INDIANAPOLIS – UC Irvine had targeted this night. The Anteaters rarely play on such a stage or in the Eastern time zone. They had never played in Indiana. They had never played Butler, a program they have tried to emulate.
It did not do them any good, but they were right about the Bulldogs. Right about everything.
“They did to us what we often do to other people,” Irvine coach Russell Turner said. “They raised their level of defense to a point we couldn’t function very well early in the game.”
Butler built a 24-point halftime lead against one of the nation’s sternest defensive teams and won 71-54 Friday before 7,732 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.