Duo from Wisconsin Hopes to Emulate Chicago Sweep

INDIANAPOLIS -- Twenty-four hours after the Chicago teams -- Loyola and UIC -- unexpectedly swept the first night of Horizon League men's basketball action, a pair of Wisconsin teams look to do the same against Detroit and Wright State.

Picked to finish third and sixth, respectively, Green Bay and Milwaukee have struggled at times in non-conference play, entering Horizon League action with the lone sub-.500 records in the conference. But as the Ramblers and Flames proved last night, anything is possible. Loyola went into Valparaiso and defeated the projected champions while UIC shook off a three-game losing streak to beat Youngstown State.

So, then, is it so hard to believe that Green Bay could go to Wright State and beat the Raiders for the second straight year at the Nutter Center? The Phoenix will have 11 players at their disposal as second-leading scorer Brennan Cougill returns from a suspension, sophomore guard Cole Stefan becomes eligible after transferring from LaSalle and junior forward Daniel Turner plays his second game coming off an early knee injury. It's the first time this season that third-year head coach Brian Wardle will see his team at full strength.

“All three of them have looked good in practice this week,” Wardle told the Press-Gazette. “Daniel’s not all the way back, so his minutes are going to be limited anyway. But Cougill and Cole, it’s going to be interesting throwing them out there at Wright State and seeing what they can do, especially Cole because he’s never played in [the Horizon League] before.”

Of course, it won't be easy for the Phoenix against Wright State, even with a full roster. It's hard to argue against either Loyola or UIC being the Horizon League's most surprising team so far this season but third-year head coach Billy Donlon has the Raiders sitting at 9-4 heading into tonight's game.

For reference, Wright State was projected to finish dead-last in the Horizon League preseason poll.

The Raiders suffered a 10-point loss to No. 11 Cincinnati in their last game before the holiday break, but recovered to beat D-III Mount St. Joseph on Sunday. A young team, Wright State gets consistent leadership from guard Reggie Arceneaux -- still just a sophomore -- and Dec. 3 Player of the Week Cole Darling while also looking for production from Nov. 19 Newcomer of the Week JT Yoho and Dec. 24 Newcomer of the Week Jerran Young.

Tonight's other Horizon League game will see Milwaukee try to spoil Detroit's 2012 Horizon League Championship banner unveiling.

Milwaukee's 4-10 record seems unbelievable considering its mid-November win over mid-major darling Davidson. But the Panthers then lost nine of their last 10 games despite getting point guard Paris Gulley back from a wrist injury.

Things could be turning around for eighth-year head coach Rob Jeter's squad, however. The Panthers are coming off a 15-point win over Ohio Dominican in which they scored 95 points and saw transfer junior Jordan Aaron, the Nov. 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week, tally 34 points. It was the highest single-game output for a Milwaukee player since 2006.

The Panthers will face a tough challenge in Detroit, however. An enigma early in the year, the 8-5 Titans have gone 7-0 in Calihan Hall but took until Dec. 19 to win their first road game. The Titans own a 15-game home court winning streak on Dick Vitale Court.

The defending Horizon League Tournament champions are coming off a significant home win over Canisius in which junior point guard Ray McCallum scored a game-high 22 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds. The output earned McCallum -- the preseason Player of the Year -- the Dec. 31 Horizon League Player of the Week honors, his first this season. He leads the Horizon League in scoring and assists.

Tonight's game between the Panthers and Titans can be seen on ESPN3.

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