Butler Men’s Basketball Falls to Howard in Game for the Ages

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The No. 8 seed Butler Grizzlies fell to the No. 1 seed Howard Hawks in double overtime 134-128 in the Quarterfinal Round of the NJCAA National Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. 

What a season it was for Butler Grizzlies men's basketball. The Grizzlies clinched their first KJCCC regular season title since 2014-15, their first Region 6 Tournament Championship since 2022-23, and their first NJCAA National Tournament Quarterfinal appearance since 1996. 

Though the Grizzlies fell just short in the quarterfinal round to Howard, it was still an all-time NJCAA National Tournament game. The 262 combined points were the most points in NJCAA Tournament game history. With so much on the line for both teams going into the game, it's safe to say that the game lived up to the hype. 

The first seven minutes was a back-and-forth battle, but Howard jumped up to a double-digit lead with 8:57 remaining in the half. The Grizzlies managed to cut the Howard lead down to four, but a late Howard run put the Hawks back up by 10 heading into the break (48-38).

Howard completely owned the first four minutes of the second half, taking their biggest lead of the afternoon 60-42 with 16:41 remaining in regulation. The Grizzlies had no answer for Howard's big man Terry Copeland, who finished with a 31-point, 11-rebound performance. Copeland scored at will in the paint, and the Grizzly offense was ice cold. 

Butler managed to come all the way back and take the lead at 71-70 (29-10 run) with 10:05 left in regulation, with the help of their full-court press and getting Copeland in foul trouble. 

A pivotal moment in the game came when Copeland was called for a flagrant foul, receiving his fifth foul on the day and was sent to the bench for the remainder of the contest with 5:22 remaining in regulation. With the Grizzlies down seven, Butler took advantage of his absence. 

The Grizzlies continued to fight, cutting the Howard lead down to one with 2:45 left to play, sophomore Josiah Kirkwood nailed a three to take the lead 95-93. 

Tied at 99 apiece, Howard's Dace Pleasant made a go ahead three with 4.7 seconds on the clock to put the Hawks up 102-99. Butler's Josiah Kirkwood raced down the floor and pulled up a deep three from the top of the key and drilled it at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. 

�� #NJCAABasketball on #SCTop10!

Shoutout to @BucoMBB's Josiah Kirkwood for his feature on @SportsCenter Top Plays with this game-tying shot to send it to OT at the 2026 @MyCreditUnion1 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, presented by @Zurich pic.twitter.com/V0cVFdYX7p

— NJCAA Basketball (@NJCAABasketball) March 26, 2026

Kirkwood has had his share of buzzer beaters throughout his Butler career. He banked in the game-winning three with 1.5 seconds left in the Region 6 Semifinal vs Cowley, hit the game-winning jumper vs Seward, and nailed the game-winning three against Indian Hills in the second game of the year last season. 

In the first overtime, just over a minute in, Butler star freshman Tristan Hankins rolled his ankle and was helped off the floor, sidelining him for the remainder of the game. 

With the game again tied at 116-all, the Grizzlies had the ball for the final possession but failed to get a shot off, sending the game to a second overtime. 

The Grizzlies couldn't buy a bucket in the second overtime, going 2-11 in the frame, and Howard pulled away late to survive and advance to the NJCAA National Tournament Semifinal game. 

Butler put up a valiant effort in the loss. After scoring only 38 points in the first half and trailing by as many as 18 in the second half, the Grizzlies scored 64 points in the second half to send it into overtime. 

Butler ends its season 25-10 overall. 

"I think 15 non-biased people just told me that that was the national title game" said second year-head coach Eric Nitsche. "That was an incredible basketball game. Guys on both sides were laying it all out there. Such an incredible game to be a part of. I'm speechless. March madness could be jubilation, and it could be cruel because of what you put into this. They truly left their heart out there and that's all you can ask for as a coach. I couldn't be more proud to be their coach." 

The Grizzlies shot only 39.6 percent from the field and were 11-50 from three. Butler shot 101 total field goals and made 40 of them. The Grizzlies also shot an outstanding 37-38 from the free throw line at a 97.4 percent clip. Howard shot an impressive 64.9 percent from the floor (50-77), 6-18 from three, and 28-44 from the foul line. Butler forced 31 Howard turnovers and converted them into 40 points. The Grizzlies also had 56 points off the bench. Howard dominated the paint, putting up 84 points. 

Kirkwood had a career game in his final time wearing the purple and gold, as he scored a career high 31 points. KJCCC Player and Freshman of the Year Tristan Hankins had yet another unbelievable performance, 27 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Freshman Dominic Pleasants scored a career high 23 points off the bench, and Tim Walker II added 17. 

Howard's Terry Copeland scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Kuai Deng recorded a 31-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in the win. 

The loss means the last performances for five Grizzly sophomores: Josiah Kirkwood, Cory Muehler, Devin Kerr, JD Thomas II, and AJ Pierre-Jerome.