10 Non-Conference Tilts Dot Saturday Slate
INDIANAPOLIS -- Basketball fans can watch three Horizon League games live on HorizonLeague.com Saturday, as member institutions contest 10 non-conference games throughout the day. Highlighting the slate is #5/5 Kansas State's visit to Loyola at 4 p.m. ET on HorizonLeague.com.
Loyola (8-2) welcomes its highest-ranked opponent since #2 Michigan State visited the Gentile Center in 2001. Over the last seven seasons, the Ramblers have gone 36-7 in non-conference home games under Jim Whitesell, winning 12 of their last 13 such contests. The Wildcats will present a stern challenge, however, as all-Big 12 performer Jacob Pullen returns to his native Chicago.
Geoff McCammon leads a balanced Loyola attack, averaging 12.7 points per game, while Andy Polka has controlled the glass, grabbing 7.8 boards per game.
The game will be carried live on HorizonLeague.com, with tip-off coming at 4 p.m. ET. The battle can also be seen on ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.
Detroit (5-5) and Green Bay (4-5) each kick off the Saturday with road contests at Eastern Michigan and Buffalo, respectively. Both games tip off at 2 p.m. ET.
The two tilts are the first of three overall meetings between Horizon League and Mid-American Conference institutions on the day. So far this season, the Horizon League holds a 10-7 advantage in those contests.
The first HorizonLeague.com broadcast of the day begins shortly before 3 p.m. ET, when Wright State (4-5) will look to make it five straight home victories to start the year when it hosts Tusculum at the WSU Nutter Center. The Raiders are coming off an impressive 76-61 victory over Air Force on Wednesday and are hoping to hit the .500 mark after an early four-game skid.
Three matchups featuring League teams tip off at 7 p.m. ET, beginning with Youngstown State's (4-3) visit to defending Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris. The Penguins suffered two road losses in opening the Horizon League slate but will try to bounce back in Moon Township, Pa., using the weapon that has carried them so far this season - the three-point shot. Youngstown State leads the Horizon League in three-pointers per game, knocking down eight long balls per contest.
Both Valparaiso (6-3) and Butler (4-4) will try to bounce back after tough losses earlier in the week, with the Crusaders heading to Toledo for a 7 p.m. ET contest after falling to #19/18 Purdue at the ARC on Tuesday. Coming up a basket short on Thursday night at Xavier, the Bulldogs host Mississippi Valley State.
Fans can watch the Bulldogs and Delta Devils live on HorizonLeague.com beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Shortly after those three contests, UIC (4-5) heads to Normal, Ill., for a 7:05 p.m. ET tip against Illinois State. The Flames are looking to end a two-game skid, losing late leads in defeats to Akron and Valparaiso.
Undefeated Cleveland State (11-0) takes its unblemished mark on the road for the fifth time this year, this time meeting perennial Southland Conference contender Sam Houston State. The 2010 Southland champs, the Bearkats presently hold a 5-2 record and a RPI rank of No. 42, according to Collegiate Basketball News.
Milwaukee (4-6) wraps up the evening, venturing to Brookings, S.D., to meet South Dakota State at Frost Arena. The Panthers will look to find an early offensive rhythm against the Jackrabbits, having fallen into early holes in losses to Cleveland State and #-/ARV Wisconsin in their last two contests. Tip-off from SDSU is slated for 8 p.m. ET.
