PREVIEW
PREVIEW
FACTS & STATS: Site: Hinkle Fieldhouse (11,043) -- Indianapolis, Indiana. Television: None. Home Record: Detroit 8-0, Butler 6-2. Away Record: Detroit 4-7, Butler 9-1. Neutral Record: Detroit 0-2, Butler 5-0. Conference Record: Detroit 6-3, Butler 7-3. Series Record: Butler leads, 26-24.
GAME NOTES: Two of the Horizon League's top three teams do battle when the Butler Bulldogs host the Detroit Titans tonight at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Butler is in second place in the conference standings, thanks to its current four-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have also won six of their last seven contests, improving their overall record to 20-3 and their league mark to 7-3. In its last outing, Butler routed Wright State, 72-57, to pick up its fourth-straight road win. Detroit has also been on a roll recently, winning six of its last seven games. The Titans lost to UW-Milwaukee on Saturday, but bounced back with a 74-67 win in its last game against Illinois-Chicago. The victory improved Detroit's record to 12-9 on the season and 6-3 in the Horizon League, which places the Titans third in the conference. Butler leads the all-time series 26-23, but Detroit won this year's previous meeting, 63-54, on January 10th in Detroit.
In its last outing, Detroit shot an impressive 53.8 percent from the field on its way to a seven-point win over Illinois-Chicago. The difference in the game turned out to be the Titans' superior first-half performance, since both teams tied with 37 points in the second half. Detroit had the hot hand early in the game, shooting 53.6 percent in the first half to UIC's 39.3 percent and building the crucial, seven-point halftime lead. The Titans committed 13 turnovers compared to just seven by the Flames, but Detroit dominated the boards by a 38-21 margin. Greg Grays led the Titans on the glass and the scoreboard with seven rebounds and 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-8 from downtown. Willie Green also turned in a fine offensive performance, scoring 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting with five rebounds. The Titans have three players averaging in double figures this year, led by Grays with 16.6 ppg. Green ranks second on the team with 13.8 ppg, while Terrell Riggs adds 11.4 ppg. Riggs also heads up the effort on the boards, leading Detroit with 7.7 rpg.
Butler cruised to a 15-point victory in its last game despite being outshot in the contest by its hosts from Wright State. The Raiders shot 51.5 percent from the field to the Bulldogs' 44.4 percent, but Butler hoisted 63 shots in comparison to just 33 shots from Wright State. As a result, the Bulldogs converted 11 more field goals than the Raiders, while also winning the battle on the boards 34-20. Thomas Jackson and Rylan Hainje led five players in double figures with 18 points each. Brandon Miller tallied another 12 points, while Darnell Archey and Joel Cornette chipped in 11 points apiece. Cornette also picked up a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds to match his point total. On the season, Butler is led by Hainje's 15.2 ppg, followed by Jackson at 14.1 ppg. Miller also delivers twin-figures for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.3 ppg. Hainje cleans the boards at a clip of 5.7 rpg, while Scott Robisch helps out with 4.5 rpg.
Defense figures to be a key in tonight's game as Butler ranks second in the nation, allowing just 57.7 ppg allowed, while Detroit ranks second in the conference by allowing only 64.5 ppg. That said, the Bulldogs will do a slightly better job of shutting the Titans down and should come out with the win in their own building.
