All seeds still up for grabs as Horizon League enters final day of men's basketball regular season

Feb. 23, 2006

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Indianapolis, Ind. - With only four games remaining in the regular season, virtually everything remains up in the air as it pertains to the 2006 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. All nine teams enter Saturday's (Feb. 25) final day uncertain of their position or even the location of the tournament, and all four games will have significant ramifications on the final outcome.

No single seed has been confirmed as yet, including the top spot which also includes the right to host the second round and semifinals of the League Championship on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4. The first round is at campus sites, with seeds 4-6 hosting those games on Tuesday, Feb. 28, while the League's automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament goes to the winner of the championship game on Tuesday, March 7. The higher-seeded team remaining after the semifinals will host that contest, which airs at 9 p.m. (Eastern time) on ESPN.

The teams currently standing second through fifth are all on the road, with (current No. 2 seed) Butler University visiting (No. 6) University of Detroit Mercy at 4:05 p.m. (Eastern time), while (current No. 3) Wright State University is at (No. 7) University of Illinois at Chicago at 4 p.m. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay puts its (current No. 4) status on the line at (No. 8) Cleveland State University at 5:30 p.m. before action concludes with (current No. 5) Loyola University Chicago at (No. 9) Youngstown State University in a 7:05 p.m. contest. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is idle, with the Panthers having already clinched at least a share of their third consecutive regular-season championship.

Butler could tie UW-Milwaukee as co-champions at 12-4 in the League by beating Detroit, and would gain the top seed in a tie-breaker with a single victory by UIC, UW-Green Bay or Youngstown State. If all three of those other teams all lose their Saturday contests, the Panthers would remain as the top seed based on a 2-0 record versus fourth-seeded Loyola. Otherwise, Butler's sweeps of the Phoenix and Flames would lift the Bulldogs to the No. 1 position and put next weekend's action at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

A Butler loss gives UWM the outright regular-season title and ensures second-round and semifinal games at U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. Since the Panthers are already finished with regular-season action, UWM can only watch Saturday's games via webcast as all four games can be viewed at www.horizonleague.org.

Only two teams control their own fate this weekend. Wright State can clinch the third seed and a first-round bye with a victory over UIC, but the Raiders could also end up falling as far as seventh with a loss combined with wins by Detroit, UW-Green Bay and Loyola. That would create an unprecedented five-way tie at 8-8, with the Raiders losing that decision on the basis of a 3-5 record against the other four teams in that group. The League has never had more than three teams tie at any position in the final standings in its 27-year history.

Cleveland State can also secure the No. 8 seed with a victory versus UW-Green Bay or a loss by Youngstown State versus Loyola. A CSU loss and YSU victory would move the Penguins up to the eighth spot and relegate the Vikings to the ninth position.

UIC, Loyola and UW-Green Bay can also draw that first-round bye as the No. 3 seed with victories combined with certain outcomes in the other games. Each school would secure no worse than a first-round home match-up with a victory, but each could also end up on the road for the opening round with losses in certain situations. UIC gains the No. 3 seed by defeating Wright State combined with a win by Youngstown State, while Loyola would move up to the third spot with a victory along with wins by UIC and Cleveland State.

Ironically, UW-Green Bay will need wins by UIC and Loyola for a shot at the third seed. That trio of outcomes would put the Phoenix, Flames and Ramblers (and potentially Detroit) into a tie for third place and UWGB's sweep of Loyola would put the Phoenix at the top of that list.

Detroit would also gain a first-round home date with a win on Saturday or losses by Loyola and either UIC or UW-Green Bay. A Titan loss with any other combination would put UDM on the road for Tuesday's action.

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