Butler's defense shuts down Hazard late in 54-39 state tournament win

Louisville Butler has never been to the Sweet 16 semifinals. They’re only one win away from making school history.

On Thursday morning in Rupp Arena, the No. 7 Bears’ (27-5) defense stepped up late to shut down the Hazard Bulldogs (24-11) in a 54-39 first-round state tournament win. Hazard went ice cold in the fourth quarter, going the final 7:30 of the game without a made field goal after getting as close as three points. A timely three-point barrage from Butler down the stretch was enough to lift them to Friday’s quarterfinals.

“When you get here, and you’re playing good teams. Good teams don’t go away.” Butler head coach Kevin Geary said postgame. “You got to put them away.”

Coming in as a major favorite, Butler only led by six points at halftime. The two teams both dropped in a dozen third-quarter points to make it a tight game going into the final frame. Hazard’s Trace Kincaid hit his lone three-pointer of the game (1-7) to open the quarter, making it a one-possession game for the first time since the opening minutes.

But Butler immediately punched back with a trio of triples, extending its lead to 12. Hazard didn’t hit another field goal the rest of the way.

“It’s nothing that we did. I think (Butler) just did an exceptional job defensively and I think they were very well-prepared,” Hazard head coach Casey Huff said. “We just couldn’t really shake them loose.”

Adrian Wilder and Brayden Wilkins combine for 8 splashes as #7 Butler moves on! Beats Hazard 52-37@KSRonX Sweet 16 coverage pic.twitter.com/4Vuo26l2yl

— SterlingVision (@sterlingvis1) March 19, 2026

It was a slow shooting start on both ends. The Bears and Bulldogs combined for a 3-12 mark from long range after one quarter of action, Hazard taking a 7-6 lead into the second. But senior guard Adrian Wilder, who finished with a game-high 18 points, eventually got hot against the Bulldog zone, shooting 4-7 from beyond the arc in the first half for Butler.

“He’s got permission to shoot it from the parking lot if he wanted to,” Geary said of Wilder, who mentioned that pictures of Devin Booker in the Rupp Arena hallways helped inspire his performance.

To find the difference in how this game ended, we can look at the turnover margin. Despite Butler being outrebounded 32-22, the Bears were able to make up for those shortcomings on the glass by playing the passing lanes. Butler — which only turned the ball over five times, none coming in the first half — scored 10 points off 13 Hazard miscues. Even when the Bears went through scoring droughts of their own, too many turnovers ultimately killed Hazard’s comeback hopes.

Once Hazard swapped out a first-half zone defensive look for a man-to-man one in the second half, Butler knew it could take advantage. The Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the field after halftime, including a 4-9 clip from deep.

“We kind of anticipated that they would probably switch to man, with us having the lead at halftime,” Geary said. “(Wilder) was hitting them in the first half. We felt like they would switch, and we had a game plan for both.”

Wilder was aided by nine points (3-5 3PT) from Brayden Wilkins, along with eight points, four assists, and four rebounds from Santana Anderson. For Hazard, Seth Caudill led the way with 14 points, while Talan Osborne chipped in nine points and Tucker Johnson added seven points and six boards. The Bulldogs’ season ends with a 4-23 outside shooting performance.

Looking ahead, Butler will await the winner of tonight’s game between No. 3 North Oldham and No. 15 Lyon County (6:00 p.m. ET). The Bears will face one of those two teams on Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET back inside Rupp Arena.

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