Gonzaga, Butler agree to two-game men’s basketball series

Gonzaga and Butler, two programs never shy about taking on college basketball’s biggest names, have decided to take on each other.

The schools have agreed to a two-game series, beginning with Butler visiting Spokane this December. Gonzaga will play at Butler’s famed Hinkle Fieldhouse the following season.

“It’s an exciting series, and it’s going to benefit both teams and help them prepare,” Butler associate head coach Matthew Graves told the Indianapolis Star.

Both programs have made splashes nationally and displayed staying power, despite coming from leagues not considered among the power conferences. Gonzaga, which has dominated the West Coast Conference, has played in 13 consecutive NCAA tournaments. Butler, which plays in the Horizon League, has been in five straight NCAA tournaments and lost in the last two national championship games.

Butler knocked off Gonzaga 79-71 in the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off championship game at Madison Square Garden.

Jim Meehan