Butler to face Maryland in second round of NCAA tournament

l Butler makes its seventh NCAA appearance, and sixth since 1997. The Bulldogs were ranked in the national top ten with a 23-2 record in early February.

l Butler leads the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.4), and entered the tournament ranked seventh in defense by allowing only 57.2 points per game. That number dropped to 56.8 with Thursday's 57-46 victory over Old Dominion, marking the 12th time this season Butler has held an opponent below 50 points.

l Only six teams have scored 70 points against Butler, and Kent State needed two overtimes to become the only team to hit the 80-point mark versus the Bulldogs. Butler won that game 83-80 on Nov. 25, less than 24 hours after capturing the title in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

l Junior guard A.J. Graves entered the tournament ranked second in the nation (behind Gonzaga's Derek Raivio) in free-throw percentage. He tops the team charts and stands fifth in the League in scoring with 17 points per contest. Junior Mike Green leads the team in rebounding (5.8 per game) and assists (4.03 per outing), and recorded his fourth double-double of the year with 14 points and ten rebounds in Thursday's victory.

l Senior forward Brandon Crone adds 11.4 points per game and is one of six Bulldogs to hit at least 20 three-pointers this season.

l Junior forward Pete Campbell is averaging 13 points per game since Jan. 1, hitting 65 of 116 shots (56 percent) from three-point range. He had three consecutive triples during a 17-0 second-half run as Butler took command against ODU's Monarchs.

l Butler limited Old Dominion to 32.7 percent (18-of-55) shooting from the field. Butler is 16-1 when holding opponents under 40 percent from the floor.

l The Bulldogs set a school record and tied a Horizon League standard Thursday with their 28th win of the season. The 2002-03 squad finished 27-6 after reaching the Sweet 16, while Xavier went 28-5 in 1989-90, when the circuit was known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

l The Terrapins will put Butler's defensive résumé to the test, boasting a high-powered offense which averages 79.6 points per game and has hit the 80-point mark 16 times---including seven outings of 90 or more. Maryland won seven games in a row before falling to Miami (Fla.) in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

l Maryland rallied to defeat Davidson 82-70 in the opening round. Six Terrapins scored in double figures, led by senior guard Mike Jones with 17 points. Junior forward Bambale Osby had 11 points off the bench, supporting senior forward Ekene Ibekwe's 11-point, ten-rebound performance.

l The Terrapins dominated the boards against Davidson, out-rebounding the Wildcats by a 54-35 margin. Maryland had a 46-24 scoring advantage in the paint.

l Maryland shoots a solid 47.8 percent from the field, including 38.2 percent from three-point range. James Gist leads the way inside at 54 percent from the field, with Jones shooting 43 percent behind the arc.

l The Terrapins have struggled from the free-throw line, however, hitting only 69.9 percent at the charity stripe. The Terps also average 16 turnovers per game.

l The teams have only one common opponent this season. Butler defeated Notre Dame, 71-69, on Nov. 13, as part of the Bulldogs' run to the NIT Season Tip-Off crown, while Maryland lost to the Fighting Irish, 81-74, at the BB&T Classic in Washington, D.C. (Dec. 3).

l Maryland is in the NCAA tournament for the 22nd time, and the first since 2004 when the Terrapins reached the second round.