Feb. 1, 2010
Butler will be in the national spotlight for the fourth consecutive year when it hosts Siena in a feature game of the 2010 BracketBusters event on Saturday, Feb. 20. The game will tip at 11 a.m. ET at Hinkle Fieldhouse and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
The pairing marks the fourth time in four years that the Bulldogs have played in one of the feature BracketBuster games. Butler hosted nationally ranked Southern Illinois in 2007 and nationally-ranked Drake in 2008, before visiting Stephen Curry-led Davidson last year. All three games were nationally televised on ESPN or ESPN2.
Butler, battling for a fourth consecutive Horizon League regular-season championship, has six key league tests before the BracketBusters contest. The League-leading Bulldogs are 11-0 in conference play and 18-4 overall, heading into a stretch of three straight home games against Detroit (Feb. 4), Wright State (Feb. 6) and Loyola (Feb. 8). Butler has won 10 consecutive games and is ranked 23rd by the Associated Press and 15th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, which were released on Monday, Feb. 1.
Siena boasts the nation's longest winning streak with 13 consecutive victories and an overall 19-4 record. The Saints are unbeaten (12-0) in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and can wrap up the league's regular season title and the #1 seed in the MAAC Tournament with wins in their next two games against Iona (Feb. 5) and Fairfield (Feb. 8).
"I have a lot of respect for Siena. I think they're outstanding," said Butler head coach Brad Stevens. "They're very well-coached. In fact I've shared thoughts before with Fran McCaffery and picked his brain. I really respect him as a coach. They've got a great team, and we'll learn more about them in the next few weeks."
Release courtesy of Butler Sports Information.
Schedule of the 2010 BracketBusters televised games on ESPN2 & ESPNU
Time (ET) -- Matchup, Network(s)
Friday, Feb 19
7 p.m. -- Old Dominion at #22 Northern Iowa, ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
9 p.m. -- William & Mary at Iona, ESPNU
Saturday Feb 20
11 a.m. -- Siena at #15 Butler, ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Noon -- Morgan State at Murray State, ESPNU
1 p.m. -- Louisiana Tech at Northeastern, ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
3 p.m. -- Nevada at Missouri State, ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
4 p.m. -- Akron at Virginia Commonwealth, ESPNU
8 p.m. -- College of Charleston at George Mason, ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
8 p.m. -- Western Carolina at Kent State, ESPNU
10 p.m. -- New Mexico State at Pacific, ESPNU
11:59 p.m. -- Wichita State at Utah State, ESPN2 / ESPN360.com
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball
