Butler Basketball vs. Youngstown State: 2017-18 game preview, TV, prediction
Behind stellar play from seniors, Butler basketball has won four consecutive games. The Dawgs face Youngstown State next in hopes of extending that streak.
Matchup: Youngstown State Penguins (2-7) at Butler Bulldogs (7-2)
Tip Time: 12:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 9
TV Schedule: Check local listings
Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
Butler Bulldogs Basketball
Butler may not be off to a phenomenal start to the season but they have been very solid. In the first season under head coach LaVall Jordan, the Bulldogs have quality wins over Ohio State and Utah. In addition, their only two losses to this point in the year have come against potential NCAA Tournament teams in Maryland and Texas.
As the team gets closer to Big East conference play, they are working through their offense and are getting better with every single game they play. In fact, the team is currently riding a four-game winning streak and they are getting major contributions from their two seniors, Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman.
Even without starting small forward Sean McDermott, who is out with an injury, Paul Jorgensen has stepped up for the Dawgs in a starting role. In fact, the George Washington transfer is averaging 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game over this winning streak for the Bulldogs.
Heading into this game, the expectation is that Butler will once again come away with a home victory. The Bulldogs have won 40 consecutive home non-conference games and they will be looking to extend that streak in this game.
As for their opponent, the Youngstown State Penguins should not prove to be too big of an issue. Their record currently sits at 2-7 and their only wins have come against non-Division-I opponents: Franciscan and Westminster. The Penguins are coming off of a season in which they finished just 13-21 and this year does not look much better to this point.
Through nine games, two players are scoring in double-figures for Youngstown State: Braun Hartfield (15.3 points) and Cameron Morse (14.1 points). These are solid numbers but the Penguins are struggling on defense so far this season. In fact, they are allowing their opponents to shoot over 50% from the field and score over 80 points per contest.
Next: Big East power rankings (edition three)
Unlike Butler’s four-game winning streak, Youngstown State has lost five in a row, including a 16-point defeat at the hands of DePaul in their last outing. It seems unlikely that Youngstown State will pull off the upset in this game but you never know. On the other hand, Butler has shown the ability to utterly destroy opponents at times this season (see their game against Saint Louis for proof) and this could be another game like that.
Final prediction: Butler 89, Youngstown State 67