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Butler received a nice surprise earlier this week, coming in at No. 23 on Monday's updated Associated Press Top 25 poll. After picking up three comfortable wins to kick off the year, the Bulldogs stormed into the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last week, knocking off the then-No. 5 North Carolina for a 74-66 upset victory. Butler then struggled offensively in a second round loss to Oklahoma, but bounced back to defeat Big East foe Georgetown in the tournament's third-place game.
The Bulldogs have been a defensive nightmare for opponents so far this year, but will need to focus on finding offensive consistency moving forward. It all starts with junior guard Kellen Dunham, who entered the season as one of the best shooters in the country, but struggled mightily from the field against North Carolina and Oklahoma. He's shooting 41 percent from three so far despite going 1-10 against the Tar Heels, and his offensive explosion in the second half versus Georgetown swung the game into Butler's favor.
Indiana State earned a bid in the NIT last season as a six-seed, but has struggled a bit so far with tougher competition this season. The Sycamores have already lost to Saint Louis, Illinois and Memphis by a combined 49 points and are shooting just 38 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three as a team. They'll be on their home floor, but Indiana State will need to seriously bust out of their shooting slump if they hope to have a chance against the newly-ranked Bulldogs.
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Spread: Butler -7 (via OddsShark)
TV Schedule: WNDY 23
UPDATE: WISH-TV will be broadcasting the game on their website for FREE!
Radio Schedule: 1070 The Fan