Old Dominion 46 - 57 Butler
Final
  for this game

Butler draws Old Dominion in clash of mid-majors

Mar 15, 2007 - 1:56 PM Old Dominion (24-8) at Butler (27-6) 2:50 pm EDT

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- Two "mid-major" at-large teams will face off in an NCAA Tournament first-round matchup when fifth-seeded Butler meets No. 12 seed Old Dominion on Thursday.

The runner-up in the Horizon League, Butler earned a bid to the NCAA for the first time since 2003 and seventh overall.

The Bulldogs tied a school record with 27 wins and appeared in the top 20 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll for a school-record 15 weeks during the season.

Senior A.J. Graves averages over 17.3 points for Butler, which is sixth in the nation in scoring defense and surrenders just 57.1 points per game.

Old Dominion (24-8) earned an at-large bid after falling to George Mason in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. The 12th-seeded Monarchs won 12 games in a row to make their first NCAA appearance since 1986.

Old Dominion is a deep team, with eight players averaging at least 17 minutes per game. Senior forward Valdas Vasylius leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.2).

This will be the second meeting between the teams. In the 1999 NIT second round, the Monarchs lost at Butler, 75-62.

The winner will face either fourth-seeded Maryland or 13th-seeded Davidson in Saturday's second round.






Related News