Youngstown St. @ Butler preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 9, 2012 ) Butler 68, Youngstown St. 59

Butler looks to continue its impressive nonconference home winning streak when it tangles with Youngstown State on Saturday. The Bulldogs have won 40 consecutive nonconference contests at Hinkle Fieldhouse, including an 81-69 victory against Utah on Tuesday, and hope to stay on the right track under first-year head coach LaVall Jordan by posting their fifth straight win overall.

"I'm really proud of the fight in this group," Jordan told reporters. "Our seniors are growing every day and you see these stretches of their leadership when you hear their voices more." The Bulldogs are 6-0 when scoring 80 or more points this season and aim to hit the mark against a Youngstown State squad, which has given up at least 80 in seven of its first nine games. Butler has won 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Penguins, including a 68-59 victory in their most recent matchup on Feb. 9, 2012. Youngstown State is heading in the wrong direction following an 89-73 setback to DePaul on Saturday and hopes to end its five-game slide by knocking off Butler for the first time since a 62-60 triumph on Feb. 3, 2011 when both teams were members of the Horizon League.

TV: Noon ET, Fox Sports Network

ABOUT YOUNGSTOWN STATE (2-7): Sophomore guard Braun Hartfield equaled a career high with five 3-pointers en route to 23 points and dished out five assists in the loss to DePaul. Cameron Morse added 11 points while Jaylon Benton provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and five assists, but the Penguins were undone by 20 turnovers against the Blue Demons. Youngstown State coach Jerrod Calhoun revealed that senior point guard Francisco Santiago is trying to play through a torn ACL, and could be "shut down" for the rest of the season after missing Saturday's loss against DePaul.

ABOUT BUTLER (7-2): Kelan Martin led the way with a season-high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds in the win against Utah to register his second straight double-double and move past the legendary Bobby Plump for 15th place on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list. Tyler Wideman added 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor and Paul Jorgensen drilled four 3-pointers en route to matching his career high with 16 points against the Utes. Kamar Baldwin contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Butler's starters combined to score all 81 points.


TIP-INS

1. Butler has won 21 of the last 23 meetings with Youngstown State.

2. The Bulldogs are 5-0 when shooting 50 percent or higher from the field this season.

3. Martin is averaging 24.3 points and 9.7 rebounds over his last three games.

PREDICTION: Butler 84, Youngstown State 68