Butler Bulldogs Mens Basketball Tickets
The Butler Bulldogs men’s basketball team is a Division I program for Butler University. The team is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and plays their home games at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Hinkle Fieldhouse has a capacity of 10,000 people and opened in 1928. The arena is the sixth oldest arena still in use. The team plays in the Atlantic 10. This upcoming season will be the first year the Bulldogs are in the Atlantic 10, having played their last few seasons in the Horizon League. The team is currently coached by Brad Stevens. Under Stevens, the team has reached levels of success they have never reached before. Stevens led the team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four seasons, winning the conference title in each, and making it to the National Championship game in both 2010 and 2011 before losing to Duke and Connecticut respectively. Stevens has compiled a miraculous 139-40 record in his tenure at Butler.
The team played its first games in 1897, and the team reached an early measure of success, winning the Helms National championship in 1924 and 1929. Their next measure of success came when they made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1962; however, that would be their only appearance in the tournament until 1997. Under Barry Collier, who took over in 1989, he took a team that went 6-22 in his first season to the NIT the following year. Quickly establishing the team, he brought the team to the postseason in each of his last four seasons. After leaving the team, Thad Matta came for a year and brought them their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1962 in a decisive 79-63 win over Wake Forest. After Matta left after just one season, Todd Licklter came in and brought the team to the postseason four times in his six seasons, including two Sweet Sixteen berths. The team has featured four players selected in the NBA Draft, most recently being Shelvin Mack in 2011.
The team has a variety of rivalry games including ones against Ball State, Evansville, Indiana State, and Valparaiso, each of which have been played more than 100 times. More recently, a stronger rivalry with Xavier has formed as each fights for national prominence as the top mid-major team. This rivalry will be strengthened by Butler’s move into the Atlantic 10 Conference.
