Men's Basketball Release #14

Feb. 4, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

At a Glance:

Butler, Valparaiso take national spotlight
Intrastate rivals Butler and Valparaiso represent the Horizon League on ESPN2's "Rivalry Week" on Tuesday. The teams' battle from the Athletics-Recreation Center is set for a 9 p.m. (ET) broadcast on the network.

Raiders move into second-place tie
Wright State's five-game winning streak has lifted the Raiders into a tie for second place in the League standings. WSU is 7-4 in League play, due in large part to winning several close games. The Raiders' last five victories have come by a total of 17 points.

Mayo reaches 1,000-point mark
UIC's Josh Mayo became the 124th player in MCC/Horizon League history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. Mayo reached the milestone Thursday versus Cleveland State, and is one of five active Horizon League players in four figures. The complete list can be found on page 6 of this week's release.

Crowded in the middle of the standings
Only two games separate the fourth- through eighth-place teams in the standings, with Milwaukee at the top of that group at 7-5. Valparaiso (5-4), Green Bay (6-5) and UIC (6-5) are all a half-game back of the Panthers, with Loyola (5-7) bringing a three-game winning streak into the week. That split is important, with seeds 3-6 hosting first-round action in the 2008 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship, which begins March 4. You can "Track the Bracket" on pages 14-15 of this week's release.

Playing a full 40 minutes
Two games were decided in the final seconds Saturday, with Green Bay edging Detroit and Wright State slipping past Milwaukee on the final shot. Eighteen of the first 55 League games have been decided by five or fewer points, with 21 others decided by 6-10 points. Home teams are 37-18 (.673) in League play this season after claiming seven of the eight contests last week.All ten teams prepare for BracketBusters action
For the fourth straight season, all of the Horizon League's men's basketball teams are part of the pool of teams eligible for the sixth annual O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event, a (Feb. 22-24) hoops extravaganza pitting NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each ofther just before the start of March Madness. This year's matchups will be announced Monday; for more information on the event, turn to page 11 of this week's release.

Horizon League Player of the Week

Tracy Robinson, Loyola
Senior * Forward * Lynwood, Ill. (Leo)
Robinson hit the game-winning three-pointer as time expired Thursday, capping a 16-point effort to lift Loyola past Youngstown State, 69-68, on Thursday. The performance came only three days after the death of friend and former teammate Anthony Smith. Robinson added a career-high 23 points on six-of-eight shooting from the floor and 10-of-12 accuracy at the line to spark the Ramblers' victory over Cleveland State on Saturday. In the two games, he also had six assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 3

Chris Hayes, Detroit
Jr. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Hayes logged a career-high 20 points---15 in the second half---to help the Titans defeat Milwaukee on Thursday, snapping a 13-game losing sttreak. He was seven-of-10 from the floor with four rebounds in the victory.

Terry Evans, Green Bay
Jr. * F * St. Louis, Mo.
Evans matched his career-high with 16 points in each of Green Bay's games last week. He hit the mark Thursday at Wright State, and helped lift the Phoenix past Detroit on Saturday by hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field against the Titans.

Josh Mayo, UIC
Jr. * G * Merrillville, Ind.
Mayo scored a game-high 29 points in Thursday's victory over Cleveland State and led all scorers with 21 to pace UIC past Youngstown State on Saturday. He was 14-of-18 from the floor, including an 8-for-10 mark behind the arc.

Vaughn Duggins, Wright State
So. * G * Pendleton, Ind.
Duggins averaged 14.5 points in two victories last week, including the game-winning jumper in the final second to lift WSU past Milwaukee on Saturday. He finished with 17 points following a 12-point effort Thursday versus Green Bay.

Dwight Holmes, Youngstown State
Sr. * F * Columbus, Ohio
Holmes scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor Thursday against Loyola. He also hit all five free-throw attempts in that game while collecting three rebounds against the Ramblers.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs open big three-game road swing
Butler was idle last week, staying at 19-2 overall and atop the League standings with an8-2 loop ledger. The Bulldogs rank 10th in this week's Associated Press national poll and 11th according to the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches' canvass.

Butler opens a critical three-game stretch on the road Tuesday at Valparaiso, before stops at Green Bay on Saturday and at Milwaukee next Tuesday. The contest at Valpo is scheduled for broadcast on ESPN2, with the Milwaukee showdown airing on ESPNU.

Senior guard Mike Green is one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to the top point guard in the nation. He is also one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Trophy as college basketball's top player. Green averages 15.1 points, six rebounds and a League-best 4.86 assists per game.

Freshman forward Matt Howard has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games. He is averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game overall, with those numbers increasing to 16.6 and 7.7, respectively, in League play. Howard also ranks second in the circuit with a .604 field-goal percentage.

Senior guard A.J. Graves scored 16 points in his last outing against UIC on Jan. 26, his highest total since posting 17 against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 22.

Vikings anxious to return home
Cleveland State slipped to 14-9 overall and into a second-place tie at 7-4 in the circuit after ending a four-game road swing winless. The Vikings dropped a 74-68 decision at UIC on Thursday before losing 65-53 at Loyola on Saturday.

Sophomore guard Joe Davis scored a career-high 27 points in the loss at UIC, hitting 10 of 16 shots from the field with four three-pointers. The 27 points were triple his season average and matched the highest single-game total by a Viking this season. Cedric Jackson had 27 against Florida State on Nov. 17.

Jackson has bolstered Cleveland State's rebounding efforts with 32 boards in his last four games. The 6-2 Jackson grabbed ten caroms against Milwaukee and had ten more versus UIC after averaging only 3.9 rebounds in his first 19 games at CSU.

Jackson stands ninth in the League in scoring (14.4 points per game) and second in assists (4.83 per contest). His rate of 2.61 steals per outing keeps Jackson atop the League's larceny list.

CSU opens a five-day, three-game homestand Thursday against Wright State in a meeting of the teams tied for second place in the League standings. Detroit comes to the Wolstein Center on Saturday before Green Bay visits next Monday.

Raiders winning the close ones
Wright State pushed its winning streak to five games, climbing to 14-6 overall and 7-4 in the League with a 71-67 victory over Green Bay on Thursday and a 53-51 triumph over Milwaukee on Saturday. The five victories have come by a combined 17 points, including four by margins of one, one, two and four.

Sixteen of the Raiders' 20 games have been decided by nine points or less, with WSU boasting a 12-4 mark in those contests.

Sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins hit the game-winner with four-tenths of a second left Saturday, capping a 17-point performance. He ranks eighth in the League in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game this season.

Freshman guard N'Gai Evans provided a spark off the bench with 11 points against the Phoenix. It was the first home-court appearance of the year for Evans, who had played a total of 29 minutes in six appearances before hitting all three field-goal attempts Thursday.

Senior forward Scottie Wilson registered his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds Saturday

The Raiders step outside the League to host Presbyterian on Monday before Thursday's trip to Cleveland State for a battle of the teams currently tied for second place in the League standings. The week concludes Saturday when WSU visits Youngstown State.

Panthers prepare for home cooking
Milwaukee dropped a pair of games on the road, falling to 12-10 overall and 7-5 in League play. The Panthers fall 72-61 at Detroit on Thursday and suffered a 53-51 setback at Wright State on Saturday.

The Panthers shot only 36.8 percent from the field during the trip, averaging 56 points in the two contests. Milwaukee had compiled a rate of 69.2 points in winning nine of its previous ten games.

UWM held halftime leads in both games over the weekend, but let those advantages get away. The Panthers had been 8-0 when leading at intermission before Thursday's defeat at Detroit as the Titans outscored Milwaukee 48-36 over the final 20 minutes.

Senior forward Paige Paulsen made only eight of 29 shots from the floor (27.6 percent) but still ranks sixth in the League in scoring (14.9 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (6.6 per contest).

Senior forward Marcus Skinner posted 16 points and eight rebounds at WSU. He has 80 points and 57 rebounds in his last seven outings after logging totals of 57 and 59, respectively, in his first 13 outings this year.

Milwaukee is idle until Feb. 12, when the Panthers host Butler. That opens a stretch which has the Panthers playing five of their last six League games at home.

Crusaders back in action
Valparaiso remains at 14-7 overall and 5-4 in the League. The Crusaders, idle since losing to Loyola on Jan. 26, return to the court in front of a national (ESPN2) audience Tuesday against Butler.

The game between instate foes is the 94th meeting---the most-common opponent in Valpo annals---with Butler owning a 63-30 advantage. Tuesday marks the first time an ESPN network has televised a game from the ARC since Nov. 17, 1997, when Valpo hosted Purdue.

The Crusaders continue to lead the League in scoring (72 points per game) despite hitting the 70-point mark just once in the last nine games against Division I competition.

Valpo features four of the League's top three-point shooters in senior guard Shawn Huff (seventh at .452), sophomore guard Samuel Haanpää (eighth, .449), senior guard Jarryd Loyd (ninth, .443) and junior guard Brandon McPherson (12th, .420). As a team, Valpo has a League-high 196 triples.

Haanpää has 53 treys this year, shooting 44.9 percent from behind the arc. Huff's 47 triples have come on 45.2 percent accuracy as he is tied with Huff for team scoring honors at 11.6 points per game.

Valpo hits the road for the next two games after Tuesday, visiting Green Bay on Thursday and traveling to UIC next Monday.

Phoenix gains split on the road
Green Bay enters the week at 12-9 overall and 6-5 in League play. The Phoenix fell 71-67 at Wright State on Thursday but bounced back to defeat Detroit 66-64 on junior forward Cordero Barkley's lay-up with four seconds remaining.

Junior forward Mike Schachtner led all scorers with 24 points Saturday, his eighth game of 20 or more this season. He ranks third in the League in scoring at 17.4 points per outing. Schachtner is shooting 52 percent from the field, including 48.3 percent from three-point range

Junior forward Terry Evans matched his career high with 16 points in each game, including a seven-for-11 showing from the field against the Titans. He has finished with 16 points five times this year, including three of the last four games. Evans also stands seventh on the League rebounding charts at 6.4 caroms per contest.

Each of Green Bay's past eight games has been determined by fewer than ten points. The Phoenix is 8-5 in games with single-digit margins this year.

Green Bay's nine losses have come at the hands of teams with a combined 134-51 record. That group includes national top-25 entries Michigan State (19-3), Butler (19-2) and Wisconsin (18-3).

The Phoenix hosts Valparaiso on Thursday before Butler vists the Resch Center on Saturday.

Flames defend home floor
UIC carries a 12-10 overall record, including a 6-5 League ledger, after defeating Cleveland State 74-68 on Thursday and posting an 86-72 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday. With those two triumphs, UIC is 10-1 at the Pavilion this season.

Junior guard Josh Mayo became the 19th player in UIC history to reach the 1,000-point mark. His first basket against Cleveland State put Mayo into the four-figure club and sparked a 29-point performance for the League's second-leading scorer (18.4 points per game this season). Mayo is one of five active players with 1,000 or more points and leads the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (.556) this winter His 70 treys are the most in the Horizon League.

Junior center Scott VanderMeer averaged 12 points and eight rebounds for the week. He came off the bench to post his fourth double-double of the year on Saturday, collecting ten points and ten rebounds against YSU. The seven-footer tops the League charts with a rate of 7.5 rebounds per games.

Sophomore guard Spencer Stewart handed out a career-high nine assists Saturday. As a team, UIC had 33 assists on 54 field goals last week

The Flames visit cross-town rival Loyola on Saturday before hosting Valparaiso next Monday. The Valpo contest is one of only two home dates left on the regular-season schedule.

Ramblers win with heavy hearts
Loyola improved to 9-13 overall and 5-7 in League play, edging Youngstown State 69-68 on Thursday and posting a 65-53 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday. The Ramblers have won three games in a row for the first time this season and avenged a pair of road losses in the process.

Senior forward Tracy Robinson's three-pointer at the buzzer was the difference against YSU. Robinson finished with 16 points in that game and added a career-high 23 against the Vikings. The average of 19.5 points per game for the two games was more than double his (9.2) rate entering the week.

J.R. Blount extended his double-digit-scoring streak to 11 games in double figures with 16 points Thursday and 12 on Saturday. The junior guard ranks fourth on the League scoring charts at 15.7 points per game for the season.

The Ramblers are mourning the passing of former teammate Anthony Smith (2002-05), who died of leukemia last Monday, one day short of his 25th birthday. Loyola will wear patches bearing Smith's uniform number (50) in his honor for the remainder of the season.

The Ramblers host intra-city rival UIC on Saturday in their only game of the week. None of the last ten meetings between the teams have gone to overtime or been decided by nine or fewer points.

Penguins' slide continues
Youngstown State has lost six games in a row, falling to 7-15 overall and 3-9 in League play. The Penguins fell victim to a last-second three-pointer Thursday, losing 69-68 at Loyola before an 86-72 defeat at UIC on Saturday.

The late heroics at Loyola spoiled a career-best night for senior forward Dwight Holmes, who posted a collegiate-best 19 points. He hit seven of nine shots from the floor and all five free-throw attempts against the Ramblers, eclipsing his previous high of 12 points.

YSU shot a season-best 57.1 percent from the field (28-of-49) at Loyola The Penguins held Loyola to 44 percent shooting from the field, but 15 offensive rebounds by the Ramblers led to 17 extra field-goal attempts.

The Penguins are 41-of-48 (85.4 percent) from the charity stripe in their last three games, beginning Jan. 26 at Green Bay. Prior to that run, YSU ranked last in the League with a .639 mark as a team.

Senior forward John Barber registered his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds at Loyola.

Youngstown State attempted 29 three-pointers Saturday, tying the third-highest single-game mark in school history.

The Penguins return to the Beeghly Center to host Detroit on Thursday and Wright State on Saturday.

Titans end streak
Detroit split two home games last week, climbing to 5-16 overall. The Titans snapped a 13-game losing streak by defeating Milwaukee 72-61 on Thursday, but fell short in a 66-64 loss to Green Bay on Saturday to slip to 1-10 in League play.

Junior forward Chris Hayes scored a career-high 20 points (15 in the second half) in Thursday's victory, leading a group of five Titans in double figures. Senior guard Jon Goode added 14 points, with sophomore guards Woody Payne and Eulis Stephens contributing 12 and 11, respectively, and junior forward Michael Harrington posting ten.

Harrington has blocked 12 shots in his last six games, including at least one in each of those outings. The transfer from Kankakee (Ill.) Community College had only three blocks in UDM's first 15 games this season.

Goode ranks 25th in UDM history with 1,131 points in his career. He leads the League this year with an average of 19.3 points per game. Goode's total includes 64 three-pointers on 46 percent shooting behind the arc.

Detroit held Milwaukee to 39.6 percent shooting from the field. UDM had allowed 11 of the previous 12 opponents to shoot 40 percent or better, including five over .500.

Detroit visits Youngstown State on Thursday before a Saturday contest at Cleveland State.

Games become more important as Horizon League Championship approaches
The 2008 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship is exactly one month away, opening March 4 on campus sites. As teams enter the stretch run of the regular season, only one game separates second place (Wright State and Cleveland State, tied at 7-4) from seventh (Green Bay and UIC each 6-5). That leaves little margin for error for the rest of the regular season and means added attention on each of the final 35 games on the League slate.

This week's calendar features several critical matchups, beginning Tuesday when Butler visits Valparaiso in a nationally-televised (ESPN2) showdown. Action continues Thursday as Wright State and Cleveland State break their tie for second place at the Wolstein Center, while Valparaiso visits Green Bay and Detroit travels to Youngstown State.

Saturday's line-up has four games, including a battle for Chicago bragging rights as UIC travels across town to challenge Loyola. Butler is at Green Bay, with Cleveland State hosting Detroit and Wright State visiting Youngstown State to complete the day's action. Green Bay plays at Cleveland State next Monday, while Valparaiso travels to UIC.

Milwaukee is idle until next Tuesday, when the Panthers host Butler in front of a national (ESPNU) audience.