WASHINGTON -- This time, a last-second shot at the buzzer went Butler's way.
Matt Howard scored on a tip-in at the buzzer, giving the eighth-seeded Bulldogs a 60-58 victory over Old Dominion on Thursday in the second round of the Southeast Regional.
Howard was on the left side of the basket after Shawn Vanzant missed from the right side. Howard went up with his right hand and put the ball in an instant before time expired.
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A year ago, Butler's magical run to the NCAA championship game ended with a narrow miss at the buzzer against Duke. In this game, the Bulldogs got the bounce they needed.
Howard and Shelvin Mack each scored 15 for Butler (24-9), which will play the winner of Thursday's Pittsburgh-UNC Asheville game. The Bulldogs have won 10 straight.
Frank Hassell led Old Dominion (27-7) with 20 points. The defeat ended the Monarchs' nine-game winning streak.
The game featured 21 lead changes, and neither team led by more than six points.
Old Dominion came in with the best rebounding margin in the country, and Butler's effort to overcome that obstacle - and keep Hassell under control in the paint - became even tougher after the 6-foot-8 Howard picked up his third foul with 16:36 left. His teammate Andrew Smith, a 6-11 center, was called for his fourth foul 40 seconds later.
Howard remained in the game and Smith was replaced by Garrett Butcher, who scored six straight points in an 8-1 run that put Butler ahead 49-43.
Old Dominion answered with a 6-0 spurt that began with a 3-pointer by Darius James with 10:09 to go. The Monarchs' next field goal came more than 7 1/2 minutes later, but the basket by Hassell sparked a six-point run that tied it with 31.2 seconds remaining.
Howard's finisher came on Butler's 32nd rebound. Old Dominion finished with 29, only the second time this season the Monarchs were outrebounded.
The game started with a frantic pace, as both teams ran up and down the floor until the initial foul finally stopped play at the 15:50 mark.
The lead also went back and forth until ODU reserve guard Trian Iliadis drilled a 3-pointer and Keyon Carter made a soft jumper to make it 18-13. Over the next eight minutes, however, the Monarchs went 1 for 6 with seven turnovers and fell behind 22-21.
Hassell made Old Dominion's final three field goals in a first half that featured 13 lead changes and ended with the Monarchs clinging to a 29-27 lead.