Men's Basketball Notebook (Feb. 4)

On the Schedule [all times ET] 
Monday, Feb. 4
Loyola at Wright State^*, 7 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Tuesday, Feb. 5
Youngstown State at Cleveland State^*, 7 p.m. – Horizon League Network
UIC at Valparaiso^*, 8:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Thursday, Feb. 7
Loyola at Youngstown State^*, 7:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Detroit at Milwaukee^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Wright State at Green Bay^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Saturday, Feb. 9
Detroit at Green Bay^*, 2 p.m. – Horizon League Network/ESPN3/Midwest Syndication
Valparaiso at Cleveland State^*, 4 p.m. – ESPN2
Wright State at Milwaukee^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Sunday, Feb. 10
UIC at Youngstown State^*, 2:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network

On the Horizon
BracketBusters:One of the founding conferences of the Ramada BracketBusters, the Horizon League placed all nine of its teams in the event.

Two teams were selected for ESPN telecasts, with the opponents to be announced at 6:30 p.m. EST on the ESPNU Selection Show.

The seven other matchups will be released at 7 p.m. EST, following the conclusion of the selection show.

Balance: With five teams sitting within 2 games of each other in the League standings, the Horizon League continues to display remarkable balance.

Eyes will be focused on the Resch Center this weekend, where third-place Green Bay hosts a Wright State squad that sits a half-game behind the Phoenix in the League standings. On Saturday, second-place Detroit visits Green Bay in the Horizon League Network Game of the Week.

The 2010-11 Horizon League regular season featured the first three-way tie for first place in the conference’s history, while last year featured a three-way tie for third place.

More of the same could be in store this year, as Valparaiso holds a half-game lead on Detroit, with Green Bay sitting in third, one-half game ahead of Wright State and Youngstown State.

Motoring: Detroit continues to display one of the most energetic offenses in the country, averaging 79.0 points per game after an 88-77 victory against Youngstown State.

The Titans are 18th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency at 112.8, playing at the 17th-quickest tempo (71.3 possessions per game).

In conference play, the Titans have been slightly quicker, averaging 71.9 possessions while posting an efficiency of 113.0. Additionally, Detroit is averaging 81.5 ppg in League play.

Upcoming Games
·         With four of its last six Horizon League wins having come on the road, Loyola (13-9, 3-6 Horizon) will attempt to knock off a Wright State (14-8, 5-4 Horizon) team that is looking to snap a three-game losing streak on Monday (7 p.m. EST, HLN).
·         Youngstown State (13-9, 5-4 Horizon) will renew its northeast Ohio rivalry with Cleveland State (11-12, 3-6 Horizon) on Tuesday night (7 p.m. EST, HLN).
·         Eyes will be focused on Green Bay throughout the week as the Phoenix (12-11, 6-4 Horizon) host Wright State on Thursday (8 p.m. EST, HLN) before welcoming Detroit (14-8, 7-3 Horizon) in the HLN Game of the Week on Saturday (2 p.m. EST, ESPN3/HLN).

The Week That Was
·         Valparaiso and Detroit continued on a collision course, each winning weekend games to gain a bit of separation on the field.
·         Green Bay won its second road League game on Saturday at Loyola, while Cleveland State collected its first road win at UIC.
·         Youngstown State snapped Valparaiso’s six-game winning streak while extending its own streak to a League-best four, knocking off the visiting Crusaders, 80-68, on Wednesday.
·         One the year, 13 Horizon League games have been within a single possession in the final minute of regulation, with UIC’s win over Green Bay becoming the latest addition.

League Notes
·         As of Feb. 4, the Horizon League is ranked 12^th by Jeff Sagarin. The conference checks in 12^th in the Ken Pomeroy (KenPom.com), Basketball State (BBState.com) and RPI (RPIRatings.com) indexes. Up from its preseason rank of 15^th in Pomeroy, the conference is one of the biggest climbers of the year.

Ken Pomeroy		Jeff Sagarin		Basketball State		RPI
1. Big Ten	.8713	1. Big Ten	84.90	1. Mountian West	73.895	1. Big Ten	.5914
2. Big East	.8334	2. Big East	83.22	2. Big East	73.144	2. Mountain West	.5881
3. ACC	.7956	3. Big 12	82.35	3. Big Ten	72.329	3. Big East	.5871
4. Mountain West	.7941	4. ACC	81.66	4. ACC	71.110	4. ACC	.5756
5. Pac-12	.7795	5. Mountain West	80.71	5. Big 12	69.507	5. Big 12	.5686
6. Big 12	.7664	6. Pac-12	80.65	6. Pac-12	67.889	6. Pac-12	.5674
7. SEC	.7370	7. SEC	79.66	7. SEC	66.363	7. Atlantic 10	.5544
8. Atlantic 10	.6969	8. Atlantic 10	78.69	8. Atlantic 10	66.169	8. SEC	.5471
9. Missouri Valley	.6852	9. Missouri Valley	76.73	9. Missouri Valley	63.406	9. Missouri Valley	.5348
10. West Coast	.6564	10. West Coast	75.55	10. Conference USA	63.042	10. West Coast	.5325
11. Conference USA	.5327	11. Conference USA	74.38	11. West Coast	61.775	11. Conference USA	.5183
12. Horizon League	.5218	12. Horizon League	73.52	12. Horizon League	59.785	12. Horizon League	.5052
13. WAC	.4970	13. WAC	72.20	13. MAC	55.396	13. WAC	.4970
14. MAC	.4497	14. MAAC	71.77	14. WAC	54.747	14. Sun Belt	.4861
15. MAAC	.4482	15. Big West	71.31	15. Sun Belt	54.366	15. MAAC	.4860
16. Big West	.4389	16. MAC	71.13	16. Ivy League	54.013	16. Ohio Valley	.4840
17. Patriot	.4225	17. Colonial	70.87	17. Ohio Valley	53.916	17. MAC	.4808
18. Ivy League	.4115	18. Ivy League	69.68	18. Patriot	53.112	18. Summit	.4788
19. Colonial	.3924	19. Sun Belt	69.55	19. Southland	52.738	19. Big West	.4731
20. Sun Belt	.3910	20. Patriot	69.10	20. Big West	52.622	20. Patriot	.4723
21. Summit	.3517	21. Summit	68.41	21. MAAC	51.957	21. Northeast	.4717

Cleveland State Vikings (11-12, 3-6 Horizon)
·         Cleveland State picked up its second road win of the season and first in Horizon League play with a 77-66 win at UIC on Saturday. The Vikings now have won 12 straight games over the Flames.
·         Freshman Bryn Forbes scored 10 points at UIC, extending his streak of double-digit scoring games to 13 straight and 15 of the last 16 contests.
·         Sophomore Charlie Lee notched his second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high tying 10 assists on Saturday at UIC. His 193 career assists have him seven shy of becoming the fifth player in CSU history to reach 200 career assists as a sophomore.
·         CSU shot .509 (27-53) in the win at UIC and improved to 7-0 when shooting better than 50-percent from the field this year.
·         Cleveland State head coach Gary Waters sits 10^th in career wins (133) among Horizon League coaches, while his 65 conference wins has him tied for 10^th, three shy of former Evansville head coach Jim Crews.

Detroit Titans (15-8, 7-3 Horizon)
·         The Titans are 11-1 when scoring 80 or more points and are 25-1 in their last 26 games when doing so. Through Feb. 3, Detroit ranks among the top-10 in the nation in scoring (79.0 - 6^th) and turnover margin (+5.5 - 4^th).
·         Senior Doug Anderson has recorded a dunk on 57 of his 120 field goals this season.
·         The Titans have started the same five players all season and all five average in double figures in scoring.The five starters - The five starters - Ray McCallum, Jason Calliste, Juwan Howard, Jr., Doug Anderson and Nick Minnerath - have accounted for 86.1 percent of the team’s points this season.
·         McCallum currently leads the Titans in in three categories this season scoring (18.6 ppg), assists (4.7 apg), and steals (1.7 spg.) and is also climbing up the career record board in all three. McCallum has 1,428 points (17^th), 412 assists (9^th) and 153 steals (6^th) in his career. The last Titan to rank among the top-10 in all three of those categories was Rashad Phillips. Phillips finished his career with 2,319 points (1^st), 548 assists (4^th) and 190 steals (2^nd).
·         McCallum was named one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Awardto the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in college basketball. An original list of 60-plus candidates was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to the below list of 20 student-athletes.

Green Bay Phoenix (12-11, 6-4 Horizon)
·         Junior Alec Brown scored a career-high 25 points at Loyola, his second career high in three games. He has now scored 1,038 points and 193 career blocks. Brown is averaging 16.9 points in the past seven games.
·         Freshman Jordan Fouse needs 41 rebounds and 14 more steals to break Green Bay’s freshman records. Fouse’s 33 blocks are second most by Phoenix freshman (Brown 67).
·         Sophomore Cole Stefan entered Saturday’s game at Loyola with 12 points and 3 three-pointers all season, but had 13 points and went 3-of-5 from long range.
·         Green Bay’s 104 blocked shots rank fourth in program history, led by Brown (37) and Fouse (33). Brown’s 37 ranks ninth-best all-time while Fouse’s 33 ranks 12^th.
·         Green Bay won on Saturday despite playing the second half shorthanded. Daniel Turner went down with a knee injury early in the game, while Keifer Sykes played just two minutes in the second half due to an ankle injury.
·         Green Bay has won seven consecutive home games at the Resch Center and went 4-0 on its recent four-game homestand. The Phoenix allowed just 50 points per game and 32.6% shooting during homestand.

Loyola Ramblers (13-9, 3-6 Horizon)
·         Senior Ben Averkamp was selected to the Capital One Academic All-District V Team. Averkamp will now appear on the national ballot for the Capital One Academic All-America teams, which are scheduled for announcement in late February. The 6-foot-8 forward and team captain is joined on the Capital One Academic All-District V Team by Aaron Craft (Ohio State), Cody Zeller (Indiana), Jordan Hulls (Indiana), and Andrew Smith (Butler)
·         Head coach Porter Moser has steered Loyola to a six-game improvement from a year ago to match the school record for greatest jump by a head coach from his first year to his second. Jim Whitesell’s 2005-06 squad also had a six-game improvement from 13 wins to 19.            
·         With a three-pointer against Green Bay on Feb. 2, guard Devon Turk equaled Brian Wolf’s school record for three-pointers by a freshman set in 1989-90, with his 42nd of the year. Turk has hit at least one trey in 20 of the Ramblers’ 22 games.
·         At 13-9 and with at least nine games left on the 2012-13 schedule, Loyola has an opportunity to record just its sixth winning season in the last 28 years. Four of those winning seasons have come in the last 11 years.
·         Senior Jordan Hicks recorded 18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, and 2.0 spg, and drained 68 percent (15 for 22) of his field goal tries last week. His 21 points against Milwaukee on Jan. 30 were his most since Nov. 20, 2010. Hicks had been chipping in just 3.8 ppg in the previous nine outings.
·         Averkamp is one of 15 players nationally 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 1,332 points, 620 rebounds, 173 assists and 147 blocks. Two other Horizon League players are closing in on those numbers - Valparaiso’s Ryan Broekhoff (1,439/785/217/87) and Green Bay’s Alec Brown (1.038/571/67/192)
·         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 Panthers (5-18, 1-8 Horizon)
·         Milwaukee continues to struggle in the second half of league games. The Panthers have been outscored in seven of the nine second halves in the League and have been outscored 159-86 in the second half over their last three games. Milwaukee has led at the half in 11 of its 23 games this year.
·         Senior Paris Gulley has been in double figures in points in 13 of the first 17 games he has played in this season, including four 20-point performances. He missed the first six games of the year with a broken hand.
·         After playing a stellar first half and leading 42-25, the Panthers were outscored 35-8 in the second half at UIC. UWM did not score over the final 9:32 of the game, missing its final 11 shots. And, the eight points in the second half set a new school record.
·         Milwaukee has now been in double figures in offensive rebounds in 15 of the first 23 games of the season. Opponents have also hit double-digits 14 times.
·         Milwaukee went deeper into its bench for the first time in a while last week, with 10 players seeing the court. The Panthers had used just seven guys in their last three games. Generally, the Panthers have used a variety of players. Milwaukee has had 12 players appear in at least 12 of the 22 games this season.
·         Senior Ryan Haggerty made his 100^th appearance at UIC. To put his experience in perspective relative to the inexperience of the rest of the roster, UWM’s four leading scorers on Jan. 19 versus Youngstown State (Jordan Aaron, Austin Arians, J.J. Panoske, Gulley) had a combined 98 collegiate appearances entering Haggerty’s 100^th game.
·         Milwaukee is allowing opponents to grab offensive rebounds on 36.1 percent of its possessions, ranking 312^th in the nation. The Panthers’ effective field goal percentage of 42.5 ranks 328^st.

UIC Flames (14-9, 5-5 Horizon)
·         The Flames tallied winning records in each of the first three months of the season, going 5-1 in November, 4-3 in December and 5-4 in January. The last time UIC collected winning records in each of the first three months of the season was during the 2003-04 campaign.
·         In UIC’s five Horizon League wins, after the final media timeout, senior point guard Gary Talton is shooting 88.9 percent (8-9) from floor, 100 percent (3-3) from three-point range and 88.2 percent (15-17) from free throw line. That includes the game-winning basket against Loyola with 1.7 seconds remaining, and the go-ahead field goal against Milwaukee with just 1:35 left.
·         UIC is 7-0 on the season when limiting the opposition to less than 50 points and 10-1 when holding its opponent between 30-39 percent shooting (33.3) from the field.  The Flames are also 9-1 when leading at halftime, and 6-1 when out-rebounding their opponents.
·         In the 14 UIC victories this season, the Flames have held their opponents to just 51.8 points per game and 35.9 percent shooting, and dished out an average of 12.9 assists per game. However, in the eight losses, UIC opponents are shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and scoring an average of 72.2 points per contest. Additionally, in the setbacks, the Flames have distributed 10.6 assists per game.
·         In knocking off Wright State on Jan. 26, UIC ended a 30-game Horizon League regular season road losing streak for the Flames. Before Saturday, UIC’s last regular season Horizon League road win was on Feb. 27, 2009 against rival Loyola.
·         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.

Valparaiso Crusaders (17-6, 7-2 Horizon)
·         Valparaiso improved to 14-2 coming off a loss under head coach Bryce Drew with Friday’s 71-40 win over Milwaukee.
·         The Crusaders’ win over Milwaukee was the program’s largest since joining the Horizon League. The 40 points allowed was the fewest since a 68-40 win over Grinnell Dec. 9, 1987, and fewest against D-I opponent since a 35-33 win over Green Bay Jan. 21, 1984.
·         Senior Ryan Broekhoff continues to show the form that nearly put him on the Australian Olympic Team, sitting 52^nd in the country with an offensive rating of 123.8. Broekhoff’s 65.0-percent true-shooting mark is 24^th in the country, while his 59.4-percent effective field goal percentage is 71^st. Offensive rating measures an individual player’s efficiency at producing points for the offense, while true-shooting takes into account field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws. Effective field-goal percentage adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal.
·         Broekhoff was named the Lou Henson Mid-Major Midseason Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I basketball.
·         Broekhoff’s 26.4 defensive rebounding percentage ranks 17^th in the country, while the Crusaders are allowing offensive rebounds on just 25.7 percent of possessions, seventh nationally.
·         Senior Kevin Van Wijk serves as the focal point of the Valparaiso offense, being used on 26.5 percent of the team’s possessions. Van Wijk’s 7.1 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is the 10^th-best rate nationally.
·         Valparaiso’s 53.1 effective field-goal percentage ranks 31^st in the country. The Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free-throw line, holding a 43.5 FGA/FTA rate. The mark is 22^nd nationally.
·         With a turnover percentage of 21.8 on its possessions, Valparaiso ranks 256^th in the country.

Wright State Raiders (14-8, 5-4 Horizon)
·         After jumping out to a 13-4 record, the best in the program’s Division I history, Wright State has suffered losses in four of its last five games, including its first two losses of the year at the Nutter Center.
·         Led by Reggie Arceneaux, Wright State has given up a steal on just 7.5 percent of its possessions, ranking 11^th.
·         The Raiders’ 24.6 defensive turnover rate ranks 19^th nationally.
·         Junior Jerran Young came off the bench to score 14 versus Detroit,  the fifth time this season he has come off the bench to post 10 or more points. Young’s career-high 24 points versus Mount St. Joseph came in his only career start.
·         Young’s 14-point, 10-rebound double-double at Cincinnati was the first by a Wright State player since Cory Cooperwood had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Loyola on January 30, 2010.
·         In his two years as Wright State’s head coach, 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 12^th 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.

Youngstown State Penguins (13-9, 5-4 Horizon)
·         Junior Kendrick Perry is just the 22^nd player in school history to score at least 1,100 points in a career. Perry is also the only player at YSU with 1,000 points, 300 assists and 150 steals. Perry has 1,154 points, 334 assists and 156 steals.
·         Senior Damian Eargle had a season-high seven blocks against Detroit and had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. It was his fifth double-double of the seaseon.
·         Eargle needs just 40 more points to become the 34th player in YSU history to score 1,000 points. For his entire career, Eargle has 1,228 points.
·         Senior Blake Allen needs just five more three-pointers to tie and 6 more to break the YSU all-time three-pointers made record. Craig Haese holds th record with 198.
·         Over the last five games, Kamren Belin is averaging 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds per game and shooting 49.2% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range.  The junior is averaging 3.2 three per game in his last five games.
·         Belin has tallied career-high scoring efforts in two of his last four games; after a 21-point outing at Milwaukee on Jan. 19, Belin posted a career-high 24 versus Cleveland State on Jan. 26.
·        Led by Eargle, the Penguins are 26^th in the country with a 13.6 percent block percentage.