Men's Basketball Notebook (Dec. 3)

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (Dec. 3, 2012)

On the Schedule [all times ET]
Monday, Dec. 3
Wright State at Bowling Green, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 5
Toledo at Detroit, 7 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Buffalo at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Roosevelt at UIC, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network
IPFW at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Thursday, Dec. 6
Geneva at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Green Bay at Tennessee Tech, 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 7
Northern Illinois at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Saturday, Dec. 8
Cleveland State at #25/24 N.C. State, 1 p.m. – ESPN3
Loyola at #19/17 Michigan State, 2 p.m. -- BTN
#rv/rv Colorado State at UIC, 4 p.m. – Horizon League Network
VMI at Wright State, 7 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Hiram at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Valparaiso at #18/20 New Mexico, 9 p.m. – Root Sports

Sunday, Dec. 9
Milwaukee at DePaul, 5 p.m.

Key:
(#) Rankings are AP Top 25/ESPN-USA Today
* - Horizon League game

On the Horizon   

• On Fire: UIC is off to a 6-1 start, the program’s best since the 2003-04 season. On Saturday, the Flames knocked off Northwestern, 50-44, adding the Wildcats to notable wins over Iona (86-81) and Mercer (62-36). 
  During its five-game winning streak, UIC has held its opponents to 36.2-percent shooting, including a 24.7-percent output from three-point range.
• Ranked: The Horizon League continues to sit 12th among Division I conferences in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings.
  The Horizon League is rated 12th among conferences by Jeff Sagarin, Basketball State and Pomeroy.
  Pegged 15th by Pomeroy at the beginning of the year, the Horizon League is one of the largest gainers to this point in the season.
  Full Pomeroy and Basketball State analysis of each team is on Page 7 of the Weekly Release.
• Swatted: Youngstown State senior Damian Eargle became the Horizon League’s all-time blocks leader on Wednesday night, recording four blocks to reach 230 in his career.
  Eargle achieved the feat in just 68 games played after transferring to YSU after his freshman year. The senior broke the record of Evansville’s Dan Godfread, who starred for the Purple Aces from 1985-90.
  Eargle sits 70 blocks ahead of Green Bay junior Alec Brown, who may have another year to try and track down the record.

• The Horizon League and Mid-American Conference will meet four more times this week, after playing six times last week. The Horizon League went 4-2 in those games last week and now holds a 9-4 record against the MAC this year. Cleveland State owns an 11-game winning streak against MAC opponents.
• Horizon League teams will meet Power 6 conference members twice times this week, with Loyola traveling to No. 19/17 Michigan State (2 p.m. ET, BTN) and Cleveland State heading to No. 25/24 N.C. State (2 p.m. ET, ESPN3) on Saturday.
• UIC will host a Colorado State team receiving votes in both Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, HLN), while Valparaiso travels to No. 18/20 New Mexicon on Saturday night (9 p.m. ET, Root Sports).

• UIC matched its best record since 2003-04, improving to 6-1 with a 50-44 victory at Northwestern.
• Playing without two of its top players, Cleveland State rallied for two wins during the week, getting past Ball State, 69-63, before knocking off Toledo, 78-73. The Vikings played without sophomore Anton Grady (knee) and freshman Junior Lomomba (foot).
• Detroit led host Pittsburgh, 37-29, at the half, but made just six field goals in the second half as the Panthers rallied for a 74-61 victory.
• Loyola recorded its sixth win of the year on Saturday, rolling past Furman, 77-50. Last year, Loyola had just seven wins in Porter Moser’s first year with the team.

• The Horizon League is ranked 12th by Ken Pomeroy (KenPom.com), up from its preseason prediction of 15th. The conference is solidly 12th, just behind Conference USA and ahead of the WAC. Basketball State (BBState.com) also ranks the Horizon League 12th, as does Jeff Sagarin for USA Today.
• For the first time since joining the Horizon League, Valparaiso was tabbed the preseason favorite in the Horizon League.  The defending regular-season champions, Valparaiso earned three points in the Associated Press preseason poll.
• The Horizon League is the lone conference in the country returning its entire All-League First Team from a year ago.
• The Horizon League is building off a 2011-12 season that saw a record five teams earn postseason bids.  Detroit represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament, while Valparaiso and Cleveland State each went to the NIT. Butler and Milwaukee participated in the CBI.
• All nine Horizon League teams will participate in multi-team events, with Detroit pariticpating in the Gotham Classic in two weeks. Records were as follows: UIC (USVI Paradise Jam - 2-1); Cleveland State (NIT Season Tip-Off - 2-2); Loyola (USF Invitational - 1-2); Valparaiso (Nebraska Classic - 3-1); Wright State (Utah Tournament - 1-2); Youngstown State (Legends Classic - 1-3); Green Bay (World Vision Classic - 1-2); Milwaukee (Hoops for Hope Classic - 0-4).

• Cleveland State has only led at the half in one game this year, trailing in six and being tied in one. However, the Vikings are 4-2 when trailing or tied at halftime.
• Head Coach Gary Waters won his 299th career game with Saturday’s win over Toledo. His 17-year coaching career record is 299-219, including 128 wins at CSU, 92 at Kent State and 79 at Rutgers. Waters signed a seven-year contract extension at CSU before the year tipped.
• Sophomore Charlie Lee leads the Horizon League in assists (5.8) and has dished out at least five assists in six of CSU’s eight games. Lee’s assist rate of 36.4 ranks 46th in the nation.
• Used on 23.2-percent of Cleveland State’s possessions, Lee leads the Horizon League among players used at least 20 percent of possessions. Lee’s offensive rating of 123.3 leads Valpo’s duo of Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk, both of whom are used at higher rates.
• Throughout Waters’ tenure with the Vikings, Cleveland State has hung its hat on defense. The Vikings has forced turnovers on 23.5 percent of opponents’ possessions, ranking 77th nationally.

• 0-4 on the road this season, Detroit returns to Calihan Hall for four straight games beginning on Wednesday.
• Detroit’s issues stem from the defensive end of the court, where the Titans are allowing opponents a 54.1 effective field-goal percentage, ranking 316th in the nation.
• Junior Ray McCallum currently leads the Titans in three categories this season scoring (20.6 ppg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (2.0 spg) and is also climbing up the career record board in all three. McCallum has 1,104 points (30th), 323 assist (13th) and 121 steals (16th) in his career. The last Titan to rank among the top-10 in all three of those categories was Rashad Phillips ‘01. Phillips finished his career with 2,319 points (1st), 548 assists (4th) and 190 steals (2nd). McCallum needs 498 points, 18 assists and 19 steals to reach that plateau. McCallum is shooting 50.6 percent from the field this season, including 41.2 percent from three-point range.
• McCallum was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. The list recognizes the top-returning players in all of college basketball. McCallum, the Horizon League preseason Player of the Year and first team selection for the second-straight season, was named the Horizon League Tournament MVP last year.

• Green Bay is in the midst of a 35-day stretch with just one of eight games at home. The final two games in that span are upcoming games at Tennessee Tech and Wisconsin.
• Sophomore Keifer Sykes leads the Phoenix in scoring and after a 12-point outing at Virginia has scored in double figures in 21 of his last 24 games.
• Freshman Jordan Fouse has started all 7 games for the Phoenix and leads the team in rebounds, blocks and steals.
• Alec Brown ended his sophomore year with a Green Bay single-season record 89 blocks, including at least one block in 27 of 30 games.
• Brown is the only returning player in the country to have averaged 13+ points, 8+ rebounds and 3+ blocks per game last year.
• With Brown and burly forward Brennan Cougill up front, Green Bay poses a sizeable advantage on the boards. Green Bay is allowing an offensive board in just 26.8 of its defensive stands, ranking 36th.
• Despite the presence of Brown and Cougill on the interior, Green Bay owns an effective field-goal percentage of just 44.2 percent, ranking 292nd nationally. However, the Phoenix own a free-throws attempted to field-goals attempted rate of 42.5, cashing in those free throws 75.6 percent of the time.

• Loyola has won four games in a row, its longest streak since last December and with six wins this season, the Ramblers need one more to equal last season’s total. Loyola’s sixth win didn’t come until Feb. 11 last season.
• Devon Turk’s 19 points versus Furman are the most by a Loyola true freshman since Jordan Hicks tossed in 20 at Milwaukee on March 3, 2009. The Houston native is also the first Loyola true freshman ever to hit at least one three-pointer in his first eight games as a Rambler.
• This is only the third time in Loyola history that Loyola had recorded at least five wins by the end of November. (2006-07, 2010-11).        
• Loyola visits No. 13 Michigan State this weekend and is looking for its first win over a Big Ten Conference foe since an 80-65 victory against Purdue on Dec. 11, 2005.
• Senior Ben Averkamp is one of 15 players in NCAA Division I who entered the season with a legitimate chance of topping 1,000 points, 750 rebounds, 100 assists and 100 blocks for his career. Averkamp has recorded 1,121 points, 526 rebounds, 149 assists and 133 blocks. Two other Horizon League players are closing in on those figures - Valparaiso’s Ryan Broekhoff and Green Bay’s Alec Brown.
• Averkamp has been named as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The Germantown, Wis.-native was voted Second Team All-League after his junior season, becoming Loyola’s first all-league pick since 2006-07.
• This season, Loyola is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1963 NCAA Championship. To this day, Loyola is the only school from the state of Illinois ever to have won the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball title.
• With 16 years of experience spread among 16 players, Loyola ranks as the seventh-youngest team in the nation. Averkamp and Jordan Hicks provide the bulk of experience with seven total years entering the 2012-13 season.

• Milwaukee has not played a home game since Nov. 17; the Panthers return to the Klotsche Center on Dec. 5, where they have won 20-of-21 games.
• Milwaukee senior guard Paris Gulley (hand) returned after missing the first six games of the year, scoring 24 points.
• UWM has lost four-straight games for the first time since losing six-straight early in the 2007-08 season. Milwaukee responded to that slide by winning nine of its next 10.
• Senior Kyle Kelm made his first start of the season Saturday at Northern Iowa and responded with 16 points. He also made three 3-pointers in tallying his third double-figure offensive outing of the season.
• Junior Jordan Aaron had a season-high eight rebounds to go with 10 points Saturday at UNI. Aaron has now been in double figures in scoring in six of his first seven games in a Milwaukee uniform.
• UWM committed a season-low nine turnovers Saturday after having 39 over its previous two games.
• Milwaukee’s opponents have a FTA/FGA rate of 51.2, ranking the Panthers 334th standing in the nation.

• UIC’s 6-1 start is the program’s best since the 2003-04 season. If UIC defeats Roosevelt University on Wednesday night, it would move to 7-1 for the first time since 1997-98, when the Flames jumped out of the gate with a 10-1 record and eventually advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.   
• UIC’s stingy defensive effort has been notable early this season. The Flames are holding their opponents to just a 40.9 effective field-goal percentage, the 16th-best mark, nationally. percent effort from the field, and a 25.4 percent output from three-point range. The Flames are keeping opponents off the offensive glass (30.0 percent Def. OReb % - 113th), while limiting opponents to just a 31.3 FGA/FTA rate, ranking 97th nationally.
• During UIC’s current five game winning streak, junior forward Hayden Humes (13.0 ppg), senior point guard Gary Talton (12.6), senior Josh Crittle (11.4) and senior guard Daniel Barnes (11.2) are all averaging double figures in scoring. During the streak, UIC has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.0 points per game (62.4-50.4).
• UIC has held five opponents under 35 percent shooting from the field, and four foes to less than 50 total points this season. The Flames’ opponents are shooting just 36.6 percent from the field through six games, and have been forced into an average of 14.3 turnovers per contest.
• UIC is 2-0 in true road games this season.  Prior to this season, the Flames had posted just a combined three road wins in as many seasons, all during non-conference play.
• A year after bringing in nine newcomers to the roster, UIC adds eight newcomers to its ranks.   Overall, UIC returns 65 percent of its scoring from the 2011-12 campaign.

• New Mexico will be the next test as part of Valparaiso’s ambitious non-conference schedule. The No. 18/20 Lobos will be the first ranked team Valpo has faced this year.
• In its two losses, Valparaiso is a combined 7-for-36 (19.4 percent) from three-point range. The Crusaders were just 4-for-21 in their 62-49 loss at Saint Louis on Sunday.
• Valpo scoring just 48.5 ppg and shooting 19.4% from 3-point range in losses compared with 77.2 ppg and 45.8% from 3-point range in wins.
• The Crusaders are still waiting for its full roster to be available, with transfer guard LaVonte Dority eligible on Dec. 15. Senior Ryan Broekhoff (flu) and junior Bobby Capobianco (hernia) have also been less than full strength in the first month of the year.       
• Valparaiso’s 53.4 effective field-goal percentage ranks 36th in the country. The Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free-throw line, holding a 46.2 FGA/FTA rate. The mark is 41st nationally.
• Ryan Broekhoff’s 121.8 offensive rating ranks 27th among players used on at least 24 percent of the team’s possessions.
• Senior Kevin Van Wijk serves as the focal point of the Valparaiso offense, being used on 30.7 percent of the team’s possessions. Van Wijk’s 9.1 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is the third-best rate nationally.

• Junior Cole Darling’s 29 point effort was the most by a Raider since Julius Mays had 33 on Jan. 25, 2012.
• The Raiders’ 26.5 defensive turnover rate ranks 13th nationally, while Wright State is allowing offensive rebounds on just 28.1 percent of its defensive possessions, ranking 59th.
• In his two years as Wright State’s head coach, Billy Donlon has hung his hat on defense. Last year, the Raiders were fourth in the country at defensive turnover rate, turning opponents over 25.6-percent of the time. In 2010-11, the team ranked 12th at 24.3-percent, per KenPom.com. Wright State has not been outside the top 20 in the category in each of the last four seasons.
• A season after opening the year as the sixth-youngest team in the country, the Raiders are once again the sixth-youngest team in the nation. Wright State has 15 players with a total of 14 years of collegiate experience. The Raiders are one of a handful of teams to open the year without a senior on their roster.
• Wright State returns just 36.9 percent of its scoring from a year ago; the Raiders return six letterwinners from last year, led by point guard Reggie Arceneaux.

• Senior Damian Eargle set a new Horizon League career blocks record with 4 against Kent State, breaking the old mark of 226. Eargle sits at 234.
• Eargle is approaching the 800 point mark at YSU. He has 783 points and needs 217 to reach 1,000 in his YSU career.
• Junior Kendrick Perry needs just 70 points to reach 1,000 for his career. He also ranks eighth all-time with 273 assists.
• Senior Blake Allen needs 39 more 3-pointers to become the YSU all-time leader. He has 160 and the record is 198.
• The Penguins’ 16.5 turnover rate is one of the tops in the nation, checking in at No. 20.
• Defensively, the Penguins are holding teams to an effective field-goal percentage of 44.7, ranking 77th nationally.
• Last year, Youngstown State was among the nation’s most reliant teams on the three-pointer. 38.1 percent of YSU’s total points came via the three, the eighth-highest mark in the nation. 40.8 percent of the Penguins’ attempts were three-pointers, ranking 28th nationally. To this point in the year, the Penguins are displaying more balance, getting just 26.3 percent of its points from long range and holding a 31.6 percent 3PA/FGA rate.