Butler's Andrew Smith defends the basket against Cleveland State's Anton Grady during the Bulldogs' 52-49 win over host CSU on Feb. 12. The Vikings had won at Butler, 76-69, on Jan. 14.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the school announced that it would begin playing in the A-10 this fall, one year sooner than originally planned.
Butler and Cleveland State had enjoyed a solid, if somewhat uneven, Horizon League basketball rivalry in recent years, though CSU's Vikings couldn't match the remarkable success attained by the Bulldogs in reaching consecutive NCAA national championship games.
Butler coach Brad Stevens, 35, has a 139-40 record in five seasons with the Bulldogs. His wife, the former Tracy Wilhelmy, is a 1995 Rocky River High School graduate.
Butler made a grand statement for all "mid-major" teams during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.
The Bulldogs lost to Duke, 61-59, in the 2009-10 campaign championship game, as forward Gordon Hayward's half-court shot just missed at the buzzer. Butler, which finished 33-5, including 18-0 in the Horizon League, had advanced to the title game with tournament wins over UTEP, Murray State, Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State.
Hayward opted for the NBA following the season, and after being drafted ninth overall, is now a starter for the Utah Jazz.
Butler's second journey to college basketball's biggest game was more stunning than its first. The Bulldogs began tourney play as an eighth seed and with a 23-9 record, but then notched wins over Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Florida and Virginia Commonwealth to earn a meeting with Connecticut for the championship.
Stifled by the UConn defense, Butler went cold from the field after a tight first half and lost, 53-41.
Last season, Butler went 22-15, after the graduation of star forward Matt Howard and the departure of three-year standout guard Shelvin Mack, now with the Washington Wizards.
Cleveland State lost all five of its games against Butler during the Bulldogs' national runnerup seasons, and the teams split their two games last season.
Butler officials say the Horizon and Atlantic 10 conferences were able to accommodate a quicker move by the school from the one league to the other.
Bulldogs athletic director Barry Collier says the school is grateful that things could be worked out this quickly and that it was in the school's best interest to reach an agreement with the Horizon League to leave immediately.
The Atlantic 10 will compete as a 16-team league in 2012-13.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report
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