Butler guard Alex Barlow, a walk-on from Springboro, became a feel-good national story when he hit a game-winning shot to topple then-No. 1 Indiana in overtime earlier this season.

Coach Brad Stevens was concerned whether Barlow could handle suddenly being thrust in the media spotlight, but those worries were unfounded.

The 5-11 sophomore, who played in high school at Cincinnati Moeller, will make his ninth-straight start for the Bulldogs at Dayton today. And both Stevens and UD coach Archie Miller settled on the same term when asked to describe Barlow, calling him a winner.

“Every single day, all he cares about is trying to do his job to try to make somebody else’s job easier,” Stevens said. “He’s got to continue to embrace that. He’s got to continue to be that glue guy.

“He’s a very grounded person, a very thankful person, really studies the game, really likes the game, and he’s reaping the rewards of that.”

Barlow, who averages 2.3 points, was a first team All-GCL South pick at Moeller but probably was a better baseball player, earning all-state honors as a shortstop.

He went to Butler because he aspires to be a basketball coach and wanted to learn from one of the best.

“He’s just the ultimate competitor — not afraid, a fearless kid,” Miller said. “A lot of people will look at that shot against Indiana and say, ‘How does that happen?’ I think if you watch the devil in the details and see how he competes and plays and does what they ask him to do, you gain a little more respect for him.”

Celebrity on sidelines: Stan Van Gundy, who led the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals and also was coach for the Miami Heat in the pre-LeBron days, will provide commentary during the game for NBC Sports Network.

Known for his candor as well as his coaching acumen, Van Gundy has been broadcasting college games, providing NBA analysis on NBC radio and doing his own sports talk show in Miami since leaving the Magic last season.

“I was excited to come do this game,” he said as he showed up for the Flyers’ practice Friday at UD Arena. “It’s two great teams and a great atmosphere. You couldn’t ask for more. … This is what college basketball is all about.”

Established program: When a TV reporter mentioned to Miller that Butler was already making a name for itself in the Atlantic 10, the coach said: “I think if Butler was in the ACC, they’d be making a name for themselves. It’s not real surprising — well-coached, great system, don’t beat themselves. The misleading thing about them is how physical they are. It’s like a Big Ten game.”

Going fast: As of late Friday afternoon, UD needed to peddle 211 more tickets to reach a sellout crowd of 13,435.