Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - The 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs have only suffered one loss all season, and they will attempt to remain perfect in Horizon League action as they play host to the Valparaiso Crusaders this evening.
Valparaiso has lost four of its last five games to fall to 6-15 overall and 3-7 in conference. The Crusaders are coming off an 83-76 home loss to UW-Green Bay last Saturday, and they are 1-7 in true road games heading into tonight's contest.
Butler has run off 10 consecutive wins to move to 18-1 overall, and it is now 9-0 against Horizon League opposition. The Bulldogs haven't lost since the middle of December, and they are fresh off a 78-48 thrashing of UW-Milwaukee. They are now 10-0 at home and heavily favored tonight.
Butler owns a 62-32 series lead over Valparaiso, which includes five straight victories over the Crusaders.
There is only one double-digit scorer in the lineup for Valparaiso, and Urule Igbavboa isn't going to scare many opponents with his 11.2 ppg. The Crusaders have struggled to generate offense this season, as they are scoring only 60.3 ppg on 41.1 percent shooting from the field. In conference play, Igbavboa is generating 13.0 ppg, but the team's scoring output has dipped to 57.8 ppg. In the recent loss to UW-Green Bay, Howard Little exploded for 28 points for Valpo on the strength of a 6-of-8 effort from three-point range. It remains to be seen if Little's performance was a fluke, but the team has to feel good about the possibility of having an explosive scorer in the fold. Jake Diebler had 17 points in the clash, and Igbavboa finished with 15. The Crusaders simply didn't get the job done defensively, however, as they allowed the Phoenix to shoot 52.8 percent from the floor.
In the 30-point romp over UW-Milwaukee last Saturday, Butler got 20 points from Shawn Vanzant off the bench. Shelvin Mack added 14 points and Grant Leiendecker pitched in with 12. Willie Veasley rounded out a foursome of double-digit scorers with 10 points for the Bulldogs, who limited the Panthers to 24.1 percent shooting from the floor and forced 18 turnovers. Matt Howard was quiet against UWM, but he continues to lead Butler with 13.5 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Mack is close behind in scoring with 13.1 ppg, and he is tops with 74 assists. Gordon Hayward checks in with 12.7 ppg for the Bulldogs, who are generating 68.6 ppg while limiting opponents to 55.6 ppg on 37.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 29.8 percent efficiency from three-point range.
