Men's Basketball Notebook (March 18): Tournament Edition

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (March 18, 2013) -- Tournament Edition

On the Schedule [all times ET]        
-- NCAA Tournament --
Thursday, March 21
(14) Valparaiso vs. (3) Michigan State, 12:15 p.m.

-- NIT --
Wednesday, March 20
(6) Detroit at (3) Arizona State, 10 p.m.

-- CBI, presented by Buick --
Wednesday, March 20
Tulsa at Wright State, 7 p.m.

-- CollegeInsider.com  Tournament --
Tuesday, March 19
Oakland at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
Chicago State at UIC, 8 p.m.
Green Bay at Bradley, 8 p.m.

On the Horizon                      
Six Pack: A year after matching the Horizon League record with five teams in the postseason, the conference has set a new mark in 2013, with six teams accepting postseason bids.

-          Valparaiso will head to the Palace of Auburn Hills to meet Michigan State in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament (Thursday, 12:15 p.m. ET). The Crusaders received a No. 14 seed to open the tournament.

-          Detroit earned an at-large bid to the NIT, where the No. 6 Titans will travel to (3) Arizona State on Wednesday (ESPNU, 10 p.m. ET).

-          Wright State accepted a bid to the CBI and will host Tulsa on Wednesday. In the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, Youngstown State will host Oakland (Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. ET), while UIC will welcome Chicago State (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET). Green Bay will open the CIT on the road at Bradley (Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET).

Madness: Looking for the start of March Madness? The foundation was laid in the Horizon League, where four of the seven conference tournament games have been won in the final seconds:

-          Valpo’s Ryan Broekhoff, the 2012 Horizon League Player of the Year, hit a three at the horn to send the top-seeded Crusaders past No. 4 Green Bay, 70-69. The play was No. 2 on the SportsCenter Top 10.

-          Broekhoff’s heroics came hours after Miles Dixon beat the buzzer from behind the backboard to give No. 3 Wright State a stunning 56-54 win over defending tournament champion Detroit. Dixon’s shot was SportsCenter’s No. 3 play on Saturday.

-          Green Bay’s Sultan Muhammad capped Friday night by drilling a three from the right wing with 1.3 ticks left, giving the Phoenix a 64-63 victory over UIC in the Horizon League 2nd Round.

-          In the opening round of the tournament, DJ Cole’s runner with 2.5 seconds left lifted Youngstown State past Loyola, 62-60, kicking off the Madness.

Upcoming Games

-          No. 14 Valparaiso returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004, taking on third-seeded Michigan State on Thursday afternoon (12:15 p.m. ET, CBS). The trip is the first for the Crusaders in the NCAA Tournament under the Horizon League banner.

-          Detroit will represent the Horizon League in the NIT, taking on Arizona State on Wednesday night (10 p.m. ET, ESPNU). The postseason appearance is the second straight for the Titans, who were NIT semifinalists in 2001.

-          Youngstown State will make its first postseason berth as a Division I member, hosting Oakland in the CIT. UIC and Green Bay will also take part in the event against Chicago State and Bradley, respectively.

-          Wright State will host Tulsa in the CBI, marking the Raiders’ third Division I postseason bid.

The Week That Was

-          Valparaiso claimed the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, using an 18-4 closing run to knock off Wright State, 62-54, at the ARC.

-          In the span of a week, the Horizon League Tournament has embodied March Madness, with four buzzer-beaters:

-          Valpo’s Ryan Broekhoff sent the ARC into a frenzy on Saturday night with a fadeaway three over 6-foot-10 Brennan Cougill, sending the Crusaders to a stunning 70-69 win over Green Bay.

-          Wright State’s Miles Dixon kicked off Saturday night by hitting a wrong-footed jumper from behind the backboard as time expired, giving the Raiders a shocking 56-54 win over defending champion Detroit.       

-          Green Bay provided the second buzzer-beater of the Horizon League Tournament, as Sultan Muhammad’s three-pointer with 1.3 seconds to play sent the Phoenix to a 64-63 win over UIC.

-          Youngstown State used a DJ Cole runner with 2.5 seconds left to snatch a 62-60 victory over Loyola in the Horizon League Tournament Opening Round. The win was the third for the Penguins over the Ramblers this season, all coming by two points or less.

-          On the year, 26 Horizon League games have been within a single possession in the final minute of regulation, with the last three Horizon League Tournament games joining the list. Of the five Horizon League Tournament games played at the ARC, the largest margin with 1:00 to play was 5 points.

League Notes

-          As of March 18, the Horizon League is ranked 12^th by Jeff Sagarin. The conference also checks in 12^th in the Basketball State (BBState.com) indexes. The League sits 12^th in the RPI (RPIRatings.com) and is 13^th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings after sitting in 12^th throughout the majority of the season.

Ken Pomeroy		Jeff Sagarin		Basketball State		RPI
1. Big Ten	.8603	1. Big Ten	84.77	1. Mountain West	61.912	1. Mountain West	.5803
2. Big East	.8246	2. Big East	83.21	2. Big East	60.217	2. Big Ten	.5772
3. Mountain West	.7890	3. Big 12	82.13	3. Big Ten	59.588	3. Big East	.5744
4. ACC	.7812	4. ACC	81.25	4. ACC	57.446	4. ACC	.5613
5. Pac-12	.7711	5. Mountain West	80.71	5. Big 12	56.019	5. Big 12	.5581
6. Big 12	.7501	6. Pac-12	80.43	6. Pac-12	54.905	6. Pac-12	.5550
7. SEC	.7350	7. SEC	80.24	7. Atlantic 10	54.354	7. Atlantic 10	.5480
8. Atlantic 10	.6908	8. Atlantic 10	78.69	8. SEC	53.667	8. SEC	.5420
9. Missouri Valley	.6870	9. Missouri Valley	76.84	9. Missouri Valley	53.093	9. Missouri Valley	.5336
10. West Coast	.6448	10. West Coast	75.31	10. West Coast	51.187	10. West Coast	.5288
11. Conference USA	.5269	11. Conference USA	74.24	11. Conference USA	50.987	11. Conference USA	.5165
12. WAC	.5050	12. Horizon League	72.87	12. Horizon League	48.522	12. Horizon League	.5007
13. Horizon League	.4998	13. WAC	72.51	13. Ohio Valley	45.250	13. WAC	.4997
14. MAAC	.4694	14. MAAC	72.45	14. Sun Belt	45.143	14. MAAC	.4927
15. MAC	.4377	15. MAC	71.14	15. WAC	44.503	15. Sun Belt	.4903
16. Big West	.4320	16. Colonial	71.11	16. Patriot	43.658	16. Ohio Valley	.4866
17. Patriot	.4178	17. Big West	71.05	17. MAAC	43.358	17. Patriot	.4804
18. Ivy League	.4107	18. Ivy League	69.94	18. MAC	43.137	18. MAC	.4801
19. Sun Belt	.3893	19. Patriot	69.63	19. Ivy League	42.515	19. Summit	.4793
20. Colonial	.3880	20. Sun Belt	69.51	20. America East	42.288	20. Northeast	.4758
21. America East	.3589	21. Ohio Valley	68.94	21. Big West	41.947	21. Big West	.4747

-          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.

-          Horizon League teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last eight years. Cleveland State, Milwaukee and Butler all won tournament games in that span.

Valparaiso Crusaders (26-7, 13-3 Horizon) -- NCAA Tournament
-          Valparaiso is the first team to clinch consecutive outright Horizon League regular season titles since Butler achieved the feat in 2008-10.

-          Valparaiso’s 26 wins and 10 road wins set new program records in the Crusaders’ Division I era.

-          Senior Kevin Van Wijk set a new Horizon League record for the best field-goal percentage in League games, going 73-for-105 from the field, a 69.5-percent mark.

-          Van Wijk also became 32^nd player in Valpo history to break 1,000 career points, doing so on his final basket at Green Bay. The senior is the 147^th player in Horizon League history to reach 1,000.

-          Senior Ryan 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 has routinely ranked among the top 30 players in the country in terms of offensive rating, but is currently at 55^th in the country with an offensive rating of 121.4. Broekhoff’s 63.0-percent true-shooting mark is 42^nd in the country, while his 57.6-percent effective field goal percentage is 100^th.

-          Broekhoff’s 23.7 defensive rebounding percentage ranks 69^th in the country, while the Crusaders are allowing offensive rebounds on just 27.3 percent of possessions, 32^nd nationally.

-          Van Wijk serves as the battering ram down low. Van Wijk’s 6.8 fouls drawn per 40 minutes is the 16^th-best rate nationally.

-          Valparaiso’s 56.1 effective field-goal percentage ranks 4^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 42.3 FGA/FTA rate. The mark is 33^th nationally.

-          Valpo’s 56.1 two-point field goal percentage is 3^rd in the country.

-          With a turnover percentage of 22.0 of its possessions, Valparaiso ranks 285^th in the country.

Detroit Titans (20-12, 12-4 Horizon) -- NIT
-          Detroit has recorded back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time since 2000-01. The Titans have also won 12 games in Horizon League play for just the third time in program history, posting its most wins since the 1998-99 season.

-          Despite being held to a season-low 5 points in Detroit’s tournament loss, junior Ray McCallum became the 11^th Titan to reach 1,600 points in his career. McCallum climbing up the career record board in all three. McCallum has 1,602 points (11^th), 449 assists (7^th) and 166 steals (4^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).

-          Prior to his 29-point effort at Wichita State, McCallum finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals against Cleveland State. The effort was the first-such game in regulation since Ben Gordon in Dec. 2003 (17/16/11/5 vs. Iona). McCallum is the 12^th Titan to join the 1,500 point club and now has 1,534 in his career.

-          The Titans are 14-1 when scoring 80 or more points and are 28-1 in their last 29 games when doing so. The Titans are 0-8 this season when failing to reach 70 points.

-          Senior Doug Anderson has recorded a dunk on 72 of his 169 field goals this season.

Wright State Raiders (21-12, 10-6 Horizon) -- CBI
-          Wright State’s CBI appearance is the program’s third postseason bid as a NCAA Division I member.

-          The Raiders’ 24.8 defensive turnover rate ranks 10^th nationally.

-          Wright State’s 21 wins are the most under head coach Billy Donlon, while the program’s 10 wins do the same.

-          Junior Miles Dixon has led Wright State in scoring in two of the Raiders’ three tournament games, scoring 14 points in the first two games. Dixon went 6-for-8 from the field versus Detroit, including the game-winning jumper as time expired.

-          Junior Jerran Young scored 12 points against Detroit, marking the 11th time in the last 13 games he as reached double figures. Young has started the last five games in place of the injured Cole Darling (foot).Young’s career-high 24 points versus Mount St. Joseph came in his only start prior to the last two weeks.

-          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.

Green Bay Phoenix (18-15, 10-6 Horizon) -- CIT
-          Junior Alec Brown has accumulated 1,195 points, 621 rebounds and 214 blocks, one of only three Horizon League players to ever reach those numbers.

-          Sophomore Keifer Sykes scored in double figures in 30 of 33 games this season. Sykes has made 156 free throws, leading the Horizon League, tying the  program record.

-          Sykes matched his career high with 31 points against Valparaiso, adding six assists and five rebounds. The sophomore was 11-for-20 from the floor.

-          Freshman Jordan Fouse now holds the program freshman record for rebounds (250) and steals (55). Fouse is the only player in the top-10 in the Horizon League in rebounds, steals and blocks per game, ranking in the top three in each category.

-          Green Bay broke the program record for blocked shots in a season with 158. The previous record was 142, set last season. With 95 blocks in conference play, the Phoenix came up four shy of its Horizon League record from last season.

-          Green Bay has advanced to the semifinals of the  Horizon League Tournament for the first time under head coach Brian Wardle. The last time the Phoenix reached the round was the 2009 conference tournament, in which Green Bay earned the double bye.

UIC Flames (17-14, 7-9 Horizon) -- CIT
-          UIC’s postseason appearance is the first for the program since 2004 and the program’s fifth overall.

-          Valparaiso native Hayden Humes scored a game-high 23 points in UIC’s 64-63 loss to Green Bay.

-          UIC’s turnaround this season has been one of the best in the country. The Flames have tallied 17 wins, nine more than the 2011-12 campaign, including seven victories in Horizon League play (more than the last two seasons combined). The Flames’ nine-game improvement over last year equals the sixth-best turnaround in the country.

-          Senior point guard Gary Talton wrapped his career with 750 career points for his two-year career. The Dallas native handed out his 200^th career assist and grabbed his 200^th career rebound on Feb. 16 at Loyola.

-          In UIC’s seven Horizon League wins, after the final media timeout, Talton is shooting 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from floor, 100 percent (3-3) from three-point range and 91.35 percent (21-23) 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. Most recently, Talton knocked down two free throws ahead of Muhammad’s game-winning three, temporarily putting UIC ahead, 63-61, with 7.0 seconds left.

-          Talton’s heroics temporarily extended into non-conference play, where the senior hit the go-ahead layup with :37 second to play, giving the Flames a 62-61 lead ahead of Bradley’s game-winning bucket.

-           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, when the Flames tallied winning marks in November (5-1), December (4-3), January (6-3) and February (7-0). UIC went 2-5 in the month of February.

-          UIC’s 88-83 triple-overtime win over Youngstown State marked the longest game played by the Flames since joining the Horizon League in 1994.

Youngstown State Penguins (17-15, 7-9 Horizon) -- CIT
-          Youngstown State’s CIT appearance marks the program’s first postseason bid as a Division I member.

-          With 17 wins on the year, Youngstown State has won at least 16 in conseucitve season for the first time since the 1983-84 (18) and 1984-85 (19) seasons.

-          Senior Damian Eargle set a new Horizon League Tournament record with 9 blocks in the tournament. Eargle’s 7 blocks against Loyola set a new single-game tournament mark. Eargle is the first player in League history to reach 300 for his career.

-          Sophomore DJ Cole had his first career double double with 12 points and a career high 12 assists against Central Michigan. Cole followed it up with the game-winning jumper against Loyola.

-          Junior Kendrick Perry is just the second player in YSU history to record 100 or more assists in each of his three seasons.  Perry is the only player at YSU with 1,000 points, 300 assists and 150 steals. Perry has 1,258 points, 355 assists and 167 steals.

-          Eargle became the 34^th player in YSU history and 146^th in the Horizon League to score 1,000 points with 12 against Valparaiso. Sitting at 1,035 during his YSU tenure, Eargle has 1,305 in his career.

-          Senior Blake Allen became YSU’s career leader in three-pointers made after making five against UIC on Feb. 9. Allen has 218 for his career and is the first YSU player to reach 200.

Cleveland State Vikings (14-18, 5-11 Horizon)
-          Cleveland State’s 18 losses were the most for the program since the 2006-07 season (21), head coach Gary Waters’ first year with the program. The Vikings went from 10-21 that year to 21-13 the following season.

-          Freshman Bryn Forbes scored 407 points this year, becoming just the fourth freshman in school history to score 400 points. Forbes is just the seventh freshman in school history to lead team in scoring and the first since J’Nathan Bullock averaged 11.3 points in 2005-06.

-          Senior Tim Kamczyc started 106 straight games, matching Norris Cole and Bullock for the most consecutive starts in program history.

-          Sophomore Charlie Lee’s 153 assists this year were the most in a season by a CSU sophomore and tied for the eighth most in a season in program history.

Loyola Ramblers (15-16, 5-11 Horizon)
-          Loyola’s tie for seventh place was its best showing in Horizon League play since capturing third place with a 10-6 record in 2006-07. The Ramblers’ 87-60 victory over Cleveland State on March 2 was also their first win in a regular-season finale since 2006.

-          Sophomore forward Christian Thomas scored in double digits in each of the last 14 outings and over the last four contests, has been putting up 21.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 1.5 apg, while shooting 51.7 percent from the field. After managing only 4.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg in conference play as a freshman, he is registering 14.6 ppg and 7.0 rpg in Horizon League play this season.

-          Senior Jordan Hicks who has battled a handful of injuries throughout his career, is one of only two Ramblers to start all 30 games this season, and he is closing his career in amazing fashion. The 6-foot-6 swingman is averaging 16.2 ppg, and 5.7 rpg, while shooting an incredible 62 percent (33-for-53) from the field in the last six outings. Over the last two games, he is accounting for 23.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while draining an astonishing 70 percent (16-for-23) of his shots from the field.

-          Six of Loyola’s 11 losses in League play have been by three or fewer points. The last time the Ramblers dropped five or more games by three points or less was in 2000-01 (6). Loyola’s tournament loss followed a similar script, falling by two at Youngstown State

-          Senior forward Ben Averkamp was named Capital One Second Team Academic All-America. The Germantown, Wis., native, who is one of only 19 players in Loyola history to rack up 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, is the first Academic All-American in Loyola men’s basketball annals.

-          Getting leads hasn’t been a problem for Loyola this season, but holding onto them has. The Ramblers have let leads of 10 points or more slip away on five occasions this year and last week saw an 11-point first -half lead versus Kent State evaporate in a 70-63 setback.

-          Averkamp finished his career two blocked shots shy of becoming the first player in Loyola history to rack up 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, 150 assists, and 150 blocks.

-          With a three-pointer against Wright State on Feb. 4, guard Devon Turk broke Brian Wolf’s school record for three-pointers by a freshman set in 1989-90, with his 43^rd of the year. With 65 on the year, Turk hit at least one trey in 29 of the Ramblers’ 31 games.

Milwaukee Panthers (8-24, 3-13 Horizon)
-          Milwaukee’s 13 League losses match the program’s most since the 1996-97 season, when the Panthers went 4-12 in conference play. The worst Horizon League record in UWM history was a 3-13 mark in 1994-95, the program’s first year as a member of the conference.

-          The Panthers used eight different starting lineups this year, the most recent with Paris Gulley and Demetrius Harris coming off the bench last Saturday.

-          Milwaukee won consecutive games just once this year, tallying wins over UIC and IUPUI. The Panthers’ road win at IUPUI was the team’s first of the season.

-          Senior Paris Gulley had been in double figures in points in 23 of the 27 games he has played in this season, including six 20-point performances. He missed the first six games of the year with a broken hand.

-          UWM has struggled in the second half of League games this season, being outscored in 12 of its 15 League games. A similar script followed against Green Bay in the conference tournament, with the Panthers being outscored, 35-25.

-          Freshman J.J. Panoske set a school record with seven blocked shots against Loyola while the Panthers tied a school record with 11 as a team.

-          After playing a stellar first half and leading 42-25, the Panthers were outscored 35-8 in the second half at UIC on Jan. 23. 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.