Loyola named preseason favorite in Horizon League men's basketball poll

The survey of League coaches, sports information directors and media members places the Ramblers atop the loop ladder, with 31 of 44 first-place votes. The Ramblers collected a total of 373 points, well ahead of second choice University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (eight first-place votes and 334 points). The University of Detroit Mercy was third with three top nods and 286 points.

The University of Illinois at Chicago (231 points) edged Wright State University (217) and 2005-06 League runner-up Butler University (201 points including the final first-place vote) for fourth place among prognosticators. Two-time defending League champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is seventh with 145 points, with Youngstown State University (116) and Cleveland State University (77) rounding out the poll.

Loyola has all five starters in 2006-07, led by two-time First-Team All-League selection Blake Schilb and senior guard Majak Kou. Schilb finished second in the League with his 19.2 points-per-game scoring average which featured 17 games of 20 points or more. He also contributed 5.2 rebounds per contest, while ranking fifth in the League in assists 3.93 per game), eighth in blocked shots, tenth in steals and third in free-throw percentage. Kou was a member of the League's All-Defensive Team with 45 blocked shots and 47 steals but also scored 12.8 points per outing. Sophomores J.R. Blount (11.3 points per game last season) and Leon Young (10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds per game) hope to provide more support this year.

UW-Green Bay features a talented sophomore class which gained experience while building a 15-16 record (8-8 in the League) a year ago. Senior guard Ryan Evanochko provides veteran leadership along with 15.8 points per game (eighth in the League) plus 5.16 assists per contest (second on the loop charts). The heralded sophomore class includes an All-Defensive Team honoree in forward Terry Evans (29 blocks and 50 steals last winter) plus an All-Newcomer Team selection in forward Mike Schachtner (10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds per game). A third sophomore, forward Ryan Tillema, canned 56 three-pointers in his debut campaign.

Detroit relies heavily on a backcourt featuring senior Brandon Cotton and junior Jon Goode to improve upon last season's showing (16-16 overall, 8-8 in the League). Cotton drew Second-Team All-League notice in 2005-06, averaging 17.5 points per game (fifth in the circuit), while Goode added 10.9 per outing. Much of Goode's contribution came from the three-point arc, where he hit 41.5 percent of his shots from the tri-light zone. UDM also welcomes back senior center Ryvon Covile, who missed all of last year with a knee injury.

UIC (16-15, 8-8 last season) boasts the reigning League Newcomer of the Year in junior forward Othyus Jeffers along with fellow All-Newcomer Team selection Josh Mayo in the backcourt. Jeffers posted per-game rates of 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game a year ago, finishing third in the League off the glass. Mayo stepped forward in the second half of the season, ending the year with averages 10.1 points and 3.0 assists per outing.

New Wright State coach Brad Brownell inherits a program with four returning starters including First-Team All-League choice DaShaun Wood. The senior guard was also a member of the loop's All-Defensive Team, leading the circuit with an average of 1.82 steals per game to supplement his offensive production of 17.9 points and 4.68 assists per outing---ranking fourth and third in those categories, respectively. Senior forward Drew Burleson (12.5 points per game) anchors the frontcourt for WSU (13-15 overall, 8-8 in the League).

As a sign of the various opinions among League votes, Butler was picked everywhere except second on at least one ballot. The Bulldogs finished second both in the regular season (11-5 in loop play) and the League Championship (losing to UW-Milwaukee 87-71 in the title game at the loop summit) and must replace three starters including League Player of the Year Brandon Polk. Todd Lickliter earned Coach of the Year honors in 2005-06 and looks to the combination of junior guard A.J. Graves (13.4 points, 2.42 assists per game) and senior forward Brandon Crone (9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds per outing) along with transfers Mike Green and Pete Campbell this season as Butler (20-13 in 2005-06) looks to continue a run which features eight 20-win seasons in the last ten years.

UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter took his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006, but the second-year mentor faces a different challenge this year as all five starters and two key reserves have completed their eligibility. The current UWM roster accounted for only 15 percent of the team's scoring and 20 percent of the playing time on last year's 22-9 team which finished 12-4 in loop play and won its second consecutive League Championship. Junior forward Paige Paulsen, a transfer from Northern Illinois University, is one of many newcomers who will look to make an impact for the Panthers, while junior guard Avery Smith is the club's top returning scorer with a 4.7 points-per-game average.

Youngstown State's Quin Humphrey made history last winter as only the second player ever to lead the League in both scoring (19.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 per outing). The senior guard was YSU's first-ever First-Team All-Horizon League honoree after posting 30 or more points in three consecutive games early in the League schedule, and serves as the focal point for the Penguins again this year. Senior guard Keston Roberts chipped in with 14.0 points per game a year ago to win All-Newcomer Team honors with junior forward John Barber adding 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per appearance for Youngstown State (7-21, 4-12 in the League last year).

Cleveland State (10-18, 5-11) begins a new era under veteran coach Gary Waters, who has taken six teams to postseason play in his ten-year career at Kent State University and Rutgers University. His new charges include senior guard Carlos English (4.64 assists per game in 2005-06) along with sophomore J'Nathan Bullock, who led the team with 11.3 points per outing. Senior forward Patrick Tatham grabbed a team-high 6.0 rebounds per contest last winter to rank ninth in the League, while senior guard Raheem Moss added 10.0 per contest with his 38 percent shooting from three-point range.

The voters provided a variety of forecasts, although all 44 placed Loyola among the top three positions in the poll. Every other school experienced at least a five-place range, however, with Wright State tabbed everywhere from second to ninth and Detroit picked as low as eighth on two ballots compared to its three first-place votes. UW-Milwaukee (second through ninth) and UIC (second through eighth) also had varying reviews.

The 2006-07 Horizon League men's basketball season opens Nov. 8 when Youngstown State faces Central Michigan University in the opening round of the 2K College Hoops Classic in East Lansing, Mich. Butler takes part in the Preseason NIT, beginning play in that tournament November 13 versus the University of Notre Dame in Indianapolis. The 72-game League schedule begins Dec. 2 with four loop contests, as Detroit visits Wright State, Youngstown State is at UIC, UW-Green Bay travels to Loyola and Cleveland State faces homestanding Butler. UW-Milwaukee opens defense of its regular-season title the following weekend at home versus YSU.

The 2007 Horizon League Championship begins Feb. 27 at campus sites, with the fourth through sixth seeds hosting seeds 7-9. From there, action shifts to the home of the regular-season champion, with the second round and semifinals slated for March 2 and 3, respectively, ahead of the March 6 championship. The higher seed remaining after the semifinals earns the right to host that event---televised live on ESPN---with the League's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line.

The League will release its women's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday (Oct. 11), with the preseason All-League men's and women's teams announced Thursday (Oct. 12).

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Comprised of nine public and private institutions of higher learning, the Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference that sponsors 19 intercollegiate championship sports and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The League and its member institutions aspire to teach young people, through athletic competition, the value of learning, service to others and personal responsibility.

2006-07 Horizon League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Team (First-place votes) -- Pts.
1. Loyola (31) -- 373
2. UW-Green Bay (8) -- 334
3. Detroit (3) -- 286
4. UIC -- 231
5. Wright State -- 217
6. Butler (2) -- 201
7. UW-Milwaukee -- 145
8. Youngstown State -- 116
9. Cleveland State -- 77