courtesy www.butlersports.com

Tonight, my beloved Butler Bulldogs, ranked eighth in the country in both polls, will travel to University of Illinois-Chicago for a late game.

And I'm nervous.

UIC plays an aggressive, fast-paced game of basketball that never really matches up well against Butler's slow, methodical game.

Sometimes, the mismatch works in favor of the Bulldogs, sometimes in favor of the Flames.

But tonight, there are many factors that favor the Southside's team.

First, UIC Pavilion is a tough place to play, no matter who goes into the building. According to the Flames' website, tonight is "Pack the Pavilion" night. Like they needed any more incentive.

As of Friday, fewer than 400 seats were available, the Flames are 11-1 in the Pavilion this year AND it's senior night.

UIC is coming off of two straight road losses to Horizon League opponents, both by a small margin.

When Butler and UIC faced off at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this year, the Bulldogs blew out the Flames, 73-57. That was less than a month ago, and I'm sure the Flames are still hot about it.

(Sorry, the puns are right there… there are days you just can't ignore them.)

I'm also worried about the Butler boys thinking ahead.

Saturday is a Bracket Buster game against Drake, a very tough team. Some pundits are calling the game the best mid-major match-up ever.

Drake lost last night to Bradley, giving the Bulldogs from Iowa three losses on the season, compared to the Bulldogs from Indiana's two losses.

They will be hungry when they come to Indianapolis.

Butler has not necessarily performed their best in recent seasons when they've earned their highest ranking ever.

Last season, after cracking the top 10, Butler beat Cleveland State, lost to Wright State, beat Florida Gulf Coast and lost to Southern Illinois in a home Bracket Buster game.

No pressure, though.

Oh, yeah, and if Butler wins tonight, they clinch at least a share of the regular season conference title.

The stars are aligned against Butler tonight, but with a little hope, faith and defense, the Bulldogs can come out victorious. They've beaten the odds many times before.

Otherwise, I may need to up my anti-acids.