2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 3rd year. The Bulldogs played their home games at the Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000.Butler University – The Official Athletics Site: Hinkle Fieldhouse, retrieved 21 December 2009

The Bulldogs won the 2010 Horizon League men's basketball tournament to receive the Horizon's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning a 5 seed in the West Region. They defeated 12 seed UTEP and 13 seed Murray State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The team next defeated 1 seed Syracuse to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, and then defeated 2 seed Kansas State to earn their first Final Four appearance in school history. They were only the second team from a mid-major conference to "officially" advance that far in the tournament since UNLV made the Final Four in 1991.

On April 3, 2010, Butler defeated Michigan State and advanced to the National Championship game against Duke. On April 5, just a few miles away from the Bulldogs' home court, Duke defeated Butler 61–59 in a back and forth game that ratings showed was the highest-rated Championship game of the decade.

Roster

Schedule

!colspan=9 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"| Italy Exhibition Trip

!colspan=12 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"| Exhibition

!colspan=9 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"|Non-conference regular season

!colspan=12 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"|Horizon League Play

!colspan=9 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"| Horizon League Tournament

!colspan=9 style="background:#13294B; color:#FFFFFF;"| NCAA tournament

Rankings

+ Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 WK 17 Wk 18 Final AP 11 11 12 23 22 21 20 ORV ORV ORV ORV ORV 23 18 18 15 12 12 11 2 Coaches 10 10 10 20 20 17 16 23 24 22 20 18 15 15 13 10 11 12 8 2 Mid-Major 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Preseason Fueled in large part by Gordon Hayward's and Shelvin Mack's roles leading team USA to the gold medal in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship during the off-season, Butler began the season ranked 10th in the Coaches' Poll and 11th in the AP Poll. A few commentators picked the Bulldogs as a possible "sleeper team" to make the Final Four. Stevens wasn't so sure, privately telling his father, "We have a really good team, and I’m not sure how far we can go this year, but next year, we ought to go really far."

Preseason awards #NameClassAward20Gordon HaywardSo.Naismith Award Pre-Season CandidateNaismith Trophy 2009–10 Preseason Watch List Dominant With Upperclassmen Naismith Award, retrieved 15 February 2010John R. Wooden All-American Pre-Season Candidate2009–10 Men's Preseason List – Wooden Award, retrieved 14 December 2009CollegeHoops.net Preseason Mid-Major Player of the YearCollege Basketball: Preseason Mid-Major All-Americans , retrieved 1 February 2010CollegeHoops.net First Team Mid-Major All-AmericaCollegeHoops.net Preseason All-American Honorable MentionCollege Basketball: Preseason All-America Team , retrieved 1 February 2010Pre-Season All-Horizon 1st Team (Horizon League Media)54Matt HowardJr.CollegeHoops.net First Team Mid-Major All-AmericaHorizon League Preseason Player of the YearHorizon League announces preseason All-League basketball teams , retrieved 14 December 2009Pre-Season All-Horizon 1st Team (Horizon League Media)1Shelvin MackSo.Pre-Season All-Horizon 2nd Team (Horizon League Media)

Regular season

Regular season awards #NameClassSeason Awards 20Gordon Hayward So. 76 Classic All-Tournament Team76 Classic – 2009 Recap, retrieved 15 December 2009 12/14 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler’s Hayward named Men’s Basketball Player of the Week , retrieved 15 December 200912/15 USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week2009–10 Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week, retrieved 16 December 2009 12/21 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler’s Hayward repeats as Men’s Basketball Player of the Week , retrieved 22 December 20092010 Wooden Player of the Year Midseason Watchlist2009–2010 Midseason Top 30 Candidates – Wooden Award, retrieved 5 January 2010Sporting News' Midseason Mid-Major All-AmericanMidseason college basketball mid-major all-Americans, retrieved 1 February 2010COSIDA/ESPN Magazine Academic All-District VMatt, Howard, Gordon Hayward Named Academic All-District , retrieved 4 February 20102/15 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler's Hayward named Men's Basketball Player of the Week , retrieved 15 February 2010Academic All-American 3rd TeamHoward, Hayward Named Academic All-America , retrieved 22 February 2010Naismith Award Midseason CandidateNaismith Trophy Midseason Candidates Announced , Naismith College Player of the Year, retrieved 24 February 2010 54Matt HowardJr.COSIDA/ESPN Magazine Academic All-District VAcademic All-American 1st Team 1Shelvin MackSo.1/4 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler’s Shelvin Mack named Men’s Basketball Player of the Week , retrieved 5 January 2010

Regular season game capsules 11/14 – Butler vs Davidson Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalDAV 35 27 62BU 37 36 73 Butler Slips Past Davidson In Season-Opener Sophomore Gordon Hayward scored 17 points and senior Willie Veasley added 15 to lead Butler to a 73–62 victory over visiting Davidson in the first game of the 2009–10 season for both teams at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 14. It was Butler's fourth straight win in a season-opener.Butler Slips Past Davidson In Season-Opener Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

11/18 – Butler at Northwestern Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 30 37 67NW 24 30 54 Butler Rolls Past Northwestern, 67–54 Shelvin Mack scored a team-high 15 points and added eight assists and Gordon Hayward chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds to help lead visiting Butler to a 67–54 victory over Northwestern in a non-league test at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 18). It was the second straight win for the No. 10/11 ranked Bulldogs to open the season.Butler Rolls Past Northwestern, 67–54 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

11/21 – Butler at Evansville Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 27 37 64EVAN 20 40 60 Bulldogs Slip Past Evansville Shelvin Mack led four players in double-figures with 17 points and visiting Butler held off a late Evansville charge to post a 64–60 non-league victory at Roberts Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 21. It was the third straight victory to open the season for the No. 10/11 ranked Bulldogs.Bulldogs Slip Past Evansville Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

11/26 – Butler vs #16 Minnesota (76 Classic) Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalMINN 32 50 82BU 28 45 73 Bulldogs Fall To #16 Minnesota At 76 Classic Butler committed a season-high 21 turnovers and shot just 33% for the game, while falling to #16 Minnesota, 82–73, in the opening round of the 2009 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 26. The loss was the first this season for the No. 10/12 ranked Bulldogs.Bulldogs Fall To #16 Minnesota At 76 Classic Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

11/27 – Butler vs UCLA (76 Classic) Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 42 27 69UCLA 35 32 67 Butler Edges UCLA At 76 Classic Sophomore Shelvin Mack posted his second consecutive 20-point scoring performance and Gordon Hayward hit two clutch free throws with less than a second left in the game to lift Butler to a 69–67 victory over UCLA in the consolation round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday (Nov. 27). The victory sends the Bulldogs (4–1) into the consolation finals against #19 Clemson on Sunday (Nov. 29).Butler Edges UCLA At 76 Classic Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

11/29 – Butler vs #19 Clemson (76 Classic) Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalCLEM 26 44 70BU 33 36 69 Butler Falls To #19 Clemson In Closing Seconds Demontez Stitt hit two free throws with 0:03.3 left on the clock to lift #19 Clemson to a 70–69 come-from-behind victory over Butler in the fifth place game of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday (Nov. 29). The loss was Butler's second to a nationally ranked team in four days and left the Bulldogs at 4–2 on the young season.Butler Falls To #19 Clemson In Closing Seconds Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/02 – Butler at Ball State Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 29 30 59BALL 11 27 38 Bulldogs Cruise Past Ball State, 59–38 Sophomores Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack each scored 15 points and junior Matt Howard added 11 to lead visiting Butler to a 59–38 victory over Ball State at Worthen Arena in Muncie on Wednesday (Dec. 2). The victory lifted the Bulldogs to 5–2 on the young season.Bulldogs Cruise Past Ball State, 59–38 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/05 – Butler vs Valparaiso Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalVALP 32 35 67BU 38 46 84 Bulldogs Pull Away From Valparaiso, 84–67 Butler used a balanced offensive attack and an aggressive defense to turn a close game into an 84–67 victory over visiting Valparaiso in the Horizon League opener for both teams at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday (Dec. 5). The Bulldogs, playing at home for just the second time this season, improved to 6–2 on the year.Bulldogs Pull Away From Valparaiso, 84–67 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/08 – Butler vs #13 Georgetown (Jimmy V Classic) Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 31 34 65GTWN 39 33 72 Georgetown Beats Bulldogs In Jimmy V Classic Center Greg Monroe posted career-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds and guard Austin Freeman added 18 points to lead #15/13 Georgetown to a 72–65 victory over Butler in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday (Dec. 8). It was Butler's third loss in nine outings, all to teams ranked in the “Top 25.”Georgetown Beats Bulldogs In Jimmy V Classic Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/12 – Butler vs #15 Ohio State Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalOSU 36 30 66BU 34 40 74 Butler Holds Off Ohio State, 74–66 Sophomore Gordon Hayward scored 24 points and senior Willie Veasley added his first career double-double to lead Butler to a 74–66 victory over #13/15 Ohio State in a nationally televised game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 12. The victory lifted the Bulldogs to 7–3 on the season.Butler Holds Off Ohio State, 74–66 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/19 – Butler vs Xavier Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalXAV 32 36 68BU 39 30 69 Butler Edges Xavier, 69–68 Sophomore Gordon Hayward hit a lay-up with 0:01.2 left on the clock to lift Butler to a 69–68 come-from-behind victory over visiting Xavier in a hard-fought, non-league game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday (Dec. 19). The dramatic, game-winning play also set off a series of events that kept the outcome in doubt for an additional 10–15 minutes.Butler Edges Xavier, 69–68 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/22 – Butler at UAB Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalBU 22 35 57UAB 32 35 67 Bulldogs Fall At UAB, 67–57 UAB scoring leader Elija Millsap, held in check for most of the game, sparked a 10–2 scoring run in the final two minutes to lead the host Blazers to a 67–57 victory over Butler in a non-league test at Bartow Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 22. The victory was the tenth straight for the 11–1 Blazers.Bulldogs Fall At UAB, 67–57 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 6 January 2010

12/31 – Butler vs Green Bay Teams1st Half2nd HalfFinalGB 27 22 49BU 35 37 72