Butler received good news on two fronts at Paradise Island, Bahamas.
First, the Bulldogs were much better than they were the night before, using 16 3-pointers to beat Middle Tennessee 84-53 Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Second, Dayton, the team that beat Butler in the first round, is proving to be better than projected. No. 4 Virginia had to come from behind to beat the Flyers 66-59 in a semifinal.
Butler's Sean McDermott achieved a career high for the second night in a row, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes. He shot 7-of-11 on 3-pointers, bettering the 18 points he scored Wednesday.