MILWAUKEE -- Coming into the NCAA Tournament, the Butler Bulldogs weren't aiming for a deep run as much as they were focused on a methodical, step-by-step approach.
They can cross another step off their list.
Kelan Martin scored 19 points and Andrew Chrabascz added 15 as the fourth-seeded Bulldogs punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011 with a 74-65 victory over No. 12 Middle Tennessee State on Saturday night in an NCAA Tournament second-round game at the Bradley Center.
"Getting the W today is a relief," Chrabascz said. "But we're not done yet. We're going to have to focus for whoever our next opponent is coming up."
Related
After shooting 49 percent from the field in their opening game against Winthrop on Thursday, the Bulldogs stayed hot against the Blue Raiders. Butler shot 51.1 percent from the field, including 8 of 15 from beyond the arc while making 18 of 23 free throws.
"We made shots," Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. "Things look different when you make shots. And defensively, we were really solid. I thought our zone helped us, kept them out of the paint and that was important."
JaCorey Williams led the Blue Raiders with 20 points and Reggie Upshaw added 12. Giddy Potts, Middle Tennessee's second-leading scorer this season at 15.8 points per game, was held scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 0-of-3 from 3-point range.
"Our bench came in and did a hell of a job," Potts said. "(Johnson) came off the bench and had a hell of a game."
Middle Tennessee (31-5) overcame a slow start and heated up in the second half but struggled from distance, hitting just 1 of 8 attempts in the first half and 4 of 19 overall.
Butler shot 50 percent from the field and hit 6 of 9 3-pointers -- two each from Avery Woodson, Kamar Baldwin and Martin -- in the first half. A late cold spell allowed Middle Tennessee to sneak back into the game and cut the deficit to 36-31 at halftime.
Williams scored six points in a row at one point for the Blue Raiders and went into the break with 11 points and six rebounds. Middle Tennessee committed only four turnovers but shot just 40 percent from the floor and missed eight of 11 3-point attempts in the opening half.
The Blue Raiders got even colder in the second half, hitting four of their first 13 shots. A jumper from Antwain Johnson got Middle Tennessee within six with 13:48 left, but Butler quickly stretched its lead back to double digits.
"We tried to cheat out, we lost assignments and just got out of our defense," MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. "We kind of got out of character a bit."
A late 9-0 run got the Blue Raiders within three, but a 3-pointer from Chrabascz stopped the bleeding and Lewis put the Bulldogs up by six with 2:58 to play.
"It was kind of like our game with Minnesota the other day," junior guard Edward Simpson said. "The whole game we felt that it was in reach no matter how much we were down, but to even be that close, it was even better."
The loss was the Blue Raiders' first since Feb. 4. They had won 11 straight before Saturday.
"We chased them the whole game," Davis said. "We fought it and fought it and fought it, got it back to a one-possession game, but they made a big 3 when they needed it."
Butler will face top-seeded North Carolina or No. 8 Arkansas on Friday in the South Regional semifinal in Memphis, Tenn.
"We have a group of guys that believe in one another," Butler senior guard Tyler Lewis said. "This team knew that we weren't going to let each other lose and go out like that. We came together, played together. We played hard defense, tremendous togetherness on offense and luckily, we beat them."
NOTES: Butler advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, when the Bulldogs reached the Final Four for a second consecutive season. They fell in the second round in 2013 and were bounced in the first round a year ago. ... The Bulldogs are 15-3 this season when Tyler Lewis finishes with four or more assists; he had four against Middle Tennessee State. ... Middle Tennessee finished the season with 31 victories, the third-highest total in the nation behind only Gonzaga (34-1) and Villanova (32-4).
