No. 11 Butler takes act on road to tangle with Northwestern

By Sports Network

The 11th-ranked Butler Bulldogs are fresh off an impressive victory to open the season, and they will take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois this evening.

Butler kicked off the campaign against fellow mid-major power Davidson on Saturday, and the result was a 73-62 triumph. Last season was supposed to be a down year for Butler basketball. With a bunch of fresh faces, coach Brad Stevens' squad was entering a rebuilding phase. However, someone forgot to inform the Bulldogs, as four freshmen helped lead Butler to the Horizon League regular season title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Put simply, this year's squad is loaded.

Northwestern cruised past Northern Illinois in Friday's opener by a 77-55 final. The Wildcats are coming off a 2008-09 campaign in which they finished 17-14 overall, including 8-10 in Big Ten play. This season, they are considered a middle-of-the road Big Ten squad at best.

In regard to the all-time series, Northwestern owns a 16-7 advantage over Butler.

Four of the five Butler starters reached double figures in scoring in the victory over Davidson. Leading the way was Gordon Hayward, as he finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Willie Veasley added 15 points, while Matt Howard and Shawn Vanzant posted 10 points apiece. Shelvin Mack struggled his way to seven points, but he had four assists against only one turnover. The Bulldogs earned a 20-8 edge in points from the foul line, key to the win. Nine three-pointers also helped the cause. Hayward was named the HL's Newcomer of the Year, and also participated on the USA Basketball 19-and-under squad over the summer. Hayward was clearly not overmatched in his first collegiate season as the guard posted 13.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 30 blocks and a team-high 48 steals. Howard, who was the Horizon Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and Player of the Year last season as a sophomore, paced Butler last year with 14.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 48 blocks.

Northwestern senior Jeff Ryan suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Wildcats' season-opening contest against Northern Illinois Friday night and will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season. While Ryan is not considered to be one of the team's top players, his loss still hurts. Kevin Coble is the best player for the Wildcats, as he returns 15.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 2.5 apg from a year ago. Unfortunately, he was unable to play against Northern Illinois, as Coble injured his left foot in practice last Tuesday and continues to be evaluated. It remains to be seen if he will be available to play tonight. Without Coble in the opener, four NU players scored in double figures. Jeremy Nash led the charge with 20 points, and Luka Mirkovic added 15 points. The Wildcats cruised to victory despite 39.6 percent shooting from the floor.

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