Zak Irvin picked Michigan over Butler on Sunday.

Irvin is 6-foot-6 and will be a junior at Hamilton Southeastern. He is ranked No. 97 by Rivals in the class of 2013.

“I’ve liked Michigan for a while,” said Irvin. “But it was a really tough decision because I felt like I had a good relationship with (Butler coach Brad Stevens).”

Irvin, who averaged 11.4 points and 2.7 rebounds as a sophomore, also had offers from Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, Miami (Fla.), Purdue, Tennessee and Xavier. 

Irvin sees himself being used in a similar way as Tim Hardaway Jr.

“They talked a lot about how they can use me coming off ball screens, either shooting or creating,” Irvin said. “I watched them a couple games in the NCAA Tournament last year and watched how Tim Hardaway Jr. played. I think I can play the same way.”

Olympiacos has signed Matt Howard for the 11-12 season.

Howard helped lead Butler to two consecutive NCAA National Championship Games.

"It is a big decision for me but coming to a team with such great tradition as Olympiacos was easy. Players like Josh Childress and Rasho Nesterovic were here, so I know this one of the best teams in Europe and always has high goals," Howard said. "When you go to the next level, you have to prove you belong. I come to Olympiacos to help and learn from my teammates and our legendary coach."

For the second consecutive year, Butler men’s basketball has reaped a significant publicity windfall for the University.  A study commissioned by Butler’s athletic department found that the Bulldogs’ run to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball championship game generated in excess of a half billion dollars in publicity value.

The study, done by Borshoff, monitored and evaluated media coverage of the Butler University men’s basketball team from mid-March to mid-June, 2011.  During that period, Butler garnered an estimated publicity value of $512,382,703 through television, print and on-line news coverage.  When factoring in social media, the audience reach surpassed 69 billion.

“The incredible exposure that the run to the final game generated goes well beyond the media monitoring report, but this study is an indication of a very significant amount of publicity that Butler has received through our athletics program,” stated Butler Director of Athletics Barry Collier.

“The story of our athletes and their accomplishments in the classroom, as well as on the court, exemplifies the true meaning of student-athlete.  And that story has been carried to a much larger audience, thanks to the success of the Butler basketball team,” added Collier.