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Butler looking to advance to tournament final vs. Illinois-Chicago

Mar 8, 2008 - 2:48 PM Illinois Chi (18-14) at No. 12 Butler (27-3) 6:30 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) - Despite winning back-to-back Horizon League regular-season titles, No. 12 Butler has been unable to capture the tournament championship.

Butler looks to advance to the tournament title game for a third straight season on Saturday when its hosts Illinois-Chicago in the semifinals.

The Bulldogs (27-3, 16-2) clinched their second consecutive regular-season title on February 28 with a five-point victory over Wright State. Butler closed out the campaign with a 65-31 rout over Detroit last Saturday.

Despite clinching the No. 1 seed this campaign, Butler has been unable to win the conference tournament. The Bulldogs were ousted by Milwaukee-Wisconsin in 2006 before losing to Wright State last season.

However, both of those losses came on the road. This time Butler is playing in its own building, where it posted a 9-0 record against conference foes and went 12-1 overall this season.

Illinois-Chicago (18-14), the fourth seed, moved on to the semifinals with a 60-49 victory over eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago on Friday. Josh Mayo scored 17 points to lead the Flames to their third straight win.