Mar 3, 2007, 17:05 GMT
Dayton, OH - The semifinal round of the Horizon League Tournament gets underway with the 18th-ranked and second-seeded Butler Bulldogs taking on the third-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers from the Nutter Center this evening. The winner of this bout will move on to the finals to face either Wisconsin-Green Bay or Wright State on Tuesday.
With a 56-36 victory over Detroit in their regular season finale, the Bulldogs were able to grab a share of the HL title with Wright State at 13-3 in conference play. Butler however, lost out on the tie breaker with Wright State and therefore missed out on the right to host this round of the tournament as the Raiders claimed the top seed. The Bulldogs, who already established a school and HL record with 26 wins in the regular season, are just one triumph shy of tying the school record for wins in a season set by the 2002-03 club. In terms of their history in this tournament, Butler has four titles to its credit and that is the most of any active member. Last season, Butler was also a second seed in this event, when it fell to Wisconsin-Milwaukee (87-71) in the finals.
As for LCU, it closed out the regular season with seven wins in eight games to finish third in the standings at 10-6. The team made its first appearance in this tournament on Friday, posting a 66-62 triumph over sixth- seed Illinois-Chicago in the second round. The win improved the Ramblers to 24-26 all-time in this event, as they are in search of their first title since 1985.
As far as the all-time series goes, Butler owns a 42-29 edge over LCU. The Bulldogs won the first meeting, 70-66, in overtime, while the Ramblers won most recent encounter, 75-71, on February 22nd.
LCU simply dominated the boards, 40-26, including a 16-8 advantage on the offensive glass of its four-point win over Illinois-Chicago on Friday. The Ramblers also shot 42.9 percent from the floor, including a 5-of-12 effort from beyond the arc. Blake Schilb basically carried the team, as he poured in 31 points and ripped down eight caroms. On the season, Schilb is the Ramblers' top scorer with 16.6 ppg and he also heads the club with 4.1 apg and 40 steals. Majak Kou ranks second to him with 13.2 ppg and 34 steals, while J.R. Blount chips in with 12.8 ppg. As a whole, LCU is turning in 70.0 ppg on 45.2 percent shooting from the field this season.
The Bulldogs became the first team in HL history to lead the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense in league play during the regular season, as they netted 69.4 ppg and gave up just 54.9 ppg. A.J. Graves, a first-team all-league selection, leads Butler in scoring (17.3 ppg) as well as steals (42) on the season, and he is also converting 95.4 percent of his free- throw attempts. Mike Green, who earned second-team all-league honors, is one of the most versatile players in the conference, as he turns in 14.5 ppg and 37 steals. He also leads the Bulldogs with 5.8 rpg and 4.0 apg. Brandon Crone adds 11.0 ppg and 4.7 rpg to the mix, while Pete Campbell chips in with 8.9 ppg off the bench.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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