Challenging 2010-11 Schedule Awaits Bulldogs

2010-11 Butler Men's Basketball Schedule

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- A rematch of last year’s NCAA National Championship game, meetings with traditional powers Louisville and Stanford and a rugged, eight-team tournament in Hawaii highlight Butler’s 2010-11 men’s basketball schedule.  The Bulldogs’ slate includes 14 regular season home games and a pair of exhibition contests in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Bulldogs, who return three starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s 33-5 team, will meet defending national champ Duke at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday, Dec. 4.  The two national finalists will square off at 3:30 p.m. (ET) in a game that will be televised on ESPN.  Duke defeated Butler, 61-59, to capture last year’s NCAA national title.

Butler will visit Louisville on Tuesday, Nov. 16, to play the first game in the Cardinals’ new KFC Yum! Center, and the contest will be televised on ESPN as part of the network’s third annual College Hoops Tipoff Marathon.  The game against Stanford, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 18, at Hinkle Fieldhouse, will be televised on CBS.

Following the Stanford contest, Butler will head to Honolulu, Hawaii, to participate in the Diamond Head Classic, featuring five teams that reached postseason tournament play last season.  Florida State, Baylor and San Diego State joined the Bulldogs in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, while Mississippi State advanced to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).  Butler will face Utah in the opening round on Dec. 22, and then meet either Florida State or host Hawaii in the second round.  The tournament finals will be played on Christmas Day.

“Every year we try to put together a schedule that allows us to play great competition, gain the most exposure possible and play in front of our fans at home,” said head coach Brad Stevens, who has guided Butler to 89 wins in three seasons.  “Not only does this schedule meet those needs, but it also allows us to continue to create marquee schedules in the future.”

“This year’s schedule will greatly challenge us and will let us know where we stand very early,” added the Butler coach.

Butler will open the 2010-11 campaign at home against local foe Marian on Nov. 13, and will have a pair of additional November contests at Hinkle Fieldhouse against state opponents Ball State (Nov. 20) and Evansville (Nov. 27).  The Bulldogs’ also have a pre-Christmas home game against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 11.

Butler’s non-league road slate includes a visit to Siena on Nov. 23 for a rematch of last year’s BracketBuster game and a contest against NCAA Tournament team Xavier on Dec. 9.

The Bulldogs will face every Horizon League foe twice, beginning with a game at Loyola on Dec. 1.  Wright State, the 2009-10 league runner-up, will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Feb. 10, while NIT participant Green Bay will visit Indianapolis on Jan. 21.  The Horizon League Tournament will begin at first round sites on March 1.

Tickets for the two home exhibition games will go on sale Monday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse or via Ticketmaster. Regular season tickets will go on sale Monday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. Prices have not yet been determined.