This Marquette pair led the Tyler Junior College Apaches to their first outright conference title in 21 years three seasons ago.

Butler, a 6-6 junior guard/forward from Tomball, is a starter and the Golden Eagles' second-leading scorer. He is a prominent player in one of the premier conferences in the nation -- the Big East.

Butler averages 14.9 points, while shooting 54 percent from the field, and 6.4 rebounds per game. He has started all 33 games for Marquette (22-11), which plays Washington (24-9) at 6:20 p.m. today in San Jose, Calif.

Butler had a team-high 17 points as Marquette lost to Georgetown in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Fulce, a 6-7 junior forward from Plano, is averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games (13 starts).

Another TJC tie to Marquette is assistant coach Scott Monarch, who served the same role for the Apaches when they had Butler and Fulce. Monarch is a former head coach at Panola College in Carthage.

This is Marquette's fifth straight trip to the NCAA tournament.

Article courtesy of Joe Buie, Tyler Morning Telegraph