Jacobs is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Butler is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Jacobs Golden Eagles just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Butler Lynx at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. That match will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Ben Jurzak and Danny Bennett.
Jacobs is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Crystal Lake South just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 64-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Gators.
| 01/17/25 @ Crystal Lake South | 20 |
| 11/29/23 vs McHenry | 15 |
| 12/08/23 @ Cary-Grove | 13 |
| 12/04/24 @ McHenry | 13 |
| 12/11/24 @ Huntley | 12 |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Emaan Thomas, who posted 20 points. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. Jurzak was another key player, putting up 14 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Butler against Johnson on Wednesday as the squad secured a 75-42 victory. The Lynx have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 24 points or more this season.
Butler's win came from a few key players Jacobs will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bennett, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last nine games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jamal Small, who went 6 for 12 en route to 17 points in addition to six boards and four steals.
Butler smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive boards in six consecutive matches.
Butler has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.3 points per game. As for Jacobs, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-5.
Jacobs took their win against Butler when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 69-47. Does Jacobs have another victory up their sleeve, or will Butler turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
