The Bulldogs have appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments.

At its core, The Butler Way calls for complete commitment and exalts teamwork above self. In recent years, the Butler program has also received national attention for its philosophy to the game, which it calls ' The Butler Way'. In 2013, a student-run podcast, called the 'Front Row Hoopcast, ' was started to give commentary and insight to Butler Basketball from the student perspective. Also, online communities Butler Hoops and /r/ButlerUniversity exist to facilitate discussion among fans. Specific to basketball, Butler's mascot, Butler Blue, the men's basketball program, head coach LaVall Jordan, and other coaches have university-endorsed Twitter accounts. In June 2011, USA Today ranked Butler as one of the top five colleges making use of social media. In an example of the ' Flutie effect', applications rose by 41% after the 2010 appearance. Two studies estimated that television, print, and online news coverage of Butler's 20 appearances in the NCAA tournament championship game resulted in additional publicity for the university worth about $1.2 billion.

Other athletics enjoy substantial followings of current students and alumni, but only basketball has garnered interest from a national audience. Butler finished the 2015–16 season in a tie for fourth place in Big East play with a record of 21–11, 10–8 in conference and receiving a bid to the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the Second Round.īecause of the school's history of basketball success, location in the heart of the land of ' Hoosier Hysteria', and lack of a scholarship football program, the Butler University fan base is primarily basketball-oriented. In their second season, despite being picked to finish 7th, the Bulldogs surprised many by finishing tied for second place in the conference. Their first season was mediocre, finishing 9th out of 10 teams with a 14–17 record, their first losing record since 2004–05. Īfter spending one season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Butler moved into the realigned basketball-only Big East Conference for the 2013–14 season. The Bulldogs also won the National Championship in 1927, though it was before March Madness so it does not count for NCAA records.

With the victory over VCU, Butler became the first mid-major program to reach the championship game in successive seasons since 1979, when seeding of the tournament began, and the only team from the state of Indiana to reach back-to-back championship games. The Bulldogs also went to the championship game in the following NCAA tournament, falling to UConn after defeating VCU in the Final Four. With a total enrollment of only 4,500 students, Butler is the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In the 2010 NCAA tournament, Butler was the National runner-up to Duke, advancing to the National Championship Game after defeating Michigan State in the Final Four.

They ranked in most media polls for all but a few weeks from the 2006–07 season to the 2011–12 season, and competed in the postseason every year since 1997, except for 2004, 2005, and 2014. In 2012 they left the Horizon League for the Atlantic 10 and the year after, moved to the Big East.ĭespite having played in a mid-major conference, Butler rose to national prominence in the late 1990s. They play their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse.īutler competed as part of the Horizon League since its founding, and played basketball in other regional conferences before that, including the Missouri Valley Conference. The school's team currently competes in the Big East Conference. The Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Butler basketball schedule 2021