Men's Basketball Schedule Jan. 23 (all times EST)
Loyola at Cleveland State -- 7 p.m., HLN
Wright State at Youngstown State -- 7:05 p.m., HLN
Milwaukee at UIC -- 8 p.m., HLN
Green Bay at Valparaiso -- 8:05 p.m., ESPN3
INDIANAPOLIS -- With eight teams in action tonight, Valparaiso hosts Green Bay while looking to extend its slight edge in the Horizon League standings as Wright State hopes to keep pace while wrapping up a four-game roadtrip at Youngstown State.
Valpo and Green Bay play the night's final game, streamed on ESPN3 at 8:05 p.m. EST. The Crusaders have won five straight, including three road games and a pair of come-from-behind wins. The two most recent victories have no doubt been the most impressive for the Crusaders, rallying from 22 down in the second half at Detroit for a one-point win last Thursday and then scraping out a six-point victory during the closing minutes against Wright State on Saturday to take over first place in the Horizon League.
The Phoenix has been impressive of late, as well, sweeping a four-game homestand while outscoring its opponents 255-200, a 13.75-point average margin of victory. Green Bay won't have it quite so easy over the next couple of weeks, however: tonight's game at Valpo starts a four-game roadtrip. Surprisingly, the Phoenix have yet to pick up a true road win this season; its only win away from the Resch Center came all the way back on Nov. 16 when Green Bay beat Southern Utah 66-54 in the opening road of the World Vision Classic in Reno, Nev.
An hour before Valparaiso and Green Bay tip off, Wright State takes the court at Youngstown State looking to be the first team to six Horizon League wins this season. Though the Raiders are tied with the Crusaders at 5-1 in conference play, Valpo won the head-to-head matchup on Saturday night. Wright State recovered, however, by delivering a two-point win at Detroit on Monday night.
In addition to being undefeated at the Nutter Center, the surprising Raiders are 5-4 on the road this season. While wrapping up a tough four-game roadtrip tonight, Wright State has a chance to pick up a third conference win away from home.
Youngstown State will be expected to present a challenge to their in-state rivals, however. The Penguins are playing just their second home conference game and are coming off a road win at Milwaukee.
Tonight's first game also takes place in Ohio as Loyola travels to Cleveland State for a 7 p.m. EST tip. The Ramblers are finishing up a three-game roadtrip that included a non-conference win at Chicago State on Sunday night. Loyola also picked up an in-city win at DePaul earlier this season and UIC beat Northwestern in Evanston, giving the Horizon League sweep for the unofficial city title.
After being swept out of the state of Wisconsin, Cleveland State will no doubt be happy to return home. The Vikings are 7-1 overall and 2-0 in Horizon League play at the Wolstein Center this season, including a 12-point win over Detroit.
An hour after the Ramblers and Vikings take the court, UIC hosts Milwaukee. Both the Flames and Panthers are coming off losses: UIC was blown out 98-47 in Detroit on Saturday, the largest margin of victory in the history of Horizon League men's basketball, and Milwaukee dropped a home decision to Youngstown State by just three points.
The last time the Flames and Panthers squared off, Milwaukee eliminated UIC in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
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