The 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 4th 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 2009-Dec-21 They are members of the Horizon League.
They were the first team to reach consecutive final four without being a one or a two seed either year. By reaching the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game, they were the second eight-seed team to do so and the first since the 1984–85 Villanova Wildcats. They were the first non-BCS school to reach the championship game in back-to-back seasons since the 1960–61 and 1961–62 Cincinnati Bearcats. They were also the first team to reach the championship game without being ranked in the final college basketball polls since the 1987–88 Kansas Jayhawks. They were the first national runner-up to return to the championship game since the 1990–91 Duke Blue Devils (not counting the Fab Five teams affected by the University of Michigan basketball scandal). In 2011, they lost the National Championship to The University of Connecticut Huskies 53–41.
2010 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule
!colspan=12 style=| Exhibition
!colspan=12 style=| Regular season
!colspan=12 style=|Horizon League tournament
!colspan=12 style=|NCAA tournament
Rankings
+ Ranking movementLegend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV – Received votes. 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 17 16 RV – – – – RV RV – RV – – – – – RV RV RV Coaches 18 18 23 RV – – – RV RV – RV – – – – – – – RV 2 Mid-Major 1 2 2 7 8 8 10 6 5 5 6 12 15 13 13 12 8 7 6 1
Preseason
Preseason rankings PublicationRankAP17ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll18Athlon21Lindy's8Sporting News19Fox Sports24CBS Sports19Rivals.com16CollegeInsider.com Mid Major1
Preseason awards
#NameClassAward54Matt HowardSr.Preseason All-Horizon 1st TeamMen's Basketball Preseason Poll Release, retrieved 2010-Oct-28.1Shelvin MackJr.John R. Wooden All-American Pre-Season Candidate2010-11 Men's Preseason List – Wooden Award , retrieved 2010-Oct-06Horizon League Preseason Player of the YearPre-Season All-Horizon 1st TeamAP Preseason All-America Honorable MentionAP preseason All-America basketball team – KansasCity.com, retrieved 2010-Nov-11Naismith Pre-Season CandidateMack Named to Naismith Award Watch List , retrieved 2010-Nov-29
Preseason game capsules 10/30 – Butler vs Florida Southern Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalFLS 37 33 70BU 43 47 90 Butler Rolls Past Florida Southern, 90–70 Senior Matt Howard scored a game-high 19 points and teammate Ronald Nored added 14 to lead #17/18 Butler to a 90–70 victory over visiting Florida Southern in an exhibition men's basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 30, afternoon. The game was Butler's first 2010–11 test.Butler Rolls Past Florida Southern, 90–70 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-10
11/4 – Butler vs Hanover Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalHAN 21 20 41BU 45 35 80 Butler Drops Hanover, 80–41, In Exhibition Game Junior Shelvin Mack scored a game-high 13 points and senior Matt Howard added a double-double to lead Butler to an 80–41 victory over visiting Hanover in an exhibition contest at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday, Nov. 4. The game was the final preseason test for the Bulldogs.Butler Drops Hanover, 80–41, In Exhibition Game Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-10
Regular season
Regular-season awards #NameClassSeason Awards54Matt HowardSr.2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award CandidateMen’s and women’s basketball candidates announced for 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, retrieved 2010-Jan-1712/20 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler's Howard Wraps Up Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week Accolade , retrieved 2010-Dec-20Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament TeamButler Takes Diamond Head Classic Title , retrieved 2011-Jan-17Diamond Head Classic Tournament MVP12/27 Horizon League Player of the WeekButler's Howard, Valpo's Wood Share Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honors , retrieved 2010-Dec-272011 Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 30Howard Named to Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 List , retrieved 2011-Jan-17Horizon League December Male Scholar-AthleteHoward and Tetschlag earn Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month honors , retrieved 2011-Jan-171Shelvin MackJr.Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team
Regular-season game capsules 11/13 – Butler vs Marian Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalMRN 28 26 54BU 42 41 83 Butler Rolls Past Marian, 83–54 Junior Shelvin Mack scored a game-high 20 points to lead Butler to an 83–54 victory over visiting Marian in the season-opener for the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 13. All 14 Butler players saw action in the win and 12 cracked the scoring column.Butler Rolls Past Marian, 83–54 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-21
11/16 – Butler at Louisville Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalLOU 41 47 88BU 23 50 73 Bulldogs Fall At Louisville, 88–73 Rakeem Buckles scored 17 points and four teammates added double-figures to lead host Louisville to an 88–73 victory over #16/18 Butler in the opening game of the new KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The loss dropped Butler to 1–1 on the young season.Bulldogs Fall At Louisville, 88–73 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-21
11/13 – Butler vs Ball State Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalBSU 20 35 55BU 38 50 88 Butler Rolls To Big Win Over Ball State Shelvin Mack scored a game-high 19 points and teammate Matt Howard added a double-double to lead #16/18 Butler to an 88–55 victory over visiting Ball State in a non-league game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 20. The win lifted to Bulldogs to 2–1 on the young season.Butler Rolls To Big Win Over Ball State Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-21
11/16 – Butler at Siena Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalSIE 29 28 57BU 37 33 70 Bench Lifts Butler To 70–57 Win At Siena Senior Matt Howard posted his second consecutive double-double and Butler picked up a big lift from the bench in a 70–57 victory over Siena in a non-league game at Times Union Center on Tuesday, Nov. 23. It was Butler's second straight win and lifted the Bulldogs to 3–1 on the young season.Bench Lifts Butler To 70–57 Win At Siena Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-24
11/27 – Butler vs Evansville Team1st Half2nd HalfOTFinalEVV 29 32 10 71BU 36 25 7 68 Bulldogs Lose In Overtime To Evansville, 71–68 Forward Denver Holmes hit a clutch three-point field goal with 0:18 left in overtime to lift visiting Evansville to a 71–68 victory over Butler in a non-league game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Nov. 27. The loss, Butler's first at home in the past 18 games, left the Bulldogs at 3–2 on the young season.Bulldogs Lose In Overtime To Evansville, 71–68 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Nov-29
12/1 – Butler at Loyola Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalL-IL 28 35 63BU 38 27 65 Bulldogs Hold Off Loyola, 65–63 Senior Zach Hahn hit a pair of clutch free throws with seven seconds remaining and Butler handed host Loyola its first 2010–11 loss, 65–63, in the Horizon League opener for both teams at the Joseph J. Gentile Center on Wednesday, Dec. 1.Bulldogs Hold Off Loyola, 65–63 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-04
12/4 – Butler vs. Duke Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalDUKE 33 49 82BU 33 37 70 Butler Fall To Top-Ranked Duke, 82–70 Senior Kyle Singler sparked an 11–0 run midway through the second half that lifted No. 1 Duke to an 82–70 victory over Butler in the Carquest Auto Parts Classic at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The nationally televised game was a rematch of last spring's NCAA Division I Championship game.Butler Fall To Top-Ranked Duke, 82–70 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-04
12/9 – Butler at Xavier Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalXAV 32 19 51BU 24 25 49 Xavier Edges Butler, 51–49 Guard Mark Lyons made two free throws with 0:03.4 left on the clock to lift host Xavier to a 51–49 victory over Butler in a non-league game at the Cintas Center on Thursday (Dec. 9). The loss was Butler's second straight and third in the last four games.Xavier Edges Butler, 51–49 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-11
12/11 – Butler vs. Mississippi Valley State Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalMVSU 25 46 71BU 48 43 91 Bulldogs Roll Past Mississippi Valley State Senior Matt Howard scored a season-high 26 points and sparked Butler to a 91–71 victory over visiting Mississippi Valley State in a non-league game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 11. The win snapped the Bulldogs’ two-game skid.Bulldogs Roll Past Mississippi Valley State Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-14
12/18 – Butler vs Stanford Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalSTAN 22 28 50BU 41 42 83 Bulldogs Cruise Past Stanford, 83–50 Senior Matt Howard posted his fourth double-double of the season and Butler cruised to an 83–50 victory over visiting Stanford in a non-league game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 18. The victory, which was nationally televised on CBS, lifted the Bulldogs to 6–4 on the young season.Bulldogs Cruise Past Stanford, 83–50 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-18
12/22 – Butler vs Utah Diamond Head Classic Opening Round Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalUTAH 27 35 62BU 40 34 74 Bulldogs Hold On Against Utah, 74–62 Senior Matt Howard scored a game-high 23 points and junior Ronald Nored added a career-high 16 points, all in the second half, to lead Butler to a 74–62 victory over Utah in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center on Wednesday, Dec. 22. It was the third straight win for the 7–4 Bulldogs.Bulldogs Hold On Against Utah, 74–62 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-23
12/23 – Butler vs Florida State Diamond Head Classic Semifinals Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalFSU 19 45 64BU 21 46 67 Bulldogs Edge Florida State, 67–64 Junior Shelvin Mack scored all of his 17 points in the second half to help Butler hold on to a 67–64 victory over Florida State in the semifinals of the 2010 Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday, Dec. 23. The win sends the Bulldogs into the title game against Washington State on Christmas Day.Bulldogs Edge Florida State, 67–64 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-26
12/25 – Butler vs Washington State Diamond Head Classic Championship Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalWSU 38 30 68BU 40 44 84 Bulldogs Win Diamond Head Classic The Butler men's basketball team is coming home from sunny Hawaii with a tournament championship. The Bulldogs buried a barrage of 3-pointers en route to an 84–68 win over Washington State in the title game of the Diamond Head Classic.Bulldogs Win Diamond Head Classic Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2010-Dec-26
1/1 – Butler vs Valparaiso Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalVALPO 25 34 59BU 36 40 76 Butler Pulls Away From Valparaiso, 76–59 Junior Shelvin Mack led a balanced attack with 16 points and Butler used a strong closing run to defeat visiting Valparaiso, 76–59, in a feature Horizon League game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on New Year's Day. The win was Butler's sixth straight and lifted the Bulldogs to 10–4 on the season and 2–0 in league play.Butler Pulls Away From Valparaiso, 76–59 Butler University – The Official Athletics Site, retrieved 2011-Jan-2
1/3 – Butler at Milwaukee Team1st Half2nd HalfFinalMILW 37 39 76BU 29 23 52 Milwaukee Overpowers Butler, 76–52