Former DPU players square off

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

The crowd builds. The air grows heavy. The buzzer sounds. Round three between Horizon conference heavyweights, Butler and Wright State, is about to begin.

But this slugfest has more of a local connection than most might realize.

What do the Bulldogs and Raiders have in common?

Wright State's head basketball coach Brad Brownell and Butler assistant coach Brad Stevens are both former DePauw University basketball players and graduates.

Brownell, class of '91, is in his first season will the Raiders and has a 22-9 mark on the season.

He's coming off a successful four-year run at UNC-Wilmingham where he amassed a record of 83-40, including two NCAA tournament appearances and a Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship last season.

Last season in the CAA tournament. UNC-Wilmingham ousted eventual Final Four participant George Mason University to capture the title.

Brownell has been named the CAA Coach-of-the-Year twice and Fox sports.com named him National mid-major Coach-of-the-Year.

Stevens, class of '99, is in his sixth season as an assistant for Butler. During the first five years of his career at Butler, the team has made three post-season appearances, won two Horizon League championships, and has a record of 69-26.

His main duties are recruiting, skills instruction, on-court coaching and game preparation.

Wright State and Butler squared off twice during the regular season with both teams walking away with a victory, but with the Raiders holding the tie-breaker.

On Tuesday night, Wright State and Butler will face off in the Horizon League championship, with a automatic trip to the NCAA tournament on the line. The Game will be televised on ESPN at 9 p.m.

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