Jan 17, 2007, 15:40 GMT
Indianapolis, IN - The 18th-ranked Butler Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Horizon League title this season, and they will attempt to avoid an upset tonight as they host the Youngstown State Penguins.
On Saturday, Youngstown State was able to halt a three-game slide with an 81-63 decision over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The win enabled the Penguins to improve to 3-3 in league play and 8-10 overall. Of the 10 true road games that they have played thus far, seven have resulted in defeat.
Butler will attempt to remain perfect at home this season improve its already stellar 15-2 overall record. The Bulldogs moved to 3-1 in Horizon action on Saturday with a 62-47 decision over South Dakota State, as strong defense was again the key to victory.
Butler has won 10 of the 12 all-time meetings with Youngstown State.
The 81 points that Youngstown State scored on Saturday marked the team's second-best offensive output through 18 games. Quin Humphrey totaled 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Penguins to the victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Byron Davis tallied 17 points and five assists, and he also registered the squad's only three steals. Keston Roberts scored 14 points, John Barber netted 12 points and Jack Liles had 10 points for Youngstown State, which shot an even 50 percent from the field while limiting the Panthers to 36.1 percent efficiency. Humphrey is averaging 17.7 ppg and 6.6 rpg, and he should be considered one of the best players in the league. Roberts adds 16.4 ppg for the Penguins, who are posting 67.5 ppg this season, a slightly higher average than the 67.0 ppg that they are surrendering.
Butler is limiting its opponents to 56.4 ppg this season on 40.1 percent shooting from the floor, and the Bulldogs have committed just 172 turnovers in 17 games. They play tremendous team basketball and rarely make costly mistakes, and the results of the sound plays are reflected in the 15-2 record. A.J. Graves leads the club in scoring with 18.8 ppg, and he always has the ball late in close games because of the fact that he is one of the nation's best free throw shooters. In fact, he has only missed one attempt in 83 trips to the foul line. Mike Green is contributing 13.6 ppg for Butler, and Brandon Crone adds 10.5 ppg. Crone scored 14 points in the win over South Dakota State, as he was the only starter to reach double figures. Butler shot 51.2 percent from the field and limited its overmatched opponent to 36.1 percent shooting. Graves sat out that game after having oral surgery, but he should be back in the lineup tonight.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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