Men's Basketball Release #17

Feb. 25, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State
Junior * Guard * Columbus, N.J. Northern Burlington / St. John's Univ.)
Jackson nearly posted the first triple-double in CSU history with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to lead Cleveland State past Milwaukee on Wednesday. The victory was CSU's first in the last 12 meetings with Milwaukee. Jackson added ten points, six boards, three assists and three steals in Saturday's triumph over Marist. For the week, Jackson averaged 14 points, 7.5 rebounds and six assists per game, taking over the League lead in the latter category.

Previous Players of the Week: Josh Mayo, UIC (Nov. 12); Cedric Jackson, CSU (Nov. 19); Mike Green, BU (Nov. 26); Matt Howard, BU (Dec. 3); Josh Mayo, UIC (Dec. 10); Samuel Haanpää, Valpo (Dec. 17); Ryan Tillema, GB (Dec. 24), Todd Brown, WSU (Dec. 31); John Barber, YSU (Jan. 7); Matt Howard, BU (Jan. 14); Jon Goode, UDM (Jan. 21); Marcus Skinner, UWM (Jan. 28); Tracy Robinson, LU (Feb. 4); A.J. Graves, BU (Feb. 11); Mike Green, BU (Feb. 18).

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 24

A.J. Graves, Butler
Sr. * G * Switz City, Ind.
Graves led Butler past UIC 51-46 on Wednesday, giving the Bulldogs at least a share of the Horizon League regular-season title. His 14 points included the go-ahead trey with 45 seconds left and two free throws to secure the victory.

Chris Hayes, Detroit
Jr. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Hayes scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Saturday's loss to Bowling Green. The junior started the week with 14 points, four assists and three steals versus Wright State on Wednesday.

Terry Evans, Green Bay
Jr. * F * St. Louis, Mo.
Evans tied his career-high with 16 points and added five steals against Western Michigan on Saturday. He also became the school's all-time leader with his 113th career blocked shot against the Broncos.

Justin Cerasoli, Loyola
Jr. * G * Chicago, Ill.
Cerasoli averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two Rambler victories. He had 19 points, seven boards and four steals in Wednesday's victory over Valparaiso and added 18 points and four assists Saturday at William & Mary.

Robert Bush, UIC
Sr. * F * Harvey, Ill.
Bush scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the first half Saturday, pacing UIC to a 70-58 victory at Northern Iowa. He finished 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range against the Panthers.

Urule Igbavboa, Valparaiso
Jr. * F * Oakdale, Minn.
Igbavboa recorded two double-doubles, averaging 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds against Loyola and Miami (Ohio). He shot 58 percent (14-of-24) from the field for the week, with a career-high 22 points versus the RedHawks.

Vaughn Duggins, Wright State
So. * G * Pendleton, Ind.
Duggins scored 19 points including the game-winning jumper with four seconds left to lift Wright State past Detroit 59-58 on Wednesday. He was 7-of-13 from the floor in that game and added ten points in Sunday's loss at Illinois State.

Byron Davis, Youngstown State
Sr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Davis scored a career-high 29 points at buffalo on Saturday, following a 23-point effort to lead YSU past Green Bay on Wednesday. He finished the week 21-of-32 from the field with four steals and two blocked shots.

Horizon Leage At a Glance

TV-1: Butler/Wright State showdown set for broadcast on ESPNU
The top two teams in the Horizon League standings meet Thursday at Hinkle Fieldhouse when Butler hosts Wright State. The Raiders have won the last three meetings---all at home in the Nutter Center---including last year's Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship game and a 43-42 victory on Dec. 8. Butler has already clinched a share of the regular-season title and a bye to the semifinals of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship but can secure the outright title and the top seed with a victory Thursday or against Detroit on Saturday. The top seed has won each of the last three League tournaments.

TV-2: Wright State meets Valparaiso on ESPN2
Valparaiso hosts Wright State on Saturday in another nationally televised game from the Athletics-Recreation Center. Valpo, which had not hosted a game on an ESPN network in more than ten years before Feb. 5, will make its third such appearance in less than a month as Saturday's matinee airs on ESPN2.

Wright State can secure the second seed and a bye to the semifinals with a victory in either of its televised games, or with a loss by Cleveland State at Youngstown State on Saturday.

Vikings on the verge of 20 victories
Cleveland State has not won 20 games in a season since 1992-93, when CSU finished 22-6 and captured the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season title. The Vikings would reach the 20-win plateau with a victory at Youngstown State on Saturday. CSU will finish no lower than third in the Horizon League regular-season standings, the school's best showing since a third-place finish in 2000-01. The Vikings finished seventh the following year and have been eighth or ninth in each of the last five seasons.

Horizon League posts 4-6 record in O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters
Four of the League's ten schools claimed victories in the sixth annual O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event last weekend. Valparaiso outlasted Miami [Ohio] 99-94 in double overtime, and Cleveland State defeated Marist 59-44 in two of the 14 televised contests. Other marquee match-ups saw Butler fall 71-64 to Drake in a battle of top-20 teams and Wright State lose at Illinois State, 54-46.

In other BracketBusters action, Loyola defeated William & Mary 71-66, while UIC posted a 70-58 victory at Northern Iowa.

Ten games remain on Horizon League schedule
Nine of the ten seeds for the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship are still undecided as teams enter the final week of the regular season. The tournament starts next Tuesday (March 4) at campus sites, with seeds 3-6 hosting seeds 7-10. The top two teams earn byes into the semfinals (March 8). You can Track the Bracket on pages 15-16 of this week's release.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs try to wrap up top seed
Butler carries a 25-3 overall record into the week, standing at 14-2 in League play. The Bulldogs, who defeated UIC 51-46 on Wednesday to clinch a share of the regular-season League title before suffering a 71-64 loss at home to Drake on Saturday, can claim the top seed with a victory in one of their final two regular-season games this week.

Butler hosts Wright State in front of a national television (ESPNU) audience on Thursday and closes the regular season Saturday versus Detroit.

Senior guard A.J. Graves moved into fifth place on Butler's all-time scoring charts with 1,736 career points. He had 32 points in the two games last week, including the go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute at UIC. Fellow senior Pete Campbell also moved into Butler history, standing tenth in Bulldog annals with 157 career three-pointers.

Forward Matt Howard's 362 points rank fourth in Butler freshman history. He needs 15 markers to move into second place on that list.

Prior to the loss to Drake, Butler had been ranked eighth in both national polls, marking the highest-ever status for a Horizon League team.

Senior guard Mike Green remains the only Horizon League player to lead his team in scoring (14.6 points per game), rebounding (6.1 per outing) and assists (4.89 per contest).

One Raider streak ends, another continues
Wright State saw its 11-game winning streak---the school's longest since joining Division I in 1987---with a 54-46 loss at Illinois State on Sunday night. The Raiders still own a ten-game win streak in League play, including Wednesday's 59-58 victory over Detroit.

The triumph over UDM was Wright State's sixth one-point victory of the season. WSU is 6-0 in one-point games and 13-3 in games decided by five points or fewer this season.

Sophomore guard Vaughn Duggins provided the heroics Wednesday with the game-winning basket with 4.3 seconds remaining. Duggins scored 18 points in the game and has reached double figures in 23 of 27 contests this season.

Senior forward Jordan Pleiman can tie a school record by taking the floor in both games this week. Pleiman has played in 117 games as a Raider, two short of the mark set last season by DaShaun Wood and Drew Burleson.

WSU has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time as a Division I program. The school's 23 victories last season were the most by a Division I Raider squad.

Wright State visits Butler on Thursday night before a Saturday matinee at Valparaiso. Two Raider victories and a Butler loss to Detroit on Saturday would give WSU the top seed for the Horizon League Men's Baskeball Championship, based on a regular-season sweep of BU.

Vikings protect home court
Cleveland State improved to 19-11 overall with two victories last week. The Vikings defeated Milwaukee 74-64 on Wednesday to move to 11-6 in League play and added a 59-44 decision over Marist on Saturday.

CSU is 12-2 in the Wolstein Center this year, setting a single-season record for home-court victories. The Vikings won 11 home games in 1992-93 and again in 2000-01. Cleveland State's 11 Horizon League victories also eclipse the program standard of ten set in 1999-2000 and matched the following year.

Viking coach Gary Waters notched his 200th career victory Saturday. The veteran sideline boss is 200-167 in 12 seasons overall, including a 29-32 mark in two years at CSU.

Cleveland State has clinched at least a third-place finish in the regular-season standings, and has a chance to snare the #2 seed for the Horizon League Championship with two victories this week. Only one of the 46 voters in the preseason Horizon League poll picked the Vikings to finish higher than sixth.

The Vikings (10-21 last season) need one more victory to become only the second team in MCC/Horizon League history to win 20 games one year after a 20-loss campaign. Xavier went from 8-20 in 1981-82 to 22-8 the next season.

Cleveland State is idle until Saturday, when the Vikings visit Youngstown State.

Panthers slip back to .500
Milwaukee dropped to 13-13 on the season with a pair of road losses last week. The Panthers carry an 8-7 mark in the League following Wednesday's 74-64 loss at Cleveland State and an 84-72 setback at Bradley on Saturday.

Milwaukee faces a busy final week in the regular season, with three home dates on the schedule. The Panthers host Valparaiso on Monday, Loyola on Thursday and UIC on Saturday night.

With that challenging schedule, Panther coach Rob Jeter used his bench liberally against Bradley, with ten players getting at least seven minutes of playing time. Sophomore guard Charlie Swiggett, who entered the game averaging 2.1 points in 21 appearances this season, ended up as UWM's leading scorer with 13 points. His collegiate-high came against Missouri State last season when he tallied 16 points.

Freshman Anthony Hill added nine points in his best showing since the season opener versus Upper Iowa.

Milwaukee is 12-5 when tying or winning the rebounding battle but 1-8 when being out-rebounded. In addition, the Panthers are 12-4 when scoring 70 points but 4-9 when giving up at least 70 points.

Senior forward Marcus Skinner leads the League with six double-doubles this season, including four in his last nine games.

Flames burn bright in BracketBusters
UIC brings a 15-13 overall ledger into the week, standing at 8-8 in League play after a 51-46 loss to #8/8 Butler on Wednesday. The Flames defeated Northern Iowa 70-58 on Saturday and are now 5-1 all-time in BracketBusters games.

UIC leads the League in scoring offense in loop play (67.6 points per game), but has relied on its defense down the stretch. In the last six games, the Flames have allowed an average of 56.2 points and 37.9 percent field-goal shooting. In their first 22 contests of the season, the Flames yielded 68.2 points per game on 43 percent accuract from the floor. Only one of UIC's last seven opponents has finished above 39 percent from the field.

Senior forward Robert Bush led the Flames with 16 points Saturday, including 13 in the first half as UIC took control early. Bush had tallied a total of 17 points in his five previous appearances.

Junior guard Josh Mayo boasts a streak of 23 double-digit scoring performances, the longest active run in the Horizon League. He ranks second in the League in scoring at 17.8 points per contest and leads the circuit and ranks second in the nation with a .506 rating from three-point range, including a loop-best 87 triples.

The Flames close the regular season north of the border, visiting Green Bay on Thursday and Milwaukee on Saturday.

Phoenix tries to extend homestand
Green Bay dropped to 13-14 on the season following its fifth consecutive defeat, a 74-67 loss to Western Michigan on Saturday. The Phoenix is 7-9 in League play, including Wednesday's 76-73 setback at Youngstown State.

The five-game losing streak is the longest for a Phoenix team since 2001-02.

Green Bay closes the regular season with home contests versus UIC (Thursday) and Loyola (Saturday) and could extend the home-stand into the first round of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. The Phoenix is currently sixth in the standings, with seeds 3-6 hosting opening-round action on March 4.

Junior forward Terry Evans became Green Bay's career blocked shots leader with 113 rejections and has moved into third place on the school's career steals list with 165---only 12 thefts away from the school's Division I record.

Evans ranks second in the League at two steals per game this year and also matched his career-high with 16 points against WMU. It was the sixth time this season that Evans has tallied 16 points in a game.

Green Bay shot 54 percent from the field against Youngstown State but allowed the Penguins to finish at 55.1 percent including 11 three-point field goals. Only Michigan State (.552 on Dec. 29) has shot better against Green Bay this season.

Crusaders fight for first-round home game
Valparaiso stands seventh in the League standings, one-half game behind Green Bay for the final home game in the first round of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. The Crusaders are 16-12 overall following Saturday's 99-94, double-overtime victory over Miami (Ohio), while Valpo's 6-9 League ledger includes a 68-61 loss at Loyola on Wednesday.

Valparaiso visits Milwaukee on Monday before closing the regular season at home with games against Detroit (Thursday) and Wright State (Saturday). The finale with WSU airs nationally on ESPN2.

Senior guard Shawn Huff scored a career-high 32 points against Miami, hitting 10 of 13 shots from the field, including six of seven three-point attempts. Freshman guard Michael Rogers added a career-best ten points, but senior guard Jarryd Loyd was the hero after scoring Valpo's final seven points. He finished with 15.

Junior forward Urule Igbavboa recorded his first two double-doubles of the season last week, recording 15 points and ten rebounds against Loyola and adding a career-high 22 points and 13 boards in Saturday's marathon. He has hit double digits in rebounds in four of the team's last eight games, averaging nine during that span.

Ten of the 11 players who have played for Valpo this season have started at least one game.

Ramblers also making push in final week
Loyola improved to 11-16 overall and 6-10 in League play with two victories last week. The Ramblers defeated Valparaiso 68-61 on Wednesday for a sweep of that series and held on for a 71-66 victory at William & Mary on Saturday. The latter triumph moved Loyola to 4-0 all-time under coach Jim Whitesell in O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters action.

Junior guard Justin Cerasoli led the way with a total of 37 points off the bench, hitting six of his eight three-point attempts. Junior forward Darrin Williams added 19 points and seven boards and three blocked shots at William & Mary.

The Ramblers made a season-high 12 three-pointers Saturday, the most by a Loyola squad since a 13-triple showing versus Lake Forest College on Dec. 17, 2005. Senior guard Tracy Robinson paced Loyola with 20 points and a career-high eight assists.

Loyola's ten victories give the program four consecutive seasons in double figures for the first time since 1974-89.

Junior forward Leon Young missed both games last week with migraine headaches. He has sat out 10 of Loyola's last 16 contests.

The Ramblers still have a chance for the sixth seed in the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship. Loyola closes the regular season on the road with stops at Milwaukee on Thursday and at Green Bay on Saturday.

Penguins host CSU in regular-season finale
Youngstown State moved to 9-19 overall and 5-12 in League play after splitting two games last week. The Penguins slipped past Green Bay 76-73 on Wednesday before falling 95-82 at Buffalo on Saturday.

YSU has only one game this week, hosting Cleveland State on Saturday. Senior forward John Barber needs eight points to reach the 1,000 mark for his career. Penguin seniors have had spotlight performances on Senior Night recently, with Dominique Crawford scoring 37 points against Loyola in 2005 and Quin Humphrey posting 35 versus Wright State last season.

Senior guard Byron Davis scored a career-high 29 points in a losing effort Saturday for his seventh game of 20 or more this season. That list also includes a 23-point night against the Phoenix. In his last four games, Davis is 38-of-58 (65.5 percent) from the field. Davis reached double figures only nine times last year but has 23 such efforts this season and ranks fourth in the League with his scoring average of 15.5 points per game.

YSU tied a season-high with 11 treys Wednesday. The 82 points also were the second-most by the Penguins this season, but Buffalo's 95 points were the most allowed by Youngstown State since a 98-57 loss to Milwaukee on Feb. 9, 2006.

Titans come up empty
Detroit fell to 7-20 on the season with two losses last week, including an 81-65 setback to Bowling Green on Saturday. A 59-58 loss to Wright State on Wednesday dropped the Titans to 3-13 in League play.

Detroit closes the regular season on the road, traveling to Valparaiso on Thursday and visiting Butler on Saturday.

Senior guard Jon Goode, the League's leading scorer at 19.3 points per game, did not play Saturday due to a knee injury. Starting point guard Woode Payne will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a broken foot.

With a depleted roster, junior walk-on Tryl Hartfield made the most of his opportunity with 11 points in 20 minutes of action aganst Bowling Green. Hartfield was three-for-four from the field with his first two collegiate three-pointers. Hartfield had posted two points in 17 minutes for the season prior to Saturday.

Detroit had allowed 60 points or less in five consecutive games before Saturday's defeat, the longest such streak for the Titans since the end of the 2004-05 campaign. UDM committed a season-low four turnovers Saturday but could not overcome 39 percent shooting for the field or the Falcons' 48 percent showing. Detroit had held each of its previous five opponents below 44 percent.

Nine of ten seeds still up for grabs in final week of regular season
Only Detroit (tenth) knows its seed for the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship heading into the final week of the regular season. The tournament begins Tuesday, March 4, at campus sites with seeds 3-6 hosting first-round action. The winners of those four games square off Friday, March 7, at the home of the top seed. The top two seeds earn byes to the semifinals on Saturday, March 8, with the higher-seeded remaining team hosting the championship on Tuesday, March 11.

Butler, which already has clinched at least a share of the regular-season title, can claim the top seed with a victory in either of its two games this week (versus Wright State on Thursday and against Detroit on Saturday), or a Wright State loss at Valparaiso on Saturday. The top seed has won each of the last three League Championships.

Wright State would be the second seed by winning either of its two games or if Cleveland State loses to Youngstown State on Saturday. Otherwise, the Raiders and Vikings---who split their regular-season series and also would have 1-1 records against top seed Butler in that case---would finish tied at 12-6 and have their order determined by results against a crowded pack in the middle of the standings. Milwaukee, UIC and Green Bay control their own fate for first-round home games, with Valparaiso and Loyola needing help to move into the top six.