Butler seniors Fromm, Marshall leave Hinkle with a win

It was fitting that Butler's two seniors this season, Khyle Marshall and Erik Fromm, exited the game together Saturday evening to the roar of the crowd, a victory firmly in hand. It's an emotion they've experience far too rarely this season.

But this day, unquestionably, was a special one for both. Together, the pair are the last two players on Butler's roster to have played in a Final Four, the last links, if you will, to some of the program's greatest moments.

After the game, an easy 71-54 triumph over Seton Hall, both were asked about their emotions after walking off the court at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the final time.

"A little surreal," Fromm called it.

"A very special moment," Marshall added. "I'm speechless now to be honest."

Fromm, back in the starting line-up for the day, scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds. Marshall finished with 10 points and six boards.

"It hasn't really hit me yet I wont be playing in Hinkle again," Fromm said. "You see the seniors graduate, and you never think it's going to be your turn. Then it is, and you don't know how to feel about it. I can tell you this – I would not want to have a senior night anywhere but Butler. And that's from the heart."

Marshall shared the sentiment.

"It's tough to believe we won't play another game inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. (Walking off the court for the final time) was a very special moment. I'm very happy all the fans were able to share this with us, and it's definitely an emotional time. But I'm happy to come out with a win."

Fromm, who has battled through lessons of far more significance than a losing season, lost his starting spot earlier this year to freshman Andrew Chrabascz. He never blinked, carrying on with the motto he arrived at Butler with four years ago: Whatever's best for the team.

"I'll never forget the first time I sat and talked with Erik Fromm, I felt like he was 40 years old," Butler head coach Brandon Miller said with a laugh. "There was just a maturity about him, a way about him that carries over to the other guys. When our team gets together, he speaks.

"When I think of Erik, I think of a great teammate," Miller continued. "How he's handled himself from the start of the year to the end of the year, basically saying, 'Whatever the team needs, I'll do,' and he's taken a seat on the bench and played a crucial role and he had a heck of a game today."

And then there's Marshall, who will soon finish his career at Butler as one of just 15 players in program history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

His performance Saturday was fitting -- it wasn't necessarily what Marshall did on the court but above it.

"I call him the best lob-catcher in America," Miller said of Marshall, who hauled in a handful of alley-oops in this one.

"But when you think of Khyle, Butler fans' memories are going to go back to his ability to rebound the ball as a freshman in the NCAA Tournament. They're going to think about all his big-time dunks and the amount of highlights. But what I'm going to think about is his smile and his energy he comes to practice with every day. He's a guy who brings it every day, and guys feed off that energy. Hopefully we can keep these guys playing for as long as possible."

Dunham's big day

Beyond Marshall and Fromm's final game at Hinkle Fieldhouse, there was another star Saturday: Kellen Dunham.

He was a shooter at his very best.

Dunham drained all seven of his 3-point attempts, tying a program record set in 2005 by former Bulldog Avery Sheets. The sophomore from Pendleton Heights finished 11-for-14 from the floor for 29 points -- three shy of his career-high 32 -- and carved up the Seton Hall defense all afternoon. (Sheets went 7-for-7 from long range against Loyola on Feb. 3, 2005)

It's Dunham's seventh game this season of 25 points or more, but just his third in Big East play.

"I don't know, I guess it's just the law of averages," he said after the game, referring to his hot-and-cold season. "(Seton Hall's) 2-3 zone helped a little bit, opened things for me and I was able to get some great screens from my teammates. That was a focus for all all week."

Miller said after the game he's never seen Dunham shoot better.

It seems a long way from Thursday night, when Dunham finished with more rebounds (9 -- a career high) than points (6). But he was on from the opening tip Saturday, and the Pirates paid dearly.

"He did a good job of creating shots, and worked well off the ball," said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, gazing at the stat sheet while shaking his head. "He's fun to watch when he's coming off screens like that. We lost him early, lost him on the first shot of the game, lost him on the second shot of the game. And it's a bad thing when you let a shooter like that see the bottom of the net (early)."

As a team, Butler hit its first eight 3-pointers and, midway through the first half, was shooting 80 percent.

Jones suspended

Butler junior Roosevelt Jones -- redshirting this season after tearing ligaments in his left wrist in August -- has been absent for the Bulldogs' last few games. According to coach Brandon Miller, Jones has been suspended from the team for a violation of team rules.

Jones, the fifth Butler player suspended at one time or another this season, will not travel to New York City next week for the Big East Tournament.

Miller added that Jones will return to the team after the tournament.

Butler to see Seton Hall once more

Willard and his team will get a third chance to beat Butler this season, and they'll only have to wait four days for another crack at the Bulldogs.

The Pirates finished the regular season 15-16 and 6-12 in Big East play, good enough for the conference's eight-seed for next week's Big East Tournament. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, finished 14-16 and 4-14 in league play, good enough for the nine-seed.

The two teams will square off Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The winner earns a date with league champion Villanova the following day at noon.

Said Fromm after the game: "If you can't get up to play in the Garden, then something's wrong with you."

Butler swept the Pirates this season, winning the two games by a combined 24 points.

"I've said this all along ... I think they've had seven overtime games ... a few 1-2-point losses," Willard said of the Bulldogs. "Brandon's done a heck of a job under the circumstances. They're extremely well-coached. We just gotta figure out a way to score on them; we just haven't been able to score on them."

A few additional notes:

>> With the victory, Butler finishes 8-7 at Hinkle FIeldhouse this season. It's the 25th consecutive season the Bulldogs have had a winning record at home.

>> Saturday's Senior Day victory marked the 19th consecutive season the Bulldogs have won their final home game.

>> As a team, the Bulldogs shot 11-for-18 (61 percent) from 3-point range, their highest percentage of the season. The previous best was 52 percent against Division III Manchester back in December.

Quotable:

"This month is the best month of the year, not only because it's my birthday, but also March Madness. You can see the level of intensity in teams just shoot through the roof. For us to have that type of confidence going into one of the most historic arenas in the world, it's a big eye opener for us. We're ready to compete."

-- Butler senior Khyle Marshall