Butler Basketball: Top-10 Bulldogs of the century (2000-2018)

SALT LAKE CITY - MARCH 27: Matt Howard #54 and Gordon Hayward #20 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrate in the final moments before defeating the Kansas State Wildcats in the west regional final of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Energy Solutions Arena on March 27, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats 63.56. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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SALT LAKE CITY – MARCH 27: Hayward of Butler cuts down the net. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

3. Gordon Hayward (2008 – 2010)

Career Stats (2 years): 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game

If this article took into account success after college, then I can assure that Gordon Hayward would be even higher on this list. Even so, Hayward landing at the No. 3 spot is incredibly impressive considering he only spend two seasons with the program. But boy was he special in those two years. He was an instant-impact player from the very start of his career, starting every game as a freshman.

In his first season on campus, the “Baby-Faced Assassin” scored in double figures in 20 of his 32 games while averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In addition, he was selected to the first-team All-Horizon League and named the Newcomer of the Year in the league. Although the Bulldogs made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed in Hayward’s freshman year, they were ousted in the first round.

After Hayward’s incredible freshman season, expectations were high in regards to his next step as a sophomore. He did not disappoint. Once again a full-time starter, Hayward dropped in 15.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while racking up awards. At the end of the season, he was named the Player of the Year in the Horizon League, making him the third consecutive Bulldog to win the award and fourth in five years.

Hayward’s last collegiate shot, though, will forever go down as the biggest “what if” moment in college basketball history. This was, of course, his halfcourt shot that was just inches away from beating Duke in 2010 national championship. On the whole, though, Hayward’s two-year career in Indianapolis was special and he definitely deserves to be firmly cemented in this top-10 list.