Bulldogs hope to cool off red-hot Raiders

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/08/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs are once again the favorites to capture the Horizon League title, and they will play host to the Wright State Raiders this evening.

Wright State opened the season with six consecutive defeats and appeared to be on its way to a horrendous season. Surprisingly, however, the Raiders have turned things around, as they have won eight of their last nine contests, including six in a row, to move to 8-7 overall and 2-2 in HL action. On Saturday, Wright State held off Youngstown State in a 60-59 final.

Butler has won 14 consecutive Horizon League regular-season games dating back to last year. The Bulldogs hope to improve to 4-0 in league play for the first time since 2002-03, and they are 6-0 at home. On Saturday, they posted a 75-62 decision over Valparaiso.

Butler owns a narrow 17-15 series lead over Wright State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.

Vaughn Duggins is the leading scorer for Wright State with 11.8 ppg, and Cory Cooperwood checks in with 10.7 ppg. The Raiders are generating only 58.3 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor, so they are far from explosive at the offensive end. Fortunately, they have thrived on defense by limiting foes to 56.7 ppg. Wright State connected on only 30.8 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half against Youngstown State, including a 2-of-10 showing from three-point range. The Raiders trailed by 13 points at the break, but were able to knock down 57.1 percent of their shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes to claim the come-from-behind victory. Cooperwood, Todd Brown and Cooper Land scored 11 points apiece to lead the way in the triumph.

Butler is a tremendous defensive team, as it is yielding just 57.2 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs are generating 69.4 ppg, and there are three starters averaging double figures in scoring. Matt Howard paces the club with 14.0 ppg, and he is pulling down 6.8 rpg. Shelvin Mack is posting 13.3 ppg, and Gordon Hayward provides 12.9 ppg. Against Valparaiso on Saturday, Howard tallied 16 points on the strength of his 4-of-4 effort from the floor and 8-of-9 showing from the foul line. Willie Veasley and Gordon Hayward both scored 15 points, and Hayward also pulled down 13 rebounds. Mack contributed 14 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half after a 38.5 percent performance in the first half.

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