Horizon League Announces Pairings, Times for 2008 Men's Basketball Championship

March 2, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Championship Bracket in PDF Format

INDIANAPOLIS -- Regular-season champion Butler University carries the top seed into the 2008 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship, which begins Tuesday (Mar. 4) with first-round games at campus sites. From there, action moves to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for second-round games on Friday (Mar. 7) and semifinals on Saturday (Mar. 8), with Saturday's doubleheader slated for a national audience via ESPNU.

Tuesday's four-game schedule begins at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) when (#10 seed) University of Detroit Mercy (7-22 overall / 3-15 Horizon League) visits defending League champion and third seed Wright StateUniversity (20-9 / 12-6).

Other first-round action has fourth seed University of Illinois at Chicago (16-14 / 9-9) hosting ninth seed Youngstown State University (9-20 / 5-13), while eighth seed Loyola University Chicago (11-18 / 6-12) travels to fifth seed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (14-15 / 9-9), and sixth seed and League newcomer Valparaiso University (19-12 / 9-9) hosts seventh seed University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (15-14 / 9-9). All three of those games are slated for 7 p.m. Central time (8 p.m. Eastern).

The winners of Tuesday's games advance to Indianapolis for second-round action on Saturday, with the survivor between Wright State and Detroit meeting the Valpo/Green Bay winner at 6 p.m. (Eastern time). The UIC/Youngstown State winner faces either Milwaukee or Loyola at 8 p.m.

Butler and second seed Cleveland State University (20-11 / 12-6) earned byes into the semifinals. Butler---currently 14th in the latest Associated Press national poll and 13th in the current ESPN/USA Today coaches' canvass---captured the regular-season title for the seventh time in the past 12 years with a 16-2 loop record as part of a 27-3 overall ledger. Both victory totals represent the highest regular-season marks in League history. Senior guard Mike Green---a contender for the Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard---is one of ten Division I players to lead his team in scoring (14.5 points per game, seventh in the League), rebounding (6.4 per outing, ninth on the loop charts) and assists (a League-best 5.13 per game). Fellow senior A.J. Graves and freshman forward Matt Howard add 13.5 and 12.6 points per game, respectively.

Cleveland State has won 20 games for the first time since 1992-93, and became only the second team in League annals to reach that milestone one season after a 20-loss campaign. (The Vikings finished 10-21 last season.) CSU's dramatic turnaround was fueled by the efforts of junior guard Cedric Jackson (14.1 points and 5.13 assists per game) and junior forward J'Nathan Bullock (14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest).

Cleveland State, which was projected to finish ninth in the League's preseason poll, won a tie-breaker over Wright State by virtue of a 5-3 record against the four teams tied at 9-9 in the standings, compared to the Raiders' 4-4 mark against those same schools. In the middle of the pack, UIC's combined mark of 4-2 versus Milwaukee, Valpo and Green Bay gave the Flames the fourth seed, while the Phoenix went 2-4 in that group to draw the seventh spot. Milwaukee's split of the regular-season series with Cleveland State gave the Panthers the nod over Valparaiso.

The top two teams make their Championship debuts in Saturday's semifinals, with Cleveland State taking the court at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time) against the winner of Friday's first game. Host Butler can reach the championship game for the third year in a row with a victory against Friday's other winner in the finale Saturday night (6:30 p.m. Eastern time). Both of those games will air nationally on ESPNU.

The higher-remaining seed earns the right to host the championship game, scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday (Mar. 11). The Horizon League's automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament is on the line in that contest, which airs live on ESPN as part of "Championship Week."

The top seed has won 14 of the first 28 League Championships, including Wright State's 60-55 victory over Butler in the final of last year's League summit. Butler received an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16.

Streaming video with audio of all first- and second-round tournament games is available free, live on the Internet via the Horizon League Network. To watch the games, log onto the Horizon League Network web site at www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv.

All games of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship also will be available live on Sirius Satellite Radio. Specific channels will be announced Monday.

2008 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

First Round -- Tuesday, March 4 (games played at home of higher-seeded teams)
Game 1: (#10 seed) Detroit (7-22 / 3-15) at (#3 seed) Wright State (20-9 / 12-6), 7 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Game 2: (#7 seed) Green Bay (15-14 / 9-9) at (#6 seed) Valparaiso (19-12 / 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Game 3: (#9 seed) Youngstown State (9-20 / 5-13) at (#4 seed) UIC (16-14 / 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Game 4: (#8 seed) Loyola (11-18 / 6-12) at (#5 seed) Milwaukee (14-15 / 9-9), 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Second Round -- Friday, March 7 (at Indianapolis / Hinkle Fieldhouse)
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Semifinals -- Saturday, March 8 (at Indianapolis / Hinkle Fieldhouse)
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. (#2 seed) Cleveland State (20-11 / 12-6), 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. (#1 seed) Butler (27-3 / 16-2), 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Championship -- Tuesday, March 11 (at home of higher-remaining seed)
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)