Butler, Wright State prepare for opening round of NCAA Championship

March 12, 2007

Complete Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Butler, Wright State Carry Horizon League Banner into NCAA Championship

For the first time in four years, the Horizon League has two entries in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Regular-season co-champions Butler and Wright State represent the League at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., with the fifth-seeded Bulldogs of BU opening Midwest Region play Thursday versus 12th seed Old Dominion (24-8). Wright State (23-9), which earned the automatic berth by defeating Butler 60-55 in the final of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship last Tuesday (March 6), carries a No. 14 seed into its West Regional game Thursday versus third seed Pittsburgh (27-7).

Butler enters the national summit with a 27-6 overall record, including a 13-3 League ledger. The Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in the League's preseason poll, but gained national attention in November by winning the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. Butler opened with victories over in-state rivals Notre Dame and Indiana, then knocked off top-25 teams Tennessee and Gonzaga to claim the crown.

Butler quickly moved into the top 25 on its own, and subsequently became the first team in Horizon League history to enter the national top ten when the AP voters installed the Bulldogs as their No. 10 team and the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll voters put Butler ninth in their rankings in early February.

Horizon League Coach of the Year Todd Lickliter's Bulldogs rank seventh among the national leaders in scoring defense---holding opponents to 57.2 points per game---and top the Division I charts with an average of 9.4 turnovers per contest. Butler also rates near the top of the list in scoring margin (17th nationally at plus-11.3 points per game) and free-throw percentage (sixth at .763), and became the first team in League history to lead the circuit in both scoring offense (69.4 points per game) and scoring defense (54.9) in loop play.

On an individual basis, junior guard A.J. Graves ranks second in the nation with his 95.8 free-throw percentage, missing only six of 143 attempts this year. Graves earned First-Team All-League honors and ranks fifth in the circuit at 17.0 points per contest. Backcourt mate Mike Green was the League's Newcomer of the Year, leading the team in rebounding (5.8 per game, eighth on the loop charts) and assists (second in the League at 4.03 per contest). Green also averages 14.1 points per game.

Butler is in the national tournament for the sixth time in the last 11 years, and the seventh overall. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16 in their last appearance, defeating fifth-seeded Mississippi State (47-46) and fourth seed Louisville (79-71) as a 12th seed before falling (65-54) to top seed Oklahoma in 2003.

Butler's No. 5 seed is the best for a Horizon League team since Loyola drew a No. 4 rating in 1985. The Ramblers reached the Sweet 16 at that year's national summit.

Wright State brings a 23-9 mark into the tourney, winning 18 of its last 21 games since Dec. 28. The Raiders claimed their first-ever Horizon League title by sharing the regular-season crown and then defeating Butler in front of 10,686 fans at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in the final of the League Championship on March 6. WSU's 13 League victories are the most since the school joined the circuit in 1994.

Wright State is making only its second appearance in the Division I Championship. The first came in 1993 when the Raiders captured the Mid-Continent Conference crown, only to receive a No. 16 seed. Top seed Indiana ended WSU's dream run quickly with a 97-54 victory in the opening round of the national summit.

The Raiders rank second in the League defensively, allowing only 61.6 points per contest, and boast the League's Player of the Year in senior guard DaShaun Wood. The Detroit native, a candidate for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, ranks among the League's top five players in eight different statistical categories, leading the circuit in both scoring (19.8 points per game) and steals (1.88 per contest) while standing fourth in assists (3.88 per contest) and fourth with a .886 free-throw percentage. Freshman guards Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown have combined to provide 18 points per game. Both first-year collegians were members of the League's All-Newcomer Team this season.

Wright State's 23 victories are the most by a Raider squad since the school moved to Division I in 1987-88. WSU was the Division II national champion in 1983--finishing 28-4 that year---but had not won more than 18 games in a season since 1992-93.

Raider coach Brad Brownell is in the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last five years. He led UNC Wilmington to the national summit in 2003 and 2006 before taking over in Dayton last summer. In five years as a head coach, Brownell is averaging more than 21 wins per season (106-49 career ledger). The Raider sideline boss received District 10 Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches last week.

The Horizon League is one of 12 conferences with multiple teams in the Field of 65. The Atlantic Coast Conference has seven entries, with the Big East, Pacific-10 and Big Ten conferences each having six and the Southeastern Conference placing five teams in the field. The Big 12 Conference landed four teams in the national summit, with the Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Atlantic 10, and Western Athletic Conferences matching the Horizon League and the Colonial Athletic Association as two-team circuits.

The League last had multiple NCAA entries in 2003, when Butler gained an at-large berth alongside loop champion UW-Milwaukee. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16 that year and finished 27-6. The League placed three teams in the 1998 summit, with Detroit and UIC joining champion Butler in the "Big Dance."

First-Round Previews

Midwest: (#5) Butler

vs. (#12) Old Dominion

Buffalo, N.Y. / HSBC Arena

2:50 p.m. (ET)

Butler 27-6 (Horizon League: 13-3)

Old Dominion 24-8 (Colonial: 15-3)

--- --- --- --- ---

Key Players:

Butler

A.J. Graves, Jr. G 17.0 ppg., 2.50 apg., .958 FT%

Mike Green Jr. G 14.1 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 4.03 apg.

Brandon Crone, Sr. F 11.4 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 47 3FG

Pete Campbell, Jr. F 8.9 ppg., .514 3FG%

Julian Betko, Sr. F 4.4 ppg., .372 3FG%

Old Dominion

Valdas Vasylius, Sr. F 15.8 ppg., 6.2 rpg., .495 FG%

Drew Williamson, Sr. G 11.3 ppg., 4.47 apg.

Brian Henderson, Jr. G 9.6 ppg., 3.0 rpg.

Arnaud Dahi, Sr. F 9.4 ppg., 6.3 rpg.

Brandon Johnson, Jr. G 8.2 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 3.81 apg.

==================

West: (#14) Wright State

vs. (#3) Pittsburgh

Buffalo, N.Y. / HSBC Arena

2:50 p.m. (ET)

Wright State 23-9 (Horizon League: 13-3)

Pittsburgh 27-7 (Big East: 12-4)

--- --- --- --- ---

Key Players:

Wright State

DaShaun Wood, Sr. G 19.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.88 apg.

Vaughn Duggins, Fr. G 8.9 ppg., 2.56 apg.

Drew Burleson, Sr. F .8.8 ppg., 5.8 rpg., .517 FG%

Todd Brown, Fr. G 8.6 ppg., 2.9 rpg.

Jordan Pleiman, Jr. C 7.4 ppg., 5.5 rpg., .517 FG%

Pittsburgh

Aaron Gray, Sr. C 14.1 ppg., 9.6 rpg., .563 FG%

Mike Cook, Jr. G 10.5 ppg., 2.65 apg., .496 FG%

Antonio Graves, Sr. G 9.4 ppg., 2.44 apg.

Levance Fields, So. G 9.3 ppg., 4.47 apg.

Ronald Ramon, Jr. G 8.5 ppg., .432 3FG% (64 3FG)

================

Horizon League Postseason Participant Capsules

Bulldogs look to re-capture magic

Just five weeks ago, Butler was 24-3 and ranked ninth in the nation. The Bulldogs have dropped four of their last seven since then, but still hold a 27-6 overall record as the NCAA Championship begins. The Bulldogs won a piece of the regular-season title and are in the Field of 65 for the sixth time since 1997.

Junior guard A.J. Graves led the Bulldogs to the NIT Season Tip-Off title in November, when Butler defeated Notre Dame and Indiana in Indianapolis, then Tennessee and Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden to start the road to the national top ten. Graves landed on the First-Team All-League unit, entering the NCAA tourney ranked fifth on the League scoring charts at 17.0 points per contest. He has missed only six of 143 free-throw attempts, ranking second in the nation (behind Gonzaga's Derek Raivio) with a .958 mark at the charity stripe. Graves also leads the League with 90 three-point field goals so far in 2006-07, one of six statistical categories in which he rates among the League's top ten performers.

Junior guard Mike Green made a dramatic impact on the program after transferring from Towson University. Green captured the League's Newcomer of the Year honor for his efforts, averaging 14.1 points, 4.03 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. The set-up rate is second only to UW-Green Bay's Ryan Evanochko among Horizon League players, while his rebound count is eighth-best in the circuit.

Senior forward Brandon Crone adds 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. The six-foot-six Crone is one of six Bulldogs to make at least 20 three-pointers, hitting 47 treys so far this year while also averaging just over two assists per outing.

Senior forwards Brian Ligon and Julian Betko round out the starting five. Ligon---the tallest starter at six-foot-seven---averages only 18.6 minutes per contest, the fewest among the opening quintet. He averages 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per outing but has been efficient in his work at the offensive end, shooting 57 percent (44-of-77) from the floor. Betko, a transfer from Clemson University, provides 4.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. He earned All-Tournament honors at the NIT Season Tip-Off, scoring 15 points versus Tennessee and 13 against Gonzaga.

Perhaps the most underrated player on the BU roster is junior forward Pete Campbell. With attention focused on Graves and Green, Campbell set a Horizon League record by shooting 58.1 percent from three-point range in loop play. He had averaged just 2.8 points per game through December 31, but has taken a key role since the start of the New Year with his 13.2 points per contest. Campbell has made 62 of 109 three-point attempts (56.9 percent) since January 1.

Sideline boss Todd Lickliter won League Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row. Lickliter owns a 129-60 record in six seasons on the BU sideline since taking over after Thad Matta was named head coach at Ohio State. This is the third time a Lickliter-led Bulldog team has won 25 or more games, as his 2002-03 squad registered a school-record 27-6 mark and the 2001-02 team finished 26-6.

Butler ranks seventh in the nation defensively, allowing only 57.2 points per game, and became the first team in League history to top the circuit in both scoring offense and scoring defense during loop competition. The Bulldogs also own the best turnover rate in all of Division I, committing only 9.4 miscues per contest, while their .763 free-throw touch is sixth-best in the nation. Among Horizon League teams, Butler tops the overall charts in scoring margin (plus-11.3 points per game), three-point field goals (8.88 per contest) and turnover margin (plus-3.79 per outing).

Butler's 27 victories match the school record set in 2002-03, and one more win would tie the Horizon League single-season record, set when Xavier finished 28-5 in the 1989-90 campaign.

=================

Raiders enter new territory

Wright State has already made history of sorts, winning its first Horizon League title since joining the circuit in 1994. Now the Raiders try to add to their legacy by winning an NCAA Division I Championship game. WSU brings a 23-9 overall record into Thursday's match-up with Pittsburgh, having won 18 of its last 21 games since Dec. 28. The Raiders shared the League regular-season crown with a 13-3 loop ledger, and defeated #19 Butler 60-55 in the League Championship game to earn an automatic entry in the Field of 65.

First-year coach Brad Brownell directed UNC Wilmington in the NCAA summit in 2003 and 2006, and raised eyebrows last summer when he promised to lead WSU to the "Big Dance"---especially considering the Raiders had won more than 18 games only once since their last NCAA trip in 1993. But his leadership on the sideline, along with the steady play of senior guard DaShaun Wood, have made that prophecy come true.

Wood earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors and leads the League in both scoring (19.8 points per game) and steals (1.88 per contest). The 5-11 senior from Detroit ranks among the League's top ten in eight different statistical categories, including free-throw percentag (fourth at .886) and assists (fourth with 3.88 per game). He is the only player in Wright State history to post 1,800 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists, and leads all active Horizon League players in both assists (454) and steals (204) while ranking 16th in League history with 1,836 career points.

Wood was also the Most Valuable Player of the Horizon League Championship, averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the Raiders' two victories. He had 25 points in the semifinal victory over UW-Green Bay plus 27 points versus Butler, and shot 61 percent (19-of-31) from the floor in the tourney.

Senior forward Drew Burleson adds veteran leadership in the front court, averaging 8.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His current carom rate ranks ninth in the League while the scoring total comes on 51.7 percent shooting from the field. Like Wood, Burleson reached both the 1,000-point and 500-rebound plateaus this season.

A pair of freshman guards have played key roles in the Raiders' success. Vaughn Duggins averages 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with 37 treys this season, while Todd Brown adds 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Brown raised his scoring pace to 11.4 points per game in League play after joining the start line-up at mid-season. Duggins has started 30 of the Raiders' 32 contests, averaging nearly 33 minutes per game (second only to Wood's 36.2 on the team charts in that department).

Junior forward Jordan Pleiman anchors the middle of the starting line-up for Brownell. The only player on the active roster over six-foot-six, Pleiman provides 7.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is just below the minimum (3.0 field goals per game) for the League statistical charts, but the six-foot-eight Pleiman shoots a solid 57.1 percent (93-of-163) from the floor.

Off the bench, junior forward Scottie Wilson averages 5.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 17 minutes per contest. Wilson earned All-Tournament notice at the League Championship after scoring ten points in each game, his fourth and fifth double-figure scoring efforts of the season.

Wright State was just 5-6 after a loss on Dec. 27, but has won 18 of its last 23 games. The difference is evident in the team's statistics, as the Raiders have increased their field-goal accuracy (from .393 in the team's first 11 games to .469 over the last 21), rebound margin (from minus-3.3 to plus -1.3) and scoring (from 58.8 points per game to 67.6). But the adage says that defense wins championships, and WSU has lived up to that mantra, allowing an average of 59.1 points since Dec. 28, compared to 66.4 in the 11-game start.