Tuesday night in CBB will see the Butler Bulldogs travel west to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The game is scheduled for a 9:00 pm tipoff and will be televised live on ESPN2. Currently Gonzaga is favored by 13 points with the total being set at 133 for this game. Coming off perhaps their best victory this season, the Butler Bulldogs head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the McCarthey Center in Spokane.
Free Analysis: After two straight appearances in the national title game, Butler is playing with a target on its back. The Bulldogs have taken their hits this year as a result, as Butler is a disappointing 5-6 overall thus far. Brad Steven's squad had dropped three straight games heading into last weekend, but snapped the skid with a thrilling 67-65 victory over a good Purdue team at the Close The Gap Crossroads Classic. The Butler Bulldogs haven't had the kind of offensive consistency the team has enjoyed in the recent past. The 2011-12 edition is averaging just 65.7 ppg and is shooting under 40 percent from the floor (.390) and under 30 percent from behind the arc (.289). They just don't have a big time scorer as their leading scorers are Khyle Marshall and Andrew Smith, who lead the way with 10.4 and 10.1 ppg, respectively. In contrast we have a Gonzaga that is very balanced with Robert Sacre and Elias Harris getting the job done up front and freshman Kevin Pangos providing aerial support. Sacre leads Gonzaga in the scoring column at 14.9 ppg and ranks second in rebounding (7.2 rpg). Harris is second in scoring at 13.4 ppg and tops the team on the boards (8.3 rpg). Pangos adds 13.1 ppg to the mix and is tops on the team in assists (3.7 apg). Overall the Zags have 7 players that average 6.2 ppg or better and as a team they are ranked 103 for offensive field goal percentage shooting 44.9% while attempting 53.4 shots per game and scoring 74.4 ppg. Both of these teams do play well at the defensive end of the floor as Butler has allowed just 65.1 ppg on 43.1% shooting, while the Zags have allowed just 65.8 ppg on 43.5% shooting and both teams are pretty even in the rebounding department. Mark Few's Bulldogs have won seven of their first nine games this season and enter this contest following back-to-back victories over Oral Roberts (67-61) and most recently, Arizona (71-60). These two teams have only met on one prior occasion. That was in the championship game of the 2006 NIT Season-Tip-Off. Butler won the tournament with a 79-71 decision.
Free Pick: Butler has suffered from a loss of talent from last year and that along with being a marked team has hurt the team in the early going, especially on offense, but they showed some promise last time out vs Purdue as they found some consistency from long range in the win over Purdue, hitting seven three- pointers. The Zags have been hurt by the three ball this year as they have allowed teams to hit 37.3% form long range, which is 293rd in the country. Butler has scored just 63.6 ppg away from, but the Zags have allowed 67.6 ppg on 43.3% shooting, so points can be made by this Butler team here. The Zags have a very balanced and efficient offense and they come in having scored 74.6 ppg at home, while Butler has allowed 71 ppg on the road this year. Let's also note that the Zags have hit 39.1% from long range at home, while Butler has allowed 46.3% from long range on the road. The OU is 31-14 when Gonzaga is of a game where they had 5 or less steals since 1997. Butler's road games have averaged 134.7 ppg, while Gonzaga's home games have put up 142.2 ppg. Look for a bit of an up and down game, with both teams combining for 140+ points.