Loyola-CSU Game of the Week, ESPN Games Highlight Weekend

Men's Basketball Schedule for the Weekend of Friday, Jan. 6
Friday, Jan. 6:
Butler at Wright State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Valparaiso at Detroit, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

Saturday, Jan. 7:
Loyola at Cleveland State, 2 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network Game of the Week | ESPN3)
UIC at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Green Bay at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)

Sunday, Jan. 8:
Valparaiso at Wright State, 3 p.m. ET (Horizon League Network)
Butler at Detroit, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN3)

ESPN kicks off its Friday night package of Horizon League games, while Loyola visits Cleveland State in the Horizon League Network Game of the Week, highlighting what has already been an exciting weekend of conference play.

After just 20 conference games, the Horizon League is shaping up to be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Already, 12 games have come down to the final minute of regulation or reached overtime, and several games this weekend shape up to be taut affairs.

Friday night sees the annual resumption of ESPN Networks' coverage of the Horizon League. Each weekend of League play will feature a Friday night game on ESPNU and another on ESPN3. Jim Barbar and David Kaplan will be on the call, just as they were a year ago.

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The ESPNU lineup begins with a game that features a rematch of one of the best games in the conference last year when Butler (8-7, 2-1 Horizon) meets Wright State (8-8, 3-1 Horizon) at the Nutter Center. A year ago, the Raiders squeaked past the Bulldogs, 69-64. However, several key players from that matchup are gone, meaning new faces have a chance to emerge for both sides.

The Raiders enter the night on a four-game winning streak, their longest of the year. The sixth-youngest team in the nation, Wright State has been bolstered by one of its older players, junior Julius Mays. Mays, in his first year of eligibility with Wright State after sitting out last year as a transfer, has averaged 21.0 points per game during the streak, which has vaulted the Raiders into a four-way tie for the League lead. At 15.8 ppg in League play, Mays is the fourth-leading scorer in the conference.

Butler counters with balance. No Bulldog is averaging more than 10.0 ppg, but seven Butler players are averaging six or more points per game. Where the Butler attack will come from on a nightly basis is relatively unknown, with several players capable of double-digit scoring efforts. Brad Stevens has utilized his team's depth to find the hot hand and stick with it, helping the Bulldogs rattle off four wins in their last five games.

One of the keys for both teams has been their defense. The teams rank fourth and fifth in scoring defense, each allowing just over 62 ppg. The glaring difference in defense comes in opponents' field-goal percentage, where Butler is holding the opposition to 41.1 percent shooting and Wright State 44.2 percent.

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On ESPN3, the League's two highest scoring teams in the League square off in what could turn into a track meet at Calihan Hall when Valparaiso (9-6, 2-1 Horizon) visits Detroit (7-9, 1-3 Horizon).

After a 90-point performance last Saturday, Valparaiso enters the weekend averaging 74.7 ppg, while Detroit checks in at 73.0. However, the Titans' offense has been stalled in League play, putting up just 61.5 ppg in four conference games. The Crusaders, meanwhile, are at 74.0 ppg after putting up 77 or more points in two of three games.

Conversely, the defenses check in as ninth and 10th in the Horizon League, with Detroit giving up 68.8 ppg and Valpo 70.2 ppg.

Valparaiso's offense has worked from the inside-out, with Kevin Van Wijk dominating the low block, enabling Ryan Broekhoff to flourish with his slashing game. Van Wijk paces the League with 63.9 percent shooting from the floor, averaging 15.0 ppg. Meanwhile, Broekhoff is second in the League in scoring at 15.2 ppg and leads the conference with 9.2 rebounds per game.

No slouch offensively, Detroit has three players ranked in the top 20 of the League in scoring, with Chase Simon on top of the ledger with 15.7 ppg. The Preseason Player of the Year in the League, Ray McCallum is sixth in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg). Doug Anderson rounds out the trio with 10.4 ppg, with 31 of his 58 field goals coming on dunks.

Tabbed to finish second in the preseason poll, Detroit sits two games out of first place after two League weekends and may find itself at a crossroads if it wants to challenge for the regular season crown with Valpo and Butler visiting Calihan Hall.

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Saturday sees the Horizon League Network Game of the Week kick off a three-game slate, with Loyola (5-10, 0-5 Horizon) visiting Cleveland State (13-3, 3-1 Horizon) at 2 p.m. ET.

The stingy Vikings defense will be tasked with stopping the two-headed attack of Loyola forwards Ben Averkamp and Walt Gibler. Averkamp has eclipsed 20 points in six of his last seven games, while Gibler has tallied four double-doubles in the last six contests. The forwards nearly led the Ramblers to their first League win on Thursday, combining for 49 points and 13 rebounds in a 68-64 overtime loss at Youngstown State on Thursday.

Cleveland State is fighting through injuries, with Trey Harmon missing Thursday's 73-56 victory over UIC after a concussion and Sebastian Douglas out for the remainder of the year. Additionally, Aaron Pogue, tasked with controlling the post, has been slowed by a corked thigh, suffered two weeks prior. Still, the Vikings cruised on Thursday behind its finest shooting performance from three-point range of the year, hitting eight first-half threes en route to the win.

Jeremy Montgomery's renewed touch has helped the Vikings over their last three games; over the last three games, Montgomery is 16-for-26 from three, including a 4-for-6 effort last night.

The Vikings' extended pressure will look to give a young Loyola back court fits; the Ramblers' 14.5 turnovers per game are eighth in the League, while CSU's 18.8 turnovers forced is tops in the conference. On Thursday, Cleveland State forced 12 UIC turnovers in the first half to help build a 21-point first half advantage.

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At the Beeghly Center, Youngstown State (8-6, 3-1 Horizon) is seeking its first 4-1 start since joining the Horizon League, welcoming UIC (5-10, 1-4 Horizon) on Saturday night.

Returning home for its first conference game of the year, YSU needed overtime to get past Loyola, 68-64, on Thursday, struggling from three-point range. While the Penguins were 20-for-37 inside the arc, they were 6-of-19 behind it, falling short of their season averages of 9.6 three-pointers per game and 24.8 entering the night.

Still, YSU is committed to its outside game, with Blake Allen, Ashen Ward and DuShawn Brooks leading the attack. Allen went 3-for-8 from distance last night, making him 45-of-104 on the year, a 43.3 percent clip. Ward, after struggling during the Penguins' four-game slide, has gone 6-for-10 from three-point range in his last two games, moving into ninth place on YSU's career list.

Meanwhile, Brooks, after struggling with just seven points against Loyola, remains the leading scorer in the Horizon League, tied with Green Bay's Alec Brown at 16.3 ppg.

UIC enters the game off its worst loss in League play, a 17-point setback at Cleveland State. Entering the night, the Flames had not had a conference game decided by more than four points.

The Flames will try and use its rebounding to grab an advantage on Youngstown State; UIC enters the night with a 3.3 margin in rebounding, while the Penguins rank last in the League, being outrebounded by an average of 4.2 boards per game. Three Flames average more than 5.0 rpg, with Darrin Williams leading the way with 6.6 ppg.

Williams is also among three UIC players averaging 10 or more points per game, putting up 10.5 ppg. While Williams and Damian Eargle will do battle in the post, Daniel Barnes and Gary Talton will look to give UIC the advantage in the back court. The duo averages 11.3 and 10.7 ppg, respectively, with Talton recording 21 points in two of his last three games.

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Saturday's final game features one of the best rivalries in the conference, as Green Bay (6-8, 2-2 Horizon) looks for its first road win of the year at Milwaukee (10-6, 3-1 Horizon).

After playing six of its last eight games on the road, the Panthers return to the comforts of U.S. Cellular Arena, where they will look to their League-leading defense to clamp down on the Phoenix. Allowing just 58.8 ppg, Milwaukee ranks 22nd in the nation, while its 24.3 percent opponent mark from three-point range leads the country.

Green Bay enters the night hitting just 31.6 percent of its three-pointers.

The Phoenix have run their offense through the posts, where Alec Brown and Brennan Cougill present matchup problems. At 7-foot-1, Brown is among the conference's most skilled big men, tying for the conference lead in scoring with 16.3 ppg in four League contests. Meanwhile, Cougill's 6-foot-7 frame allows him to play down low and the pick-and-pop game.

Green Bay will hope that the offense it found at Valparaiso can be paired with normally stingy defense; at the ARC, the Phoenix put up 87 points, going 12-for-24 from three-point range, but gave up 90 in its eighth road loss of the year.

With teams focusing on Brown and Cougill, Aaron Armstead, Kam Cerroni and Steve Baker helped the Phoenix nearly overcome an 18-point deficit, going a combined 10-of-13 from three-point range.

Milwaukee will try and close out on the perimeter, with Ryan Allen, Kaylon Williams and Paris Gulley in charge of limiting Green Bay's shooters. On the interior, Tony Meier, Kyle Kelm and James Haarsma will all take turns on Brown and Cougill.

Offensively, the Panthers will try and stretch Green Bay's defense, as Meier will look to draw a defender to the perimeter with his three-point prowess. Connecting on 24 threes, Meier is finding his way back after missing the first month of the year with a calf injury. In just nine games, Meier is Milwaukee's second-leading scorer, putting up 10.8 ppg.

Williams continues to be the straw that stirs Milwaukee's drink, putting up 11.8 ppg and 6.2 apg after a 12-assist effort at Western Michigan on Tuesday.

Rebounds will be at a premium among the teams, who enter the evening second and third in the conference, with Green Bay averaging 37.1 rpg, just ahead of Milwaukee's 36.9. The Phoenix, with Brown and Cougill up front, lead the Horizon League, grabbing 36.4 percent of offensive rebounds; however, the Panthers are the second-best team in the League at cleaning up the defensive glass, grabbing 71.2 percent of available defensive boards.