Butler To Meet Georgetown At Madison Square Garden

Butler will face Big East power Georgetown in the 15th Annual Jimmy V Men’s Basketball Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Dec. 8.  The game will be part of a college basketball doubleheader that will be nationally-televised on ESPN.

The Butler-Georgetown game will be played at 7 p.m. (ET), and will be followed by a 9 p.m., contest between Indiana and Pittsburgh.  The two games will conclude the third annual Jimmy V Week, a week-long, ESPN-driven initiative to help raise funds for cancer research in memory of legendary North Carolina State coach and ESPN commentator Jim Valvano.

“Getting a chance to play in the Jimmy V Classic is a tremendous opportunity, not only for our basketball program but also for Butler University,” said Butler head coach Brad Stevens.  “It’s an honor and we’re excited about the chance to play in Madison Square Garden again against a great Georgetown team.”

The Bulldogs, who will be making their first appearance in the Jimmy V Classic, will be returning to Madison Square Garden for the first time since winning the NIT Season Tip-Off in November of 2006.  Butler defeated Tennessee and Gonzaga on the famed court to capture the 2006-07 season-opening tournament.

Butler and Georgetown will be meeting for the first time as basketball opponents.  The Bulldogs return every player from last year’s 26-6 club, which won the Horizon League regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, while Georgetown returns three of its top four scorers from a team that was ranked in the “Top 10” at one point of the 2008-09 season.