on march 25, 2010, butler faced top-seeded syracuse. the bulldogs got off to a good start, jumping out to a 12–1 lead and a 35–25 halftime advantage. syracuse rallied in the second half, taking its first lead of the game, 40–39, off a wes johnson three-pointer. stevens called timeout and butler regained the lead on its next possession, stopping the run. at the 5:32 mark, syracuse got a rare fast break opportunity that ended with a dunk and 54–50 lead. stevens again called time out and re-focused the team. butler responded by holding syracuse scoreless for the next 5 minutes, taking a 60–54 lead with 0:59 to go. butler held on to win 63–59, advancing to the elite eight for the first time in school history.