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Horizon League Network

Opportunity awaits the Titans as the red, white and blue welcome No. 11/11 Butler into Calihan Hall on Thursday in a regionally televised game on Fox Sports Detroit. Tip-off is set for 8:06 p.m.

Dan Dickerson, the lead play-by-play voice of the Detroit Tigers, will have the call along with former Titan standout Earl Cureton. Fans can also catch the action on the air at WDTW-AM 1310, with Matt Dery on the headset.

The game can be seen online on the Horizon League Network by clicking the link on DetroitTitans.com. Fans can also catch all the action with a live stats feed through CSTV's gametracker.

Detroit is coming off a thrilling, 68-64, overtime victory at Youngstown State on Saturday, in a game that featured nine lead changes and five ties. Sophomore Ryan Janer hit two big 3-pointers coming off the bench, while junior Thomas Kennedy continued his hot scoring streak with his sixth consecutive double figure scoring game ending the contest with a game-high 24 points.

ABOUT BUTLER
The 11th-ranked Butler Bulldogs make their way into Calihan Hall atop the Horizon League standing at 10-1 in the conference and 19-2 overall. Butler was on an 11 game winning streak, until dropping a 75-66 decision at Green Bay on Monday. 

BU is led by freshman Gordon Hayward who is fifth in the Horizon League in scoring at 13.4 points per game. He is also second on the team and fifth in the conference with 6.3 rebounds per contest and currently tops the team and the league in 3-point field goal percentage hitting on 45%. 

Sophomore forward Matt Howard, is second on the team with 13.3 ppg., and leads the team with 7.0 rpg., while freshman guard Shelvin Mack is tallying 12.7 ppg., 4.0 rpg., and 4.0 apg. 

Brad Stevens is in his second year at the helm of the Butler program where he owns an overall record of 49-6.

DETROIT VS BUTLER
Butler has won seven of the last eight games in the match-up The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 37-28, but the Titans are 17-11 in the Motor City, despite dropping the last two in Detroit.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE
UDM has dropped its last 13 games against ranked opponents. In fact, the last time Detroit defeated a ranked team was on Jan. 10, 2002, when the Titans earned a 63-54 triumph over #23/24 Butler in Calihan Hall. 

The last time the Titans played a nationally-ranked team at home was actually last season when #13/13 Butler defeated UDM, 53-46, on Dec. 6, 2007.

A win against Butler would give Detroit a victory over its highest ranked opponent since upsetting #4 Memphis State, 71-66, on Feb. 28, 1985.

BRACKETBUSTER HAS TITANS IN MUSIC CITY
The last missing piece on Detroit's men's basketball schedule was filled in when it was announced that the Titans will play at Tennessee State on Feb. 21 as part of the annual ESPNU BracketBusters. Game time and fan ticket information are still to be announced. 

The event marks the seventh-straight year that Detroit will participate in the event. Detroit is 4-2 all-time in Bracketbuster games. 

BracketBusters, named because of the success of the teams in NCAA Tournament play, will have a 102-team field this season, with 12 teams from the Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic Association in addition to 10 from the Horizon League, Ohio Valley Conference, Missouri Valley Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. 

As part of the BracketBusters agreement, all 51 home teams will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

NEARLY A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR WOODY
Junior guard Woody Payne came close to his first career triple-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against Youngstown State. The eight caroms were a career high, while the eight helpers tied his personal best, also set against YSU last season.

UDM SECOND IN THE CONFERENCE
While Detroit has struggled shooting for most of the season, the Titans are actually
second in conference play in field goal percentage, stroking it a 43%, trailing only Green Bay's 44%.

HAYES NEARS 400 CAREER BOARDS
Senior forward Chris Hayes is just five rebounds away from 400 for his career. Hayes has averaged 3.4 rpg., in his four years, which includes a team best 6.2 mark as a junior.

LETS PLAY ANOTHER
The Titans won an overtime thriller at Youngstown State on Jan. 31. The contest was UDM's first overtime game in nearly two years with the last on Feb. 17 2007 when Detroit won at Buffalo, 92-84, in a Bracketbusters game.

TRIPLE DIGIT TITAN
Senior Chris Hayes has played in 105 career games for Detroit. Hayes reached triple digits against Cleveland State on Jan. 3.