Bulldogs bounce Syracuse, head to Elite Eight

By Bud L. Ellis

The nation’s longest winning streak continued Thursday night. If it continues through 40 more minutes, the Butler Bulldogs will carry that streak home for the Final Four.

The Bulldogs made it 23 wins in a row and knocked out the No. 1 seed in the West Regional, Butler beating Syracuse 63-59 in the latest in a string of lower seeds winning games in this wild NCAA Tournament.

Butler (31-4) moves into the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. A win on Saturday sends Butler to the Final Four next weekend in Indianapolis.

Even though the Bulldogs struggled with their shooting – hitting just 40 percent from the field and only converting 6-of-24 on 3-pointers – Butler hung tough after a 10-point halftime lead evaporated. Syracuse opened the second half on a 15-4 run to take the lead, and still held a 54-50 advantage with 5:23 to go.

But the Bulldogs scored the next 11 points to put this one away.

Gordon Hayward led the Bulldogs with 18 points.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 9:15 pm by bud

Tags: Butler Bulldogs, Final Four, Gordon Hayward, NCAA Tournament, Syracuse

Butler survives upset bid, moves into Sweet 16

By Bud L. Ellis

The shots weren’t falling. Reeling in Murray State wasn’t easy. But when you’ve won 22 games in a row, you tend to find a way.

For the Butler Bulldogs, that way now carries them to the West Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Ronald Nored scored a game-high 15 points, including a three-point play with 25.4 seconds left as the Bulldogs dodge the upset bid and downed Murray State, 54-52.

Butler (30-4) shot just 36 percent from the field but slogged its way back from a halftime deficit. Matt Howard’s free throw with 17.2 seconds left gave the Bulldogs a two-point lead, and Murray State’s last possession ended in a turnover as Butler survived.

Gordon Hayward scored 12 points for Butler. Shelvin Mack added 110 and Willie Veasley contributed 10 points for Butler, who advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in four years.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 8:17 pm by bud

Tags: Butler Bulldogs, Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard, Murray State, NCAA Tournament, Ronald Nored, Shelvin Mack, Syracuse, Willie Veasley