It was a historic night in Indianapolis on Saturday night as the No. 18 Butler men’s basketball team unveiled a banner signifying its Final Four accomplishments from last season, its first ever appearance in the Final Four. The appearance ended in a close two-point loss to Duke in the national championship game.

The Bulldogs got right back to business after the celebration, routing Marian 83-54 at Hinkle Fieldhouse – the win marked the 19th consecutive home victory for Butler.

Junior guard Shelvin Mack paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 20 points and chipped in three steals as well.

Butler didn’t seem to lose its step after losing former star forward Gordon Hayward to the NBA Draft over the summer, whose inside presence was a key factor in its championship run last season.

Sophomore center Andrew Smith helped pick up the slack that Hayward left with his departure, contributing 10 points and four rebounds in just 15 minutes of action.

Freshman forward Khyle Marshall also had a solid game in his collegiate debut, scoring nine points and blocking two shots in his first 14 minutes of play as a Bulldog.

Butler will continue a difficult out-of-conference schedule – which includes games against Siena, Xavier and a national championship rematch at Duke – this Tuesday night when it travels to Freedom Hall to face Louisville.

Syracuse off to hot start
         

After a disappointing end to its season in last season’s Sweet 16 game against Butler in the NCAA Tournament, No. 13 Syracuse was looking for some impressive wins over the weekend to kick start its 2010-11 season.

With two home games on the tilt, the Orange got those wins, toppling Northern Iowa, 68-46, on Friday night, followed by downing Canisius, 86-67, on Sunday afternoon. With the wins, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim moved into fifth place on the all-time Division I wins list.

After holding a close halftime lead against the Panthers on Friday, the Orange broke it open in the second half, fueled by a 21-8 run to start the half which lead to the decisive victory.

It was more of the same, surprisingly, on Sunday against the Golden Griffins. After Canisius held the lead for much of the first half, the Orange held a slim three-point lead at halftime.

Syracuse then scored quickly and often in the second frame, kick starting the half with a 7-0 run and outscoring the Golden Griffins 54-38 in the half leading to the 86-67 win.

Senior forward Rick Jackson was a constant force over the weekend, contributing 14 points and seven rebounds against UNI and scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds to lead the Orange past Canisius.

After being a driving force off the bench for Syracuse last season, junior forward Kris Joseph looked impressive assuming his new starting role, recording double figures in points in both games.

The Orange will continue their out-of-conference schedule on Tuesday when they host Detroit at the Carrier Dome.
         

Duke continues streak
        
Just over seven months removed from its national championship victory, No. 1 Duke began its surge for back-to-back titles on late Sunday afternoon against Princeton.

Behind a game-high 22 points from senior guard Nolan Smith, the Blue Devils scorched the Tigers 97-60 to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Five players scored in double figures for Duke, including transfer sophomore guard Seth Curry, who chipped in 14 points off the bench, going 3-fo-5 from three-point range.

Sophomore guard Andre Dawkins also had a strong effort off the bench, scoring 13 points and going 3-6 from beyond the arc.

Kyrie Irving, the first freshman point guard to start a game for the Blue Devils in over a decade, proved he was worth the hype in his debut, scoring 17 points and dishing nine assists in the rout.

The victory extended Duke’s non-conference home winning streak to 78 games and moved Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski within four games of 800 career wins.

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected].