GAME NOTES: Two of the Horizon League's better squads square off in Indianapolis tonight, as the Cleveland State Vikings pay a visit to the Butler Bulldogs.
Cleveland State has gotten off to a blazing start this season and currently rank near the top of the Horizon League standings. The Vikings are winners of four of their last five, including a 69-48 decision over Loyola-Chicago last Saturday.
Butler got off to a rocky beginning to the campaign but has turned things around of late, winning six of its last eight. The Bulldogs' 76-65 loss to Detroit last Saturday snapped a four-game win streak.
Butler holds a commanding lead in the all-time series with CSU, 30-7. The Bulldogs won all three meetings last season, including a 76-68 win in the semifinals of the 2011 Horizon League Tournament.
Guard D'Aundray Brown is Cleveland State's most competent scorer, averaging 12.6 ppg on 47.2 percent shooting. Brown also leads the team in rebounding with 5.2 rpg and paces the Horizon League in steals with 2.5 per game. Trevor Harmon contributes 11.4 ppg while draining 2.2 three-pointers per contest. Harmon led the Vikings in their win over Loyola-Chicago, shooting 6-of-7 for 20 points, his third 20-points output on the season. Jeremy Montgomery knocks down 10.2 ppg but does so on just 35 percent shooting. Cleveland State possesses the conference's most stout defense, allowing opponents to score just 58 ppg.
Butler's scoring output is down from recent years, settling into the middle of the pack in the league in terms of points per game at 63.8. Center Andrew Smith is the only Bulldog to average double digits in scoring, netting 10.1 ppg while grabbing a team-high 5.6 rpg. Smith struggled in the recent loss to Detroit however, scoring only five points. Khyle Marshall averages 9.3 ppg and is third in the conference in field goal percentage (.568). Chase Stigall is the squad's resident three-point specialist, knocking down 1.8 per game, but he has struggled in the role so far, draining only 29.4 percent of his triples.
Butler has been playing better of late but this team is a far cry from the national powerhouse of the last couple of years. Cleveland State has out- performed Butler in every way this season and will take care of business on the road.
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