Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (Nov. 30, 2012)
Men's Basketball Weekend Schedule [All times Eastern]
Saturday, Dec. 1
UIC at Northwestern 2 p.m., BTN, CSN Chicago
Morehead State at Wright State 2 p.m., HLN
Youngstown State at Bowling Green 2 p.m.
Toledo at Cleveland State 2 p.m., HLN
Furman at Loyola 3 p.m., HLN
Green Bay at Virginia 4 p.m., ESPN Full Court/ESPN3/FS Wisconsin
Detroit at #rv/rv Pittsburgh 7 p.m., ESPN Full Court/ESPN3
Milwaukee at Northern Iowa 8 p.m., ESPN Full Court/ESPN3
Sunday, Dec. 2
Valparaiso at St. Louis 4:30 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS -- A rare Friday night off signifies the calm before a veritable storm rings in December as eight Horizon League men's basketball teams take to the court on Saturday before Valparaiso wraps up the weekend with the League's lone Sunday contest.
Despite a lack of games on Friday, hoops junkies won't have to wait long to get their fix on Saturday afternoon as four Horizon League teams are slated for a 2 p.m. tip. With season-opening tournaments wrapped up and conference play still a month away, Saturday's early time slot is full of regional rivalries, starting with a inter-city matchup as UIC makes the 16-mile trek to Evanston to face Northwestern.
The Flames -- led by Horizon League Co-Player of the Week Gary Talton and Newcomer of the Week Josh Crittle -- will look to continue their hot start and pounce on a Wildcats team that suffered its first loss of the season in ACC/B1G Matchup action on Tuesday night. In addition to being carried on the Big Ten Network, the game will be carried locally on ESPNChicago and will have a primetime re-airing on the CSN Chicago.
The rest of the early matchups highlight the Buckeye State. On the Horizon League Network, Wright State will host Morehead State -- looking to rebound from a loss to the Utes at the Utah Thanksgiving Tournament -- while Cleveland State hosts Toledo and looks for a second-straight win over a MAC opponent after outlasting Ball State on Tuesday night.
In the final 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Youngstown State travels to Bowling Green in an effort to right the ship. To paraphrase the late, great Ray Charles: if it wasn't for bad luck, the Penguins would have no luck at all. Youngstown State has faltered late in each of its past four games, losing twice in overtime and once in the final eight seconds of regulation.
In the day's third game featured on HLN, Loyola hosts Furman at 3 p.m. ET. The Ramblers beat Tennessee Tech on Wednesday night and at 5-2 are just two wins away from tying last season's total.
An hour later, Green Bay tips off in Charlottesville, Va., against the Cavaliers in matchup that will be broadcast on Fox Sports Wisconsin. Virginia is coached by Tony Bennett, Green Bay's all-time leading scorer and a member of the Phoenix Hall of Fame.
In a primetime matchup on ESPN3, Detroit wraps up a long road trip with a stop in Pittsburgh. The Titans have lost three straight road games but beat the Panthers the last (and only) time the teams played -- in 1970.
In the final Saturday game, Milwaukee travels to Northern Iowa for another ESPN3 broadcast. Panthers senior guard Paris Gulley has been sidelined by a broken hand but could provide a major boost if he is able to make his season debut on Saturday. If not, Gulley will likely see his first action next week.
Wrapping up the weekend with Sunday's lone game, Valparaiso looks to Co-Player of the Week Ryan Broekhoff to continue his effective play. As stat-heads become more accepting of advanced metrics, Broekhoff's worth is becoming even clearer: the senior forward's 125.0 offensive rating ranks 29th in the country among players featured on at least 24 percent of his team's possessions -- just behind Duke's Mason Plumlee, who checks in at 125.1.
