2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball | |
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CBI Semifinals vs. Pittsburgh, L, 62–68
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Conference | Horizon League |
2011–12 record | 22–15 (11–7 Horizon) |
Head coach | Brad Stevens (5th year) |
Assistant coach | Matthew Graves (9th year) |
Assistant coach | Terry Johnson (5th year) |
Assistant coach | Michael Lewis (1st year) |
Home arena | Hinkle Fieldhouse |
2011–12 Horizon League men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Valparaiso | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cleveland State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Detroit† | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Milwaukee | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Butler | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youngstown State | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 16 | – | 15 | .516 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Green Bay | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 15 | – | 15 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wright State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UIC | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 8 | – | 22 | .267 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loyola (IL) | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 7 | – | 23 | .233 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2012 Horizon League Tournament winner As of March 6, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll |
The 2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 5th year. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000 and a playing floor that was renovated during the summer of 2011. This was Butler's last season competing in the Horizon League.
In each of the previous two seasons, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA championship game after winning the Horizon League regular season, and Butler was the favorite to win the Horizon League for a sixth consecutive season in spite of losing senior and four-year starter Matt Howard to graduation and junior Shelvin Mack to the NBA draft. Analyst Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports explained "Butler loses a lot of talent from last season, but it's still tough to choose against the Bulldogs." The Bulldogs add Roosevelt Jones, a three-star recruit ranked in the 2011 Rivals 150 and the 33rd best freshman small forward in the nation, and also add Australian guard Jackson Aldridge, who "drew rave reviews playing in the U-19 world championships." Further, the Bulldogs add Kameron Woods, a two-star recruit and the 62nd best power forward in the nation according to ESPN.com. The final member of the recruit class is Andy Smeathers, a "local kid who knows how to make shots."
Sources:
Source: 2011–12 Butler Men's Basketball Roster
Source: 2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball schedule
11/2 – Butler vs Northern State
Butler Falls On Buzzer-Beater
Senior guard Alex Thomas nailed a three-point field goal at the buzzer to cap a 12–0 closing run and lift visiting Northern State to a 53–50 victory over Butler in an exhibition game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The game was Butler's first test against outside competition. The Wolves battled back from a 50–41 deficit in the final four minutes. A steal and layup by Seth Bachand and a conventional three-point play by Trent Zomer cut the margin to 50–46 with 2:56 left. Forward Collin Pryor followed with back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 50–50 with 0:52 left. Butler's Andrew Smith, who led all scorers with 19 points missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation with 0:38 left, setting up the final play. Following a timeout, Northern State held the ball for a final shot and Thomas delivered from the top of the key as the final buzzer sounded.