The Cleveland State Vikings lost their grip on the top spot in the Horizon by taking a double-digit loss at home to Valparaiso on Thursday, while at the same time the Butler Bulldogs earned an impressive win on the road at Youngstown State.
This is the time of year the Butler usually forces others to notice their play and despite struggling through a challenging season where scoring points has been a chore, Butler's win on Thursday certainly served notice.
So on Saturday Butler visits the Wolstein Center to play Cleveland State in a key game for both teams. The Vikings are looking to keep pace in the Horizon League with their sights remaining on a regular season championships. They will need a much better effort than they put forth against Valparaiso which would be helped immensely by just making some shots considering the Vikings shot just 26% from the floor in their last outing. Cleveland State will also be without guard D'Aundray Brown who is out with a groin injury.
Butler is looking to round into tournament form and help their seeding for the conference tournament among the muddled middle of the Horizon. The Bulldogs are one of four teams currently tied for third place in the conference at 8-6, so with four league games left every win is critical.