Cleveland State-Butler: College Basketball Predictions, March 10, 2009

Free Pick: Cleveland State vs. Butler u120.0

Tue. March 10, 2009, 9:00p—Courtesy of Bob Harvey

Visit Touthouse.com for more College Basketball Predictions and 2009 March Madness Tournament Picks.

The Horizon League tournament championship will be decided tonight as top seed and defending tourney champion Butler faces Cleveland State.

For CSU, they face a must win situation. They need a victory to get their ticket punched for the "Big Dance," while the Bulldogs, with an RPI in the top 20, are expected to draw an at-large invite to the NCAA tournament regardless of whether they beat the Vikings.

Butler swept the season series, but both games went right down to the wire. Butler won at Cleveland State by two and then held on at home for a four-point victory.

If you’re looking for a motivation angle for Butler, consider that this team was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon League. That was probably a bit generous, given that the team started three freshmen. But Bulldogs' coach Brad Stevens has guided this young team to a regular season title and are one victory away from a tournament title.

Don’t look for a letdown tonight from the 'Dogs. In fact, it will probably be just the opposite. Look for Butler to ratchet up its defensive intensity for this one.

Both series meetings this season played to the UNDER. Butler is fifth in the nation in points allowed (57.4 ppg) and in field-goal percentage allowed (38 percent). With the stakes even higher tonight, nerves could play a part early. But the deciding factor will be defense—and that ball is definitely in Butler’s court