hainje finished with a team-high 28 points, including 17 in the final 20 minutes. It was the third-highest scoring total of his Butler career. Jackson chipped in with 18 points, including 12 in the second half. Butler seniors Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson are 3-1 in NIT play. GOOD HANDS PEOPLE: Butler matched its season-low with just six turnovers against the pressure man-to-man defense of Bowling Green. The Bulldogs had only two turnovers in the final 20 minutes! Taking care of the basketball was particularly important against the Falcons, who shot 60% in the first half and 55% for the game. CAREER EFFORT: Butler forward Joel Cornette only scored six points against Bowling Green, but the 6-10 junior left a lasting impression on the visiting Falcons. Cornette led all players with a career-high 14 rebounds, including five offensive boards. He also recorded a career-high seven assists and added two blocked shots for good measure. BACK-TO-BACK: The Bulldogs, who defeated Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, have recorded post-season tournament wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. Butler is now 4-6 all-time in NIT play. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Butler's five losses this season have come by a total of 18 points, and four of the five were decided by four points or less. The Bulldogs were beaten in double-overtime and lost two other games on shots at the buzzer. Butler's biggest margin of defeat was a nine-point loss at Detroit. Butler is 22-1 this season in games decided by more than five points. ROAD WARRIORS: Butler had more wins away from home (15) than any other team in the country during the regular season. The Bulldogs won ten games on the homecourts of opposing teams and picked up five wins on neutral courts. Butler was a combined 4-0 against "power conference" (Big 10, Pac 10) or nationally-ranked teams, and all of the games were played away from Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler is 46-25 away from home over the past four seasons. SENIOR CELEBRATION: Butler's last regular season game against UIC marked the final home appearance for seniors Thomas Jackson, Rylan Hainje and Scott Robisch, the most successful group of seniors in Butler basketball history! And the three made sure the Bulldogs finished on top. Hainje led all scorers with 21 points, while Robisch added 14. Jackson tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Jackson and Hainje already rank as the winningest senior class in Butler history with 95 wins over their four seasons. Robisch, who graduated last spring, is finishing an abbreviated Butler career that has seen the Bulldogs win 85% of the games that he's played. The three have already contributed to three straight conference regular season, back-to-back league tournament titles and two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Butler is 95-31 (.754) over the past four seasons. TOP DOG: Butler's 25th win elevated head coach Todd Lickliter to the winningest first-year men's basketball coach in school history. POST-SEASON EXPERIENCE: Butler's current coaching staff boasts a combined 14 post-season tournament appearances. Head coach Todd Lickliter has coached in four NCAA tournaments as an assistant, while assistant coach Jeff Meyer has four NCAA appearances at Winthrop and Liberty. Assistant coach Mike Marshall played in the NCAA Tournament three times and the NIT once and was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs in last year's NCAA Tournament. Assistant coach Brad Stevens was the coordinator of basketball operations with last year's Butler team. NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Butler only played 12 regular season home games this year, and the Bulldogs finished with a 10-2 record in those contests. Butler won its final five home games and now owns victories in 22 of its last 24 contests in Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs were 5-0 against non-conference foes at home this season and have won nine straight games against non-league opponents in Hinkle Fieldhouse. DEFENSIVE STAND: The Bulldogs are leading the Horizon League in team scoring defense for the third consecutive season. Butler has held six of its last 10 opponents below 60 points and has kept three of those foes below 50 points! The Bulldogs have held 17 opponents below 60 points this season and are 16-1 in those games! Only four of Butler's opponents have scored more than 70 points against the Bulldogs this season, and only time Butler gave up more than 74 points in a game was in a double-overtime loss to Wright State. Butler ranks third in Division I in scoring defense (57.5). GRAND THEFT: Senior Thomas Jackson, who leads the Horizon League in steals (2.30), became the first player in Butler history to record 200 career steals during the Horizon League Tournament. His current season total for steals stands at 70, breaking the Butler single season record of 69 set by Darren Fowlkes in 1986-87. BEST DEFENSE: Butler boasts three of the top defenders in the Horizon League, as selected by league coaches. Seniors Thomas Jackson and Rylan Hainje and junior Joel Cornette all were named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. HELPING HAND: Senior Thomas Jackson is Butler's all-time assist leader with 535 career assists. He holds three of the top seven spots on Butler's single season assist chart, including the No. 2 spot with 162 assists in 1999-00. His current total of 140 assists matches Travis Trice, 1994-95, for the fifth-highest single season total in Butler basketball history. OFF THE GLASS: Butler wound up third in the conference in team rebounding margin (+0.4), finishing behind Loyola and Detroit. Junior Joel Cornette (7th) and senior Rylan Hainje (8th) both ranked among the "Top 10" rebounders in the league. Cornette has been Butler's leading rebounder in 18 games this season, while Hainje has topped the Bulldogs in 14 contests. Butler is 15-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent. LONG DISTANCE OPERATOR: Junior Brandon Miller is leading the Bulldogs in three-point field goals for the second consecutive season. Miller ranks 11th in the league with 1.90 three-pointers per game, and he's moved into sixth place (ahead of current director of basketball operations Matthew Graves) on Butler's single season list for three-point field goals with 59 total three-pointers. The 6-0 guard posted Butler's fourth-highest single season total for three-point field goals a year ago with 68. He also stands eighth on Butler's all-time list with 127 in two seasons. Butler is 33-6 all-time when Brandon Miller scores in double-figures, including 17-2 this year. THREE FOR ALL: Butler ranks 15th in Division I in three-point field goals per game (8.7). The Bulldogs have hit nine or more three-point field goals in 17 of 31 contests, including a season-high of 14 three-pointers against Evansville. Five different Butler players have hit at least 37 three-pointers this season. The Bulldogs have established a new Butler season record for three-point field goals with 269 through 31 games. RESERVE TANK: Junior Darnell Archey and sophomore Mike Monserez have both come off the bench and played in all 31 Butler games this season. Monserez, who ranks second on the team in three-point field goals with 52, has eight double-figure scoring performances, while Archey, who is third on the team with 47 three-point field goals, has seven twin-digit scoring efforts. Both rank among the league leaders in three-point field goal percentage. Mike Monserez and Darnell Archey both rank in the "Top 15" in the Horizon League in three-point field goals. BOTH SIDES NOW: Butler ranks third in the league in both field goal percentage (.454) and field goal percentage defense (.432). The Bulldogs are fourth in 3-point FG% (.383) and third in 3-point FG% defense (.339). WATCH THE START: Butler is 20-1 this season when leading at halftime. The lone setback came to UW-Milwaukee on a three-point field goal at the buzzer. FAMILIAR LINEUP: For the second consecutive year, Butler completed the entire regular season with one starting lineup. Seniors Rylan Hainje, Thomas Jackson and Scott Robisch, and juniors Joel Cornette and Brandon Miller have started all 31 games for the Bulldogs this season. Hainje, Jackson, Cornette and Miller also started every game for the Bulldogs in 2000-01! PLAYING GAMES: Seniors Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson have each played in 126 games during their Butler careers. They've tied the Butler record for most games played, set by current Butler assistant coach Mike Marshall, 1996-00. Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson have been in post-season tournament play (NCAA or NIT) in four consecutive seasons. TOURNAMENT TESTED: Each of Butler's top seven players has previous post-season tournament experience. Seniors Thomas Jackson, Rylan Hainje have been to two straight NCAA Tournaments and one NIT in the past three years. Senior Scott Robisch and juniors Joel Cornette and Darnell Archey have played in two consecutive NCAA Tournaments with the Bulldogs, while junior Brandon Miller played in last year's NCAA tournament with Butler and was a member of Southwest Missouri State's NCAA "Sweet 16" team in 1999. Sophomore Mike Monserez saw action in all five games while helping Notre Dame to a runner-up finish in the 2000 NIT. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Senior forward Rylan Hainje was named Horizon League "Player of the Year," after helping lead the Bulldogs to their third consecutive regular season title. Hainje is the first Butler player to be named conference "Player of the Year" since 1996-97, when Jon Neuhouser captured the league's top honor. ALL CONFERENCE: Senior Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson joined Clay Tucker of UW-Milwaukee, David Bailey of Loyola and Greg Grays of Detroit on the All-Horizon League First Team. It marked the second straight year that Jackson earned first team all-league honors, while Hainje was picked to the all-conference squad for the first time. GET SMART: Junior guard Brandon Miller was named to the five-player 2002 Verizon District V All-Academic Team. He was joined on the honor squad by Thor Solverson of UIC, Greg Babcock of UW-Green Bay, Patrick Jackson of Ball State and Clint Cuffle of Evansville. A secondary education major with a 3.48 cumulative grade point average, Miller is currently Butler's third-leading scorer with an 11.1 average. ALL-DISTRICT: Butler senior Thomas Jackson was one of 10 players named to the All-District 10 (Indiana & Ohio) team, selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Players named to the NABC All-District teams are eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I All-America Team. FANS FAVORITE: The attendance of 8,853 at Butler's final regular season game against UIC was the second-largest crowd to see the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse this season, and it pushed Butler's season home attendance to 75,500 in 12 games. That broke the previous school single season attendance record of 68,712, set in 15 games 1991-92. Butler averaged more than 6,000 fans at home for the first time since the renovation of Hinkle Fieldhouse in 1989. Butler led the Horizon League in home attendance and total attendance. NIT MOMENT: Butler's most memorable NIT game was played at Bradley on March 10, 1999. The Bulldogs battled back from a three-point deficit in the final 0:24 and claimed a 51-50 victory when guard LaVall Jordan scored a rebound basket with 0:04 left. Guard Thomas Jackson had scored on a driving lay-up with 0:17 on the clock to cut Bradley's lead to one, 50-49. The win was Butler's first post-season victory in 37 years, and it propelled the Bulldogs into the second round of the NIT for the first time in 40 years! Current Butler assistant coach Mike Marshall led the Bulldogs with 17 points and eight rebounds. Jackson had eight points and Rylan Hainje added four points. BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs lead the Horizon League and rank 11th in Division I in scoring margin (+13.0). Butler topped the Horizon League in fewest turnovers per game (10.0 pg). The Bulldogs led the league in turnover margin (+5.73) and assist/turnover ratio (1.43). Senior Thomas Jackson leads the Horizon League in assist/turnover ratio (2.63) and stands fourth in assists (4.57). Junior Joel Cornette ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounds (2.58) and blocked shots (1.19) and stands fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.549). Forward Rylan Hainje has started a school-record 119 games during his Butler career. Point-guard Thomas Jackson has started 100 consecutive games, while juniors Joel Cornette and Brandon Miller each have 63 straight starts for the Bulldogs. Rylan Hainje and Thomas Jackson both joined Butler's 1,000-point club this season. Hainje currently is 13th on Butler's all-time scoring list with 1,380 career points, while Jackson is 16th with 1,321 career points. Jeff Blue, 1961-64, holds the No. 12 spot with 1,392 career points. Rylan Hainje has moved into ninth place on Butler's all-time rebounding list with 650 career rebounds. Rylan Hainje needs three free throws to move into 10th place on Butler's all-time list for free throws made. He has 318 free throws in four seasons. Junior Darnell Archey has connected on 41 consecutive free throws, dating back to last season. He's hit 69 of his last 71 attempts from the charity stripe. MAYBE YOU MISSED THIS: The Bulldogs are playing in New York for the first time in 16 years. Butler's last visit to The Empire State was in December of 1986 for the Rochester Classic. Butler played a four-overtime game against Indiana State (and won 95-92) on Saturday, Dec. 27, and then boarded a plane to Rochester for tournament games on Dec. 29-30. Nebraska defeated the Bulldogs in the opening round, 67-56, and Butler then fell in the consolation game to George Mason, 82-77. Butler's last win in New York came in the first round of the 1959 NIT at Madison Square Garden. The Bulldogs defeated Fordham, 94-80, for their first NIT win. |
