Butler-Wright State showdown available worldwide through Horizon League Network
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Horizon League men's basketball fans around the world will be following Saturday's (Feb. 10) showdown between League leader Butler University and second-place Wright State University at the Ervin J. Nutter Center. Supporters can see the action even half the world away from Dayton, Ohio, through the webcast services of the Horizon League Network (HLN).
Chris Collins calls the play-by-play action, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (EST) prior to the scheduled 7 p.m. tip-off. To access the webcast of Saturday's game, log on to the Horizon League web site (www.horizonleague.org) and click on the "HLN" logo on the right side, then register an e-mail address and password. Registration is free, but viewers will need Windows Media Player (available for free download).
Butler carries a 23-2 record and nine-game winning streak into the contest. The Bulldogs' 92-50 victory at Cleveland State University on Thursday (Feb. 8) lifted BU to 11-1 in League play, with a 73-67 overtime loss at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Jan. 10 providing the only blemish on Butler's loop ledger. Junior guards A.J. Graves and Mike Green lead the Bulldogs, with Graves fourth in the League at 17.7 points per game including a loop-leading 75 three-pointers. Green ranks second in the circuit with a norm of 4.12 assists per game, and leads the team with 5.6 rebounds per contest.
Butler became the first team in League history to gain a top-ten ranking in the national polls, starting this week at No. 10 in the Associated Press media canvass and the No. 9 spot in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Coach Todd Lickliter's Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 14 games and can match their season-opening ten-game run with a victory Saturday.
Wright State has a six-game win streak of its own, climbing to 18-8 overall and 11-2 in the League after defeating UIC 74-64 in overtime on Wednesday (Feb. 7) behind 24 points by DaShaun Wood. The senior guard leads the League in scoring (19.4 points per game) and reached the 20-point mark for the 13th time this season. Freshman guards Todd Brown and Vaughn Duggins combine for more than 18 points per game, with Duggins adding 2.7 assists per contest. Junior forward Jordan Pleiman leads the League in field-goal percentage (.548) and is tenth in rebounding at 5.8 caroms per contest.
The Raiders were 5-6 under on Dec. 28, but have won 13 of their last 15 for first-year coach Brad Brownell. One of the two losses during that span came Jan. 6, when Butler posted a 73-42 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler hit 12 three-point field goals and limited Wright State to 37.5 percent (15-of-40) shooting from the field. Graves had 19 points for the victors, while Wood led the Raiders with 12 points.
All Horizon League men's and women's basketball games not shown on traditional television through the ESPN family of networks can be viewed on the Horizon League Network. Now in its second season, HLN also features webcasts of many League Championships, including the upcoming first- and second-round games in the Horizon League Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, as well as the semifinals of the women's championship.
For more information on HLN and a schedule of events, log on to www.horizonleague.org.
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Comprised of nine public and private institutions of higher learning, the Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference that sponsors 19 intercollegiate championship sports and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The League and its member institutions aspire to teach young people, through athletic competition, the value of learning, service to others and personal responsibility.
