Howard helps No. 25 Butler past Valparaiso

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/03/2009 - Valparaiso, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard had 16 points and Gordon Hayward provided 15 points and 13 rebounds as the 25th-ranked Butler Bulldogs topped Valparaiso, 75-62, in Horizon League action.

Willie Veasley also scored 15 and Shelvin Mack had 14 points for Butler (12-1, 3-0 Horizon), which opened the season with eight straight victories before dropping a three-point decision to then 21st-ranked Ohio State in Columbus December 13.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a dogfight come halftime with the score locked at 31 apiece but opened the second half with a 19-4 run that helped tip the balance in their favor.

Brandon McPherson tallied a game-high 22 points and Urule Igbavboa scored 17 to go along with seven rebounds for Valparaiso (4-10, 1-2), which has lost six of its last seven.

Howard sparked the Bulldogs out of the locker room with a three-point play and followed with a layup. Back-to-back three-pointers from Hayward extended the lead and Howard got to the hoop for two more as Butler suddenly owned an 11- point advantage, 44-33, just five minutes into the second half.

Igbavboa helped spark a 14-7 run with four straight points and capped it with a jumper to bring the Crusaders within eight with close to five minutes left.

A pair of Jake Diebler free throws made it a six-point affair, 59-53, moments later but Valpo got just one basket over the next 3:19 and Mack's jumper gave Butler a 68-55 lead with 1:45 to play.

The Bulldogs hit 7-of-8 from the line to seal the win from there.

Game Notes

The Bulldogs own a 63-32 series lead against the Crusaders, which includes six straight wins over their conference foes...The Bulldogs shot 56.5 percent from the field (13-for-23) in the second half compared to 38.5 percent (10- for-26) in the first half...The Crusaders hit at a 41.7 percent clip (10- for-24) in the first half but dropped to 37 percent (10-for-27) in the second half...Valpo hit just 7-of-22 three-point attempts while Butler connected on 10-of-29.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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