The Hlog

Lickliter Has Friends

It would have been absurd had the NCAA found anything to be wrong about this, but the NCAA and absurdity have never been strangers:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Butler seniors Pete Campbell and Mike Green spent Thursday morning worrying whether they would even play against Loyola of Chicago.

Then they demonstrated how much they mean to the Bulldogs' success.

Campbell scored 15 points and Green added 13, leading No. 15 Butler to a 63-50 victory over the Ramblers on a chaotic game day that included pregame phone calls from school officials to the Horizon League with questions about possible rules violations.

``I didn't think it would be any type of problem,'' Campbell said. ``We probably could have used better judgment, but it ended up being harmless.''

Fortunately for the Bulldogs (18-2, 7-2), the NCAA agreed.

But that wasn't quite good enough for first-year Butler coach Brad Stevens, who declined to comment on the situation precipitated by the appearance of three seniors - Campbell, Green and Julian Betko - behind the Iowa bench Wednesday night at No. 7 Indiana. Stevens did acknowledge he was concerned.

All three players received tickets from the Iowa coaching staff. But Campbell, Green and Betko made the one-hour trip to Bloomington to see some old friends, namely new Hawkeyes coach Todd Lickliter and assistants Joel Cornette and LaVall Jordan, who all coached at Butler last season.

Eventually, the NCAA gave the three clearance to play, and Campbell and Green made the most of it.

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