Old news: Butler's (almost) cinderella story
Fifteen years ago, the Butler men's basketball team punched their ticket to the program's first Elite Eight appearance in school history.
Why it matters: The 2009-10 season was the first of two back-to-back NCAA championship runs for Butler, solidifying the mid-major's place in hoops history and America's heart as the ultimate underdog.
Driving the (old) news: Led by beloved, babyfaced head coach Brad Stevens, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs upset No. 1 Syracuse in a nail-biter of a Sweet Sixteen game.
Butler had just eked out a second-round win against No. 13 Murray State, while Syracuse had rolled over No. 8 Gonzaga by more than 20 points.
With just over five minutes left, Butler trailed 50-54. After a critical time out, the Bulldogs held the Orange scoreless for the next five minutes to take a 61-54 lead.
Butler ultimately won, 63-59, to put themselves just one win away from the Final Four in Indy at Lucas Oil Stadium.
💭 Arika's thought bubble: I was a junior at Butler that year. That 2010 run was so magical that we became the team that everyone else rooted for once their own team lost.
By the time we were playing Duke for the national championship, who everyone already loved to hate — at home in Indy, no less — it felt like the whole country was on our side.
Too bad that shot wasn't.
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