LAHAINA » Rotnei Clarke wanted to be a part of Butler basketball lore.

With a magical shot to kick off the 2012 EA Sports Maui Invitational on Monday, the transfer guard from Arkansas is well on his way.

Clarke’s running, one-handed 3-point heave from about 25 feet against intense pressure stunned Marquette at the buzzer, 72-71, earning the Bulldogs a shot at No. 9 North Carolina in today’s 3 p.m. semifinal.

"I’ve never hit one with time expiring like that," Clarke said. "Glory to God. It’s a blessing to be out here. To see this scenery, playing in this tournament is awesome."

It made for quite a Lahaina Civic Center debut for Butler (2-1), the 2010 and 2011 national runner-up which is now seeking to stay nationally relevant.

The small school from Indianapolis had a down year by its lofty standards in 2011-12, finishing in the CBI semifinals with a 22-15 record. While that happened, Clarke had to sit out as a Division I transfer, putting up all manner of jumpers in empty gyms while his new teammates traveled on the road.

That was pretty tough for someone who was a star all his life — an All-SEC second-team selection two years ago, and before that, the top scorer in Oklahoma high school history with 3,758 points.

"(It was) extremely tough. It made me a better person, and a better player. … Basketball was taken away from me, but I still had a lot of good things (going)," Clarke said.

He decided he no longer wanted to be a Razorback when his coach, John Pelphrey, was fired in March 2011. And guess who was making the second of two straight trips to the NCAA championship game at about that time?

"When I got my release from Arkansas, I knew I was going to have a chance to compete for championships at Butler," Clarke said. "And I wanted a shot at going to the NCAA Tournament, which I’d never done in my three years at Arkansas. But the storied success they’ve had the past two out of three years, going to the Final Four and national championship game, that’s pretty attractive."

Now the 6-foot senior figures to be a big part of Butler’s hopes at a resurgence as a new member of the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference. It was picked to finish sixth.

Monday’s finish definitely brought some eyes his way. Along with the 11-for-15 shooting of Khyle Marshall, Clarke was key, despite recording no assists and shooting an inefficient 7-for-21 for his 20 points. The degree of difficulty on some of his attempts was extreme.

But the last one was all that mattered. After Junior Cadougan made one of two free throws for the Golden Eagles, Clarke brought the ball up against a double team. With no timeouts remaining, he crossed midcourt with three seconds left, called his own number and let it fly over the arm of Marquette guard Derrick Wilson with a second left.

Clarke slid on his back into the Butler bench while watching it find all net at the horn, making it easy for his teammates to pile all over him.

"It was just kind of a scramble play," he said. "I was dribbling around, and I almost thought about flipping it to Roosevelt Jones, who was going down the lane line, just to have him drive and make a play, ended up keeping it, and got through and got around a couple of guys, and just let it up there, and luckily it went in."

Deadpanned Butler coach Brad Stevens, "I’ve been working on that one with him, running."

Clarke, the primary Bulldog ball-handler, also ensured his team had no turnovers in the second half and only seven for the game.

Marquette (2-1) has been a model of consistency, with appearances in the past six NCAA Tournaments, including Sweet 16 runs each of the past two years.

Coach Buzz Williams was still stunned by Clarke’s heave in the postgame press conference, perhaps making the shot seem even longer and more improbable in his mind.

"He shot it off one foot from behind his head from 40 feet," Williams said. "It was contested. As soon as the ball left his hand, I knew it was a basket. The trajectory and everything was perfect."

Perfect about sums up Clarke’s first big moment at his new home. Come March, keep your eye out for more.

No. 9 North Carolina 95, Mississippi State 49

Fresh off a bump up two spots in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll, the Tar Heels (4-0) showed themselves worthy by burying 15 3-pointers against the Bulldogs (1-2) in their 10th straight Maui win.

Riding a dominant first five minutes, UNC turned it into 35 minutes of garbage time. P.J. Hairston banked in a 55-footer at the halftime buzzer for a 49-17 lead and the Heels cruised from there.

Illinois 94 USC 64

Brandon Paul scored 26 points and the Illini (4-0) used a hot first half to ride to an easy win over the Trojans (2-1).

Illinois shot just under 69 percent in the first half on its way to a 31-point lead at the break.

The Illini also got 13 points from DJ Richardson, 11 from Tracy Abrams and 10 from Tyler Griffey.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.