Butler barks its way to No. 9 spot in weekly ESPN/USA Today national poll, 10th in AP

Feb. 5, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Butler University's men's basketball team has already etched its place in history during the memorable 2006-07 season. The Bulldogs added another chapter to their legacy Monday (Feb. 5) when voters in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll elevated Butler to the No. 9 position in this week's canvass. The Associated Press installed Butler tenth in its poll of media representatives.

The Bulldogs (22-2 overall, 10-1 in League play) received 510 points from ESPN/USA Today voters and 1,107 points in the AP poll, becoming the first team in Horizon League history to reach the top ten and remaining in the top 25 for a loop-record tenth consecutive week. The historic run began Nov. 27 when Butler debuted at No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and 18th in the ESPN/USAT rankings after capturing the NIT Season Tip-Off championship. Coach Todd Lickliter's Bulldogs won their first ten games of the season and start the week riding another eight-game streak.

"It's nice to see Butler recognized for their accomplishments this season," League commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone said. "They have been on a remarkable run throughout the season, and their success has reflected positively on the Horizon League."

The focus of numerous national profiles since early December, the Bulldogs are led by the backcourt tandem of junior guards A.J. Graves and Mike Green. Graves, an All-America candidate and a member of the Wooden Award mid-season watch list, ranks fourth in the League in both scoring (18.0 points per game) and steals (1.43 per contest), while he is on pace to set an NCAA single-season record for free-throw percentage. Graves has missed only three of 105 attempts this year for a nation-leading .971 rating. Green adds 13.8 points per game and stands among the League leaders in rebounding (5.6 per outing) and assists (second at 3.92 per game).

Senior forward Brandon Crone is the third Bulldog in double figures at an even 10 points per game, while junior forward Pete Campbell has made a significant impact in League play. Campbell, who averaged less than three points per game through the end of December, has posted a rate of 13.6 per contest in 2007 after hitting 59 percent (36 of 61) attempts from three-point range.

As a team, Butler tops the League charts in nine different statistical categories. The Bulldogs allow only 55.5 points per game---the fifth-lowest yield in Division I---and have held ten opponents under 50 points this season. Butler also holds loop-leading marks in scoring margin (+12.9 per game), field-goal percentage defense (.393), three-point percentage defense (.322), free-throw percentage (.754), and three-point field-goals per game (8.8). In addition, Butler leads the nation with an average of only 9.6 turnovers per game, part of the team's League-best figures for turnover margin (+4.17 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.26 set-ups per miscue).

Defending national champion University of Florida remains atop both of the national polls, with all 72 first-place votes in the AP listing and 30 of 31 first-place picks in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The top five in each canvass include UCLA second, followed by Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina.

Butler hits the road for two games this week, beginning Thursday (Feb. 8) with a 7 p.m. (EST) contest at Cleveland State University. The Bulldogs then travel to Wright State University (16-8, 9-2) for Saturday's (Feb. 10) showdown between the top two teams in the League standings. That game is set for 7 p.m. at WSU's Nutter Center.

###

Note: This week's national poll results can be found in the PDF version of this release.

Butler in the weekly national polls
(AP poll, followed by ESPN/USA Today)
Nov. 13NR/NR
Nov. 20NR/NR
Nov. 2719/18
Dec. 415/14
Dec. 1118/18
Dec. 1816/16
Dec. 2515/15
Jan. 113/13
Jan. 812/12
Jan. 1518/15
Jan. 2214/11
Jan. 2913/11
Feb. 510/9