Men's Basketball Notebook (Jan. 7)

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (Jan. 7, 2013)

On the Schedule [all times ET] 
Monday, Jan. 7
UIC at Cleveland State^*, 6 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Wednesday, Jan. 9
Cleveland State at Wright State^*, 7 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Loyola at Green Bay^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Valparaiso at UIC^*, 8 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Thursday, Jan. 10
Detroit at Youngstown State^*, 7:05 p.m. – Horizon League Network

Friday, Jan. 11
Wright State at Loyola^*, 9 p.m. -- ESPNU

Saturday, Jan. 12
Valparaiso at Milwaukee^*, 2 p.m. – Horizon League Network Game of the Week (ESPN3, ESPN Full Court)
UIC at Green Bay^*, 4 p.m. – Horizon League Network
Detroit at Cleveland State^*, 4:30 p.m. – Horizon League Network

On the Horizon

• Rowdy Raiders:After opening Horizon League play 2-0, Wright State stands 11-4 on the year, the best mark for the program since 1992-93.
  The Raiders are 7-0 at the Nutter Center after a 2-0 League homestand and are currently on a League-best four-game winning streak.
  A scoring committee is getting the job done for WSU, as no player averages more than 10.8 points per game. The Raiders have hung their hat on defense, forcing turnovers on 25.4-percent of opponents’ possessions, limiting the opposition an effective field-goal percentage of 44.5 percent.
• Balance:The first weekend of League play delivered on its promise of being a meat grinder, with just three teams - Detroit, Wright State and UIC - emerging unbeaten.
  Three games came down to the final minute of play, with UIC, Youngstown State and Wright State coming away with last-possession wins.
  With 7 of 9 teams holding a .500 record or better, the Horizon League is one of 11 conferences with at least 75 percent of its members holding winning records.
  As of Jan. 7, the Horizon League is rated 11^th by Jeff Sagarin, while sitting 12^th in Ken Pomeroy, RPI and Basketball State indexes.
• Depth Charge:Picked seventh, eighth and ninth in the Horizon League preseason poll, Loyola, UIC and Wright State each won their conference openers and are presently are a combined 31-12.
  UIC has improved 153 places in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings this year, from 289 to its present ranking of 136. The jump is the second-largest improvement of any team in the country.
  Loyola has already exceeded its win total from last season and needs one more victory to beat its League wins total from 2011-12.

• UIC and Cleveland State will meet on Monday night (6 p.m. EST, Horizon League Network), after which all nine Horizon League teams will have played two conference games.
• Preseason favorite Valparaiso will hit the road for the first time in League play, making the short drive to UIC on Wednesday, Jan. 9 (8 p.m. EST, HLN), while Loyola will look to win its second League road game and, in the process, spoil Green Bay’s League home opener (8 p.m. EST, HLN).
• Two of the League’s biggest surprises (by preseason poll standards), Wright State and Loyola will be featured on ESPNU on Friday, Jan. 11 (9 p.m. EST).
• Valparaiso at Milwaukee will be spotlighted in the Horizon League Network Game of the Week on Saturday, Jan. 12 (2 p.m. EST, HLN/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court).

• The teams picked 7^th, 8^th and 9^th in the Horizon League preseason poll - Loyola, UIC and Wright State, respectively, opened the conference season a combined 4-1, with Wright State winning both of its League home games.
• Three of the first eight games of the conference season were decided in the final seconds, with UIC hitting a three with 18 seconds left to defeat Youngstown State on Jan. 2. YSU rebounded by hitting a jumper with 4.6 ticks remaining to beat Loyola, 68-66, on Saturday, before Wright State’s defense held in the final seconds to beat Milwaukee, 53-51, that evening.
• Detroit extended its home winning streak to 17 games with an 84-76 win over Green Bay in the HLN Game of the Week.

• As of Jan. 7, 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.

• Cleveland State lost its first home game of the season and had its overall seven game win streak snapped at the Wolstein Center in Wednesday’s loss to Kent State.
• Junior Luda Ndaye scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in Friday’s loss at Valparaiso. He made 7-of-12 from the field.
• The Vikings used their sixth different starting lineup of the season on Friday at Valparaiso. Charlie Lee and Tim Kamczyc are the only two players to start all 15 games for CSU this year.

• 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 - accounted for all of Detroit’s points in the 84-76 win over Green Bay.
• 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 1,284 points (23^rd), 377 assists (9^th) and 139 steals (13^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 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.

• Sophomore Keifer Sykes scored in double figures for the 10^th and 11^th straight games, including his fifth 20-point effort of the season with 21 at Detroit.
• Junior Kam Cerroni increased his streeak of consecutive free throws to start the season to 25 and has made 40 in a row dating back to Feb. 4, 2012.
• Green Bay has shot at least 50 percent from the field in three of the past four games.
• In six games as a starter, Greg Mays is averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting 66.7 percent (26-39) from the field with 11 dunks.
• Junior Alec Brown is the only returning player in the country to have averaged 13+ points, 8+ rebounds and 3+ blocks per game last year.
• Green Bay is among the nation’s leading free-throw shooting teams and has four players shooting over 85 percent (Cerroni, Brennan Cougill, Sykes and Daniel Turner).
• Green Bay defeated Marquette 49-47 in the Golden Eagles first visit to Green Bay. The 47 points allowed were the fewest since a 57-47 win over Loyola on Dec. 3, 2011.

• Loyola won its Horizon League opener with a 63-54 victory at Valparaiso on Jan. 2. The previous five times Loyola has opened League play with a win, it has finished tied for fourth place or better on four occasions.
• One of the top defensive teams in the nation, defense has been the key in Loyola’s wins this season as it has yielded just 52.6 ppg and held opponents to 37.5 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from long range.
• Loyola, which visits Green Bay on Jan. 9, has won three consecutive road games for the first time since December 2009. The Ramblers have prevailed in four of their last five true road tilts.
• After struggling with his shooting in the first five games and putting up 4.4 ppg and hitting only 8 percent (1 for 12) of his long-range tries, junior guard Cully Payne has settled in and is contributing 11.6 ppg and shooting 40 percent (17 for 43) from three-point range over the last nine outings.
• Since the start of the 2008-09 season, Loyola is just 10-28 (.263) at home in Horizon League play. However, in non-conference contests, Loyola has prevailed in 20 of its last 22 outings at Gentile Arena.
• 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 1,211 points, 565 rebounds, 161 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.

• Senior Demetrius Harris tallied his second double-double of the season Saturday with 14 points and 10 rebounds at Wright State.
• Senior Paris Gulley has now had 20 or more points four times in the 10 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. But, UWM used just seven players Thursday night, its smallest rotation of the season.
• The Panthers had 16 offensive rebounds Thursday night and have had 16 or more in three of their last five games. UWM added 10 offensive rebounds Saturday and has been in double figures in offensive rebounds in 11 of the first 16 games of the season.
• Milwaukee plays its next three games at home after opening the season by playing 10 of 16 away from home. The Panthers are now 0-8 in true road games and 0-10 in contests outside of Milwaukee this season.
• Milwaukee is allowing opponents to grab offensive rebounds on 36.6 percent of its possessions, ranking 303^rd in the nation. The Panthers’ effective field goal percentage of 41.9 ranks 326^7h.

• UIC is 10-4 on the season, the first time the Flames have entered Horizon League play with at least nine wins since the 2003-04 campaign.
• Senior guard Daniel Barnes, who is slated to play his 50^th career game Monday, has scored in double figures in 10 of the past 11 games - he chipped in 10 points against Youngstown State. Over the past 11 games, Barnes is averaging 13.4 points per contest, including five games with 14 or more points. He has also drilled at least four three-pointers in four-of the last six contests.
• UIC is averaging 13.5 assists per game this season, an improvement of more than two helpers per game from the 2011-12 campaign (11.4). While the effort has been largely spearheaded by senior point guard Gary Talton’s 67 assists, he has enjoyed considerable help from his teammates. Senior center Josh Crittle has dished out 39 assists on the season, while junior forward Hayden Humes has handed out 22 helpers. Despite dropping two-of the last three games, UIC has still posted three-best team assist performances of the season in those contests (15 at Miami University, 16 at Toledo, 16 vs. Youngstown State).
• The numbers bear it - when UIC is defending to the level that it is capable of, the Flames are a difficult team to beat. Two of the more notable statistics are opponent’s points per game and defensive field goal percentage. When UIC allows its opponent to score 70 or more points, the Flames are just 1-3 on the season. In contrast, when the Flames hold the opposition between 30 and 39 percent from the field, UIC is a flawless 8-0.
• UIC’s stingy defensive effort has been notable early this season. The Flames are holding their opponents to just a 43.7 effective field-goal percentage, the 40^th-best mark, nationally. The Flames are turning the ball over at a 17.6 clip on the offensive end, ranking 35^th 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.

• All eight of Valpo’s home wins this year have come by double figures - six by at least 20 points.
• Valparaiso’s 63-54 loss to Loyola was the first at the ARC for the Crusaders in 2012-13. The Crusaders went 15-1 at home in 2011-12.
• The Crusaders’ 66-64 win at Murray State, snapping the Racers’ 19-game non-conference homecourt winning streak.
• Senior Ryan Broekhoff moved into fifth on the career rebounding charts for Valpo with 12 on Friday, giving him 722 in his career.
• Valparaiso’s 52.1 effective field-goal percentage ranks 45^th in the country. The Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the nation at getting to the free-throw line, holding a 42.4 FGA/FTA rate. The mark is 40^th nationally.
• Broekhoff’s 127.1 offensive rating ranks 14^th among players used on at least 20 percent of the team’s possessions and is 51^st overall.
• Senior Kevin Van Wijk serves as the focal point of the Valparaiso offense, being used on 27.1 percent of the team’s possessions. Van Wijk’s 7.4 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is the 10^th-best rate nationally.
• Broekhoff’s 25.8 defensive rebounding percentage ranks 26^th in the country, while the Crusaders are allowing offensive rebounds on just 24.5 percent of possessions, 5^th nationally.
• 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.      
• With a turnover percentage of 24.1 on its possessions, Valparaiso ranks 315^th in the country.

• Wright State’s 11-4 start is the program’s best under head coach Billy Donlon and the best since the 1992-93 season.
• Sophomore Reggie 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 8.5 percent of its possessions, ranking 57^th.
• The Raiders’ 25.4 defensive turnover rate ranks 13^th nationally, while Wright State is holds a defensive efficiency of 92.7, ranking 63^rd.
• Junior Jerran Young’s 24-point outburst against Mount St. Joseph marked the second time in three games the newcomer set a career high. 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 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.
• Senior Damian Eargle scored a game-high 20 points against the Ramblers. He also added six blocks. Eargle increased his Horizon League blocks records to 260 overall and 130 in League play.
• Junior Kendrick Perry moved into 26^th place on the YSU all-time scoring list with 1,037 career points. He needs nine to move into 25^th place.
• Senior Blake Allen needs 19 more 3-pointers to become the YSU all-time leader. He has 180 in his career.
• The Penguins’ 17.5 turnover rate is one of the tops in the nation, checking in at 32^nd.