Sweet again: Bulldogs bounce Blue Raiders
MILWAUKEE — Kelan Martin scored 19 points, and Butler limited Middle Tennessee’s athletic scorers with smothering defense in a 74-65 victory Saturday night to advance to the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals.
The Bulldogs (25-8) are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011. The Bulldogs advanced to the South Regional semifinal on March 24 in Memphis against either North Carolina or Arkansas.
Andrew Chrabascz added 15 points for fourth-seeded Butler, including a 3 with 3:25 left that snapped a 7-0 run for Middle Tennessee to get the lead back to 62-56.
The senior forward played an even more important role in leading a sterling defensive effort for the Bulldogs.
Conference USA Player of the Year JaCorey Williams finished with 20 points, but had to work hard for nearly every bucket for No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee (31-5).
Giddy Potts, who averaged nearly 16 points a game this year, was held scoreless, going 0 of 8 from the field.
Two turnovers in the final 43 seconds ended a frustrating night for the Blue Raiders. Senior Reggie Upshaw, playing his final college game, paused briefly before heading down the tunnel, appearing to wipe tears from his face.
Antwain Johnson had a career-high 19 points off the bench for the Blue Raiders.
But the team failed to advance to the Sweet 16 for a second straight year after beating a Big Ten team each season. A win over Butler would have elevated their reputation as a rising mid-major school, similar to how the Bulldogs emerged to prominence earlier this decade with two trips to the national title game.
Instead, Butler gets another shot to get back to the Final Four.
Another strong effort from the 3-point line lifted Butler on the offensive end, with Martin firing in 3-of-6 from behind the arc.