Horizon League Announces Men's Basketball Conference Schedule

Horizon League Men's Basketball Conference Schedule Release

INDIANAPOLIS -- The race for the Horizon League men’s basketball title will begin on January 2, 2013 as the League announced its conference men’s basketball schedule on Thursday. Each of the nine Horizon League teams will play the others twice - for a total of 16 conference games - over a nine-week span culminating on March 2.

Among the highlights of the schedule is the rematch of the Horizon League Championship between Detroit and Valparaiso on Sat., Feb. 16. As part of ‘Rivalry Week,’ ESPN2 will carry the game, in which tournament MVP Ray McCallum leads the Titans to the ARC to take on defending League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff and Valparaiso. The Titans took home their first League title since 1999, 70-50, last March 6.

ESPN has confirmed that Sat., Feb. 9 will feature either Valparaiso at Cleveland State or Detroit at Green Bay on ESPN2, with the time to be determined.

Key matchups loom throughout the schedule, including the opening weekend, when Valparaiso hosts Cleveland State on Fri., Jan. 4. The next day, Detroit will host Green Bay in the first of eight Horizon League Games of the Week, which air at 2 p.m. EST.

Among other highly anticipated matchups, Detroit will head to Youngstown State (Jan. 10) and Cleveland State (Jan. 12), while the following week will see Green Bay hosting the Penguins (Jan. 17) and Vikings (Jan. 19). Valparaiso’s trip to Calihan Hall will occur on Thurs., Jan. 17.

Rivals will square off on the final weekend of January, with Green Bay traveling to Milwaukee (Jan. 25) and Youngstown State taking on Cleveland State (Jan. 26) in another Game of the Week.

Sat., Feb. 16 will see the intra-city rivalry between Loyola and UIC, with the Ramblers celebrating the 50th anniversary of its national championship team.

All nine Horizon League teams will be participating in the Sears BracketBusters before the final week of the year pits Youngstown State at Valparaiso (Feb. 26) before the Crusaders and Green Bay help close the regular season on March 2, along with Youngstown State at Wright State in the Game of the Week.

The Horizon League Tournament will begin on Tues., March 5, with three first-round games. The winners, along with the No. 3 seed, will be in action on Fri., March 9, with semifinals set for the following day. ESPNU will carry both semifinals, at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. ET. The Horizon League Championship will air on Tues., March 12, at 9 p.m. ET, on ESPN or ESPN2.

As part of their long-term partnership, the Horizon League and ESPN are finalizing national television selections for the coming season. An announcement regarding the full slate of Horizon League-ESPN telecasts should be released in the coming month.

All five First Team All-Horizon League players – Broekhoff, McCallum, Kevin Van Wijk (Valparaiso), Alec Brown (Green Bay) and Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State) – return in 2012-13.

Last year, the Horizon League sent a conference-record five teams into postseason play. Over the last 11 seasons, the League’s NCAA Tournament winning percentage is the best among all non-Power 6 conferences.

The composite League schedule follows.

Wednesday, Jan. 2
Youngstown State at UIC
Loyola at Valparaiso

Thursday, Jan. 3
Green Bay at Wright State
Milwaukee at Detroit

Friday, Jan. 4
Cleveland State at Valparaiso

Saturday, Jan. 5
Youngstown State at Loyola
Green Bay at Detroit
Milwaukee at Wright State

Monday, Jan. 7
UIC at Cleveland State

Wednesday, Jan. 9
Cleveland State at Wright State
Loyola at Green Bay
Valparaiso at UIC

Thursday, Jan. 10
Detroit at Youngstown State

Friday, Jan. 11
Wright State at Loyola

Saturday, Jan. 12
Detroit at Cleveland State
UIC at Green Bay
Valparaiso at Milwaukee

Wednesday, Jan. 16
Loyola at UIC

Thursday, Jan. 17
Valparaiso at Detroit
Cleveland State at Milwaukee
Youngstown State at Green Bay

Saturday, Jan. 19
Cleveland State at Green Bay
Youngstown State at Milwaukee
Wright State at Valparaiso
UIC at Detroit

Monday, Jan. 21
Wright State at Detroit

Wednesday, Jan. 23
Loyola at Cleveland State
Wright State at Youngstown State
Green Bay at Valparaiso
Milwaukee at UIC

Friday, Jan. 25
Green Bay at Milwaukee

Saturday, Jan. 26
Cleveland State at Youngstown State
Detroit at Loyola
UIC at Wright State

Wednesday, Jan. 30
Valparaiso at Youngstown State
Milwaukee at Loyola
Detroit at Wright State

Thursday, Jan. 31
Green Bay at UIC

Friday, Feb. 1
Youngstown State at Detroit
Milwaukee at Valparaiso

Saturday, Feb. 2
Cleveland State at UIC
Green Bay at Loyola

Monday, Feb. 4
Loyola at Wright State

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Youngstown State at Cleveland State
UIC at Valparaiso

Thursday, Feb. 7
Loyola at Youngstown State
Wright State at Green Bay
Detroit at Milwaukee

Saturday, Feb. 9
Valparaiso at Cleveland State
Detroit at Green Bay
Wright State at Milwaukee

Sunday, Feb. 10
UIC at Youngstown State

Tuesday, Feb. 12
Cleveland State at Detroit
Loyola at Milwaukee
Valparaiso at Wright State

Friday, Feb. 15
Green Bay at Cleveland State
Milwaukee at Youngstown State

Saturday, Feb. 16
Detroit at Valparaiso
UIC at Loyola

Sunday, Feb. 17
Milwaukee at Cleveland State
Green Bay at Youngstown State

Tuesday, Feb. 19
Valparaiso at Loyola

Wednesday, Feb. 20
Wright State at Cleveland State
UIC at Milwaukee

Friday-Sunday, Feb. 22-24 - Sears BracketBusters
Home: Loyola, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State,   Youngstown State
Road: Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Milwaukee

Tuesday, Feb. 26
Youngstown State at Valparaiso
Milwaukee at Green Bay
Loyola at Detroit
Wright State at UIC

Friday, March 1
Cleveland State at Loyola

Saturday, March 2
Youngstown State at Wright State
Detroit at UIC
Valparaiso at Green Bay

Tuesday, March 5
Horizon League Tournament 1st Round:
Game 1 - No. 9 seed at No. 4 seed
Game 2 - No. 8 seed at No. 5 seed
Game 3 - No. 7 seed at No. 6 seed

Friday, March 8
Horizon League Tournament 2nd Round:
Game 4 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 5 - No. 3 seed vs. Game 3 winner

Saturday, March 9
Horizon League Tournament Semifinals:
Game 6 - Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 seed
Game 7 - Game 4 winner at No. 1 seed

Tuesday, March 12
Horizon League Championship
Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7

2013 Horizon League Game of the Week
Jan. 5 -Green Bay at Detroit,2 p.m.
Jan. 12- Valparaiso at Milwaukee,2 p.m.
Jan. 19 - UIC at Detroit OR Cleveland State at Green Bay,2 p.m.
Jan. 26 -Cleveland State at Youngstown State,2 p.m.
Feb. 2 -Green Bay at Loyola,2 p.m.
Feb. 9- Valparaiso at Cleveland State OR Detroit at Green Bay,2 p.m.
Feb. 16- UIC at Loyola,2 p.m.
March 2 -Youngstown State at Wright State,2 p.m.