Men's Basketball Notebook (Jan. 14)

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (Jan. 14, 2013)

On the Schedule [all times ET] 
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Loyola at UIC^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Thursday, Jan. 17
Valparaiso at Detroit^*, 7 p.m. -- ESPNU
Youngstown State at Green Bay^*, 8 p.m. – ESPN3
Cleveland State at Milwaukee^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Saturday, Jan. 19
Cleveland State at Green Bay^*, 2 p.m. – ESPN3/ESPN Full-Court (Horizon League Network Game of the Week)
UIC at Detroit^*, 6:30 p.m. – Fox Sports Detroit, Horizon League Network
Youngstown State at Milwaukee^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Wright State at Valparaiso^*, 8:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Sunday, Jan. 20
Loyola at Chicago State, 8:05 p.m.

On the Horizon

Rowdy Raiders: After opening Horizon League play 4-0, Wright State stands 13-4 on the year, the best mark for the program since 1989-90.

The Raiders are 8-0 at the Nutter Center after a 3-0 League homestand and are currently on a League-best five-game winning streak.

It was Reggie Arceneaux’s career-high 29 points that carried WSU to a 62-61 win at Loyola on Friday. The Raiders have hung their hat on defense, forcing turnovers on 25.0 percent of opponents’ possessions, limiting the opposition an effective field-goal percentage of 44.8 percent.

1 Meets 2: Picked first and second in the Horizon League preseason poll, Valparaiso will travel to Detroit for a nationally-televised contest on ESPNU on Thursday (7 p.m. ET).

The teams come into Thursday tied for second in the Horizon League, one game behind Wright State.

Last season, Valparaiso swept the regular-season series, including a buzzer-beating win at Detroit. However, the Titans exacted the ultimate revenge, knocking off the Crusaders in the Horizon League championship.

The game will feature two of the top players in the Horizon League - the 2012 Player of the Year in Valpo’s Ryan Broekhoff, and the two-time League Preseason Player of the Year, Ray McCallum.

The Road: One of the deepest conferences in the country, road wins have been hard to come by in Horizon League play. Through the first 17 conference games, road teams have won just five games.

Valparaiso, in the midst of a three-game road swing, lead the League with two road victories, knocking off UIC and Milwaukee.

Detroit, Youngstown State and Loyola all have collected road wins in conference play.

Upcoming Games

• UIC and Loyola will renew their intra-city rivalry on Wednesday, Jan. 16, as the Ramblers travel to the West Side of Chicago to meet the Flames (8 p.m. EST, HLN). Both teams will be out to snap three-game conference losing streaks after each started the year with the momentum of 10-win performances.
• In a rematch of the Horizon League Championship, Detroit will host Valparaiso on Thursday, Jan. 17 (ESPNU, 7 p.m. EST). With a 17-game home court winning streak, Detroit’s last loss came at the hands of Valparaiso last year, as Erik Buggs went coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating layup.
• On Saturday, Cleveland State and Green Bay will be spotlighted in the Horizon League Network Game of the Week (2 p.m. EST, HLN/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court). After knocking off Detroit last Saturday, the Vikings hit the road for games at Milwaukee and Green Bay. The Phoenix have won five straight home games entering Thursday’s game versus Youngstown State (8 p.m. EST, ESPN3).

• Detroit became the first team in 10 years to score 100 points in Horizon League play, putting up 101 on Youngstown State on Jan. 10. The last team to reach 100 was UIC, who scored 102 in a 102-92 win over Milwaukee on Jan. 9, 2003.
• On the year, six Horizon League games have been within a single possession in the final minute of regulation, with three more coming last week. Reggie Arceneaux’s three lifted Wright State to a 62-61 win at Loyola, as the Raiders survived three Ramblers’ attempts at the victory. Valparaiso defeated UIC, 75-70, as the Flames were within three points in the final seconds. On Saturday, Green Bay held off UIC, 63-57.
• With road wins at a premium, Valparaiso collected two road wins in League play, defeating Milwaukee, 72-52, after knocking off UIC to start the week. In its last 11 conference road games, the Crusaders hold an 8-3 record.

• As of Jan. 14, the Horizon League is ranked 11^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.

• 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.
• Four Horizon League point guards were among the candidates named for the Bob Cousy Award, annually given to the nation’s top collegiate point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Detroit’s Ray McCallum, Loyola’s Cully Payne, Youngstown State’s Kendrick Perry, and Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes were named to the list.

• Head Coach Gary Waters moved into 10th on the Horizon League career wins list with his 132nd in Cleveland State’s 74-62 win over Detroit. With 64 victories in conference play, Waters sits 11th, one win behind former Butler head coach Tod Lickliter.
• Cleveland State’s 43 first half points against Detroit were tied for the most first half points in a game this year. The
• The Vikings used the same starting five for the third straight game - Charlie Lee, Bryn Forbes, Sebastian Douglas, Tim Kamczyc and Devon Long. It was the first time CSU had the same starting lineup for three straight games since the first three contests of the season.
• Kamczyc made his 90th straight start on Saturday against Detroit, moving into third place on the all-time list at CSU (J’Nathan Bullock & Norris Cole; 106 games).

• The Titans are 8-0 when scoring 80 or more points and have extended their winning streak to 22 games when doing so. Last year, Detroit finished 9-0 when reaching the 80-point mark. The last time the Titans lost a game when scoring 80 points or more came on Jan. 1, 2011, when Milwaukee defeated the Titans, 84-81, in overtime.
• Detroit has won 17 straight games on Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall, tied for the seventh-longest streak in the country. The Titans are tied with Indiana and Notre Dame.
• 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 85.1 percent of the team’s points this season.
• McCallum currently leads the Titans in three categories this season scoring (18.9 ppg), assists (4.9 apg) and steals (1.9 spg.) and is also climbing up the career record board in all three. McCallum has 1,325 points (23rd), 381 assists (9th) and 140 steals (13th) in his career. 
• 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.

• During its five-game winning streak at the Resch Center, Green Bay has held opponents to just 47.4 points per game and a shooting percentage of just 33.8 percent. Alec Brown is averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 52.7 percent in that stretch.
• In those five wins, the Phoenix are allowing just 47.4 points per game to the opposition, holding all of them to 55 points or less.
• Freshman Jordan Fouse set career highs of 13 ponits, 11 rebounds and 7 steals against Loyola. The 7 steals tied a Phoenix school record.
• Brown is the only returning player in the country to have averaged 13+ points, 8+ rebounds and 3+ blocks per game last year. The big man broke out with 21 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in the Phoenix’s win versus UIC.
• Having notched four blocks in consecutive games, Brown has increased his school record 179; the junior sits 83 behind Youngstown State’s Damian Eargle for the Horizon League record.
• Sophomore Keifer Sykes had his streak of double-digit scoring efforts end at 12 after a seven-point effort versus UIC.
• Junior Kam Cerroni saw his school-record streak of 40 consecutive free throws come to an end in the first half. Cerroni is now 28-of-29 from the line this season.

• Loyola has lost three straight games after starting the season 10-3. The Ramblers have lost two of those contests at home by a combined three points after letting double-digit leads slip away in each game.    
• Guard Devon Turk is one of a handful of impact freshmen in the Horizon League this season and the rookie has scored in double digits in seven of the last nine games despite coming off the bench. At 8.9 ppg, he ranks second among League freshmen in scoring and is leading the circuit in three-point field goal percentage.
• Senior forward Ben Averkamp continues to climb Loyola’s career scoring chart and with 15 points versus Wright State on Jan. 11, he moved past former NBA No. 1 overall Draft pick LaRue Martin into 22nd place with 1,230 points. Averkamp needs 34 points to crack the top 20.
• Sophomore forward Christian Thomas has started to assert himself over the last month and is pitching in 10.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg over the last seven outings. He notched his second double-double of the season, as well as the second of his career, with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Wright State last weekend.
• Since the start of the 2008-09 season, Loyola is just 10-29 (.256) at home in Horizon League play. However, in non-conference contests, Loyola has prevailed in 20 of its last 22 outings at Gentile Arena.            
• 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 1,226 points, 569 rebounds, 162 assists and 142 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.
• 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 is in the midst of a three-game homestand, after opening the year with 10-of-16 game away from the Klotsche Center. The Panthers are 0-8 in true road games and 0-10 in contests outside of Milwaukee this season.
• Shooting 34.0 percent from the field in Saturday’s 76-52 loss to Valparaiso, Milwaukee tallied its 11th game of the year in which it has shot under 40 percent. On the year, the Panthers are shooting 37.2 percent.
• Defensively, Milwaukee continues to limit its opponents at the three-point arc. A year after finishing eighth in the nation by allowing 29.1 percent shooting from three-point range, the Panthers are allowing just 27.7-percent shooting from beyond the arc, 11th nationally.
• Senior Demetrius Harris tallied his second double-double of the season on Jan. 5 with 14 points and 10 rebounds at Wright State.
• Senior Paris Gulley has now had 20 or more points four times in the 11 games he has played, including 22 at Detroit, going 6-of-11 from three-point range.
• Milwaukee has had 11 players start at least one game and 12 players have played in at least 10 contests.
• Milwaukee is allowing opponents to grab offensive rebounds on 36.4 percent of its possessions, ranking 307th in the nation. The Panthers’ effective field goal percentage of 41.6 ranks 334th.

• UIC has been one-of the best free throw shooting teams in the Horizon League all season long, and enters Wednesday’s game ranked 10th in the nation in the category (.774). For the first time in school history, the Flames have strung together back-to-back 100 percent efforts from the free throw line, going 18-of-18 against Valparaiso on Jan. 9, and 8-for-8 last Saturday at Green Bay. Heading into Wednesday’s game against Loyola, UIC has made its last 30-consecutive free throws, dating back to its game at Cleveland State game on Jan. 7.
• UIC leads the all-time series against Loyola, 30-18, but the Ramblers have won 5-of-6 games in the rivalry. Loyola won the first three meetings (1985-88) between the two programs, before UIC took control, winning 12-of the next 14 contests. There have been a total of six overtime games in the series, and 15 contests have been decided by five points or less.
• When UIC holds its opponent between 30-39 percent shooting, the Flames are 8-1 on the season. UIC is also 6-1 when leading at halftime, and 4-1 when out-rebounding its opponents.
• The Flames have dropped 29-straight regular season Horizon League road games, dating back to Feb. 27, 2009.
• UIC’s stingy defensive effort has been notable this season. The Flames are holding their opponents to just a 44.4 effective field-goal percentage, the 50th-best mark, nationally. The Flames are turning the ball over at a 18.0 clip on the offensive end, ranking 50th nationally.
• 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’s 76-52 win at Milwaukee matched the largest margin of victory for the Crusaders since joining the Horizon League.
• With wins at Murray State, UIC and Milwaukee, the Crusaders have won three straight true road games for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
• Senior Ryan Broekhoff continues to climb the tempo-free offensive rankings, sitting 30th in the country with an offensive rating of 128.8.  Broekhoff’s 67.4-percent true-shooting mark is 18th in the country, while his 63.0-percent effective field goal percentage is 43rd.  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’s 128.8 offensive rating ranks eighth among players used on at least 20 percent of the team’s possessions.
• 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.
• Valparaiso’s 52.9 effective field-goal percentage ranks 37th in the country. The Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free-throw line, holding a 42.0 FGA/FTA rate. The mark is 44th nationally.
• Senior Kevin Van Wijk serves as the focal point of the Valparaiso offense, being used on 26.7 percent of the team’s possessions. Van Wijk’s 7.3 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is the 11th-best rate nationally.
• Broekhoff’s 26.2 defensive rebounding percentage ranks 20th in the country, while the Crusaders are allowing offensive rebounds on just 24.2 percent of possessions, 3rd nationally.
• With a turnover percentage of 23.6 on its possessions, Valparaiso ranks 314th in the country.
• On Dec. 15, Valparaiso finally saw its full lineup come together in its win over Missouri State. LaVonte Dority scored 20 points in his first game after transferring. Broekhoff (mono) and junior Bobby Capobianco (hernia) were less than full strength through the first month of the year.      

• Wright State’s 13-4 start is the program’s best under head coach Billy Donlon and the best since the 1989-90 season, prior to Wright State joining a Division I conference and the opening of the Nutter Center.
• Sophomore Reggie Arceneaux carried the Raiders to a 62-61 win at Loyola, scoring a career-high 29 points and hitting six three-pointers. The sophomore hit the game-deciding three with 1:35 to play
• Arceneaux recorded a career-best 8 assists in the Raiders’ 64-53 win over Green Bay. Led by Arceneaux, Wright State has given up a steal on just 8.1 percent of its possessions, ranking 30th.
• The Raiders’ 25.0 defensive turnover rate ranks 15th nationally, while Wright State is holds a defensive effective field-goal percentage of 44.8, 58th nationally.
• Junior Jerran Young came off the bench to score 23 points against Cleveland State, the second time he has given the Raiders 20-plus points off the bench this year. The junior had a 24-point outburst against Mount St. Joseph.
• 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 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.

• Youngstown State’s 101-60 defeat at the hands of Detroit marked the first time the Penguins allowed 100 points at home since Dec. 22, 1990. The 41-point margin of defeat was the largest in Horizon League play for the Penguins since Feb. 9, 2006, when Milwaukee defeated YSU, 98-57.
• On Jan. 5, Youngstown State overcame a 14-point deficit against Loyola, the second-largest second-half comeback win in Jerry Slocum’s tenure at YSU. The largest was an 18-point comeback victory over James Madison in 2005-06.
• Junior Kendrick Perry has moved into 25th place on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,046 career points. Perry sits 12 points shy of Doug Underwood for 24th.
• Senior Damian Eargle sits 119 points from becoming the 34th player in YSU history to reach 1,000 points. The senior increased his Horizon League blocks records to 262 overall and 132 in League play.
• Senior Blake Allen needs 18 more 3-pointers to become the YSU all-time leader. He has 181 in his career.
• The Penguins’ 18.2 turnover rate is one of the tops in the nation, checking in at 57th.
• Led by Eargle, the Penguins are 26th in the country with a 13.9 percent block percentage.