Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Tickets

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Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball History

The Butler University Bulldogs men’s basketball team played their first season in 1896 and competed in various mid-major conferences such as the Missouri Valley Conference and the Horizon League before joining the Big East in 2013. Along with seven conference tournament championships between 1997 and 2011, the Indianapolis-based program has appeared in 16 NCAA tournaments with the Bulldogs making it to the Sweet Sixteen on their first go in 1962. 

The team returned to prominence in the mid-’90s under head coach Barry Collier, who guided the Bulldogs to their second NCAA tournament berth in 1997. Coach Brad Stevens led the Bulldogs to five consecutive March Madness appearances between 2007 and 2011, including the team’s historic back-to-back advancements to the National Championship game in 2010 and 2011. The Bulldogs have since made it to “The Big Dance” five times in 2013 and every year between 2015 to 2018. Additionally, Butler has participated in 10 National Invitation Tournaments, including recent appearances in 2019 and 2024.

Butler has served as the home court for two members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Harlan Page, the team’s head coach of six years starting in 1920, and Tony Hinkle, Page’s successor who coached Butler from 1926 to 1942 and 1945 to 1970. Notable alumni players include NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, Kelan Martin and Shelvin Mack.

Butler Bulldogs Team Info

Conference: Big East
Team Colors: Blue and white
Team Rivals: Indiana State, Valparaiso, Xavier

Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse

Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home court of the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis, has earned its nickname as “Indiana's Basketball Cathedral” with a long, celebrated history that’s also led to its designation as a National Historic Landmark. It is also famously the backdrop to the championship game in the 1986 movie Hoosiers. Opening in 1928 as Butler Fieldhouse, the facility was the country’s largest basketball arena until 1950. It was renamed in 1966 in honor of the Bulldogs’ head coach Tony Hinkle. While Butler was a member of the Horizon League, Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted several conference tournaments, including the Bulldogs’ championship win in 2010. In 2021, the arena held several semifinal matches in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.