Let's play a game of word association. I say, “College basketball powerhouse in Indiana.” You say … “Butler?” Doesn't quite roll off the tongue, does it?

When most people think of college basketball in the Hoosier state, the name Butler University isn't generally at the top of the list. But over the course of the last couple of years, the Bulldogs' bite has been far worse than their bark.

After giving last year's national champion Florida all it could handle in the Sweet 16, the Bulldogs have bulldozed their way to a 29-3 record this season, a Horizon League championship and the highest Associated Press Top 25 poll ranking (No. 12) of all Indiana teams. Considering the success of No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 17 Purdue and No. 22 Indiana this season, that's no small feat.

The intriguing twist to the story is that Butler's success doesn't follow the standard formula. Despite having a first-year head coach in Brad Stevens, the squad is loaded with experienced seniors, including Horizon League MVP Mike Green.

“We worked as a team all year, (all) summer long,” Green said in a news conference after winning the Horizon League championship.

“I have never been on a team like this. This is the epitome of team. Everybody is happy for each other, and we don't have any jealousy on this team. It's a special thing.”

Butler does have its doubters. The Bulldogs have not beaten a Top 25 team this season, despite their No. 12 ranking. But the team, made up largely of the same players, proved in last year's NCAA Tournament they can run with the big boys, knocking off No. 4 Maryland before losing to Florida in a thriller.

Green leads Butler in scoring with his 14.9-point average and 6.6 rebounds. Seniors A.J. Graves and Pete Campbell and freshman Matt Howard are also double-digit scorers. But one of the Bulldogs' main strengths is their defense and their positive turnover ratio (+3.6). Butler has the best scoring defense average in the Horizon League and is sixth in the nation.

On the offensive side of the ball, Butler shoots 45 percent from the field. But the Bulldogs shine from three-point territory. Butler's 9.2 threes per game is second only to Duke (9.4) among Top 25 teams. Campbell, a transfer from IPFW, leads the team in three-pointers (91), hitting 44.2 percent of his attempts. Graves is a close second with 88.

While they don't chew up the stat sheet, senior starters Drew Streicher and Julian Betko give Stevens extra effort in areas where it matters.

When asked about his thoughts for the NCAA Tournament, Green said the Bulldogs have one thing in mind: winning.

“That's all we want to do is win. We want to win basketball games. I'm sure our coaching staff will have us getting better every day until then.”