It was a case of differing interpretations. When Butler lost 72-65 to Georgetown on Dec. 8, nearly everyone in the press — myself included — perceived the game as the third in a series of early indictments against the Bulldogs. They began 2009-10 as the nation’s mid-major darling, ranked No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press poll, then failed in the role of giant-killer, losing to Minnesota and Clemson in Anaheim, and the Hoyas in New York to fall to 6-3. They’re blowing their chance at an at-large NCAA tournament bid, we all said. They don’t even look like a Top 25 team.

Win or lose the Horizon League championship game, Butler was headed to the NCAA tournament.

Still, the 12th-ranked Bulldogs felt something was missing from their resume. On Tuesday night, they finally got the title and the ticket they so desperately craved.
A year after being upset on its home court in the conference title game, Butler blew out second-seeded Wright State 70-45 to claim its fourth straight NCAA bid.

Wright State could not overcome Butler shooting 52 percent from the field, including nine of 19 from three-point range, as the Raiders fell to the #12 Bulldogs 70-45 in the finals of the 2010 Speedway Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship Tuesday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS – While Wright State basketball coach Brad Brownell stresses defense, so does Butler coach Brad Stevens.

Junior Matt Howard and sophomore Shelvin Mack each scored 14 points and top-seeded Butler unleashed a smothering defense to dispatch #2 Wright State, 70-45, in the title game of the 2010 Speedway Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday (Mar. 9). The win extended Butler’s nation-leading winning streak to 20 in a row.

Shelvin Mack scored all 14 of his points in the first half, and Matt Howard had 14 points and nine rebounds to help No. 12 Butler rout second-seeded Wright State 70-45 in the 2010 Speedway Horizon League title game Tuesday night.

12th-ranked Bulldogs clinch 20th straight win, league tournament championship

INDIANAPOLIS | Wright State went with a 2-3 zone early against
Butler in Tuesday’s Horizon League tournament championship
game.

INDIANAPOLIS – A cell phone went off near the end of Wright State’s postgame media conference Tuesday, March 9, playing, “Take me out to the ballgame.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Before the game with No. 12 Butler, Bob Grant was thinking back to 1993 and 2007, two years when the Wright State basketball team was in this same situation – playing for the league tournament title and an automatic invite to the NCAA tournament – and had won.