2nd Round Features Offensive, Defensive Showdowns

Ticket Information | Horizon League Weekly Release | Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament Program | 2012 Horizon League Championship Media Packet

Men’s Basketball 2^nd Round Schedule:
(3) Detroit vs. (6) Youngstown State, 6pm ET – Horizon League Network | ESPN Full Court
(4) Milwaukee vs. (5) Butler, 8:30pm ET – Horizon League Network | ESPN Full Court

The Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship hits Valparaiso on Friday, with second round matchups featuring strength versus strength at Detroit takes on Youngstown State and Milwaukee battling Butler.

Both games will be carried on the Horizon League Network, with the games carried live on Sports32 (Wisconsin), HomeTown Sports Network (Indianapolis), MyYTV (Youngstown), SportsTime Ohio and Time Warner Dayton. ESPN Full Court and Watch ESPN will also pick up the feed from the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Friday’s first game features the explosive offenses of No. 3 Detroit (19-13) and sixth-seeded Youngstown State (16-14). The duo comes into the game ranked first and third in the Horizon League in scoring offense, with the Titans putting up 72.5 points per game and the Penguins 67.3.

However, the two go about collecting their points in decidedly different manners; Youngstown State is averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game, while Detroit is shooting 51 percent inside the three-point arc as opposed to its 29 percent mark from outside.

Detroit’s defensive efforts will be focused on slowing Kendrick Perry, who leads the League in scoring at 16.8 ppg; the sophomore had 22 points versus the Titans in last week’s 76-74 loss. Perry is one of four Penguins who can catch fire from beyond the arc, as teammates Blake Allen (43.7 percent) and DuShawn Brooks (42.0 percent) each are in the top 10 of the League in three-point shooting. Allen’s three triples per game paces the conference.

Meanwhile, Youngstown State will try to slow the Titans’ transition game, which has allowed Ray McCallum’s play-making skills to flourish. The sophomore, who joined Perry on the All-League First Team, ranks third in the League with 14.9 ppg and is fourth in assists, just behind Perry’s 3.9 apg with 3.8 of his own.

Detroit featured a balanced attack in Tuesday’s 80-71 win over Loyola, putting five players into double figures. Eli Holman, the sixth man of the year, put up 20 off the bench, while Chase Simon and Doug Anderson finished with 19 and 18, respectively.

Meanwhile, Perry helped Youngstown State blitz Green Bay in a 77-60 opening round win, scoring 12 of his 15 points in the first five minutes as the Penguins cruised, reaching the second round of the League Championship for just the second time since joining the conference.

Given the offensive capabilities of both teams, perhaps it is no surprise that the Titans and Penguins staged two of the 36 conference games that were within a single possession in the final minute of regulation. Trading wins on each other’s home courts, the Penguins knocked off the Titans, 64-61, in December behind DuShawn Brooks’ career-best 24 points.

On the final day of the regular season, it was Detroit wrapping up the No. 3 seed in the tournament with a 76-74 win at the Beeghly Center. Once again, it was balanced scoring that carried the Titans, as five players finished in double figures.

While the teams in the first game have hung their hats on offense, the second game of the night will be a defensive coaches’ dream as No. 4 Milwaukee (20-12) tangles with fifth-seeded Butler (19-13).

Neither team eclipsed 54 points in victory as the teams split the season series, each winning on their home courts. Butler held Milwaukee to 34 percent shooting in a 54-50 win on Dec. 31, before the Panthers turned around and limited the Bulldogs to 27.6 percent shooting on Jan. 26 as UWM rolled to a 53-42 victory.

Butler enters Friday boasting the best field-goal defense in the Horizon League, holding its opponents to 41.1 percent shooting; Milwaukee is close behind at 41.4 percent, third in the conference. When it comes to stopping the three-pointer, the Panthers are among the nation’s elite, limiting teams to 28.5 percent shooting. Not surprisingly, Butler is right behind the Panthers, checking in second at 31.3 percent in three-point defense.

Given the physical nature of both teams, the game could come down to which team controls the boards. Milwaukee is the only team this year to outrebound Butler twice, but overall, the Bulldogs lead the conference with a 3.8 rebounding margin on the season. The Panthers’ 1.6 margin is third.

Milwaukee’s second-best defensive rebounding mark will be put to the test against a Butler squad that leads the Horizon League with 12.4 offensive rebounds per game.

The winner of Friday’s Detroit-Youngstown State game will meet No. 2 seed Cleveland State on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, with either Milwaukee or Butler facing off with No. 1 Valparaiso in Saturday’s nightcap.