BY KYLE BEERY | STAFF REPORTER

The Butler men’s basketball team is coming off a 65-56 win over Northwestern Saturday. The Bulldogs host Kennesaw State Monday night at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.

Tale of the Tape

Butler (7-1)

Butler’s win, combined with a multitude of ranked teams suffering upsets last week, helped shoot the Bulldogs up the rankings to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No.19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Villanova (No. 7) and St. John’s (No. 24) are the only two other Big East teams in the AP Poll.

Junior guard Kellen Dunham scored 19 points against the Wildcats to bring his season average to 16.8 points per game.

Freshman guard/forward Kelan Martin is shaping up to be a threat for the Bulldogs, averaging 9.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Kennesaw State (3-6)

The Owls, hailing from Kennesaw, Ga., have dropped two straight after reeling off three wins in a row.

Kennesaw State is no stranger to tough road games, as they’ve made trips this year to the likes of Syracuse and Cal.

Yonel Brown leads the team with 13 points and three assists per game. Nigel Pruitt averages 11 points per game and Orlando Coleman leads the Owls with 6.8 rebounds per game.

First-ever meeting

Monday is the first time the the Bulldogs and Owls will face each other. Butler played Loyola (MD.) for the first time ever earlier this season, coming out on top 80-39.

Potential trap game

Monday night’s contest has the makings for a classic “trap game.” Butler is coming off a win against a Big Ten opponent in Northwestern, and its next two games are pretty prominent ones – at Tennessee and against in-state rival Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the Crossroads Classic. However, many thought the Bulldogs’ bout with Indiana State on Dec. 3 could be a trap game as well, situated between a successful week in the Bahamas at the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Northwestern game, with the team cracking the Top 25 for the first time this season. Butler beat Indiana State 77-54 on the road that game.