Big East Notebook – Cardinals and Golden Eagles Streaking

Cincinnati Bearcats (12-6, 1-4 Big East)
Last week:
vs. Rutgers, W 71-59
at De Paul, W 59-55
This week:
Jan. 19 at Providence
Jan. 22 at St. John’s

The victory against Rutgers snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bearcats, but it didn’t come without a challenge.
The Bearcats nearly saw a 16-point lead vanish as they led by one with 1:22 left.
Deonta Vaughn scored a game-high 18 points to lead Cincinnati. Mike Williams added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

De Paul Blue Demons (8-10, 0-5)
Last week:
vs. Cincinnati, L 59-55
This week:
Jan. 20 at South Florida
Jan. 24 at Marquette

The Blue Demons have lost five straight and six of their past seven after falling by four to Cincinnati last week. They are 0-5 to start conference play for the first time since starting the 2001-02 season 0-5 while members of Conference USA.
Guard Will Walker scored a team-high 17 points in the loss. He was 4-of-8 from 3-point range, but the rest of the squad was 0-for-8 from 3-point range. Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal each scored 15 points as well for De Paul.
The Blue Demons will look to avenge an 80-58 loss to South Florida on Jan. 10. It was their first loss to the Bulls since joining the Big East after four straight victories.

Louisville Cardinals (13-3, 4-0)
Last week:
vs. Notre Dame, W 87-73, OT
vs. Pittsburgh, W 69-63
This week:
Jan. 21 at Rutgers
Jan. 25 at Syracuse

The Cardinals have won five straight, including knocking off No. 1 Pittsburgh. They have now won their past three games in the regular season against ranked opponents – Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Villanova.
In addition, Louisville has won three straight against the No. 1 team in the country. The previous two were over Florida on Dec. 13, 2003 and Kentucky on Dec. 27, 2003.
Terrence Williams had a big game with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Earl Clark had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks as well.

Marquette Golden Eagles (16-2, 5-0)
Last week:
at Providence, W 91-82
This week:
Jan. 24 vs. De Paul

Marquette used a 51-37 scoring advantage in the second half to squeeze past Providence on the road. The Golden Eagles have now won eight straight games since a 12-point loss to Tennessee in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 16.
Lazar Hayward and Jerel McNeal each scored 25 points for Marquette, while Wesley Matthews added 22. Dominic James scored nine points with six assists and only one turnover in 37 minutes. He has only two turnovers in his past two games.
The Golden Eagles are the only team in the league with three players among the top 12 in scoring average – Matthews (19.1, 3rd), McNeal (18.8, 4th) and Hayward (16.5, 12th).
The chances of extending the win streak to nine looks good when Marquette hosts De Paul, a team its beaten three of four times since both joined the Big East.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-5, 3-3)
Last week:
at Louisville, L 87-73, OT
at Syracuse, L 93-74
This week:
Jan. 24 vs. Connecticut

The Irish have lost three of its past five games – all on the road. The most recent was a 19-point rout at the hands of Syracuse. It was also the first time this season Notre Dame has lost consecutive games.
Against Syracuse, Luke Harangody scored 25 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and had six assists. He extended his streak of 20-plus points to 10 games, the school’s longest streak since Adrian Dantley did it in nine straight games. Harangody also has a streak of seven straight double-doubles.
Kyle McAlarney added 24 points, going 7-of-14 from 3-point range. He has hit 74 3-pointers this season, tops in the Big East.
The Irish will have good and bad news this week. The good news is they return home, where they’ve won 45 straight games, dating back to Feb. 25, 2006, and have won 20 straight home conference games. The bad news is the opponent is Connecticut, whose only loss this year was a 74-63 loss to Georgetown at home.
Notre Dame is 5-3 in Big East play at home against Connecticut.

Pittsburgh Panthers (16-1, 4-1)
Last week:
vs. South Florida, W 75-62
at Louisville, L 69-63
This week:
Jan. 19 vs. Syracuse
Jan. 25 at West Virginia

The Panthers, the No. 1 team in the country, suffered their first loss of the season in a great game against Louisville.
The Panthers struggled down the stretch, which likely cost them the game. They hit just one field goal in the final eight minutes of the game, and committed a season-high 20 turnovers.
Jermaine Dixon scored a team-high 19 points, and Sam Young added 18.
They’ll get a chance to get back on track with a matchup against Syracuse. The Panthers have beaten the Orange 10 out of the past 13 meetings. Pittsburgh is also 11-0 at home this season.

Providence Friars (11-6, 3-2)
Last week:
vs. Marquette, L 91-82
This week:
Jan. 19 vs. Cincinnati
Jan. 22 at Seton Hall

The Friars let a five-point halftime lead slip away in a nine-point loss to Marquette, and have now dropped two straight in conference play after a 3-0 start.
For the second straight game, the Friars were led by Marshon Brooks coming off the bench, scoring 21 points. He also had six rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Geoff McDermott had 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Randall Hanke was 4-of-4 from the field for nine points. He is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 68.9 percent.

Seton Hall Pirates (9-8, 0-5)
Last week:
at Connecticut, L 76-61
This week:
Jan. 22 vs. Providence
Jan. 25 vs. Georgetown
The Pirates continue to struggle, having lost five straight and seven of their past eight games after a 15-point setback to the Huskies.
Seton Hall shot just 31.4 percent in the first half, and got just two points off the bench.
Jeremy Hazell scored a team-high 20 points. He ranks second in the league at 22.3 points per game. The Pirates are 0-5 in conference play for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
Seton Hall hopes it will turnaround starting this week. The Pirates will play their next four games at home, beginning with Providence, a team Seton Hall has beaten twice in a row.

Big East Notebook: Pittsburgh Flying High

Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)
Last week:
Dec. 22 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, W 79-49
This week:
Dec. 29 at Memphis
Jan. 4 at Marquette

The Bearcats had four players reach double figures in scoring, three with 14, in the victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Yancy Gates, Deonta Vaughn and Steve Toyloy all had 14 points, while Dion Dixon chipped in 11.
The Bearcats allowed APB to shoot only 31 percent from the field, including 23 in the first half, and forced 24 turnovers. Cincinnati jumped out to a 43-16 first half lead.
This week, the Bearcats, who have won four of their past five games, have a tough non-conference game against Memphis before starting their Big East portion of the schedule at Marquette.
Cincinnati is third in the league in field goal percentage defense at 36.8. Ahead of the Bearcats are Georgetown (34.3) and Pittsburgh (36.2). The Bearcats also lead the league in rebounding at 42.5 per game.
Famed TV analyst Bill Raftery spoke with the Cincinnati Enquirer on Monday, saying he likes what Cincinnati is doing this season, and believes they could make a run in the postseason.
“I like the way their big men pass it, and I like the way they rebound it,” he told the newspaper.

DePaul Blue Demons (8-5)
Last week:
Dec. 22 vs. Saint Louis, W 65-61, Las Vegas Classic
Dec. 23 vs. Creighton, L 83-75, Las Vegas Classic
Dec. 28 vs. Alcorn State, W 90-67
This week:
Dec. 31 vs. Notre Dame
Jan. 3 at Providence

Against Saint Louis, the Blue Demons overcame a 32 percent shooting performance in the second half to hold off the Billikens.
Mac Koshwal led the way for DePaul, scoring 17 points. Jabari Currie, Dar Tucker and Will Walker also scored in double figures with 12, 11 and 10, respectively. Koshwal also added 11 rebounds.
Against Creighton, Tucker and Koshwal had career nights. Tucker scored 32 points on 12-of-22 shooting, and Koshwal scored 13 points, but grabbed 22 rebounds, including 16 on the defensive end. The 22 boards were a season-best in the league.
Creighton’s Booker Woodfox had 26 points.
Both teams shot better than 45 percent. DePaul shot 49 percent, including 54 percent in the first half. Walker added 12 points, and Currie added 10.
And against Alcorn State in the non-conference finale, Tucker had another big night with 25 points. Koshwal added 19 points and 13 rebounds. For the week, Koshwal averaged 16.3 points per game, while Tucker averaged 22.7.
Tucker, who played the Alcorn State game despite having the flu, is fourth in the league in scoring at 19.8 per game. Koshwal is third in the league in rebounding at 11.3.
This week, the Blue Demons start Big East play with a home game against Notre Dame on New Year’s Eve before traveling to Providence.
Alcorn State coach Larry Smith told the Chicago Tribune after the game he likes DePaul’s length upfront with Koshwal at 6-10, Devin Hill at 6-9 and Tucker at 6-5.
“Their length is tremendous,” said Smith, a former NBA star in his first season coaching his alma mater. “They’ve got a lot of athletes out there. They do a good job of crashing the boards, and they give themselves second-chance points, which is huge.”

Louisville Cardinals (8-2)
Last week:
Dec. 27 vs. UAB, W 82-62
This week:
Dec. 31 vs. UNLV
Jan. 4 vs. Kentucky

Terrence Williams scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists and blocked three shots to help the Cardinals down UAB.
The Cardinals also got a double-double from Samardo Samuels, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Andre McGee and Earl Clark were also in double figures off the bench with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Cardinals shot 50 percent for the game, including 57 percent in the second half, to blow open a nine-point halftime lead.
This week, the Cardinals continue their non-conference schedule with UNLV and the always-entertaining rivalry game with Kentucky.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, coach Rick Pitino has offered Derrick Caracter a chance to sit out this season but return to the team for the 2009-10 season – if he fulfills certain requirements.
Caracter, according to the paper, said he is willing to meet those conditions.
“He’s going to have to get a job that I’m going to have to approve, he’s going to have to pay his own way to school, he’s going to have to get his own apartment,” Pitino said. “We’d be willing to work him out, but he’s not going to practice with our basketball team or be part of it. He’s going to have to get in shape and get himself on the right track academically.”
Caracter, a 6-9 forward out of Fanwood, N.J., averaged 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds as a sophomore last season. He decided to bypass his final two years of college and entered the NBA draft, but he changed his mind and has been looking for reinstatement from Pitino.
Caracter was ruled academically ineligble in May, the paper said, and has been “a major thorn in my side,” Pitino said in April.
In his first two seasons, Caracter has had numerous problems, multiple team rule violations and was held out of games for his failure to meet a target weight.

Marquette Golden Eagles (11-2)
Last week:
Dec. 22 at North Carolina State, W 68-65
Dec. 28 vs. Presbyterian, W 84-45
This week:
Jan. 1 vs. Villanova
Jan. 4 vs. Cincinnati

The Golden Eagles picked up a huge road victory against North Carolina State using tough defense and protecting the basketball.
Despite being outshot (51 to 48 percent) and out-rebounded (29-25), Marquette committed just 10 turnovers, compared to NC State’s 18, to help pick up the victory.
Jerel McNeal lead the Golden Eagles with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Dominic James added 18 points with six assists, and Lazar Hayward had 16 points.
Against Presbyterian, Hayward had game highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Wesley Matthews added 21 as the Golden Eagles led 40-18 at halftime.
This week, the Golden Eagles have a pair of Big East games against Villanova and Cincinnati. Last year against Villanova, the Golden Eagles shot 50 percent from the field and forced 23 turnovers in an 85-75 victory.
Marquette coach Buzz Williams told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “I want to be peaking, beginning the rise on Jan. 1 and continuing the rise hopefully to about Valentine’s Day. And when we get to Valentine’s Day, I hope we’re rolling pretty good.”
Marquette hosts St. John’s on Valentine’s Day. After that, the Golden Eagles have a brutal schedule, hosting Seton Hall on Feb. 17, at Georgetown on Feb. 21, hosting Connecticut on Feb. 25, at Louisville on March 1, at Pittsburgh on March 4 and finish hosting Syracuse on March 7.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2)
Last week:
Dec. 22 vs. Savannah State, W 81-49
This week:
Dec. 31 at DePaul
Jan. 3 at St. John’s

Notre Dame had little trouble in its final tuneup before the Big East schedule.
Luke Harangody scored 23 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, including eight offensively, and shot 13-of-14 from the free-throw line. Tory Jackson and Ryan Ayers each added 10 points for the Irish, who have won three straight after losing to Ohio State on Dec. 6.
All 11 players who played for the Irish scored at least one point.
Harangody has scored at least 20 points in seven of the nine games he’s played in this season, and the Irish are second in the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 9.2 (Houston turns it over 9.1 times per game). Harangody also ranks six in the country in rebounding (11.9).
Teammate Kyle McAlarney is second in the nation in three-point field goals made at 4.07 per game (David Holston, Chicago State, 5.2).
This week, the Irish have a pair of road games to begin Big East play. Up first is at DePaul, who the Irish beat twice last season, and they will be at St. John’s to end the week.
The Irish are still tinkering with their zone defense, according to the South Bend Tribune. Before the DePaul game, the Irish are working in a training camp mentality to fill the holes in their zone defense.
“We need to be able to be confident in our zone,” coach Mike Brey said. “We need to be able to change gears.”
The Irish use zone to try and get their opponent out of their comfort zone, the paper said.

Pittsburgh Panthers (12-0)
Last week:
No games
This week:
Dec. 31 at Rutgers
Jan. 3 at Georgetown

The Panthers didn’t have a game last week, but will begin Big East play with a possible trap game against Rutgers on New Year’s Eve. After that, they will play at Georgetown in what will be a big early statement game in the conference slate.
DeJuan Blair ranks second in the country in rebounding at 13.0 per game, behind Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin at 14.4. The Panthers are also fourth in the nation in scoring differential at plus 20.8. Fellow league member Connecticut is third (21.2).
The Panthers know there’s still much to prove, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Seven teams are ranked in The Associated Press top 25.
“I’ve said all along it’s going to be the best conference in the history of basketball,” coach Jamie Dixon said told the paper. “I can’t go back on that. It’s not a surprise and I think it’s going to continue to grow.”

Providence Friars (8-4)
Last week:
Dec. 22 vs. Bryant, W 91-64
This week:
Dec. 31 vs. St. John’s
Jan. 3 vs. DePaul

Four players were in double figures for Providence, led by Marshon Brooks’ 18 off the bench, against Bryant. Geoff McDermott, Sharaud Curry and Weyinmi Efejuku were the others with 17, 16 and 15 points, respectively. Brooks played in just 18 minutes of the game.
The Friars shot 55 percent from the field, including a sizzling 80 percent (16-of-20) in the second half. In addition, the Friars shot 39 percent from three-point range, a category they rank last in the Big East in (27.6).
The Friars, who are 7-1 at home with the lone loss coming in the season opener Nov. 15 against Northeastern, will begin the Big East portion of their schedule with a pair of home games this week.
St. John’s has won the past two meetings after Providence won the previous 10 in the series.

Seton Hall Pirates (9-3)
Last week:
Dec. 22 at James Madison, L 70-64
Dec. 27 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, W 101-70
This week:
Dec. 30 at Syracuse
Jan. 3 vs. West Virginia

The Pirates shot 52 percent from the field in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an 18-point halftime deficit.
Seton Hall outscored James Madison, 42-30 in the second half, but the key was being outrebounded 41-30, including James Madison having 11 offensive rebounds.
Robert Mitchell led Seton Hall with 23 points and nine rebounds. Eugene Harvey added 14 points, along with Jeremy Hazell and Paul Gause each having 12.
Against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Pirates matched a season high in points in a 31-point victory.
Hazell and Mitchell each had big nights with Hazell scoring 35 points, tied for the fourth most by a Big East player in a game this season, and Mitchell adding 24 and grabbing 10 rebounds. Harvey added 15 points and six assists, and Jordan Theodore scored 11 off the bench.
Hazell shot 15-of-26 from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range. It was also the best scoring performance by a SHU player under third-year coach Bobby Gonzalez.
Fairleigh Dickinson’s Sean Baptiste scored 31 points.
The Pirates get ready for two tough league games this week at Syracuse and hosting West Virginia.
Syracuse has won seven of the past nine meetings.

Big East Notebook – Blue Demons and Cardinals Streaking in Opposite Directions

Cincinnati Bearcats (6-2 overall)
Last week:
Dec. 13 vs. Xavier, L 76-66
This week:
Dec. 15 vs. Charleston Southern
Dec. 18 vs. Mississippi State, SEC/Big East Invitational
Dec. 20 vs. Eastern Kentucky

The intracity rivalry between Cincinnati and Xavier had everything one could ask for, including five technical fouls. But in the end, it was Xavier coming away with the victory.
The Bearcats were led by Deonta Vaughn with 27 points, hitting five 3-pointers. Dion Dixon and Steve Toyloy each came off the bench to score 11 points for Cincinnati. Vaughn scored 19 of his points in the second half, but the Bearcats’ rally fell short after trailing by 14 at halftime.
Cincinnati shot itself in the foot, turning the ball over 19 times (14 in the first half), and let Xavier shoot 29-of-36 from the free-throw line, giving Xavier 48 points off turnovers or free throws.
It will be a busy week for the Bearcats with three games in six days, including a meeting with Mississippi State. The next victory for coach Mick Cronin will be the 100th of his coaching career.

DePaul Blue Demons (4-4)
Last week:
Dec. 10 vs. Morgan State, L 79-75
Dec. 13 vs. UCLA, L 72-54
This week:
Dec. 17 vs. Liberty at Las Vegas Classic
Dec. 19 vs. Southern at Las Vegas Classic

The Blue Demons went scoreless for seven minutes, and let a 10-point second half lead slip away against Morgan State.
DePaul was led by Dar Tucker with 21 points, followed by 15 points from Mac Koshwal and 14 from Will Walker.
Morgan State had just nine turnovers, and had four players in double figures, led by Reggie Holmes with 29 points.
Then the Blue Demons traveled to the West Coast for the second time in 10 days to face UCLA in the John Wooden Classic, and lost their fourth straight game.
Koshwal scored 12 points and had eight rebounds. Tucker, who didn’t start the game for the first time this season because of “attitude issues,” according to the Chicago Tribune, added 11 points.
UCLA had four players in double figures in scoring, and shot better than 55 percent from the field for the game.

Louisville Cardinals (6-1)
Last week:
Dec. 6 vs. Indiana State, W 83-43
Dec. 7 vs. Ohio, W 91-56
Dec. 8 vs. Lamar, W 78-56
Dec. 13 vs. Austin Peay, W 94-75
This week:
Dec. 18 vs. Mississippi, SEC/Big East Invitational
Dec. 20 vs. Minnesota

Earl Clark had a double-double for the Cardinals with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in their victory over Indiana State. The Sycamores did not get a player in double figures in scoring, while the Cardinals had four. Terrence Williams, Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa were also in double figures for the Cardinals with 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Indiana State was held to just 28 percent shooting. Louisville shot 61 percent in the first half en route to a 50-17 halftime lead.
Clark added a second double-double against Ohio with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Samuels led the way for the Cardinals with 19 points, and Jerry Smith added 16. The Cardinals dominated the glass, out-rebounding Ohio 46-26.
The Cardinals shot 52 percent from the field.
Samuels led the Cardinals with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in their victory over Lamar. Smith added 12 points as well, and Williams grabbed 13 rebounds.
To wrap up the busy week, the Cardinals had three players score at least 20 points, led by Samuels and Preston Knowles with 21. Williams added 20. Samuels also had 12 rebounds.
Louisville will enter the week having won four straight games.

Marquette Golden Eagles (8-1)
Last week:
Dec. 13 vs. IPFW, W 69-50
This week:
Dec. 16 vs. Tennessee, SEC/Big East Invitational
Dec. 19 vs. Western Carolina

In their lone game of the week, the Golden Eagles had little trouble with Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, thanks to Lazar Hayward.
Hayward scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, the highest rebound total in Marquette history since Amal McCaskill on Nov. 26, 1995, had 19.
And he wasn’t alone as three others for Marquette scored in double figures – Jerel McNeal (16), Wesley Matthews (13) and Dominic James (10).
The matchup with Tennessee was supposed to be a union of coaches Tom Crean and Bruce Pearl.
When Pearl was at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he publicly called out to Marquette for the two city schools to play each other. At the time, they hadn’t played since the mid-1990s. Now Crean is at Indiana.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2)
Last week:
Dec. 13 vs. Boston University, W 74-67
This week:
Dec. 20 vs. Delaware State

The conference’s leading scorer was up to his usual self against Boston University.
Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Irish. Harangody is averaging 23 points per game, putting him slightly ahead of Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell (22.4).
It was the 30th double-double of Harangody’s career.
Kyle McAlarney also scored in double figures for the Irish with 16. He was joined in double figures by Zach Hillesland with 11 and Ryan Ayers with 10.
The victory extended the Irish’s home winning streak to 41 games – the nation’s second-longest. But the streak was nearly in jeopardy as the Irish fell behind by 10 early in the game, and trailed by nine early in the second half. The Terriers were held without a field goal over the final 3:26 of the game. The streak began March 4, 2006, against DePaul. The last loss was Feb. 25, 2005, to Marquette.
McAlarney has 980 career points after the BU victory.

Pittsburgh Panthers (10-0)
Last week:
Dec. 13 vs. UMBC, W 91-56
This week:
Dec. 17 vs. Siena

Five players were in double figures for the Panthers against UMBC, led by 19 from Maryland native Sam Young.
Also hitting double figures was Gilbert Brown (13), Ashton Gibbs (13), DeJuan Blair (12) and Levance Fields (11).
The Panthers shot 60 percent from the field in the second half.
Young is third in the Big East in scoring at 20.6 points per game, and Blair is second in the nation behind Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin in rebounding. Blair is averaging 12.8 rebounds per game.
Gibbs, a freshman, was 3-of-4 from 3-point range against UMBC. He is shooting 12-for-20 on the season from 3-point range.
It will be a test this week with Siena, who return all five starters from a team which beat Vanderbilt by 21 points in the first round of last year’s NCAAs.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Young turned his ankle during practice Monday, but it’s not anticipated he will miss any action.

Providence Friars (6-3)
Last week:
No games
This week:
Dec. 17 vs. Jackson State
Dec. 20 at Boston College

After taking time off for finals, the Friars will return with two games, including regional and former Big East rival Boston College.

Seton Hall Pirates (8-1)
Last week:
Dec. 9 vs. California Baptist, W 92-80
Dec. 13 at Saint Peter’s, W 60-46
This week:
Dec. 20 vs. IUPUI

Both California Baptist and Seton Hall shot 53 percent from the field, and nine players between the two teams were in double figures.
But the difference came at the free throw line with Seton Hall going 21-for-26 at the line, while California Baptist went 12-of-16.
Eugene Harvey and Jeremy Hazell each scored 25 points for the Pirates. Robert Mitchell added 18 off the bench, and Paul Gause scored 11.
Seton Hall made more free throws than field goals in the second half (17-15), but still shot 58 percent from the field in the second half.
Unlike against California Baptist, both Saint Peter’s and Seton Hall struggled to shoot the ball.
Saint Peter’s shot 29 percent, and Seton Hall wasn’t much better at 36 percent. But Saint Peter’s was forced into 19 turnovers, while Seton Hall had 11.
Hazell had a game-high 14 points, while Gause and Harvey each had 12.
The Pirates will enter their game against IUPUI on a five-game win streak.

Big East Notebook – Syracuse Back in Action, Panthers Still Undefeated

Forget, for a moment, that Donte Greene stamped his imprint at Syracuse last year, bolting for the L after a one-and-done that few could have envisioned. The quantum leap has certainly proved profitable for Greene.

The 6-foot-10 Baltimore product is averaging just four points in fourteen games for the Sacramento Kings. He saw action in the starting lineup in four of those games. Greene, who many feel left prematurely, proved he belongs in the L during a successful summer in Vegas, one underscored by a 40-point outburst.

The No. 20-ranked Orange have held up just fine without the big neophyte, however, rolling out to an 8-0 start for the first start in recent memory.

Upgraded from a schedule that’s traditionally weak, Syracuse topped No. 18 Florida and No. 23 Florida before stamping a 73-70 win on Virginia. Quite impressive for a squad which tends to never leave the state through during Jim Boeheim’s lax early season slate. Not this year. With Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins back in the fold after recovering from devastating injuries that relegated them to spectator role last season, the Orange are playing to resurrect a winning program.

You know, the one that hit the mute button on analysts, pundits, and haters alike when Gerry McNamara (don’t tell Boeheim he’s overrated) shot them to a Big East championship as supreme underdogs in 2006?

‘Cuse survived a scare on Wednesday, gutting Ivy League foe Cornell’s upset bid, 88-78. In what’s evolved into the “season of the upset” (no.2 UConn eked out a 68-64 win over Buffalo last night), it wouldn’t be a surprise if the game came down to one final possession.

Ryan Wittman, the gun-toting son of Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Randy Wittman, fired, fired, and fired some more. It was like watching an old, Wild Wild West flick – shooter’s touch.

The 6-foot-6 forward scorched the nets for a game-high 33 points. He managed this on 50 percent shooting, going 9-for-19 from beyond the arc.

The tandem of Paul Harris and super-sophomore Jonny Flynn, the former high school teammates, helped bail out the Orange. Harris, the man-child who could one day entertain NFL draft thoughts, scored 21 points and ripped down eight boards. Flynn scored 24 points, dished out six assists, but committed a season-high six turnovers.

Syracuse’s rapid resurrection has developed a nice sales pitch for 2009 recruits. The Orange already received a verbal commitment from James Southerland, who starred at Cardozo High School before prolonging his career at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.

He needed the prep year for academic eligibility, as an under-par SAT score debarred him from joining Mookie Jones, Kris Joseph and the 2008 freshman class.

At Cardozo, Southerland was a walking double-double. He cooked opponents to the recipe of 17.6 points and 11.2 boards per game. A plethora of other recruits are being actively pursued. Philly-bred off guard Dion Waiters, Renardo Sidney of California (the 6-9 forward/center plays for the LA Dream Team on the AAU circuit), combination forward Joston Thomas, who’s also getting some love from West Virginia and Georgetown, are just a few in their laundry-list of targets. Waiters has committed early out of the class of 2010.

The Orange showed interest in Karron Johnson, a player familiar with the New York area who looked at St. John’s in the fall. But Johnson, the 6-foot-7 wing averaging 26 points, 14 boards, and four blocks at Mt. Zion Christian (North Carolina) committed to Oklahoma State.

Still, with the influx of talent that could arrive at Cuse, Boeheim’s troops could be a perennial power for the next 10 years.

No longer the walking wounded, Syracuse is back in their old zip code and here to stay.

Pittsburgh 80, Vermont 51: At the Petersen Events Center, Sam Young cooked Vermont to the recipe of 28 points (10-for-21 FG). The No. 3 Panthers improved to 9-0 on the season. Dujuan Blair added a double-double with 13 points and 16 boards and freshman Ashton Gibbs chipped in with 11. Marques Blakely led Vermont with 19 points, 14 boards, five dimes, six steals, and five blocks.

Louisville 91, Ohio 56: At Freedom Hall, Earl Clark had a career day, scoring 17 points, pulling down 14 boards and doling out eight assists to lead the Cardinals in the Marques Maybin Classic. Highly-touted freshman Samardo Samuels scored 19 points and Jerry Smith chipped in with 16. Jerome Tillman led Ohio with 21 points. Louisville has won two straight after being upset by Western Kentucky.

Ohio State 67, Notre Dame 62: At Lucas Oil Stadium, Ohio State pulled off a pulsating upset of the No. 7 Irish in the Hartford Hall Of Fame Showcase at Indiana. The Buckeyes were led by Evan Turner’s 28 points, 10 boards, and five assists. Freshman B.J. Mullens, a 7-foot, 270-pound center, popped off the bench to score 11 points and grab seven boards in 18 minutes. Luke Harangody led Notre Dame with 25 points and sixteen rebounds in his first game back after battling pneumonia. Tory Jackson chipped in with 13 points and five dimes.

Cincinnati 87, UAB 80: At Fifth Third Arena, Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points in a rare role coming off the pine. Junior Mike Williams added 17 points as the Bearcats improved to 6-1. Robert Vaden, Vaughn’s cousin who he remains tight with, scored 23 points to lead UAB. Mick Cronin opted to go with Vaughn off the bench because of the way he practiced prior to the game.

West Virginia 53, Cleveland State 43: At WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, De’Sean Butler poured in a game-high 18 points. Freshman Devin Ebanks added 10 for the 6-1 Mountaineers. Norris Cole led Cleveland State with 12 points.

Georgetown 73, American 43: At the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the Hoyas pummeled their neighbors behind local product Chris Wright, who scored a game-high 22 points. Jesse Sapp and DaJuan Summers each scored 14 points and Austin Freeman handed out six assists. Garrison Carr paced American with nine points.

Marquette 61, Wisconsin 58: At the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Jerel McNeal scored a game-high 26 points as the Golden Eagles topped the No. 22 Badgers. Lazar Hayward added 13 rebounds for 7-1 Marquette. Trevon Hughes led Wisconsin with 14 points. The Golden Eagles clamped down on Marcus Landry, who had been smoking (18 points on 6-for-7 shooting against Virginia Tech). They held him to a season-low five points.

UCF 71, South Florida 63: At UCF Arena in Orlando, Jermaine Taylor and South Florida’s Dominique Jones went eyeball-to-eyeball. Taylor dropped 30 points and Jones erupted for 31, but UCF topped their Big East foe. Tony Davis added 17 points and six steals for the Knights.

Horizon Preview

Horizon League 2008-09 Preview

by Nick Dettmann

Two Horizon League teams solidified their respective coaching situations this offseason.

The first came in April when the Detroit Titans hired Ray McCallum to take over the program.

McCallum replaces Perry Watson, who retired from the post in March, but took a leave of absence in January and didn’t coach the team for the rest of the season.

During the 15 seasons which Watson led the way, Detroit was 261-198 with 10 winning seasons and a regular season league championship in 1994 and 1999, reaching the NCAA tournament in 1998 and 1999. The Titans also reached the NIT semifinals in 2001.

McCallum comes to Detroit after three seasons at Indiana, and three seasons at Oklahoma prior to his stint with the Hoosiers.

McCallum brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to Detroit, including 11 as a head coach. His head coaching stints include Ball State and Houston.

McCallum led the Cardinals to a 126-76 record during his seven seasons (1994-2000) in Muncie, Ind. He was the first coach in school history to have seven consecutive winning seasons, and led the team to the NCAA tournament in 1995 and 2000, and the NIT in 1998. While at BSU, McCallum recruited Bonzi Wells, who became the 11th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, and currently plays for the Houston Rockets. During his coaching career, McCallum has coached eight NBA players.

His .624 winning percentage was fourth-best in MAC history when he left in 2000.

At Houston, the Cougars were 44-73 in his four seasons, giving him a 170-149 career coaching record. His best season was the 2001-02 campaign where he led the Cougars to an 18-15 record, reaching the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament. He never reached the NCAAs or NIT while at Houston.

“This is a tremendous day,” McCallum said at his introductory news conference. “UDM has a great basketball tradition and I’m glad to be a part of the next chapter.”

The other coaching move made this offseason was at Wright State. In July, the Raiders gave coach Brad Brownell an extension through the 2013-14 season.

Brownell has averaged 21 victories a season in his six seasons as a Division I coach. He is 44-20 in two seasons thus far at Wright State, including 21-10 a season ago. In 2007, he led the Raiders to a 23-10 record and the school’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament after upsetting Butler in the league tournament championship game. Brownell has beaten nationally-ranked Butler three times.

In his six seasons in Division I, Brownell is 127-60.

“Brad has done an outstanding job in a short period of time,” WSU Athletic Director Bob Grant said in July. “His leadership and commitment to Wright State and our student-athletes have led to unparalleled prosperity on the court as well as in the classroom and in the community.

“His record of success ranks among the top coaches in the nation and I am certainly pleased to have him leading our program and I know our fans feel the same.”

BracketBusters galore
All 10 teams of the Horizon League will compete in this year’s ESPN BracketBuster festivities Feb. 21-22, 2009.

This year, 102 will mid-major teams will be featured with a chance to boost their NCAA tournament resumes. Of the 102 teams, 26 will be nationally televised on the ESPN networks. The matchups will be unveiled Feb. 2.

Loyola, Valparaiso, Wright State, Youngstown State, UW-Milwaukee and Illinois-Chicago will play home games, while Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit and UW-Green Bay will play on the road.

As part of the agreement, teams will play in a home-and-home series with the host team playing at the visiting team in the 2009-10 season.

This year’s field includes last year’s Elite Eight qualifier Davidson, and features 77 appearances in the NCAA tournament, including George Mason (Final Four in 2006) and six Sweet 16 teams (Butler in 2007, Southern Illinois in 2007, Bradley in 2006, Wichita State in 2006, UW-Milwaukee in 2005 and Nevada in 2004).

The Mid-American Conference and Colonial Athletic Association will be represented with 12 teams, while the Horizon League, the Ohio Valley, the Missouri Valley and the Metro Atlantic Athletic will have 10 teams.

Other conferences featured will be the America East, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, MEAC, Northeast, Patriot, Southern, Summit, West Coast and Western Athletic.

Former Penguins coach dies
Dom Rosseelli, who accumulated more than 1,000 career victories in basketball and baseball at Youngstown State, died Oct. 7. He was 93.

He is by far the school’s winningest coach with 589 career victories on the hardwood (1940-1982). The next closest is Dan Peters (1993-99) with 78. His best season on the court was in 1963-64 when the Penguins won a school-record 24 games – a record which still stands today.

In addition to basketball, he coached baseball, and was an assistant for the football team for 21 seasons.

He began the baseball program at YSU in 1948, accumulating 489 career victories.

Horizon League, Detroit will be showcased in April
The 2009 Final Four will be held in Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, this spring. The Horizon League is no stranger to hosting the Final Four as it hosts the prestigious event on a regular basis in Indianapolis and the RCA Dome.

League, ESPN announce Game-of-the-Week schedule
Seven Horizon League matchups featuring all 10 men’s teams and two women’s will be shown on Fridays in January and February on ESPNU as part of 17 games involving league teams to be shown on ESPN networks this season.

“We are excited to expand our ESPN partnership with our first national basketball game-of-the-week,” said Jon LeCrone, Horizon League commissioner, in a statement. “More fans will now be able to follow our teams on a regular basis during the regular season.

“This is another important step in the growth of the League.”

The first game to be televised as part of the Friday Night Game-of-the-Week will Jan. 9 when UW-Milwaukee hosts intrastate rival UW-Green Bay.

The women’s matchup will be when Wright State plays at Butler on Feb. 6.

ESPN2 will also carry two other matchups – Butler at Illinois Chicago on Jan. 17, and a wild-card game which will be announced in early February.

Detroit will play at Purdue on Nov. 14, and it will be shown on ESPN360.com. And like in previous seasons, ESPNU will carry the Horizon League tournament semifinals and ESPN will carry the tournament championship game.

The ESPN Schedule (all times Eastern):
Friday, Nov. 14 Detroit at Purdue (9 p.m., ESPN360.com)
Thursday, Dec. 4 Butler at Cleveland State (8 p.m., ESPNU)
Saturday, Dec. 20 Valparaiso vs. North Carolina (2 p.m., ESPNU)
Tuesday, Dec. 23 Butler at Xavier (7 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Jan. 9 UW-Green Bay at UW-Milwaukee (9 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Jan. 16 Wright State at Detroit (9 p.m., ESPNU)
Saturday, Jan. 17 Butler at UIC (2 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN360.com)
Friday, Jan. 23 Cleveland State at Youngstown State (9 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Jan. 30 Valparaiso at Butler (7 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Feb. 6 Wright State at Butler (women’s) (7 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Feb. 13 UIC at Butler (7 p.m., ESPNU)
Friday, Feb. 27 UIC at Loyola (9 p.m., ESPNU)
Saturday, Feb. 28 Wild-card game TBD (Noon, ESPN2/ESPN360.com)
Saturday, March 7 Men’s semifinal (7 and 9 p.m., ESPNU)
Tuesday, March 10 Men’s championship (9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN360.com)
Sunday, March 15 Women’s championship (1 p.m., ESPNU)

Preseason All-League Team
MVP: Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago
Newcomer of the Year: Jason Bennett, Detroit

First Team
Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago
J’Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State
Vaughn Duggins, Wright State
Matt Howard, Butler

Honorable Mention
Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay
J.R. Blout, Loyola
Urule Igbavboa, Valparaiso
Todd Brown, Wright State
Scott VanderMeer, Illinois-Chicago

Predicted Order of Finish

Cleveland State Vikings (21-13, 12-6, 2nd)
Coach: Gary Waters, third season (31-34)
Projected starters
J’Nathan Bullock, senior
Cedric Jackson, senior
George Tandy, senior
Chris Moore, senior
D’Aundray Brown, sophomore
Key nonconference games
Nov. 18 at Washington
Dec. 6 at West Virginia
Dec. 15 at Syracuse
Feb. 21 at BracketBuster
Key losses: Joe Davis, Breyohn Watson.
What to expect: After being a doormat team in the league for a number of seasons, the Vikings are a power in the league, and enter this season the favorite.

With good reason, too.

They return two of the league’s best – J’Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson. They also could potentially start four seniors with significant playing experience. There are 127 starts between them from last year’s 21-win club.

Bullock and Jackson return after leading the team in scoring in 2007-08 (Bullock at 14.8 points per game, Jackson at 13.9).

Watson and Davis were quality players last season, but the Vikings shouldn’t have much trouble filling in their vacancies. Sophomore guard Norris Cole played in all 34 games last season, and will likely see more minutes this season. And guard Eric Schiele, who had a record-setting high school career at Atwater High School in Ohio, will make an impact with a full season to work with.

Schiele played in only four games last year as a freshman, missing the first half of the season waiting to become eligible. He is a terrific 3-point shooter, and could play a big role as the Vikings’ first or second man of the bench, maybe even work his way into the starting lineup.

In high school, Schiele averaged 39.6 points per game in his senior year, shooting 40 percent from the field, 34 percent from 3-point range, and 86 percent at the free-throw line. He had four 50-point games, including a career-high 69 in December 2006.

Wright State Raiders (21-10, 12-6, 2nd)
Coach: Brad Brownell, third season (44-20, 127-60 overall)
Projected starters
Vaughn Duggins, junior
Todd Brown, junior
William Graham, senior
Cooper Land, sophomore
Ronnie Thomas, junior
Key nonconference games
Dec. 14 at Wake Forest
Dec. 20-22 San Juan Shootout, Puerto Rico
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key losses: Jordan Pleiman, Scottie Wilson
What to expect: The Raiders are becoming one of the elite programs in the league, winning 44 games in the past two seasons. That shouldn’t change this season with starters back, including Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown, who are both potentially league MVP candidates.

Both were the leading scorers last season with Duggins averaging 13.8 points per game, and Brown averaging 12.7 points per game.

Another area in the Raiders’ favor is their ability to beat Butler. They’ve done so three times in the past two years.

Also, the Raiders are becoming increasingly difficult to beat at home. In the 18 seasons of the Nutter Center, the Raiders are 188-82 (.696 winning percentage).

The Raiders will need to work on experience in the early stages of the season. Jordan Pleiman and Scottie Wilson started 30 and 31 games last season, respectively, with Duggins, Brown and Graham eating up the rest of the starts. The rest of the roster has just two starts between them (John David Gardner and Gavin Horne have one each).

Illinois-Chicago Flames (18-15, 9-9, 4th)
Coach: Jimmy Collins, 12th season (194-171)
Projected starters
Josh Mayo, senior
Scott Vandermeer, senior
Spencer Stuart, junior
Jeremy Buttell, junior
Robert Kreps, sophomore
Key nonconference games
Nov. 14 at Bradley
Dec. 3 at Vanderbilt
Dec. 14 at Georgia Tech
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key losses: Karl White Jr., Robert Bush, Jermaine Dailey
What to expect: The Flames enter the 2008-09 season with Hoopville Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Josh Mayo.

Mayo, a product of Merrillville (Ind.) High School, averaged a team-leading 17.1 points per game last season – second-best in the league behind Detroit’s Jon Goode’s 19.3.

Also back is ferocious shot-blocker Scott Vandermeer. The 7-foot center out of Lake Central High School in Dyer, Ind., swatted 85 shots a season ago (2.6 per game). He doubled his closest competitor in that category (Cleveland State’s George Tandy, 40 blocks, or 1.2 per game). Vandermeer also led the league last year in rebounding with 7.5 per game.

Having those two back will help the Flames stay in the league title picture, despite losing quality players in White Jr., Bush and Dailey, who combined to start in 57 games last season.

Stuart, Buttell and Kreps all played significant minutes last year and should get into the starting lineup this season. But look for freshman guard Josh Anderson to make an impact off the bench.

Quality basketball players have surrounded Anderson’s life. Anderson’s father, Nick, was an Illinois Mr. Basketball in 1986, was a two-time All-American at Illinois where he played for Collins when he was an assistant at Illinois, and was a 13-year NBA veteran where he was the first player ever taken by the Orlando Magic in 1989.

Josh Anderson was also a high school teammate of Derrick Rose, the 2008 No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

As for Collins, the school’s winningest coach is six victories shy of No. 200.

UW-Green Bay (15-15, 9-9, 4th)
Coach: Tod Kowalczyk, seventh season (92-88)
Projected starters
Mike Schachtner, senior
Ryan Tillema, senior
Rahmon Fletcher, sophomore
Randy Berry, junior
Terry Evans, senior
Key nonconference games
Nov. 18 at Utah
Nov. 21-23 at Glenn Wilkes Classic, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Nov. 29 UMass
Dec. 13 at Wisconsin
Feb. 21 at BracketBuster
Key losses: None
What to expect: The Phoenix could easily win 20 games this season with five players back, who made 132 starts between them last season, and three of them averaged at least 10 points per game. In addition, a fourth averaged nine points per game.

To summarize, the Phoenix have their top four scorers back this year, led by Schachtner’s 15.8 points per game, which was third-best in the league. Right behind him are Tillema (12.5), Fletcher (10.1), Evans (9.6) and Berry (7.3).

This is easily Kowalczyk’s most-loaded team during his tenure, and winning 20 games is a definite possibility with not a terribly difficult non-league schedule. But games at Utah and Wisconsin will pose challenges.

The last time the Phoenix won 20 games in a season was the 1998-99 under Mike Heideman (20), and since legendary coach Dick Bennett left following the 1994-95 season, the Phoenix have just two 20-win seasons (1995-96 and 1998-99).

During Bennett’s 10-year tenure, the Phoenix won at least 20 games five times – all in a six-year span.

Cordero Barkley and Bryquis Perine will be the Phoenix’s top two options off the bench. Barkley played in 30 games last season and has played in 92 games with UWGB. Perine played in 29 games last year.

Butler Bulldogs (30-4, 16-2, 1st)
Coach: Brad Stevens, second season (30-4)
Projected starters
Matt Howard, sophomore
Shawn Vanzant, sophomore
Zach Hahn, sophomore
Willie Veasley, junior
Avery Jukes, junior
Key nonconference games
Nov. 15 at Drake
Dec. 10 at Bradley
Dec. 13 at Ohio State
Dec. 23 at Xavier
Feb. 21 at BracketBuster
Key losses: Mike Green, A.J. Graves, Pete Campbell, Drew Streicher
What to expect: Stevens led the Bulldogs to a league-record 30 victories last season. Repeating that performance this season will be difficult.

Three of the Bulldogs’ top scorers from last year are gone (Green, Graves, Campbell). Not only that, they had experience, starting in 77 combined games last season, and comprised half of their scoring. Also gone are Julian Betko, who started in 33 of 34 games last season, and Drew Streicher, who started in all 34 games last season.

Howard is the only one back with any extensive experience, averaging 12.3 points per game last season, starting in 26 games. He will need to have a big season this year to pick up for two more sophomores potentially in the starting lineup, who played sparingly last season.

Vanzant, a sophomore, is a quality player after scoring more than 1,100 points in high school. He is the only player in Wharton High School (Tampa, Fla.) to achieve that mark. Jukes, a transfer from Alabama, will likely make a bigger impact this season after becoming eligible in the second half of the season. He’s a good swingman who can score and pull down rebounds.

The Bulldogs will have six freshmen on the roster this season, and each could see significant playing time.

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (14-16, 9-9, 4th)
Coach: Rob Jeter, third season (45-47)
Projected starters
Deonte Roberts, sophomore
Ricky Franklin, junior
Avery Smith, senior
James Eayers, junior (transfer from North Dakota State College of Science)
Burleigh Porte, junior
Key nonconference games
Nov. 14-16 at World Vision Classic, Ames, Iowa
Nov. 22 at Marquette
Nov. 25 Ball State
Nov. 29 at Wisconsin
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key losses: Paige Paulsen, Marcus Skinner, Allan Hanson
What to expect: It was a tumultuous season for the Panthers last season. They started the year 3-7, then won nine of their next 10 games before losing seven of its final nine games of the season.

It was a troubling season off the court as well as the Panthers lost two players during the course of the season, most notably Torre Johnson who was dismissed from the team following an arrest for suspicion of battery after allegedly hitting a woman in the mouth in December. Johnson, a transfer from Oklahoma State, was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder when he was dismissed.

This year, the Panthers will have their work cut out for them after losing Paulsen, the team’s leading scorer and a Second Team All-Horizon League selection last season. He averaged 13.3 points per game.

On a good note, the Panthers return Avery Smith to the roster after sitting all of last season because he was dismissed from the team prior to the season. Smith was reinstated this offseason.

He led the Panthers in scoring in 2006-07, averaging more than 15 points per game. He was a preseason All-Horizon League honoree before being dismissed from the team.

The Panthers also return Ricky Franklin, who started in 26 of 30 games, averaging 9.8 points per game, and Deonte Roberts, who was selected to the league’s All-Newcomer Team a year ago.

There will be growing pains this season with nine of the 18 players on the roster in their first year with the program. But Eayers could make an immediate impact. He’s 6-foot-7, and scored 1,156 points in two years at the North Dakota State College of Science. Last season, he averaged 24 points per game.

Valparaiso Crusaders (22-14, 9-9, 4th)
Coach: Homer Drew, 19th season (324-254 at Valpo, 593-376 overall)
Projected starters
Urule Igbavboa, senior
Jake Diebler, senior
Brandon McPherson, senior
Howard Little, sophomore
Michael Rogers, sophomore
Key nonconference games
Nov. 21-24 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam
Dec. 20 vs. North Carolina at United Center, Chicago
Dec. 28 at Purdue
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key losses: Shawn Huff, Jarryd Loyd
What to expect: Coach Homer Drew enters the season with 593 career victories. Eight other current head coaches have won at least 600 games. Hoping to get him to that historic mark will be Urule Igbavboa, who returns this season as the leading scorer from last year where he averaged 11 points per game, and is a preseason Hoopville honorable mention all-league member.

The Crusaders will have a strong backcourt tandem in Jake Diebler and Brandon McPherson. Both combined to average 15 points per game last season, and have played alongside each other in the past two seasons. McPherson is a good scorer, and Diebler is a solid guard. He had a 2.71 turnover-to-assist ratio last season, second-best in the league.

This is a veteran squad which should improve on its league record from a year ago. A tough nonconference schedule, like usual, will certainly help, including a matchup against North Carolina in December.

A strong recruiting class could provide an immediate impact. One of the gems of the class is De’Andre Haskins, who attended nearby La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. Haskins averaged 27.5 points per game as a senior, and 31 as a junior. He is quick, athletic and versatile.

Loyola Ramblers (12-19, 6-12, 8th)
Coach: Jim Whitesell, fifth season (65-58)
Projected starters
J.R. Blount, senior
Andy Polka, junior
Ross Forman, junior
Leon Young, senior
Justin Cerasoli, senior
Key nonconference games
Nov. 17 NIT Season Tip-Off vs. Georgia, West Lafayette, Ind.
Nov. 18 NIT Season Tip-Off vs. Purdue or Eastern Michigan, West Lafayette, Ind.
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key loss: Tracy Robinson
What to expect: The Ramblers lost just one starter from last year (Robinson), so experience should be on the Ramblers’ side. Blount is the leading returning scorer after averaging 15 points per game as a junior. He is a Hoopville preseason all-league selection. There is solid depth after Blount, led by Polka, who averaged 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season, and senior Young, who averaged 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Cerasoli should play a role this season after averaging more than nine points per game in 2007-08.

Loyola will be a team which will hover around the middle of the conference and should improve on its 8th-place finish in the league standings a year ago. Fifth-year head coach Jim Whitesell has averaged 16 victories during his tenure.

Detroit Titans (7-23, 3-15, 10th)
Coach: Ray McCallum, first season (170-149 career record)
Projected starters
Woody Payne, junior
Eulis Stephens, junior
Jason Bennett, junior
Chris Hayes, senior
Michael Harrington, senior
Key nonconference games
Nov. 14 at Purdue
Nov. 26 at DePaul
Dec. 20 at Illinois
Feb. 21 at BracketBuster
Key loss: Coach Perry Watson
What to expect: In a tough season last year, which ultimately led the retirement of coach Perry Watson, the Titans are looking to retool, and so far they appear to be headed in the right direction. But it’ll likely be the 2009-10 season where the impact will be seen by the league.

First-year head coach Ray McCallum has brought in a strong recruiting class, which will eventually put Detroit back into the league championship discussion.

Former Central Michigan and Detroit Community High School product Chase Simon, former Indiana center Eli Holman, and Tallahassee Community College transfer Jason Bennett lead the catches for McCallum.

Simon is a local product who had a stellar high school career. As a senior, he averaged more than 23 points and seven rebounds per game in leading his team to the state quarterfinals. He was selected as a first-team Class C All-State performer by the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, The Associated Press and the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.

Simon will redshirt this season, and will be eligible for the 2009-10 season in compliance with NCAA transfer rules. He played last season at Central Michigan where he played in 24 games, averaging nearly five points per game.

Holman was a recruit of McCallum’s at IU, and Holman decided to follow him to Detroit while IU goes through an overhaul.

Bennett will likely become one of the best shot blockers in league history. He will be the Titans’ tallest player in school history – 7-foot-3, 275 pounds.

Bennett, a top 50 product out of Arlington Country Day High School in Jacksonville, Fla., played one season at Kansas State before transferring to Tallahassee Community College. While at Kansas State, Bennett blocked a school-record eight shots in a game against Chicago State.

But also look for newcomers Thomas Kennedy and Xavier Keeling to make impacts as well.

Youngstown State Penguins (9-21, 5-13, 9th)
Coach: Jerry Slocum, third season (30-59, 610-384 overall)
Projected starters
Jack Liles, senior
Vytas Sulskis, sophomore
Vance Cooksey, sophomore
Mikko Niemi, senior
Dan Boulder, sophomore
Key nonconference games
Nov. 18 at Maryland
Feb. 21 BracketBuster
Key losses: Byron Davis, John Barber
What to expect: The Penguins will be young with eight first-year players. But the veterans they do have are solid, led by Jack Liles and Vytas Sulskis.

Liles and Sulskis averaged more than nine points per game last season. They will have to pick up the slack for losing Davis and Barber, who combined to average 29 points per game last season. Plus, the Penguins lost five players who played in at least 28 games last season. This season’s starting lineup could potentially have three sophomores in it.

The Penguins return just six letterwinners from last season.

A weak schedule should work in the Penguins’ favor with only the ESPN BracketBuster game and a date at Maryland posing as the only troubles.

Newcomers such as Sirlester Martin, DeAndre Mays and Tom Parks could provide solid impacts.

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Marcus Skinner, UW-Milwaukee
Skinner averaged 15.5 points and 11 rebounds in two games last week for the Panthers, both victories over Youngstown State and Cleveland State. He posted collegiate-highs with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over Youngstown State.

Butler Bulldogs (19-2 overall, 8-2 Horizon)
Last week: 2-0
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. Loyola – W 63-50
Jan. 26 vs. UIC – W 73-57
Freshman Matt Howard scored 20 points in the Bulldogs’ victory over UIC. It was his 12th consecutive game of scoring in double figures.
Senior Mike Green added 15 points against the Flames as well. Green is the only player in the league who is leading his team in scoring, rebounding and assists.
A.J. Graves, who has been struggling of late, scored 16 points against UIC. It was his highest scoring output since scoring 17 against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 22.
This week, the Bulldogs will open a three-game road swing at Valparaiso in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN2.
This week’s game
Feb. 5 at Valparaiso (ESPN2)

Cleveland State (14-7, 7-2)
Last week: 0-2
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. UW-Green Bay – L 59-50
Jan. 26 vs. UW-Milwaukee – L 79-71
The Vikings lost a pair of games on the road in Wisconsin, opening up the Horizon League regular season title race. The Vikings were out-rebounded in both contests, and shot a season-low 28 percent from the field against UW-Green Bay.
Against UW-Milwaukee, junior Cedric Jackson posted his second double-double of the season, scoring 16 points with a collegiate-high 11 rebounds.
The Vikings will stay on the road this week, this time in Chicago for two.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Illinois-Chicago
Feb. 2 at Loyola

Detroit Titans (4-15, 0-9)
Last week: 0-1
Week recap
Jan. 26 vs. Wright State – L 66-57
Not much good has happened for Detroit this season.
After losing to Wright State, the Titans have lost 13 consecutive games, which is just one shy of tying the school record for most in a single season. The Titans lost 14 straight to open the 1987-88 season, a streak that doesn’t include losing the season finale the season before.
Junior Chris Hayes led Detroit with 16 points and six rebounds, and Jon Goode scored 17 points to register double figures in scoring for the 13th straight game.
Goode leads the league in scoring at 19.5 points per game, including 22.8 per game during league play.
Detroit will host two tough teams this week, starting with red-hot UW-Milwaukee.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. UW-Milwaukee
Feb. 2 vs. UW-Green Bay

Illinois-Chicago Flames (10-10, 4-5)
Last week: 0-2
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. Valparaiso – L 60-56
Jan. 26 vs. Butler – L 73-57
The Flames are happy to be back home.
UIC is 2-9 away from home this season (8-1 at home) after losing a pair of games on the road at Valparaiso and Butler.
Scott VanderMeer scored nine points against Valparaiso, but grabbed a collegiate-high 21 rebounds in the loss. He became just the fourth player in league history to grab at least 20 rebounds in a single game, and also became UIC’s all-time leader in blocked shots after three blocks against Valparaiso. He has 166 blocks in two years, which eclipsed Sherell Ford’s record of 164 (1992-95).
Junior Josh Mayo leads the country in 3-point shooting accuracy at 53.4 percent and ranks second in the league in scoring at 17.8 points per game. He has reached double figures in scoring in 19 of 20 games this season, and needs just two points to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.
Sophomore Spencer Stewart returned to the lineup against Valparaiso, his first action in six games.
The Flames host two of the three Ohio schools this week, including Cleveland State.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. Cleveland State
Feb. 2 vs. Youngstown State

Loyola Ramblers (7-13, 3-7)
Last week: 1-1
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. Butler – L 63-50
Jan. 26 vs. Valparaiso – W 65-63
If you’re going to reach a milestone, it doesn’t hurt to win the game at the same time.
J.R. Blount hit a shot with four seconds left against Valparaiso to give the Ramblers an upset victory on the road. Blount scored 19 points, giving him 1,000 points in his career at Loyola. He became the fourth league player this year to eclipse 1,000 career points, joining Green Bay’s Mike Schachtner, Detroit’s Jon Goode, and Cleveland State’s J’Nathan Bullock.
In a loss at Butler, sophomore Andy Polka scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Loyola will return home this week for a pair of games.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. Youngstown State
Feb. 2 vs. Cleveland State

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (11-8, 5-4)
Last week: 2-0
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. Cleveland State – W 59-50
Jan. 26 vs. Youngstown State – W 66-58
The Phoenix defense was stingy this week, holding Cleveland State and Youngstown State to an average of 54 points – leading to two victories.
Junior Terry Evans scored a collegiate-high 16 points and added eight rebounds against Cleveland State. By beating the Vikings, the Phoenix snapped CSU’s six-game win streak.
Junior Mike Schachtner scored just five points against CSU, but did grab 10 rebounds to set a new collegiate high. Schachtner is third in the league in scoring at 17.2 points per game.
The Phoenix, who rallied from halftime deficits in both games, defense has held each of their past three opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
UWGB will play five of its next seven games on the road, starting at Wright State on Thursday.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Wright State
Feb. 2 at Detroit

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (12-8, 7-3)
Last week: 2-0
Week recap
Jan. 24 – vs. Youngstown State – W 76-69
Jan. 26 – vs. Cleveland State – W 79-71
Milwaukee, since losing to Wisconsin on Dec. 12 to drop to 3-7, has won nine of its past 10 games, after beating Youngstown State and Cleveland State at home. UWM has found a niche to playing close games, winning eight of the 11 close games it’s been in this season.
Senior Paige Paulsen led UWM with 24 points and nine rebounds against Youngstown State. He then followed that up with a 13-point, 11-rebound effort against Cleveland State. Paulsen is fifth in the league in scoring at 15.3 points per game.
The Panthers grabbed 32 offensive rebounds in the two games and have collected at least 10 offensive rebounds in 17 of 20 games so far this season.
The Panthers hit the road for a pair this week, starting at Detroit.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Detroit
Feb. 2 at Wright State

Valparaiso Crusaders (14-7, 5-4)
Last week: 1-1
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. UIC – W 60-56
Jan. 26 vs. Loyola – L 65-63
The Crusaders have made it a habit of playing in close games in this league season. Of the first nine league contests, six have been decided by six points or less.
Sophomore Samuel Haanpaa led Valpo with 15 points against UIC. All of his points came off of 3-pointers, making it the 16th time in his career he’s hit at least four 3-pointers in a single game.
Valparaiso won’t play another game for nine days, but it will be a big one when instate rival Butler comes to town on national television (ESPN2).
This week’s game:
Feb. 5 vs. Butler (ESPN2)

Wright State Raiders (12-6, 5-4)
Last week: 1-0
Week recap
Jan. 26 vs. Detroit – W 66-57
The Raiders finished off a three-game road swing with a perfect record. The Raiders are now 6-3 away from the Nutter Center this season.
Sophomore Todd Brown led the way for the Raiders, scoring 18 points. Seniors Scottie Wilson and Jordan Pleiman added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Raiders will play the next three games at home, and will be the busiest team this week in the Horizon League. WSU will play three games in six days starting with UWGB on Jan. 31.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. UW-Green Bay
Feb. 2 vs. UW-Milwaukee
Feb. 4 vs. Presbyterian

Youngstown State Penguins (7-13, 3-7)
Last week:
Week recap
Jan. 24 vs. UW-Milwaukee – L 76-69
Jan. 26 vs. UW-Green Bay – L 66-58
The Penguins have dropped four straight games after losing a pair on the road in Wisconsin to Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Freshman Vytas Sulskis averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two losses for the Penguins.
Senior Mike Barber registered his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Milwaukee. Senior Byron Davis scored 22 points against Milwaukee as well.
YSU remains on the road with a pair of games in Chicago. YSU has the opportunity to sweep either Loyola or Chicago for the first time in school history.
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Loyola
Feb. 2 at Illinois-Chicago

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Matt Howard, Butler. The freshman from Connersville, Ind., averaged 19.3 points and seven rebounds per game in leading the Bulldogs to three victories. He scored 22 points on Jan. 10 against Green Bay.

Butler Bulldogs (16-1 overall, 5-1 Horizon League)
Last week’s record: 3-0
Week recap:
Jan. 7 vs. Loyola: W 66-55
Jan. 10 vs. UW-Green Bay: W 74-65
Jan. 12 vs. UW-Milwaukee: W 72-56
Only top-ranked North Carolina has more victories in the country this season than the Bulldogs, who are off to their best start in school history. Senior guard Mike Green has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games – the same streak as the Bulldogs’ win streak.
This week, the Bulldogs will play two games in Ohio, including a battle for first-place against Cleveland State on Jan. 17.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 at Cleveland State
Jan. 19 at Youngstown State

Cleveland State Vikings (12-5, 5-0)
Last week’s record: 2-0
Week recap:
Jan. 10 vs. Detroit: W 74-64
Jan. 12 vs. Wright State: W 65-63
For years, the Vikings were looking up at the rest of the league. This year, they’re looking down as they lead the league just shy of the halfway point of the league season. The Vikings are 5-0 in league play, which is their best start since the 1992-93 season. The 12-5 mark is also their best mark in 15 seasons.
This week, eyes will be on J’Nathan Bullock, who just needs 20 points to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. This week, the Vikings will be tested when Butler comes to town in what should draw the biggest home game crowd since North Carolina came in a few seasons ago. Then, on Jan. 19, the Crusaders come to town.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 vs. Butler
Jan. 19 vs. Valparaiso

Detroit Titans (4-12, 0-6)
Last week’s record: 0-2
Week recap:
Jan. 10 vs. Cleveland State: L 74-64
Jan. 12 vs. Youngstown State: L 70-66
The Titans have lost 10 straight games, making a 4-2 start seem a distant memory. Detroit last won Nov. 28 against Eastern Michigan.
Senior Jon Goode did become the 34th player in school history to score at least 1,000 career points with a 21-point effort against Youngstown State. He now has 1,014 points. Goode also ranks second in the league in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
The 10-game slide is the longest since a 12-game losing streak in 1998-99. The Titans will head to Chicago for a pair of game in hopes of preventing the school’s longest losing streak.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 at Loyola
Jan. 19 at Illinois-Chicago

Illinois-Chicago Flames (9-7, 3-2)
Last week’s record: 1-0
Week recap:
Jan. 12 vs. Loyola: W 78-68 (2 OT)
In 2002, Loyola and Illinois-Chicago battled in overtime for the Horizon League tournament championship. On Jan. 12, they were at it again. Only this time it was in double overtime. The Flames won both instances. The victory on Jan. 12 snapped a three-game slide, and kicked off a three-game home stand on a positive note.
Junior guard Josh May led the Flames with a 20-point effort, and Scott VanderMeer scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Senior guard Karl White Jr. chipped in with 19 points.
This week, the Flames continue their home stand where they have been tough to outscore. The Flames are averaging 82 points per game at home, compared to 63 on the road. Wright State and Detroit come to Chicago this week.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 vs. Wright State
Jan. 19 vs. Detroit

Loyola Ramblers (5-11, 1-5)
Last week’s record: 0-2
Week recap:
Jan. 7 vs. Butler: L 66-55
Jan. 12 vs. Illinois-Chicago: L 78-68 (2 OT)
The Ramblers have lost at least four consecutive games for the second time this season. Earlier this year, Loyola lost five straight, and are just 3-11 since a 2-0 start, including dropping six of their past seven games.
Junior Justin Cerasoli scored a collegiate-high 21 points in the loss to the Flames. Cerasoli has averaged 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in seven games since becoming eligible following his transfer from Mississippi.
Junior J.R. Blount scored 23 points, his highest single-game effort since a 27-point game at Cleveland State last season.
The Ramblers hope a pair of home games will reverse some misfortunes. Loyola is 1-7 away from home this season, but are 4-4 at home.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 vs. Detroit
Jan. 19 vs. Wright State

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (9-7, 3-3)
Last week’s record: 0-2
Week recap:
Jan. 10 vs. Butler: L 74-65
Jan. 12 vs. Valparaiso: L 82-73
Junior Mike Schachtner scored 34 points in the Phoenix’s loss to Valparaiso, matching the league’s highest scoring game this season. UIC’s Josh Mayo scored 34 points against Bradley on Nov. 10. Schachtner leads the league in scoring at 18.3 points per game. The Phoenix, as a team, rank sixth in the nation in free-throw percentage at 76.8 percent.
This week, the Phoenix host instate rival UW-Milwaukee.
This week’s game:
Jan. 19 vs. UW-Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (9-8, 4-3)
Last week’s record: 2-1
Week recap:
Jan. 7 vs. Youngstown State: W 61-39
Jan. 10 vs. Valparaiso: W 71-69
Jan. 12 vs. Butler: L 72-56
What looked like was going to be a rough season has turned into a promising one. The Panthers have lost a number of players for various reasons, including elite scorers Avery Smith and Torre Johnson, this season. But prior to the Panthers’ loss to Butler, the Panthers strung together six straight victories, last losing to Wisconsin on Dec. 12. The nine victories have already matched last season’s total win total.
Junior guard Deion James led the Panthers against Valparaiso with 20 points off the bench. And, against Youngstown State, the Panthers were a perfect 15-for-15 from the free-throw line.
The lone game on the schedule this week is an hour-and-a-half trip north to Green Bay to play the Phoenix.
This week’s game:
Jan. 19 at UW-Green Bay

Valparaiso Crusaders (12-5, 3-2)
Last week’s record: 1-1
Week recap:
Jan. 10 vs. UW-Milwaukee: L 71-69
Jan. 12 vs. UW-Green Bay: W 82-73
Valparaiso’s 13-game home court win streak came to an end with a two-point setback to Milwaukee on Jan. 10.
Senior guard Jarryd Loyd came off the bench to score a team-high 18 points, marking the fourth consecutive game he led the Crusaders in scoring. Sophomore Samual Haanpaa scored 24 points to lead the Crusaders against the Phoenix. Loyd has not started a game this season, but still leads the team in scoring at 12.2 per game.
This week, the Crusaders hit the road to renew acquaintances with old Mid-Continent Conference rival Youngstown State. Then it’s off to league-leading Cleveland State.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 at Youngstown State
Jan. 19 at Cleveland State

Wright State Raiders (9-6, 2-4)
Last week’s record: 1-1
Week recap:
Jan. 10 vs. Youngstown State: W 66-55
Jan. 12 vs. Cleveland State: L 65-63
The defending league tournament champions split last week’s games with instate rivals Youngstown State and Cleveland State. In four of the Raiders’ six league games thus far, the final margin was decided by five points or less with the Raiders going 1-3 in those games.
Junior guard Vaughn Duggins scored 34 points with nine assists in the two games.
The injury bug has bit the Raiders also. Sophomore John David Gardner will miss four to six weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, and junior Gavin Horne will continue to miss at least another week with a sprained ankle.
The Raiders have a pair of games in Chicago this week with Illinois-Chicago and Loyola.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 at Illinois-Chicago
Jan. 19 at at Loyola

Youngstown State Penguins (7-9, 3-3)
Last week’s record: 1-2
Week recap:
Jan. 7 vs. UW-Milwaukee: L 61-39
Jan. 10 vs. Wright State: L 66-55
Jan. 12 vs. Detroit: W 70-66
The Penguins salvaged a rough start to a busy week with a victory over slumping Detroit, 70-66. This year, the Penguins are 7-0 when leading at halftime, and 0-9 when trailing after 20 minutes. In the victory over Detroit, the Penguins hit 11 3-pointers, marking the 11th time in coach Jerry Slocum’s three-year tenure at YSU that the Penguins have made at least 10 3-pointers in a game.
This week, the Penguins host the Crusaders for the first time since Feb. 10, 2001. Then Butler comes to town.
This week’s games:
Jan. 17 vs. Valparaiso
Jan. 19 vs. Butler

Wisconsin, Valpo Coaches Respect One Another

Epic Battle Features Mutual Coaching Admiration

by Nick Dettmann

MADISON, Wis. – It was a meeting of epic proportions. The end result nearly matched that.

Valparaiso fought gallantly and stared the Wisconsin Badgers right in the eyes on their home floor. But the Crusaders fell short 68-58 on Saturday night at the Kohl Center.

It was a see-saw affair for a majority of the game before the Badgers pulled away at the end.

“I’m proud of our basketball team,” Crusaders coach Homer Drew said. “I really felt they executed a game plan… You’ve got to compliment Wisconsin. We really felt coming in it was a win-win situation if we could off a nice upset at Wisconsin. But if not, we will get better from this.

“I really felt our team got better.”

Heading in, the matchup of Wisconsin and Valparaiso was about the two opposing head coaches.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan and Valparaiso coach Homer Drew have combined to win 1,114 career games coming into Saturday night. Both were two of the 17 active head coaches in Division I to have won at least 500 career games.

“I have a good friendship (with Ryan),” Drew said. “I think a great deal of Bo. Obviously he’s been a highly successful coach whatever schools he’s been with… He’s just an excellent coach and we enjoy playing because we know it’s going to be a very good, physical game.”

As the 17,190 fans left the Kohl Center, it was Valparaiso’s near upset of the Badgers that had them heaving a sigh of relief afterwards. And not the excitement of two of college basketball’s best coaches.

Ryan is 81-28 in nonconference games during his seven-year tenure at Wisconsin, including an astounding 53-4 mark at home. Overall, Ryan is 99-6 at home, which is the second-best home record in the country during that seven-year span where Ryan has been the coach of the Badgers. Only Southern Illinois’ 81-4 mark is better during that span.

Also, the Badgers,have won 30 of their past 31 home games (Marquette on Dec.8). The loss to Marquette snapped a 28-game home win streak.

But for basketball fans who like to see pure wits go toe-to-toe, the fans in Madison got a special treat. It was a rare meeting of two coaches with more than 500 wins going up one another, and it’s hard to find that with coaches going in and out so fast nowadays. And there’s a mutual respect between the two.

“Homer’s been around a little bit,” Ryan said. “He’s been around a couple years… (Valpo) is always well-coached. His team’s always smart, always good shooters. I said to him Bryce (Drew) could shoot, left-handed, 85 percent from the free-throw line. He’d agreed with me.”

It nearly went unnoticed because fans sat in the backs of their chairs and were quiet for a clear majority of the game. One Wisconsin fan on the way out of the arena said the Badgers had no business beating the Crusaders. Stats only tell part of that story.

• 17-of-36 from the free-throw line was Wisconsin.
• Trailed 31-28 at halftime did Wisconsin, which was only the 21st time in the 105 career home games for Ryan at Wisconsin that had happened.
• 7-of-20 from 3-point range for Wisconsin.

But Saturday’s game marked the second time Ryan had squared off against Drew on the court. The other time came in 2000 when Ryan was at UW-Milwaukee. Milwaukee won 61-59.

After Saturday, the respect still stood tall.

“What a great guy for the game,” Ryan said. “People in that area ought to be so thankful you got a family like that, a basketball family and a patriarch like him.

“He’s the best. He’s good. He’s good for the game.”

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Samuel Haanpaa, Valparaiso. The sophomore guard from Finland averaged 26 points in two Crusaders victories last week. He scored 20 points against Evansville and 32 against Chicago State. Against Chicago State, he set a school-record for 3-pointers in a game with 10. The previous record was held by current Valparaiso associate head coach Bryce Drew.

Butler Bulldogs (9-1 overall, 1-1 Horizon League)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Dec. 15 vs. Florida State – W 79-68
The Bulldogs knocked off the ACC’s Florida State as part of a doubleheader in the Wooden Tradition Classic in Indianapolis. Purdue beat Louisville in the other game.
With the victory, the Bulldogs have gone 62 consecutive games without suffering back-to-back losses.
Seniors A.J. Graves and Mike Green had solid games, combining for 45 points. Green scored 20 points, including 11 of Butler’s final 13 points of the game. Graves became the 39th player in league history to reach the 1,500-point plateau. His 25 points gives him 1,508 for his collegiate career.
Freshman Matt Howard continued his steady play, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds.
A pair of games this week are in store for the Bulldogs. Sophomore forward Avery Jukes is expected to play in either of the two games to make his season debut. Jukes sat out the first semester after transferring from the University of Alabama.
Upcoming games
Dec. 19 vs. Bradley
Dec. 22 at Florida Gulf Coast

Cleveland State Vikings (7-3, 1-0)
Week record: 0-0
Recap
No games were played last week because of final exams. But this week, highly-touted freshman Eric Schiele could make his season debut against Ohio State.
Upcoming games
Dec. 18 vs. Ohio State at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
Dec. 22 vs. Central Michigan

Detroit Titans (4-5, 0-2)
Week record: 0-0
Recap
No games were played last week because of final exams. The Titans will play a pair of games in Texas this week.
Upcoming games
Dec. 17 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Dec. 19 at Texas A&M

Illinois-Chicago Flames (6-4, 2-0)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Dec. 15 vs. DePaul – W 85-80
The Flames beat cross-town rival DePaul for the first time in school history.
Freshman guard Robert Kreps scored a team-high 19 points with four 3-pointers in the game. Junior Josh Mayo added 18 points. The Flames improved to 6-0 this season when leading at the half.
The Flames have a pair of non-conference games against Toledo and Howard, both at home.
Upcoming games
Dec. 19 vs. Toledo
Dec. 22 vs. Howard

Loyola Ramblers (4-5, 1-1)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Dec. 15 vs. Northern Illinois – W 76-72 (OT)
For the second game in a row, the Ramblers won in overtime, something they haven’t done in nearly five years.
Juniors Leon Young and J.R. Blount scored 16 points each, while sophomore Andy Polka added a season-high 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Ross Forman scored 11 points off the bench.
The Ramblers will play a pair of games on the road this week, first in St. Louis before heading across the state to play the UMKC Kangaroos.
Upcoming games
Dec. 19 at Saint Louis
Dec. 22 at UMKC

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (6-4, 1-1)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Dec. 15 vs. Wisconsin – L 70-52
The Phoenix finished off a four-game road trip with an 18-point loss to instate rival Wisconsin.
Junior guard/forward Cordero Barkley led the Phoenix with 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was the first time he had ever registered team honors in either category. The Wisconsin game was Barkley’s 72nd at Green Bay.
Junior forward Mike Schachtner finished with just eight points against the Badgers. But that was enough for him to become the 20th player in school history to hit 1,000 career points. He also still leads the league in scoring at 19 points per game.
The Phoenix will welcome Northern Illinois to town this week. They are 20-1 against its former Midwest Collegiate Conference rivals, including winning the past 11.
Upcoming games
Dec. 22 vs. Northern Illinois

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (3-7, 0-2)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Dec. 12 vs. Wisconsin – L 61-39
The struggles continued once again for the Panthers. They lost their sixth straight game and tallied their lowest point total in three years (since a 66-37 loss to Wisconsin in 2004). However, the game against Wisconsin was played in front of 10,017 – the largest crowd for a regular season game in school history.
Things aren’t getting better for the Panthers as they will be without Torre Johnson, who was suspended from and then kicked off the team following an arrest where he allegedly struck a 23-year-old woman in the face on Dec. 15. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 27.
Upcoming games
Dec. 19 vs. Central Michigan

Valparaiso Crusaders (10-1, 2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 11 vs. Evansville – W 75-67
Dec. 15 vs. Chicago State – W 90-61
The Crusaders are off to their best start since joining Division 1.
Sophomore Samual Haanpaa scored 32 points in their victory over former Mid-Continent Conference rival Chicago State. He was the first to eclipse 30 points in a game for the Crusaders since Dan Oppland scored 35 at Western Illinois in Jan. 2006. In addition, Haanpaa set a new school record by hitting 10 3-pointers in the game, topping the record previously held by former Valparaiso great and current associate head coach Bryce Drew.
The Crusaders will head to Madison, Wis., to play the Badgers on Saturday. The Crusaders have won eight straight games, and the Badgers are on the upswing after winning two straight instate rivalry games over Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Upcoming games
Dec. 22 at Wisconsin

Wright State Raiders (4-3, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 11 vs. Bradley – L 72-65 (OT)
Dec. 15 vs. Miami (Ohio) – W 58-57
Both games last week saw teams rally from late deficits to win.
Against Bradley, the Raiders led 57-53 with 45 seconds left in regulation, but couldn’t hold on. Sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins scored 24 points in the game.
Then against Miami (Ohio), the Raiders’ Todd Brown hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win the game. It was the only time Wright State led for the entire game. It was also the second straight year the Raiders defeated the RedHawks on a last-possession shot. The Raiders trailed that game 44-28 at halftime.
The Raiders will finish a five-game homestand when they host St. Bonaventure.
Upcoming games
Dec. 18 vs. St. Bonaventure
Dec. 22 at Cal State Fullerton

Youngstown State Penguins (3-5, 0-1)
Week record: 0-0
Recap
No games were scheduled because of final exams.
Upcoming games
Dec. 17 vs. Robert Morris (Pa.)
Dec. 21 at Akron

Teacher Beats Student In Wisconsin

Teacher Beats Student In Rivalry Game

by Nick Dettmann

MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan is glad he doesn’t have to physically play against Rob Jeter.

“With that jump hook he’d kill me,” Ryan said.

Jeter, the head coach for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, once played for Ryan at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the late 1980s into the early 90s, and coached under Ryan at Platteville and Wisconsin. Jeter was also an assistant for Ryan when Ryan coached UW-Milwaukee for two seasons.

But for the third straight year, Ryan beat Jeter in coaching when Ryan’s Badgers defeated Jeter’s Panthers 61-39 on Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Arena.

“Teacher kind of gives it to the pupil,” Jeter said.

It was the 15th straight time overall the Badgers (7-2 overall) defeated their instate rival from Milwaukee (3-7). The last victory by Milwaukee against Wisconsin was in the 1992-93 season at the UW Fieldhouse. All-time against the Panthers, the Badgers are 24-1.

But Wednesday night marked the first time since the 2001-02 season the game was played in Milwaukee. For the past five years, the game was played in Madison as part of the contract between the two schools.

The court seemed like a neutral floor Wednesday with about half of the 10,017 in attendance dressed in the Wisconsin red and the other half in the Panthers’ gold.

Unfortunately, the Panthers couldn’t impress one of its larger crowds this season. Playing a perennial top-25 team after losing six straight games yourself doesn’t make things any easier.

“UWM is going to be fine,” said Ryan, who won his 532nd career game. “As long as they keep listening to (Jeter), they’ll be fine.

“I’m glad it’s over. It’s still a game. He’s providing for his family… I’d rather not coach against him.”

When asked if it’s hard to play against his old coach and mentor, Jeter said it was slightly easier because he just wants to impress Ryan with what he is trying to do.

“He can see what we’re trying to do,” Jeter said. “To be one of the guys to keep us down hurts him… Best respect I can pay to him is kick his butt.”

Playing against the coach who recruited them meant a little bit to the Badgers’ players as well, wanting to show him why he recruited them in the first place.

“Me and coach Rob have a great relationship,” Wisconsin’s Marcus Landry said. “He’s a great guy.”

Landry was one of the many players on Wisconsin’s roster who was originally recruited by Jeter to go to Wisconsin.

Leading the Badgers was Landry with a game-high 16 points. He paced three players in double figures. Brian Butch scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Trevon Hughes scored 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half.

Milwaukee was led by Torre Johnson’s 10 points. Paige Paulsen, who came into the game averaging more than 14 points per game, scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Tim Flowers, Ricky Franklin and Marcus Skinner all had six points for the Panthers as well.

The big stat of the night was the rebounding margin. Wisconsin outrebounded the Panthers 37-16, including 15-5 on the offensive end.

“They’re big,” Jeter said. “They’re a tough matchup for us. They just wore us down.”

In what looked like was going to be a respectable game with Wisconsin leading only 31-21 at halftime, the game quickly turned against the Panthers.

The Badgers started the second half on a 11-4 run. With the exception of Paige Paulsen getting two points on a goaltending call, the Panthers didn’t score a field goal until 11 minutes remained in the half.

UWM’s offense never got in sync in the second half, hitting just 38 percent from the field, and 41 percent for the game. Wisconsin, on the other hand, shot 51 percent for the game, including 63 percent in the first half.

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago. It is the second player of the week award for Mayo this season. He averaged 30.5 points in two games against UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay last week, including 32 against Green Bay.

Butler Bulldogs (8-1 overall, 1-1 Horizon League)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Detroit – W 53-46
Dec. 8 vs. Wright State – L 43-42
The Bulldogs had to go through last week with some injuries. Senior forward Pete Campbell did not play in either game against Detroit or Wright State. Campbell averages better than 14 points per game and hits 50 percent of his 3-point shots. Campbell sprained his right knee in the Bulldogs’ victory over Ohio State on Dec. 1.
Trying to fill the void was freshman Matt Howard, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Titans.
Against Wright State, the Bulldogs could not avenge last year’s league tournament title loss at Wright State, losing again to the Raiders in Dayton, Ohio. Senior Julian Betko scored 14 points in a rare off night from 3-point range for the Bulldogs.
It was also an off week for sharpshooter A.J. Graves. He scored just 14 points on 4-of-19 shooting in the two games combined.
The Bulldogs will play Florida State at Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, for their lone game this week. The game against the Seminoles is part of the John R. Wooden Tradition double-header. The other game will be nationally televised when Purdue plays Louisville.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 vs. Florida State at Indianapolis

Cleveland State Vikings (7-3, 1-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 4 vs. Chicago State – W 77-73
Dec. 8 vs. Youngstown State – W 77-54
The Vikings are already doing things they haven’t done in a while. They enter this week with a three-game win streak. CSU’s 7-3 start is the school’s best start since 1991-92.
Against Youngstown State, Cedric Jackson had a big game with 21 points. He ranks fourth in the league in points per game (17.9), and also leads the league in assists (5.4 per game) and steals (3.1 per game).
The Vikings have no games this week because of final exams. Their next game will be at Ohio State on Dec. 18. That game could feature the debut of freshman Eric Schiele, who averaged 39.6 points as a high school senior.
Upcoming games
No games scheduled

Detroit Titans (4-5, 0-2)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Butler – L 53-46
Dec. 8 vs. Valparaiso – L 81-68
The Titans opened the league portion of the schedule with two home losses to Butler and Valparaiso.
Jon Goode scored 21 points in each game, adding 10 assists and five steals in the two games. Goode has scored at least 20 points in a game five times this season, equaling the league lead with Green Bay’s Mike Schachtner and Cleveland State’s Cedric Jackson. Last season, Goode’s season high was 18 points.
Goode, along with senior Zach Everingham, played their 100th games for the Titans. Everingham hit the mark against Butler, while Goode accomplished the feat against Valparaiso.
Everingham is fifth in the nation with a 4.83 assists-to-turnover ratio.
The Titans, who have lost three straight, have no games this week. They return to the court Dec. 17 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, two days before facing Texas A&M.
Upcoming games
No games scheduled

Illinois-Chicago Flames (5-4, 2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. UW-Milwaukee – W 91-73
Dec. 8 – vs. UW-Green Bay – W 76-67
The Flames are quickly becoming a hard team to beat at home as they are 4-0 at the Pavilion so far this season.
Josh Mayo played brilliantly last week, averaging an astounding 30.5 points per game. He scored 32 points against UW-Green Bay on Saturday night for his second 30-point game of the season.
Also making a solid impact early in the season is freshman guard Robert Kreps, who is averaged 12.7 points per game in his past three games.
The Flames will head across town to play DePaul for their only game this week.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 at DePaul

Loyola Ramblers (3-5, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. UW-Green Bay – L 69-63
Dec. 8 – vs. UW-Milwaukee – W 73-68 (OT)
After a respectable start, the Ramblers were in the midst of a slump. But after splitting games with UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee last week, the Ramblers snapped a five-game losing streak. It was the Ramblers’ longest such streak since dropping eight straight in 2004.
Junior forward Leon Young posted his first double-double in nearly a year, scoring 21 points and grabbing a collegiate-high 14 rebounds in the victory over UWM.
Junior guard J.R. Blount, a Wisconsin product, scored 20 points against Green Bay. He has hit the 20-point mark three times this season.
Senior Tracy Robinson scored a collegiate-best 18 points against UWM, including hitting the game-tying basket to send the game to overtime.
On the docket this week is instate foe Northern Illinois. The Ramblers will honor 12 players from the 1960s in school history, including the starting five which won the national championship in 1963.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 vs. Northern Illinois

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (6-3, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Loyola – W 69-63
Dec. 8 vs. Illinois-Chicago – L 76-67
The Phoenix split a pair of opening league road games in two tough buildings to play in. The loss to Illinois-Chicago ended Green Bay’s four-game win streak.
Junior Mike Schachtner scored at least 20 points in each game, giving him five 20-point games on the season. He scored 24 points against the Flames to match a season-high. Schachtner leads the league in scoring at 20.2 per game and needs just six points to become the 20th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Against Illinois-Chicago, the Phoenix shot a season-low 36.5 percent from the field, including just 2-of-14 from 3-point range.
The Phoenix will travel to Madison, Wis., to play instate rival Wisconsin. The Phoenix will be gunning for their second 7-3 start since the 1996-97. Green Bay also started 7-3 in the 2004-05 season.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 at Wisconsin

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (3-6, 0-2)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Illinois-Chicago – L 91-73
Dec. 8 vs. Loyola – L 73-68 (OT)
The struggles continued last week for the once powerful Panthers.
UWM has lost five straight games after a solid 3-1 start. Defense is the big struggle, allowing an average of 85 points per game during the streak, and allowing at least 73 in each of the past eight games.
Senior Torre Johnson scored a collegiate-best 30 points against Illinois-Chicago, and added a 19-point, 12-rebound effort at Loyola. Johnson leads the league in rebounding at 8.7 per game.
Senior Paige Paulsen scored 17 points against Loyola, and now averages 14 per game. Marcus Skinner picked up his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola.
UWM is starting two true freshmen (Tim Flowers, Deonte Roberts) for the first time since 1999-2000.
In their only game this week, the Panthers host instate foe Wisconsin for the first time since the 2001-02 season. For the past five years, UWM ventured west on I-94 to Madison. Milwaukee last beat Wisconsin in the 1992-93 season at the UW Fieldhouse – a span of 14 games.
Upcoming games
Dec. 12 vs. Wisconsin

Valparaiso Crusaders (8-1, 2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. Wright State – W 71-66
Dec. 8 – vs. Detroit – W 81-68
The Crusaders are already making a big impact in their first season in the Horizon League. Valparaiso has won six straight games, their longest such streak since the 2005-06 season. The Crusaders lead the league in scoring at 74.3 points per game clip. The Crusaders will put a 10-game homecourt win streak on the line this week with a pair of home games against Evansville and former Summit League (then the Mid-Continent Conference) foe Chicago State. The Crusaders are also hoping to improve to 9-1 for the first time in coach Homer Drew’s 19-year tenure.
Upcoming games
Dec. 11 vs. Evansville
Dec. 15 vs. Chicago State

Wright State Raiders (3-2, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. Valparaiso – L 71-66
Dec. 8 – vs. Butler – W 43-42
The defending league tournament champions split two big league games to start the league portion of the schedule.
After a narrow loss to newcomer Valparaiso, the Raiders upset ranked Butler at home. The loss to the Crusaders snapped the Raiders’ 14-game win streak at home. The victory over Butler was an offensive struggle as both teams combined to score 30 points in the second half. Butler shot just 32 percent from the field in the game.
The 42 points allowed was Wright State’s best defensive performance since allowing 39 points to Butler in 2004. The Raiders have now won nine of the past 11 meetings against Butler, including last season’s league tournament championship game.
This week, the Raiders continue a five-game homestand, entertaining Bradley and Miami-Ohio.
Upcoming games
Dec. 11 vs. Bradley
Dec. 15 vs. Miami-Ohio

Youngstown State Penguins (3-5, 0-1)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 5 – vs. Kent State – L 59-52
Dec. 8 – vs. Cleveland State – L 77-54
Two instate games meant two instate losses for the Penguins, including a 77-54 loss to Cleveland State to start the league season.
The Penguins, who have lost three straight, are 0-7 in Horizon League openers since joining the league in 2001.
Against Kent State, the Penguins shot just 32 percent, and was 36 percent against the Vikings. During their three-game slide, the Penguins are shooting just 35 percent from the field.
John Barber provided a slight bright spot against Cleveland State, scoring 18 points. He has finished in double figures in scoring in seven of eight games played this season.
The Penguins won’t play any games this week to concentrate on final exams. The Penguins will play again Dec. 17 at home against Robert Morris (Pa.).
Upcoming games
No games scheduled

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Matt Howard, Butler. Howard, a freshman, scored a game-high 23 points and had seven rebounds off the bench in the Bulldogs’ 65-46 victory over Ohio State.

Butler Bulldogs (7-0 overall)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Dec. 1 vs. Ohio State – W 65-46
Butler rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Big Ten’s Ohio State at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs had a rare off-night from behind the three-point stripe, missing their first 15 attempts from there. But they outscored the Buckeyes 45-16 in the second half for the victory, he first over OSU by Butler since 1978.
Matt Howard had a big game for the Bulldogs, scoring a game-high 23 points. Senior Mike Green scored all 15 of his points in the second half, and added a game-high eight assists.
In the second half, Butler was 9-of-14 from the 3-point line, and shot 60 percent overall from the field in the half. A.J. Graves scored 14 points to move into 10th place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,469 points. He has scored in double figures in 15 straight games, and in 82 of his 102 career games.
Butler will return to a house of horrors this week when it plays at Wright State on Dec. 8. The Bulldogs lost the league tournament championship on the Raiders’ floor last season.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 at Detroit
Dec. 8 at Wright State

Cleveland State Vikings (5-3)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Cal State Northridge – L 78-68
Dec. 1 vs. Geneva – W 107-51
The Vikings eclipsed 100 points in a game for the first time since 2000 in a 107-51 victory over Geneva. The last time the Vikings scored at least 100 points in a game was against UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 29, 2000 – a span of 222 games.
Five players scored in double figures in that game, led by sophomore Joe Davis with 20 points. CSU shot a season-high 56 percent from the field as well. Junior Cedric Jackson scored 13 points in just 17 minutes of playing time. But against Cal State Northridge, Jackson scored a game-high 24 points. He ranks second in the league in scoring at 19 points per game.
CSU leads the league in rebounding margin with a plus-5.9 edge per game.
The Vikings will have a non-conference game against Chicago State in Chicago before hosting in-state rival Youngstown State to open league play.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 4 at Chicago State
Dec. 8 vs. Youngstown State

Detroit Titans (4-3)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Eastern Michigan – W 72-68
Dec. 1 vs. Central Michigan – L 70-66
The Titans rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to knock off local rival Eastern Michigan.
Senior Jon Goode scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half in the loss to Central Michigan. It was Goode’s third 20-point game of the season, and sixth of his collegiate career. He is now averaging 15.1 points per game.
Junior forward Michael Harrington had a collegiate-best 12 points against Eastern Michigan. Harrington came into the game having scored a total of nine points in the first five games.
Senior guard Zach Everingham is turning out to be one of the most dependable ball-handlers in the league. He has dished out 27 assists this season, while only committing four turnovers.
The Titans lead the Horizon League in three-point shooting accuracy at 45.6 percent.
Detroit, who has played eight of its first nine games inside the state of Michigan after this week, has a pair of tough home games this week with Butler and Valparaiso both coming to town. Heading into the week, both teams are a combined 13-1 in the early stages of the season.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 vs. Butler
Dec. 8 vs. Valparaiso

Illinois-Chicago Flames (3-4)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Central Michigan – W 65-52
Dec. 1 vs. Illinois State – L 75-47
The Flames completed a five-game road trip with a split this week.
Junior Josh Mayo scored 13 points, and 10 points against Illinois State. He has scored in double figures in at six of the team’s seven games this season.
Junior center Scott VanderMeer collected 17 rebounds in the two games. He had a 16-point, 10-rebound game against Central Michigan. He also has 26 blocked shots this season (3.7 per game), which is more than seven other teams total.
Illinois-Chicago, who hadn’t played at home since Nov. 13 and are 2-0 at home this season, will play league rivals UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee this week at the UIC Pavillion.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 vs. UW-Milwaukee
Dec. 8 vs. UW-Green Bay

Loyola Ramblers (2-4)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Bradley – L 64-47
Dec. 1 vs. Northern Iowa – L 61-50
The Ramblers hope a pair of home games will help them break out of a four-game slide.
Last week, Loyola took on a pair of Missouri Valley teams and lost rather convincingly. It is the longest losing streak for Loyola since dropping four straight from Jan. 2-11 in 2006, and much of that could be attributed to a lack of offense. After scoring 73 and 72 points in the first two games, the Ramblers are averaging just 53 points per game during the slide.
Junior J.R. Blount scored 18 points against Bradley, and scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Northern Iowa. He has now scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, dating back to last season. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 17.5 points per game and has started in 42 consecutive games.
Leon Young scored 16 points against Northern Iowa after scoring 10 points, along with pulling down eight rebounds against Bradley.
The Ramblers have the two league members from Wisconsin coming into the Joseph J. Gentile Center this week with Green Bay and Milwaukee.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 vs. UW-Green Bay
Dec. 8 vs. UW-Milwaukee

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (5-2)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Nov. 27 vs. Eastern Illinois – W 63-47
Dec. 1 vs. South Dakota State – W 88-81
The Phoenix have won three games in a row. Against South Dakota State, freshman guard Rahmon Fletcher scored a collegiate-best 29 points, including hitting four 3-pointers. Mike Schachtner added 19 points in the game as well. Schachtner leads the league in scoring at 19.7 points per game.
Green Bay hits the road for two games in Chicago this week. A victory against Loyola on Dec. 6 would give the Phoenix their longest win streak since winning six straight in the 2004-05 season.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 at Loyola
Dec. 8 at Illinois-Chicago

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (3-4)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Nov. 27 vs. Sam Houston State – L 81-77
Nov. 30 vs. Marquette – L 100-65
Yes the Panthers have dropped four games through this week, including three straight. But the combined record of the four losses (Northern Iowa, Drake, Sam Houston State and Marquette) is 22-3.
Paige Paulsen registered a double-double with a 25-point, 10-rebound effort against SHSU. Paulsen is among the league’s best at 14.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season.
Torre Johnson added 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to SHSU. Johnson leads the league in rebounding (8.6 per game).
Junior Ricky Franklin was the lone bright spot in the Panthers’ 35-point loss to crosstown rival Marquette, scoring 14 points.
Marquette and UW-Milwaukee, only separated by about 10 minutes, played for the first time in men’s basketball since 1998.
UW-Milwaukee heads to Chicago for a pair of league games with Illinois-Chicago and Loyola this week. Both places are usually tough places to play for the Panthers.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 at Illinois-Chicago
Dec. 8 at Loyola

Valparaiso Crusaders (6-1)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Western Michigan – W 77-65
Dec. 1 vs. Ball State – W 71-58
The Crusaders are off to a 6-1 start for just the third time in Homer Drew’s 19 seasons at Valparaiso. They reached that plateau by beating two Mid-American Conference foes last week.
Adding to their fast start, the Crusaders have won 10 straight home games, and are 152-27 at home in the past 15 seasons (85 percent).
Shawn Huff led the way in the two games with 36 points total. He leads the team in that category on the season at 12.4 points per outing.
Against Ball State, the Crusaders held the Cardinals scoreless from three-point range (0-for-16). Opponents are shooting just 22.5 percent from 3-point range against the Crusaders this season.
Valparaiso will play its first Horizon League contest Dec. 6 against defending league tournament champion Wright State.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 at Wright State
Dec. 8 at Detroit

Wright State Raiders (2-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. Marshall – W 77-70
Dec. 1 vs. Marist – L 79-64
The Raiders will have to rebound from a tough loss in a hurry with two tough opponents coming to town this week.
Against Marshall, the Raiders got 21 points from Vaughn Duggins to improve his average to 14.7 points per game. Against Marist three days later, sophomore Todd Brown, who has led the Raiders in each of their three games thus far, scored 23 points. He ranks third in the league in scoring (18.3 points per game).
Wright State is the league’s best at the free throw line, shooting 80.5 percent.
But this week will be a test with Valparaiso and Butler coming to town. The Raiders have won 14 straight home games. The Butler game will be a rematch of last year’s Horizon League tournament championship game in which Wright State beat the favored Bulldogs, who will enter the game ranked in the top 15 in the country.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 6 vs. Valparaiso
Dec. 8 vs. Butler

Youngstown State Penguins (3-3)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 28 vs. St. Francis (Pa.) – W 70-65
Dec. 1 vs. Eastern Kentucky – L 61-50
The Penguins got a collegiate-best 21 points from Byron Davis in the their victory over St. Francis. Then against Eastern Kentucky, he dished out a season-high six assists to go along with eight points.
Junior Jack Liles notched a double-double against Eastern Kentucky with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The 18 points – all of which came in the second half – matched his collegiate high.
John Barber scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in the victory over St. Francis. For the year, he is averaging a respectable 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Penguins play a pair of in-state games this week against nonconference foe Kent State and at Cleveland State to begin league play.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 5 vs. Kent State
Dec. 8 at Cleveland State

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the week: Mike Green, Butler Bulldogs. Green was named the MVP of the Great Alaska Shootout after averaging 20 points, 6.7 assists and four rebounds a contest.

Butler Bulldogs (6-0 overall)
Week record: 3-0
Recap
Nov. 21 vs. Michigan, Great Alaska Shootout – W 79-65
Nov. 23 vs. Virginia Tech, Great Alaska Shootout – W 84-78 (OT)
Nov. 24 vs. Texas Tech, Great Alaska Shootout – W 81-71
For the second straight year, the Bulldogs won a major in-season tournament by taking the Great Alaska Shootout. Last year, the Bulldogs won the NIT Season Tip-Off, beating Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee and Gonzaga along the way to win that title.
Butler broke the Great Alaska Shootout record with 49 3-pointers for the tournament, and broke the single game mark with 17 against Michigan.
Mike Green had an outstanding tournament, garnering MVP honors. He averaged 20 points, 6.7 assists and four rebounds per game. He had 23 points in the semifinal against the Hokies.
Pete Campbell was 17-of-31 from 3-point range for the tournament, and averaged 18.7 points a contest. Campbell, Green and A.J. Graves were selected to the All-Tournament team.
Graves scored 52 points in the three games, moving him into 10th place all-time on the school’s scoring record list.
Upcoming games:
Dec. 1 vs. Ohio State

Cleveland State Vikings (4-2)
Week record: 1-0
Nov. 24 vs. John Carroll – W 67-57
The Vikings continued a strong start to the season with a victory over John Carroll. Last season, Cleveland State finished last in the Horizon League in rebounding margin (minus-3.5). This year, it’s the other way around (plus-4.0).
Junior J’Nathan Bullock is off to a good start as well, ranking eighth in the league in scoring (16.8 points per game).
Cedric Jackson is averaging 19.2 points per game through six games, which ranks him third in the league.
CSU is averaging just over 11 turnovers per game in the four victories, but more than 20 in the two losses.
The Vikings will continue a three-game homestand this week, which includes a rematch of last season’s ESPN BracketBusters game with Cal State Northridge.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 vs. Cal State Northridge
Dec. 1 vs. Geneva

Detroit Titans (3-2)
Week record: 2-1
Recap
Nov. 19 vs. Western Michigan – L 60-59
Nov. 21 vs. Chicago State – W 77-66
Nov. 24 vs. Rochester – W 67-51
After a close loss to the Western Michigan Broncos, the Titans bounced back with victories against Chicago State and Rochester – all at home.
The Titans shot at least 50 percent from the field in each game, and also got 16 steals against Rochester, the team’s highest total in more than three years (Feb. 28, 2004 vs. Youngstown State).
Junior forward Chris Hayes posted his first collegiate double-double with a 16-point, 12-rebound effort against Chicago State. He also had six assists in the game.
Senior Jon Goode scored a season-high 24 points in the loss to the Broncos. He leads the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Eastern Michigan
Dec. 1 vs. Central Michigan

Illinois-Chicago Flames (2-3)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Nov. 19 vs. Wichita State, Paradise Jam – L 67-60
Wichita State, a 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 participant, withstood all it could from the Flames in the Paradise Jam, which was held in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Junior Scott VanderMeer scored 10 points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and blocked five shots. VanderMeet set the league’s single-season shot block record with 111 last year. He already has 21 this season (4.2 per contest), and could shatter that record at his current pace.
Josh Mayo leads the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game, good for seventh-best in the league.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Central Michigan
Dec. 1 at Illinois State

Loyola Ramblers (2-2)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Nov. 24 at Purdue – L 84-53
It was never close against the Boilermakers. The 31-point loss was the worst defeat for Loyola since a 90-57 loss to San Diego in 2005. In addition, the Ramblers lost consecutive games for the first time in 10 months. The last time that happened was a Jan. 25 and 27 when Loyola lost to Butler and Wright State, respectively.
Junior J.R. Blount scored a team-high 17 points against Purdue. He is the only Rambler in double figures in all five games this season. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring (18.5 points per game) and is also fourth in steals at 2.5 per game.
After averaging 10 turnovers in the first three games, the Ramblers had 19 against Purdue.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 vs. Bradley
Dec. 1 at Northern Iowa

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (3-2)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Nov. 24 vs. North Dakota State – W 85-77
The Phoenix shot 51 percent from the field, including 62.5 in the second half in the victory over North Dakota State. Green Bay also scored 51 points in the second.
Junior Mike Schachtner is off to the hottest start in the league, averaging a league-best 20.4 points per game. Against NDSU, he scored 24 points for his third 20-point game of the season.
Terry Evans had a solid all-around game, scoring 15 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out six assists and getting three steals. He is second in the league in rebounding (7.8 per game).
The Phoenix, through five games, lead the league in scoring at 75.4 points per game.
When the Phoenix play at South Dakota State, it will be the start of a four-game road trip, and they have only one home game in December (Dec. 22 vs. Northern Illinois).
Upcoming games:
Nov. 27 vs. Eastern Illinois
Dec. 1 at South Dakota State

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (3-2)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 20 vs. South Dakota State – W 89-80
Nov. 24 vs. Drake – L 80-59
Paige Paulsen scored 27 points, and Torre Johnson added 22 in the Panthers’ victory over SDSU. Paulsen, a former Mr. Basketball in South Dakota, tied his collegiate-high in the game and added seven rebounds and five steals. He is averaging 15 points per game thus far this season.
Johnson, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is the league-leader in rebounds at 9.4 per game, and is fourth in scoring at 19.0 points per game.
After closing a three-game homestand with Sam Houston State, the Panthers will play a much-anticipated in-city rivalry game with Marquette. The two last played each other in 1998. The campuses are located about 10 minutes from each other.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 27 vs. Sam Houston State
Nov. 30 at Marquette

Valparaiso Crusaders (4-1)
Week record: 2-1
Recap
Nov. 20 at Vanderbilt – L 87-78
Nov. 23 vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore, South Padre Island Invitational – W 66-55
Nov. 24 vs. Austin Peay, South Padre Island Invitational – W 61-47
The Crusaders nearly pulled off a big upset over NCAA Sweet 16 participant Vanderbilt in Nashville. But they did take two games at the South Padre Island Invitational in Texas.
Shawn Huff earned a spot on the all-tournament team, scoring seven points late in the game against Austin Peay. For the week, Huff averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Against Maryland-Eastern Shore, Bryan Bouchie scored a season-high 23 points.
Valparaiso has won four of its first five games for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 vs. Western Michigan
Dec. 1 vs. Ball State

Wright State Raiders (1-0)
Week record: 1-0
Recap
Nov. 19 vs. Coastal Carolina – W 71-48
After a long-awaited debut, the defending league tournament champion Raiders finally took the floor against Coastal Carolina.
The Raiders forced 24 turnovers in the game, and led by as many as 29 points in the second half.
Sophomore forward Todd Brown led the way with a game-high 20 points, along with four rebounds and four assists. He also four 3-pointers, and the Raiders hit nine as a team.
Vaughn Duggins added 16 points and six rebounds, and Scottie Wilson scored 14 points.
Jordan Pleiman collected six rebounds, giving him more than 500 for his career. He is the 17th player in Raiders history to achieve that milestone.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 at Marist

Youngstown State Penguins (2-2)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Nov. 24 at Notre Dame – L 87-75
The Penguins hung tight with the Fighting Irish, who have now won 23 straight home games after beating Colgate on Monday night.
Four players were in double figures for the Penguins. That continues a streak of at least three players in double figures in every game so far this season.
Senior John Barber scored a collegiate-high 19 points and tied his collegiate-best with 12 rebounds to notch his fifth collegiate double-double.
Byron Davis added 14 points for YSU, and leads the team in scoring with 15.8 points per game.
YSU hit 11 3-pointers in the game, making it the second time this year it hit at least 10 3-pointers in a game.
On tap this week is a rematch from last year’s ESPN BracketBusters with Eastern Kentucky.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at St. Francis (Pa.)
Dec. 1 at Eastern Kentucky

Horizon Notebook

Horizon League Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Detroit senior guard Brandon Cotton has left the Titans’ basketball team, coach Perry Watson announced Nov. 16.

“Brandon remains in school and he is on schedule to graduate in December,” Watson said in a statement released by the university. “We wish him well in the future.”

Cotton was suspended Nov. 1 by Watson for “conduct detrimental to the team,” but was reinstated Nov. 9. Cotton did not play in either of the Titans’ first two games this season.

Cotton becomes the second big name in the Horizon League to leave a team. UW-Milwaukee’s Avery Smith was dismissed from the team shortly before the season began for what was believed to be a violation of team rules.

Cotton transferred to Detroit from Michigan State midway through his freshman season. In his three years at Detroit, he was selection to the All-Horizon League second team in each season. He finishes his career with 1,464 points, good for 13th on the school’s all-time list.

Player of the week: Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State. Jackson averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in four games.

Butler Bulldogs (3-0 overall)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Nov. 14 vs. Indiana State – A.J. Graves scored 26 points to lead Butler past in-state rival Indiana State 76-48.
Graves was 8-of-12 shooting for the game, including making six three-pointers. Mike Green had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Pete Campbell added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Jay Tunnell and Gabriel Moore each scored 10 points for Indiana State, who gave Butler its first loss last season and had won the previous three meetings.
For the game, the Bulldogs shot 53 percent from the field, including 12-of-23 on three-pointers.
Nov. 17 at Evansville – Graves had another big game for Butler, scoring 22 points to lead the Bulldogs past in-state foe Evansville 60-47.
Graves was 8-of-15 shooting on the night, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. He was the only player in double figures for Butler.
Jason Holsinger led Evansville with 16 points.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 21 vs. Michigan at Great Alaska Shootout
Nov. 23-24 at Great Alaska Shootout

Cleveland State Vikings (3-2)
Week record: 2-2
Recap
Nov. 13 at George Mason – Against 2006 NCAA Final Four participant George Mason, the Vikings struggled, losing 56-47.
Cedric Jackson scored a collegiate-high 20 points, but the Vikings shot just 28 percent from the field in the second half. In the first half, Cleveland State shot 50 percent to trail just 31-28 at halftime. George Mason shot 26 percent from the field in the second half, but was 14-of-21 from the free-throw line.
Joe Davis also scored in double figures for Cleveland State with 13.
Will Thomas and John Vaughan each scored 18 for George Mason.
Nov. 16 vs. Georgia Southern at Daytona Beach, Fla. – In the Glenn Wilkes Classic, Cleveland State lost a nail-biter 72-70 to Georgia Southern.
Jackson scored a game-high 21 points and had nine assists to lead Cleveland State. J’Nathan Bullock also had a big night for the Vikings, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
After taking a 40-34 halftime lead, the Vikings struggled in the second half for the second game in a row, shooting just 36 percent in the half. Georgia Southern, who was led by Louis Graham’s 18 points off the bench, shot 52.2 percent in the second half.
Nov. 17 vs. Florida State in Daytona Beach, Fla. – Cleveland State won a thriller in the Glenn Wilkes Classic, but not without some controversy.
The Vikings knocked off Florida State of the ACC 69-66 for Cleveland State’s third victory in 11 games against the ACC. Jackson continued a monstrous week, scoring a collegiate-high 27 points for the Vikings, and Bullock added 19.
The game had nine lead changes and 10 ties.
Uche Echefu led FSU with 13 points and 10 rebounds. But the controversy came with less than a second remaining in overtime.
With 0.7 seconds left and after a series of timeouts, FSU inbounded the ball from underneath the Vikings’ basket. After a long inbounds pass, Bullock deflected the ball out of bounds. But the clock failed to start after the touch. After the officials conferred, FSU got the ball out of bounds underneath its own basket with 0.4 seconds remaining.
Isaiah Swann got the ensuing inbounds pass and drilled a three-pointer, but was waved off immediately.
Nov. 18 vs. Florida Atlantic in Daytona Beach, Fla. – Cleveland State got a balanced effort from three players en route to a 76-66 victory in the final round game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic.
Bullock, Davis and Jackson combined to score 60 points for the Vikings. The Vikings, who jumped out to a 39-26 halftime lead, went 2-1 in the tournament.
Bullock led the way with 25 points and eight rebounds. Jackson scored 17 points and had six assists, and Davis scored 18 points. George Tandy scored five points, but grabbed 10 rebounds.
Carlos Monroe led Florida Atlantic with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 24 vs. John Carroll

Detroit Titans (1-1)
Week record: 0-1
Recap
Nov. 14 at Saint Louis – Despite shooting 50 percent from the field in the second half, Detroit lost to Saint Louis 66-58.
Josh Samarco had a game-high 16 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point range. Chris Hayes also added 14 points off the bench, and Jon Goode scored 10 points.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 19 vs. Western Michigan
Nov. 21 vs. Chicago State
Nov. 24 vs. Rochester

Illinois-Chicago Flames (2-2)
Week record: 1-2
Recap
Nov. 13 vs. Illinois-Springfield – Four of five starters scored in double figures for UIC in the Flames’ 81-55 blowout of Illinois-Springfield.
Scott VanderMeer led the way with 19 points, while Jeremy Buttell reached a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for UIC. Josh Mayo scored 13 points and dished out eight assists, and Karl White Jr. scored 14 points and had six assists.
The Flames shot 53 percent from the field in the game, and were 13-of-24 from three-point range.
Nick Livas scored 18 points off the bench to lead UIS.
Nov. 16 vs. Winthrop at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – In the opening game of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, the Flames lost 72-58 to Winthrop.
Mayo led UIC with 16 points, followed by 14 from VanderMeer and 10 from Karl White Jr. VanderMeer was one rebound short of picking up a double-double.
Taj McCullough scored a game-high 21 points for the Eagles, who beat Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament last season.
Nov. 17 vs. Charlotte at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – Charlotte hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to hand Illinois-Chicago a 64-63 loss in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
Mayo led the way for the Flames by scoring a game-high 15 points, all in the second half. Spencer Stewart added 10 points. Buttell grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and VanderMeer had five rebounds and five blocks.
Charlotte got 14 points from Lamont Mack and Leemire Goldwire.
Both teams shot poorly with Charlotte hitting 36 percent of its shots and UIC hitting 39 percent from the field. UIC also shot just 62 percent from the free-throw line.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 19 vs. Wichita State at Paradise Jam

Loyola Ramblers (2-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 13 at Eastern Illinois – Five players were in double figures for Loyola to give the Ramblers a 72-65 victory over in-state foe Eastern Illinois.
It is the sixth straight road victory for the Ramblers, dating back to last season.
Five players were in double figures in scoring for Loyola, led by a double-double by Andy Polka. Polka scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tracy Robinson led the Ramblers in scoring with 16 off the bench. J.R. Blount, Leon Young and Ross Forman also were in double digits, scoring 15, 12 and 10, respectively.
Mike Robinson led Eastern Illinois with 13 points.
Nov. 16 vs. Western Michigan – A three-point second half deficit was nearly erased as Loyola lost to Western Michigan 63-61.
The loss for the Ramblers is just the second in the past 17 games against non-conference opponents at the Gentile Center.
The first half featured eight lead changes and four ties.
Blount had a big game for the Ramblers, scoring a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Robinson added 11 points as well for Loyola.
Western Michigan, which had three players in double figures, was led by Joe Reitz’s 17 points.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 24 at Purdue

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (2-2)
Week record: 1-2
Recap
Nov. 12 at Ohio State – Mike Schachtner led Green Bay with 17 points in a 91-68 loss to the 2007 NCAA runner-up Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off’s Midwest Regional.
Terry Evans had a big game in rebounding for Green Bay with a game-high 12 to go along with six points.
Ohio State was led by David Lighty’s 21 points, and Jamar Butler had 17 points and 10 assists.
Nov. 13 vs. Delaware State – In the consolation round of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, the Phoenix cruised to a 70-50 victory.
Schachtner had another big night in the tournament, scoring 18 points. Ryan Tillema scored 14 points off the bench for the Phoenix as well, and the Phoenix shot 57 percent from the field for the game.
Roy Bright led Delaware State with 18 points on 8-of-18 shooting.
Nov. 17 at Massachusetts – Green Bay was unable to come back from a 21-point halftime deficit in a 93-78 loss to Massachusetts.
It was the 24th victory for the Minutemen in the past 28 home games.
Schachtner scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Evans had 16 points, and Rahmon Fletcher added 10 for the Phoenix.
Entering the game averaging 11 turnovers per game as a team, the Phoenix had 22 turnovers on the night.
The Minutemen got big games from Etienne Brower and Gary Forbes as each scored 25 points.
Green Bay was outscored 56-35 in the first half.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 24 vs. North Dakota State

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (2-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Nov. 14 at Ball State – Torre Johnson and Paige Paulsen each scored 19 points to help erase Milwaukee’s 17-point second half deficit to win 81-74 in overtime.
Ricky Franklin, who scored 11 points off the bench for Milwaukee, hit a game-tying three-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining. Milwaukee outscored Ball State 59-35 in the final 19 minutes of the game.
Johnson also grabbed 13 rebounds for the Panthers, and all 19 of Paulsen’s 19 points came in the second half and overtime.
It is the largest comeback by a UWM team since it rallied from a 21-point deficit in 2001 to beat Virginia Tech in overtime.
Nov. 18 vs. Northern Iowa – Milwaukee could not overcome a 20-point, 10-rebound effort by Jordan Eglseder as Northern Iowa handed the Panthers their first loss of the season 73-66.
Unfortunately, the Panthers wasted a big game by Johnson. He scored 29 points on 12-of-12 shooting, and had nine rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes. Paulsen scored 11 points for the Panthers, but no other player from UWM scored more than six points.
Milwaukee also struggled from the field, shooting just 35 percent for the game.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 20 vs. South Dakota State
Nov. 24 vs. Drake

Valparaiso Crusaders (2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Nov. 12 vs. Grace – Four different players scored in double figures for Valparaiso in the Crusaders’ 90-59 victory.
Leading the way was Samual Haanpaa with 15 points. Brandon McPherson, Jarryd Loyd and Bryan Bouchie also scored in double figures with 14, 14 and 11 points, respectively. Shawn Huff also had a solid game with nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists to just one turnover.
Marcus Moore led Grace with 11 points.
Nov. 15 at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne – Valparaiso never trailed, and built a nine-point halftime lead en route to a 74-64 victory over IPFW.
The Crusaders had a balanced attack against the Mastadons with nine of the 10 players who played scored. Jake Diebler and Loyd led the way with 10 points each. The Crusaders also shot 50 percent from the field for the game.
Jakari Johnson led IPFW with a game-high 18 points.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 20 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 23-24 at South Padre Island (Texas) Invitational

Wright State Raiders (0-0)
Week record: 0-0
Has yet to play a game
Upcoming games:
Nov. 19 vs. Coastal Carolina

Youngstown Penguins (2-1)
Week record: 2-1
Recap
Nov. 12 at UCLA – Four players were in double figures for Youngstown State but UCLA, who have been to the past two Final Fours, proved to be too much, beating YSU 83-52.
John Barber led the way for the Penguins with 12 points. Byron Davis added 11 points, and Jack Liles and Vance Cooksey each added 10 points. The Penguins shot just 39 percent from the field, and had 23 turnovers.
Kevin Love led UCLA with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Nov. 13 vs. Weber State – Davis scored a collegiate-high 19 points, including two free-throws with 1.8 seconds remaining to lift Youngstown State past 2007 NCAA tournament participant Weber State 69-66 in the consolation bracket of the CBE Classic.
YSU led by as many as 18 points in the first half in the game, which was played in Los Angeles, and shot 56 percent from the field for the game.
Cooksey had another solid game, scoring 18 points, and Vytas Sulskis scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Weber State, who was the Big Sky Conference representative in the NCAA tournament last season, was led by a double-double by Arturas Valeika with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Nov. 17 vs. Lock Haven – Davis tied a collegiate-high with 19 points and four Youngstown State players in double figures to win big over Lock Haven 95-55 in the Penguins’ home opener.
Dan Boulder had a huge game off the bench for the Penguins, scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, including on the offensive glass. Gemayl Johnson added 11 points, and Sulskis scored 10. Cooksey scored just five points, but handed out six assists.
YSU’s defense was strong all game, holding Lock Haven to 31 percent shooting for the game, including 21.2 percent in the first half. On the offensive end, the Penguins shot 52 percent for the game, and outrebounded Lock Haven 62-32.
Billy Arre led Lock Haven with 15 points.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 24 at Notre Dame

Horizon Preview

Horizon League 2007-08 Preview

by Nick Dettmann

It’s an exciting time to be a fan of the Horizon League.

First, the Horizon League welcomes the Valparaiso Crusaders into the conference this season.

The Crusaders come to the league from the Mid-Continent Conference where they won a number of MCC regular season and tournament titles. In all, the Crusaders have appeared in seven NCAA tournaments. And the rich history doesn’t end there.

Valparaiso will be guided yet again by Homer Drew. Drew sports a 571-362 overall record in 30 seasons in northwest Indiana. At Valparaiso, Drew is 302-240 in 18 seasons.

The Horizon League got richer with the addition of VU on July 1.

In addition, the Crusaders will celebrate all season long the 10-year anniversary of Valparaiso’s magical run into the Sweet 16. The highlight of that run was Bryce Drew – now the associate head coach of the Crusaders – sinking the buzzer-beater against Ole Miss.

Even as a new team in the league, the Crusaders are right in the thick of the league title race. Add in a talented Butler, which won a school-record 29 games last season, reached the Sweet 16, and cracked the top 10 in the AP poll, and Wright State teams and you’ve got one of the toughest conference races in the country that probably nobody knows about.

Then throw in teams like UW-Green Bay and a more experienced UW-Milwaukee squad and it could be anyone’s guess who’s going to win the league.

But the biggest challenge facing the Bulldogs is a new coach. Todd Lickliter, who led the Bulldogs for six seasons, left Butler to take the head coaching vacancy at Iowa. During his tenure at Butler, the Bulldogs were 131-61. Replacing him is Brad Stevens, an assistant under Lickliter the past six seasons, and also worked under current Ohio State coach Thad Matta.

Butler finished No. 13 in the coaches poll after last season.

It will be an exciting season in the Horizon League

Below is the league’s predicted order of finish.

Butler Bulldogs (29-7 overall in 2006-07, 13-3 league)
Head coach: Brad Stevens (first season)
Assistants: Matthew Graves, Brandon Miller, Terry Johnson
Projected starters
A.J. Graves
Mike Green
Pete Campbell
Julian Petko
Drew Streicher
Key losses: Brandon Crone, Brian Ligon
Schedule highlights
Nov. 21-24 Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska
Dec. 1 vs. Ohio State
Dec. 15 vs. Florida State at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Dec. 28 at Southern Illinois
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The Bulldogs return their top two scorers from last year in Graves and Green. Butler had solid depth last season, and it will need the same thing again this year. Take away the total starts by Graves and Green last year, Betko started 36 games last season, but the rest of the returners have two total starts last year (Streicher). Green was the league’s Newcomer of the Year last season, and incoming Matt Howard turned down scholarship offers to Big Ten schools to come to Butler. If he plays, Howard will be a tremendous addition.

Wright State Raiders (23-10, 13-3)
Coach: Brad Brownell (second season, 23-10; sixth season, 106-50 overall)
Assistants: Mike Winciecki, Bill Donlon, Victor Ebong
Projected starters
Jordan Pleiman
Vaughn Duggins
Todd Brown
Scott Wilson
William Graham
Key losses: DaShaun Wood, Drew Burleson
Schedule highlights
Dec. 15 vs. Miami
Dec. 29-30 Dr. Pepper Classic, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: Wood won the league MVP honors last season after leading the league in scoring (19.6 per game) and steals (1.94 per game). Wood scored 27 points with eight rebounds and five assists in the Raiders’ upset of Butler in the league tournament championship game, which gave WSU its first NCAA appearance since 1993. Replacing Wood will be tough, but the Raiders under second-year coach Brownell return three starters, led by Duggins (9.0 points per game). The Raiders also get two talented transfers in John David Gardner (UNC-Wilmington) and Ronnie Thomas (Duquesne). Pleiman brings veteran leadership, but will need to improve his seven points per game clip he averaged last season after averaging more than 10 a game two seasons ago.

Valparaiso Crusaders (16-15, 9-5 Mid-Continent Conference finish)
Coach: Homer Drew (19th season, 302-240; 31st season, 571-362 overall)
Assistants: Bryce Drew, Luke Gore, Chris Sparks
Projected starters
Shawn Huff
Urule Igbavboa
Samuel Haanpaa
Brandon McPherson
Jake Diebler
Key losses: Moussa Mbaye, Arden Skoglund
Schedule highlights
Nov. 20 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 23-24 at South Padre Island (Texas) Invitational
Dec. 22 at Wisconsin
Dec. 30 at North Carolina
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The Crusaders join the Horizon League from the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League), and right away Valparaiso will have a tough schedule. Dec. 22 will be interesting as two of college basketball’s best and most-respected coaches square off (Drew and Bo Ryan). North Carolina is a perennial national champion contender, if not favorite, and Vanderbilt made it to the Sweet 16 last year. Valparaiso will return four double-digit scorers from last season, led by Haanpaa at 12.0. Igbavboa, Huff and McPherson all averaged at least 10 points per game.

UW-Green Bay Phoenix (18-15, 7-9)
Coach: Tod Kowalczyk (sixth season, 77-73)
Assistants: Dale Race, Jon Harris, Brian Wardle
Projected starters
Mike Schachtner
Ryan Tillema
Terry Evans
Troy Cotton
Randy Berry
Key losses: Ryan Evanochko, Josh Lawrence
Schedule highlights
Nov. 12-17 Preseason NIT Tip-Off
Dec. 15 at Wisconsin
Dec. 29 at Michigan State
Feb. 23 ESPN Bracket Buster
Outlook: This team is young by year in school, but they are experienced. Last season, the underclassmen averaged 130.5 minutes of playing time per game, 65 percent of the team’s total. And nothing changes much as the Phoenix have just one senior (Tevah Morris). Otherwise, there are five juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen. One of the freshmen will not be available this season, as D’Angalo Jackson will sit out this season after transferring from Creighton due to NCAA transfer rules. But it will be easy to confuse UWGB as a Big Ten team. Three teams from the conference will play the Phoenix this season, including Ohio State in the NIT Season Tip-Off.

UW-Milwaukee Panthers (9-22, 7-9)
Coach: Rob Jeter (third season, 31-31)
Assistants: Brian Bidlingmyer, Chad Boudreau, Duffy Conroy
Projected starters
Paige Paulsen
Avery Smith
Ricky Franklin
Allan Hanson
Marcus Skinner
Key losses: Kevin Massiah, Ryan Thornton
Schedule highlights
Nov. 18 vs. Northern Iowa
Nov. 30 at Marquette
Dec. 29 at Wyoming
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The city of Milwaukee is getting the college basketball matchup they’ve longed for since 1998. The Panthers and Marquette will play for the first time since the ’98 season. After a rough 2006-07 campaign, the Panthers are older and more experienced, unlike last year where there were a combined nine collegiate starts on the roster. Paulsen and Smith are two of the best in the league, and will have big seasons. In addition, the Panthers assembled one of the best mid-major recruiting classes in the country. But UWM will need to improve on having the league’s worst offensive field goal percentage and worst defensive field goal percentage (38.7 percent to 47.5 percent, respectively).

Detroit Titans (11-19, 6-10)
Coach: Perry Watson (15th season, 254-175)
Assistants: Kevin Mondro, Carlos Briggs, Garland Mance
Projected starters
Brandon Cotton
Jon Goode
Chris Hayes
Zach Everingham
Eulis Stephens
Key losses: Ryvon Coville, Brandon Bell
Schedule highlights
Dec. 17 at Texas A&M
Dec. 29 DePaul
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The Titans returned a talented group of players back from last season. Leading the list is former Michigan State transfer Cotton. Cotton led the Titans in scoring last season with 18.1 points per game. However, the Titans lost double-double man Ryvon Coville (13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season). But Watson’s teams always play stingy defense, and look for that defense to carry this team. Cotton is the leading returning scorer in the entire league, and the Titans will look to rebound this season after collapsing late last season.

Loyola Ramblers (21-11, 10-6)
Coach: Jim Whitesell (fourth season, 53-39; 331-223, 20 seasons overall)
Assistants: Patrick Baldwin, Lance Randall, Shay Boyle
Projected starters
J. R. Blount
Andy Polka
Leon Young
Tracy Robinson
Tom Levin
Key losses: Blake Schilb, Majak Kou
Schedule highlights
Nov. 24 at Purdue
Dec. 15 vs. Northern Iowa
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The early stages of this season will be tough and Whitesell may be the first to tell you so. The Ramblers lost four starters, and with them 48 percent of its offense from last season. The leading returning scorer (Blount) averaged 12.9 points per game. After that, the production dips tremendously. Blount is a rising star for the program after averaging double figures in points in each of his first two seasons on Chicago’s North Side (a first in school history since 1998-2000 with Chris Williams).

Illinois-Chicago Flames (14-18, 7-9)
Coach: Jimmy Collins (12th season, 176-156)
Assistants: Mark Coomes, Tracy Dildy, Bryant Lowe
Projected starters
Josh Mayo
Robert Bush
Scott VanderMeer
Karl White
Spencer Stewart
Key losses: Othyus Jeffers, T.J. Gray, Jovan Stefanov
Schedule highlights
Nov. 17-19 Paradise Jam, U.S. Virgin Islands
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The Flamers lost two of their top three scorers from last season (Jeffers, Gray) to transfers, as Jeffers transferred to Robert Morris and Gray to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. But they do return Mayo, who averaged 12.2 points per game. Unfortunately after that, the next top returning scorer is Bush, who averaged 6.8 points per game. Bush will need a big season, as will VanderMeer. UIC will get the services of Texas Tech transfer Jeremy Buttell. Buttell, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, worked under legendary coach Bobby Knight and should provide a spark off the bench. He may work into the starting lineup by season’s end.

Youngstown State Penguins (14-17, 7-9)
Coach: Jerry Slocum (third season, 21-38; 33rd season, 601-363 overall)
Assistants: Michael Wernicki, Byron thorne, Brian DePaoli
Projected starters
Byron Davis
Jack Liles
John Barber
Dwight Holmes
George Cotal
Key losses: Quin Humphrey, Keston Roberts
Schedule highlights
Nov. 12-13 at CBE Classic, Los Angeles (will play UCLA on Nov. 12)
Nov. 24 at Notre Dame
Dec. 21 at Akron
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: Humphrey and Roberts were the heart-and-soul of the Penguins last season, literally. The two combined to average 35.1 points per game on a team that averaged 66 points a game. Davis provides a little punch at 8.6 points, but not too much is there after that. YSU will be tested early with a matchup against UCLA, who has reached the Final Four in each of the past two seasons. Barber does provide experience as a three-year letterwinner. Gemayl Johnson will be a spark off the bench and may start by the end of the season. Johnson, a junior college transfer from Montgomery (Md.), averaged 19 points and nine rebounds a game last season. He was an All-American last season at the JC ranks.

Cleveland State Vikings (10-21, 3-13)
Coach: Gary Waters (second season, 10-21 at CSU; 181-156 in 11 years overall)
Assistants: Jayson Gee, Larry DeSimpelare, Jermaine Kimbrough
Projected starters
J’Nathan Bullock
Joe Davis
Cedric Jackson
Kevin Francis
Chris Mooris
Key losses: Raheem Moss, Carlos English, Victor Morris, Bahaadar Russel, Patrick Tatham
Schedule highlights
Nov. 13 at George Mason
Nov. 17 vs. Florida State in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Outlook: The Vikings have been consistently at the bottom of the league for a number of seasons and nothing is going to change that anytime soon unfortunately. CSU lost a lot of experience last season and will need a lot of untested players to fill in those voids. A relatively easy schedule should help CSU with that problem. CSU did lose four conference games last year by five points or less.

Big Sky Preview

Big Sky Conference 2007-08 Preview

by Nick Dettmann

For the first time in a long time, most of the Big Sky will look like the way it did at the end of last season.

Only Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado have new coaches this season. Therefore this year should be quite competitive now that everyone knows each other.

Weber State was the Big Sky representative in the NCAA tournament last year. Its reward? No. 2 seed UCLA in Sacramento, Calif. Outside of maybe the first few minutes, the game wasn’t even close. But for Weber State to get the NCAA tournament was quite a feat.

In the season prior, the Wildcats finished last in the Big Sky Conference and missed the conference tournament for the first time in more than two decades.

In came Randy Rahe.

Rahe turned a program that was fading quickly around into the Big Sky Conference tournament champions. Players were quitting the program left and right. But Rahe convinced some to stay and brought in a whole new core of players and excelled with them.

Meanwhile, Montana has strong core of players back, led by Andrew Strait and Jordan Hasquet.

Look for the Big Sky to be a two-horse race between Montana and Weber State. But don’t count out teams like Northern Arizona, Portland State and Montana State. Even Idaho State might creep in there as well with a solid season.

Teams (listed by projected finish)

Montana Grizzlies (17-15, 10-6 Big Sky, third place in 2006-07)
Coach: Wayne Tinkle (second season)
Assistants: Nate DuChesne, Brian Marso, Andy Hill
Projected starting five:
Andrew Strait
Jordan Hasquet
Matt Martin
Ceylon Elgin-Taylor
Cameron Rundles
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 11 at Gonzaga
Nov. 23-25 at Hispanic Invitational (Spokane, Wash.)
Dec. 15 at Pacific
Key losses: Bryan Ellis, Matt Dlouhy
Newcomer to watch: Ceylon Elgin-Taylor. A transfer from Irvine Valley College where he was a balanced player. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game last season. Elgin-Taylor is a guard.
Projection for the season: A tough nonconference schedule will prepare the Grizzlies this season. Three teams which reached the NCAA tournament last season are on the schedule, not counting the conference foe Weber State. The Grizzlies have two of the conference’s best players in Strait and Hasquet. Both were the top two scorers a season ago, and have been with the program for a while.

Weber State Wildcats (20-12, 11-5, tied first)
Coach: Randy Rahe (second season)
Assistants: Eric Duft, Jeff Linder, Tim Gardner
Projected starting five:
Juan Pablo Silveira
Dezmon Harris
Arturas Valeika
Tyler Billings
Daviin Davis
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 12-13 at CBE Tournament, Westwood, Calif.
Nov. 28 vs. Utah
Dec. 1 at Illinois
Dec. 5 at BYU
Key losses: David Patten, Dan Henry
Top newcomer: Kellen McCoy. A small, quick point guard, he only stands 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds. He transferred from Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, Okla., where he averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Projection for the season: One of two teams will win the Big Sky Conference this year – Montana or Weber State. Losing Patten will be the difference for the Wildcats, but they will be right in the hunt to at least get to the tournament championship game again. A tough nonconference schedule will certainly help.

Montana State Bobcats (11-19, 8-8, tied fifth)
Coach: Brad Huse (second season)
Assistants: Danny Sprinkle, Shawn Dirden, Ryan Orton
Projected starting five:
Mecklen Davis
Casey Durham
Branden Johnson
Carlos Taylor
Divaldo Mbunga
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9 at UNLV
Nov. 30-Dec.1 hosting Bobcat GranTree Inn Classic (Alcorn State, Texas-Pan American, Pepperdine also involved)
Dec. 8 at Nevada
Key losses: Nick Dissly, Carson Durr, Ted Morris
Top newcomer: Divaldo Mbunga. Mbunga has a physical presence that is matched by not many teams in the Big Sky. He’s 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds. However, he might be unpolished for the Division I level right away. Will probably make an impact later in the season.
Projection for the season: The Bobcats have two of the best guards in the Big Sky in the same backcourt. Carlos Taylor and Casey Durham have the experience and will need it as they are two of just four seniors on the roster who saw extensive playing time last season. Mecklen Davis will see more than his 19.4 minutes per game last season. A schedule which garnered a 160 in the RPI poses some challenges for the Bobcats. UNLV, a Sweet 16 team a year ago, poses a real challenge.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (18-12, 11-5, tied first)
Coach: Mike Adras (ninth season)
Assistants: Rob Bishop, Billy Hix, Kenneth Turner
Projected starting five:
Josh Wilson
Kyle Landry
Ryan McCurdy
Nathan Geiser
Zarko Comagic
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 13 at Arizona
Nov. 21 at Kansas
Dec. 1 Western Kentucky
Dec. 5 UNLV
Dec. 20-21 at Gossner Foods Classic, Logan, Utah
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Key losses: Ruben Boykin Jr., Marques Green, Stephen Sir
Top newcomer: Zarko Comagic. A 6-foot-6 junior forward who could step in and be an immediate impact. Averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last season at Central Arizona Junior College.
Projection for the season: Josh Wilson is the best backcourt leader in the Big Sky. He led the conference in assists each of his first two seasons of college basketball. He has 376 assists in 62 career game for average of nearly 6.1 per game. Last season, he ranked ninth in the nation in assists per game at 6.03. Landry will also be big for the Lumberjacks. He averaged 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, and recorded four double-doubles. Landry is the team’s leading returning scorer.

Portland State Vikings (19-13, 9-7, fourth)
Coach: Ken Bone (third season)
Assistants: Tyler Geving, Curtis Allen, Erik Harper
Projected starting five:
Dupree Lucas
Scott Morrison
Deonte Huff
Julius Thomas
Jeremiah Dominguez
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9 at UCLA
Nov. 17-18 at Top of the World Classic, Fairbanks, Alaska
Dec. 9 at Washington State
Dec. 18 at Washington
Feb. 23 ESPN BracketBusters
Key losses: Juma Kamara, Ryan Sommer
Top newcomer: Jeremiah Dominguez. Sat out last season after transferring from the WCC’s University of Portland. He will be a junior this season.
Projection for the season: The Vikings are an increasingly improved program with some talent. They could be the team that flies under the radar this season in the Big Sky Conference. Three starters return for PSU, and a solid bench will help make a run in the conference. Additionally, a tough schedule will really make the Vikings a difficult team to play against when conference gets going.

Idaho State Bengals (13-17, 8-8, tied fifth)
Coach: Joe O’Brien (second season)
Assistants: Steve Swanson, Geoff Alexander, Mike Brown
Projected starting five:
Matt Stucki
Logan Kinghorn
Ammorrow Morgan
Demetrius Monroe
Donnie Carson
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9 at Iowa
Nov. 14 at BYU
Nov. 17 at Long Beach State
Nov. 23-24 at Oregon State Tournament (Corvallis, Ore.)
Dec. 15 at UCLA
Dec. 27 at Utah
Dec. 31 at Washington
Key losses: Akbar Abdul-Ahad, David Schroeder, John Ofoegbu
Newcomer to watch: Lucas Steijn. Originally signed with Indiana before transferring to John A. Logan Junior college. Steijn, a junior, averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season, and shot .543 from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line.
Projection for the season: For the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Bengals will start the 2007-08 season without David Schroeder. Schroeder was the heart and soul of the Bengals for six years with a number of medical redshirts. But with a year under his belt, O’Brien can really begin to convince his players what he’s trying to do. It won’t be easy as the Bengals have yet another difficult nonconference schedule.

Eastern Washington Eagles (15-14 overall, 8-8, tied for sixth)
Coach: Kirk Earlywine (first season)
Assistants: Grant Leep, Jamie Matthews, Rachi Worthman
Projected starting five:
Kellen Williams
Marcus Hinton
Adris DeLeon
Brandon Moore
Blake Solomon
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9 at Washington State
Nov. 18 at Washington
Nov. 21-24 at Great Alaska Shootout
Dec. 5 at Kansas
Key losses: Rodney Stuckey, Paul Butorac
Newcomer to watch: Adris DeLeon. A junior transfer from College of Southern Idaho where he averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 assists per game last season. DeLeon is a Bronx, N.Y., native.
Projection for the season: The Eagles will have to learn quickly what life is like without Rodney Stuckey. Stuckey was the No. 15 overall selection in this June’s NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. In the two years with EWU, Stuckey was the most prolific scorer the conference has ever seen. Had he stayed for his entire four years, he easily could have shreaded every scoring record in Big Sky history. Kellen Williams will be a big factor this season as he returns as the leading scorer (8.4 points per game).

Sacramento State Hornets (10-19, 5-11, eighth)
Coach: Jerome Jenkins (eighth season)
Assistants: Tarvish Felton, Kenya Crandell, Scott Eitelgeorge
Projected starting five:
Roderick Adams
Loren Leath
Justin Williams
Alonzo Young
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9 at Kansas State
Nov. 21 at Pacific
Nov. 27 at Stanford
Dec. 11 at Oregon
Dev. 15 at Marquette
Key losses: Alex Bausley, Haron Hargrave, Angel Alamo
Top newcomer: Justin Eller. A 6-foot-8 sophomore forward/center who will need some development. Comes in with great numbers from last season (17.7 points, nine rebounds per game), but is untested.
Projection for the season: Jenkins enters this season probably on the hottest seat in the conference. That is mainly because he is the second-longest tenured coach in the conference, only behind NAU’s Adras. But the Hornets have not improved much, going 62-82 since the end of the 2001-02 season, and 30-42 in the conference most importantly. In addition, the Hornets lost a ton of skill. It will probably be another tough year for Sacramento State.

Northern Colorado Bears (4-24, 2-14, ninth)
Coach: Tad Boyle (first season)
Assistants: B.J. Hill, Shawn Ellis, Carlos Daniel
Projected starting five:
Sean Taibi
Kirk Archibeque
Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos
Will Figures
Chris Kaba
Schedule highlights:
Nov. 9-10 at Air Force Classic, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Nov. 14 at Iowa
Dec. 17 at Gonzaga
Key losses: Dwayne Birden, Matt Kline
Top newcomer: Jabril Banks. A 6-foot-7 230 pound forward who transferred from Indian Hills County College. Averaged just a mere 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season. He will more than likely come off the bench.
Projection for the season: A weak schedule stands out. Johnson & Wales and Denver are both on the schedule twice. Outside of the tournament at Air Force and road games at Iowa and Gonzaga, this team will not be tested. But the Bears did what about everyone expected them to do, finish last in the Big Sky and they should finish there again this year. There is some decent talent available at UNC, but not good enough. This is still a project a few more years in the making before being competitive in the Big Sky.

Weber State/UCLA

UCLA Impresses Weber State

by Nick Dettmann

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Although every single player on Weber State’s roster was not even born at the time, the Wildcats’ program had a little revenge in mind.

And it was 35 years in the making.

In 1972, the UCLA Bruins defeated Weber State in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament by a rather convincing 90-58 score. On Thursday night at ARCO Arena, the Bruins won again convincingly again. This time 70-42.

“They’re good,” Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. “I knew from a personnel standpoint they were extremely talented. That team is so well-coached… They’re obviously good.”

The Big Sky and UCLA are not complete strangers however. Thirty years ago Saturday will be the anniversary in which Idaho State defeated UCLA in the NCAA tournament.

That game was prior to the NCAA expanding the tournament to 64 teams and seeding the teams. If that were the case, it would be the biggest upset in history.

All-time, UCLA is 9-2 against the Big Sky Conference. The other loss was to Northern Arizona in 2002 when UCLA was coached by now ESPN college basketball analyst Steve Lavin.

But the 2007 Weber State (20-12 overall) Wildcats had a pretty good idea how good the 2007 UCLA (27-5) Bruins were. The Wildcats had last year’s national championship game to watch.

“Defensively, rebounding-wise; offensively, disciplined, they take good shots,” Rahe said. “It’s easy to see why this team was in the national championship game last year.

“I think this team, and the way they play, how well-coached they are, is built for tournament success.”

UCLA’s Arron Afflalo led the way with a game-high 22 points. Darren Collison, who was playing Thursday after hurting his ankle in practice Tuesday, scored 14 points, and Josh Shipp scored 12 points.

Weber State was led by Dezmon Harris’ 10 points.

But in addition to UCLA’s star power, which is hard to ignore if you’re from a small town like Ogden, Utah, which is where Weber State is located, the Bruins are talented, too.

Not to mention the tradition speaks for itself.

Eleven national championships and numerous alumni who have gone on to successful NBA careers, many of whom later became Hall of Famers. Players such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are graduates of UCLA.

“They were good,” Weber State’s David Patten said. “They didn’t disappoint as far as their athleticism, their tenacity. They’re a very well-coached team.”

Weber State’s Dan Henry added that UCLA was bigger than they imagined.

On Wednesday during the opening round practice press conferences, Patten and Henry both fielded questions about the awe factor. Both said it was about playing five guys and not five shirts. But as they look back, they will probably realize how star-struck they might have been.

Outside of the having that notable name in college basketball history, UCLA is really, really good. The Bruins’ defense shut down Patten, who was the Big Sky player of the year this season.

Who knows, though, if it will be another 35 years before another rematch? Oh wait. Yes we do.

Rahe said after the game Thursday that the Wildcats and Bruins will play each other in the first round of the CBE Classic, which UCLA will host in Los Angeles.

But given what happened on the ARCO Arena hardwood Thursday night, Rahe is kicking himself.

“I’m not very bright,” he said. “I actually requested to play UCLA in the first round, because I think it’s good for our kids to have them play them on their court. After watching them (Thursday), I’m not very bright.”

Big Sky Tournament Preview

Big Sky Conference Tournament Preview

by Nick Dettmann

Last year, the top seed for the Big Sky Conference tournament failed to make the NCAA tournament.

This season has a very good chance of repeating history.

Last season, Northern Arizona was clearly the most dominant team in the Big Sky – thus landing the hosting rights for the conference tournament. But the Lumberjacks failed to finish the job, losing to the Montana Grizzlies in the conference tournament championship game.

What stung worse for NAU was that the ‘Jacks lost the game on their home floor.

This year, Weber State has the hosting rights. But the Wildcats were not as dominant as NAU was last season. Oh, by the way, NAU is the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

Not to mention this league is traditionally wide-open to begin with.

The Big Sky Conference Tournaments gets underway Saturday with a pair of quarterfinal games. Montana State travels to play Portland State, and Idaho State travels to play Montana. The winners advance to Tuesday’s semifinals in Ogden, Utah.

Idaho State split its season series with Montana, with both teams winning on the other team’s home court. Idaho State won Jan. 18, while Montana won in Pocatello just a few days ago.

But if it wasn’t for one gorgeous play with less than four seconds remaining in regulation, the Bengals would have won both games. Had the Bengals done that, the roles would be reversed as it would have been Montana traveling to Idaho State.

That’s just how tight this conference is.

The Bengals have reason to believe that they can make some noise in the tournament as the No. 6 seed. ISU beat Montana convincingly earlier this season, and only lost by one Monday night. If the Bengals get past Montana, the Bengals would play Weber State. ISU gave the Wildcats their lone conference loss at home.

But the one thing that’s working against the Bengals is experience on both sides of the spectrum. Idaho State is playing in its first Big Sky Conference tournament game since the 2003-04 season. The Grizzlies on the other hand have been to the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, including advancing to the second round last year. And there are many players on Montana’s roster who were contributors to last year’s squad, including All-Big Sky player Andrew Strait.

In the other quarterfinal, Montana State missed out on a chance to host the quarterfinal game by losing to Idaho State on Tuesday night. Instead, this game will be played in Portland State, which spells disaster for the Bobcats.

The Stott Center can be a tough place to play, and much like many other teams in the conference, one bounce here or there could have spelled a different season for the Vikings.

Portland State has played more consistently this season than Montana State, and having the home crowd on their side will provide a big difference for the Vikings.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: David Patten, Weber State

Conference standings
1. y-Weber State (18-10 overall, 11-4 conference)
2. x-Northern Arizona (14-11, 8-5)
3. Montana (14-13, 8-5)
4. Idaho State (12-13, 7-5)
5. Montana State (10-16, 7-6)
6. Portland State (16-12, 7-7)
7. Eastern Washington (13-14, 6-8)
8. Sacramento State (9-17, 4-9)
9. z-Northern Colorado (4-21, 2-11)
x-clinched a spot in Big Sky tournament
y-clinched at least a share of Big Sky regular season title
z-Not eligible for postseason tournament because of NCAA reclassification requirements

Tournament host scenarios

Weber State is in the driver’s seat. If the Wildcats beat Sacramento State on Feb. 26, the Wildcats will be the host for the Men’s Big Sky Conference tournament March 6 and 7.

But if the Wildcats lose, Weber State’s situation still looks good to host. The tournament will be hosted either by Weber State, Montana or Idaho State.

The Wildcats are guaranteed at least a first-round bye as they cannot finish any worse than second place in the standings.

In order for Idaho State to host, the Bengals must finish 11-5, as must Weber State. In addition, Montana must finish ahead of Northern Arizona. ISU and Weber State split the regular season meetings this season. But the Bengals, if they finish 11-5, will have swept Montana, while Weber split with the Grizzlies. Weber would host if NAU finishes ahead of Montana because the Wildcats swept the ‘Jacks and ISU was swept.

For Montana to host the tournament, the Grizzlies must also finish 11-5 if Weber loses to Sacramento State. But in addition, Montana State must finish ahead of Portland State as Montana went 2-0 against the Bobcats, and Weber State was 1-1. If Portland State finishes ahead of MSU, the Wildcats get the tiebreaker, having beaten PSU twice.

Eastern Washington Eagles (13-14 overall, 6-8 conference)
Last week’s result
At Santa Barbara, Calif., Feb. 17: Eastern Washington 71, UC-Santa Barbara 70 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Idaho State
Feb. 24 vs. Sacramento State
Against UC-Santa Barbara, Kellen Williams hit two free-throws with four seconds remaining that gave EWU a 71-67 lead. Rodney Stuckey scored 30 points with five assists and two rebounds. Paul Butorac scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots.

Idaho State Bengals (12-13, 7-5)
Last week’s results
No games played
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Eastern Washington
Feb. 24 at Portland State
Feb. 26 vs. Montana
Feb. 27 vs. Montana State
Idaho State can still host the Big Sky tournament, but the Bengals must win out and get help from Sacramento State, and hope Montana beats Northern Arizona on Feb. 22. If ISU wins at least two of the next four games, the Bengals will just about wrap up their spot in the Big Sky tournament, a first since 2004.

Montana Grizzlies (14-13, 8-5)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Feb. 14: Weber State 73, Montana 67
At Missoula, Mont., Feb. 17: Pacific 78, Montana 77 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 24 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 26 at Idaho State
Bryan Ellis scored a team-high 17 points against the Wildcats as the Grizzlies fell out of first place in the conference. Andrew Strait was held to just five points and five rebounds. Against the Tigers, freshman Cameron Rundles scored a collegiate-high 20 points. Strait scored 15 points.

Montana State Bobcats (10-16, 7-6)
Last week’s result
At Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 14: Sacramento State 90, Montana State 82
Upcoming games
Feb. 21 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 25 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 27 at Idaho State
Against the Hornets, a 23-point, six-rebound and four-assist effort from Nick Dissly was not enough. MSU shot a blazing 64 percent from the field in the second half, and 56 percent for the game. But the Bobcats committed 26 turnovers, and Sacramento State scored 29 points off those turnovers.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (14-11, 8-5)
Last week’s result
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Feb. 17: Northern Arizona 78, San Jose State 67 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Montana
Feb. 25 at Montana State
Feb. 27 at Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona’s Ruben Boykin Jr. recorded his 13th double-double of the season against the Spartans, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the way.

Northern Colorado Bears (4-21, 2-11)
Last week’s results
No games played
Upcoming games
Feb. 21 at Montana State
Feb. 24 at Montana
Feb. 27 vs. Northern Arizona

Portland State Vikings (16-12, 7-7)
Last week’s result
At San Luis Obispo, Calif., Feb. 17: Cal Poly 92, Portland State 87 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Sacramento State
Feb. 24 vs. Idaho State
Against Cal Poly, the Vikings shot 62.5 percent in the second half, but still fell short. Paul Hafford scored 23 points to lead the way, hitting seven 3-pointers in the loss. Dupree Lucas scored 18 points and had eight assists. Cal Poly made 14-of-35 3-pointers for the game and hit 8-of-10 free-throws in the final 33 seconds.

Sacramento State Hornets (9-17, 4-9)
Last week’s result
At Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 14: Sacramento State 90, Montana State 82
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Portland State
Feb. 24 at Eastern Washington
Feb. 26 at Weber State
Sacramento State snapped a four-game losing streak against the Bobcats, forcing 26 turnovers, including 18 steals. Kris Groce scored a team-high 21 points. Haron Hargrave and Angel Alamo each scored 18.

Weber State Wildcats (18-10, 11-4)
At Ogden, Utah, Feb. 14: Weber State 73, Montana 67
Upcoming games
Feb. 26 vs. Sacramento State
Against the Grizzlies, Weber State clinched at least a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship with the victory. David Patten scored 21 points and grabbed a collegiate-high 11 rebounds. Montana shot 40.6 percent from the field. Weber State improved to 14-0 when holding its opponent to under 45 percent shooting. J.P. Silveira scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

ISU coach suspended

First-year Idaho State men’s basketball coach Joe O’Brien was suspended for one game by the Big Sky Conference, following comments he made about the officiating during the Bengals’ 67-65 loss to Portland State on Saturday.

“I don’t think you call a foul with 25 seconds left in the game and put a player on the free-throw line,” O’Brien said after the game. “I don’t think you do that unless it’s a foul, a hard foul, an obvious foul. I think there were too many soft fouls.”

Shortly after ISU took a 65-64 lead in the second half, ISU’s David Schroeder was called for a foul that put PSU on the line. That ultimately provided the difference.

O’Brien did not shake Portland State head coach Ken Bone’s hand following the game, but said that he forgot to do so.

O’Brien will sit Thursday’s home game against Northern Arizona, but he can return to action for the Bengals’ game Saturday at home against Sacramento State. O’Brien can coach the team up until Thursday, including the game-day shoot-around. Though O’Brien cannot have any contact with the team during the game, and is not permitted to sit in the stands.

ESPN BracketBusters pairings announced

Four Big Sky teams found out their respective match-ups for the fifth annual ESPN BracketBusters Saturday weekend.

With teams being determined prior to the start of this season, two Big Sky teams will host the games which were created to give mid-majors a chance to play on national television in hopes to improve their NCAA tournament resume. Two more Big Sky teams will travel.

Montana will host Pacific and Northern Arizona will host San Jose State in home games for Big Sky teams.

Both Montana and Pacific lost to Boston College in last season’s NCAA tournament. Pacific lost to the Eagles in overtime in the first round, while Montana lost in the second round. This season Pacific is 7-12, as of Jan. 29, and is 3-3 in the Big West Conference.

San Jose State is struggling at 2-18, and NAU is the reigning Big Sky Conference regular season champion.

Portland State will travel to play Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly is 7-1 at home thus far this season, while Portland State sports a 14-9 overall record. The Vikings average 77.4 points per game, 36th-best in the nation.

Eastern Washington will travel to play UC-Santa Barbara. It will be a match-up of two of the nation’s best scoring guards. EWU features Rodney Stuckey, the reigning Big Sky player of the year, who averages 24 points per game. UCSB is lead by junior Alex Harris, who averages 21 points per game.

All four games will be played on Saturday, Feb. 17 with game times being announced later.

Player of the week: David Patten, Weber State, and Andrew Strait, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (11-11 overall, 5-5 conference)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 25: Eastern Washington 100, Sacramento State 85
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 27: Weber State 93, Eastern Washington 84
This week’s games
Feb. 1 at Montana State
Feb. 3 at Montana
Against the Hornets, Rodney Stuckey scored at least 30 points for the 12th time in his collegiate career, as he scored 31. EWU rallied from a 15-point deficit at halftime to win. Paul Butorac scored 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Against the Wildcats, Stuckey picked up a double-double with 29 points and 10 assists, adding six rebounds and four steals in the losing effort. Butorac scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Idaho State Bengals (10-11, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 25: Weber State 71, Idaho State 58
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 27: Portland State 67, Idaho State 65
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 3 vs. Sacramento State
The Bengals lost their first home game of the season against the Wildcats. David Schroeder scored a team-high 20 points. The Bengals shot just 30.8 percent for the game, including 23.3 in the first half. Against the Vikings, ISU struggled to shoot from the floor for the second game in a row, shooting 22.2 percent in the first half. ISU trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half. Matt Stucki missed a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining that would have given ISU the lead at the time. Schroeder scored a team-high 21 points.

Montana Grizzlies (11-10, 5-3)
Last week’s results
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 25: Montana 74, Northern Arizona 71
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 27: Montana 68, Northern Colorado 51
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Portland State
Feb. 3 vs. Eastern Washington
Against the Lumberjacks, Andrew Strait was perfect from the field, going 11-for-11, to finish with 23 points. Jordan Hasquet added 12 points and six rebounds in a rematch of last season’s Big Sky tournament championship game, which was won by Montana in Flagstaff. Against the Bears, Hasquet scored 17 points with 11 rebounds, and Matt Dlouhy scored 16 points.

Montana State Bobcats (7-14, 4-4)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 25: Montana State 58, Northern Colorado 57
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 27: Northern Arizona 86, Montana State 76
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Eastern Washington
Feb. 3 vs. Portland State
Against the Bears, MSU won its third-straight game, rallying from a 14-point deficit. Nick Dissly and Casey Durham each scored 15 points to lead the way. The Bobcats shot just 33.3 percent from the field, but were 13-of-15 from the free-throw line. Against the Lumberjacks, MSU struggled again from the field, shooting 35.5 percent. Dissly scored 24 points. Branden Johnson and Carlos Taylor each scored 11 points.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (11-10, 6-4)
Last week’s results
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 25: Montana 74, Northern Arizona 71
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Jan. 27: Northern Arizona 86, Montana State 76
NAU shot 54.2 percent from the field against the Grizzlies, but made just two 3-pointers. The Lumberjacks went into the game averaging a league-best 7.9 3-pointers made per game, a number that also ranks NAU among the nation’s best. Tyrone Bazy scored a team-high 18 points. Against the Bobcats, Bazy scored 18 points off the bench, and Stephen Sir added 14 points, also off the bench.

Northern Colorado Bears (3-19, 1-9)
Last week’s results
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 25: Montana State 58, Northern Colorado 57
At Greeley, Colo., Jan. 27: Montana 68, Northern Colorado 51
This week’s games
Jan. 31 at Sacramento State
Feb. 1 at Weber State
Against the Bobcats, Northern Colorado lost a conference game by a single point for the third time this season. UNC shot just 39.6 percent for the game, including 3-20 from 3-point range. Kirk Archibeque and Sean Taibi combined to scored just nine points; the two combine to average 30. Tommie Clark scored 12 points off the bench against the Grizzlies, and Chris Kaba added 10, also off the bench. UNC’s starters combined for just 23 points.

Portland State Vikings (14-9, 5-5)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 26: Sacramento State 97, Portland State 93
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 27: Portland State 67, Idaho State 65
This week’s games
Feb. 1 at Montana
Feb. 3 at Montana State
Dupree Lucas scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Hornets, while Scott Morrison had 13 points and four blocks. Against the Bengals, the Vikings led by 18 in the second half, then withstood a late rally. Paul Hafford hit six 3-pointers to finish with 21 points.

Sacramento State Hornets (8-13, 3-5)
Last week’s results
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 25: Eastern Washington 100, Sacramento State 85
At Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 26: Sacramento State 97, Portland State 93
This week’s games
Jan. 31 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 3 at Idaho State
Against the Eagles, the Hornets led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Alex Bausley scored 23 points with six steals, five assists and five rebounds, and Loren Leath added 16 points off the bench. The loss was Sacramento State’s fifth in a row. Against the Vikings, Leath scored 23 points, and Kris Groce scored a collegiate-high 20 points with seven assists. Bausley added 17 points with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Weber State Wildcats (14-9, 7-3)
Last week’s results
At Pocatello, Id., Jan. 25: Weber State 71, Idaho State 58
At Ogden, Utah, Jan. 27: Weber State 93, Eastern Washington 84
This week’s games
Feb. 1 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 3 vs. Northern Arizona
Weber State shot 54 percent from the field to hand ISU its first loss of the season at home. David Patten hit 10-of-15 shots from the field en route to a 23-point effort. Weber then State shot 67.3 percent from the field against the Bengals. Patten scored 21 points with five rebounds, while Arturas Valeika added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double.