2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 5th year. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000 and a playing floor that was renovated during the summer of 2011. This was Butler's last season competing in the Horizon League.
| 2011–12 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball | |
|---|---|
CBI Semifinals | |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| Record | 22–15 (11–7 Horizon) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Hinkle Fieldhouse |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit † | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 14 | .611 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 16 | – | 15 | .516 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 15 | – | 15 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UIC | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 8 | – | 22 | .267 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loyola Chicago | 1 | – | 17 | .056 | 7 | – | 23 | .233 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2012 Horizon League Tournament winner As of March 6, 2012 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In each of the previous two seasons, the Bulldogs reached the NCAA championship game after winning the Horizon League regular season, and Butler was the favorite to win the Horizon League for a sixth consecutive season in spite of losing senior and four-year starter Matt Howard to graduation and junior Shelvin Mack to the NBA draft. Analyst Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports explained "Butler loses a lot of talent from last season, but it's still tough to choose against the Bulldogs." The Bulldogs add Roosevelt Jones, a three-star recruit ranked in the 2011 Rivals 150 and the 33rd best freshman small forward in the nation, and also add Australian guard Jackson Aldridge, who "drew rave reviews playing in the U-19 world championships." Further, the Bulldogs add Kameron Woods, a two-star recruit and the 62nd best power forward in the nation according to ESPN.com. The final member of the recruit class is Andy Smeathers, a "local kid who knows how to make shots."