Conference Play Resumes Thursday Night

Schedule - Thursday, Dec. 29
Green Bay at Butler - 7 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Detroit at UIC - 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Wright State at Loyola - 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Milwaukee at Valparaiso - 8:05 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Saturday, Dec. 31
Milwaukee at Butler - 2 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network Game of the Week)
Detroit at Loyola - 2 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Wright State at UIC - 2 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Youngstown State at #-/rv Cleveland State - 2 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Green Bay at Valparaiso - 5:05 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

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After three weeks, the Horizon League jumps back into conference play with both feet, as the next two months will determine who will capture the 2011-12 regular season title.

Last year, Milwaukee, Butler and Cleveland State all tied for the regular season crown, and the Horizon League Network Game of the Week will feature a rematch of the tournament championship between Milwaukee and Butler at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Game of the Week is syndicated across the Midwest on Time Warner Sports 32 (Wisconsin), Comcast Sports Net Chicago, WNDY-TV (Indianapolis), Time Warner Cable Dayton, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland) and WADL-TV (Detroit).

Before that matchup, however, Milwaukee (9-4, 2-0 Horizon) will take its stingy defense to the ARC for an 8:05 p.m. ET tip on Thursday, where the Panthers currently rank third in the League allowing just 58.5 points per game. That defense will be tested against the Horizon League's highest-scoring offense in Valparaiso (8-4, 1-0 Horizon), as the Crusaders average 75.1 ppg.

The backbone of the Valpo attack has been Ryan Broekhoff, who was slowed by a hip injury in the Crusaders' 97-88 loss to IUPUI before Christmas. Still, Broekhoff paces the Horizon in rebounding, collecting 9.2 rebounds per game and is fifth with a 15.0 ppg average. The Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League pick is also one of the top marksmen in the League, knocking down 2.1 three-pointers per game and is hitting on 37.5 of his long-range attempts.

Working to slow Broekhoff and Kevin Van Vijk will be Milwaukee's Ryan Allen and James Haarsma. Allen is coming off perhaps his most complete game in a Panther uniform, leading UWM with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a Division I school record six blocks last Thursday at No. 10 Marquette. Haarsma, after sitting out last season, is third in the League in rebounding, grabbing 7.1 rpg while chipping in 9.5 ppg.

Offensively, Milwaukee will lean on Kaylon Williams to keep the engine running. The Horizon League leader in assists a year ago, Williams' name can be found at the top once again, as he is averaging 5.8 per game. The Preseason First Team pick will look to get another senior going early and often in Tony Meier. Meier stuggled from the floor against Marquette, but is averaging 10.0 ppg since his return from a calf injury.

Injuries have been part of the fabric of Milwaukee's season; the Panthers have not put their projected starting five of Williams, Ja'Rob McCallum, Kyle Kelm, Meier and Haarsma on the court at any point this year.

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Down I-65, Butler (6-7, 0-1 Horizon) will look to keep the momentum built from a comeback win at Stanford when Green Bay (6-6, 2-0 Horizon) visits Hinkle Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. ET tip on Thursday. The Bulldogs will be tasked with stopping the Phoenix's two-headed monster in the post in Alec Brown and Brennan Cougill.

With Brown in foul trouble throughout Green Bay's 63-61 win over Idaho, Cougill did more than pick up the slack, recording career highs of 19 points and 19 rebounds en route to capturing Horizon League Co-Player of the Week honors. Still, there is no doubt that the Phoenix will look to establish both players early against the Butler front line of Andrew Smith, Khyle Marshall, Roosevelt Jones and Erik Fromm.

The 13th-youngest team in the country, Green Bay will be looking for its first road win of the year after falling short in road contests at North Dakota State, Indiana State and Virginia, among others. While the Bulldogs can certainly empathize about youth, they will be looking to avoid their first 0-2 start in League play since 2004-05.

On its West Coast road swing, Butler got its offense from veterans and newcomers alike, as Fromm paced the team with a career-best 16 points at Gonzaga before the backcourt tandem of Ronald Nored and Jackson Aldridge lifted the Bulldogs past Stanford last Thursday. The senior Nored, knocking down three three-pointers, finished with 16 of his career-high 18 points in the second half, while the freshman Aldridge had 15 points in just 21 minutes.

Butler has been prepping for League play over the last three weeks by taking on seven teams that are currently a combined 64-19. The strategy has worked over the last half decade, as the Bulldogs have won at least a share of the last five Horizon League regular season crowns.

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One of the perceived contenders for the 2011-12 regular season championship dug itself an early hole with two League losses three weeks prior, but Detroit (6-8, 0-2 Horizon) has looked much better of late and will try to right its ship on the road, beginning with Thursday night's game at UIC (4-8, 0-2 Horizon).

With Eli Holman back in the lineup, Detroit has gone 2-2, with both of those losses coming to SEC foes. Holman's interior presence has helped offset the loss of Nick Minnerath, as Holman is putting up 12.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. The addition of Brandon Romain has increased Detroit's depth, which was shaky to start the year.

Despite all the issues of November, the constants for Detroit have been Ray McCallum, Chase Simon and LaMarcus Lowe. McCallum, the Preseason Player of the Year in the Horizon League, is fourth in scoring at 15.1 ppg, fifth in assists (3.6) and ninth in steals (1.4). In Detroit's up-tempo attack, McCallum's decision-making has been vital, as the Titans average 74.6 ppg, goog for second in the League. His teammate Simon paces the League in scoring, averaging 15.7 ppg and adding 5.1 rebounds to the cause.

Lowe continues to be the shot-blocking force he was in 2010-11, swatting 2.7 shots per game and actually ranking third in the League. The senior will be tested against a continually improving UIC front court, led by Darrin Williams. Williams is coming off a 14 point effort at Dayton, a game the Flames trailed by just a single possession in the closing moments. The senior is among the toughest players to stop at the rim, ranking second in the League with a 59.5 percent field-goal rate. Williams and company will also make Lowe, Doug Anderson, Holman, et al, work on the glass, outrebounding opponents by 4.5 boards per game, the best rate in the League.

UIC has been a fiesty opponent over the last month, dropping both of its League games by a sole possession and falling at Central Michigan by three and at Dayton by seven. The emergence of Daniel Barnes and Gary Talton have keyed the Flames, as Barnes leads the team with 12.1 ppg and Talton chips in 9.4 ppg. With Barnes knocking down 2.3 three-pointers per game and Talton handing out 3.6 assists per game, the UIC offense is beginning to find its rhythm as the season progresses.

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On the north side of the city, two of the more deliberate teams in the country will square off in the first Horizon League game at the renovated Gentile Arena. Wright State (6-8, 1-1 Horizon) averages 64.6 possessions per game, while Loyola (5-7, 0-2 Horizon) has just 61.2 possessions per game.

Both teams come into the night with confidence after posting winning streaks through the holiday - Wright State knocked off Idaho and Central Michigan leading up to break, while the Ramblers have posted a four-game win streak over the last three weeks.

The keys for Loyola's win streak is simple: defense and the renewed offense of Ben Averkamp. Over the streak, Averkamp is averaging 24.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.4 apg while shooting 40-for-73 from the floor. The last Loyola player to post 20 or more points in four straight games was Blake Schlib, who pulled off the feat in 2006. Averkamp started the winning streak in grand fashion, pouring in a career-high 31 points, including the game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Toledo, 57-55, on Dec. 10.

The second key for Loyola has been its defense. With a deliberate offense, the Ramblers have been able to dictate tempo, helping them hold opponents to 58.2 ppg, second-best in the Horizon. Only one team has eclipsed 70 points against Loyola, Kansas State on Nov. 14.

Wright State enters the night averaging 57.4 ppg, but is bolstered by the play of its backcourt over the last week. In knocking off Idaho, Julius Mays exploded for a career-high 28 points, hitting a running three as time expired to lift the Raiders to an 80-78 overtime win. Mays' effort overshadowed the breakout effort of freshman Reggie Arceneaux, who finished with a career-best 19 points in the win.

Two days later, both players were back in double figures in a 60-42 drubbing of Central Michigan; this time, Vance Hall came off the bench to add 13 points.