Men's Basketball Weekly Release #13

Jan. 30, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Brandon Polk, Butler
Senior Forward * Wichita, Kan.
Polk averaged 24.0 points per game in two victories last week, lifting Butler from eighth place to second in the League standings. He tallied a career-high 29 points and matched personal-bests with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Bulldogs past Cleveland State 55-51, ending the Vikings' four-game League winning streak. Polk followed that performance by leading all scorers with 19 points and six boards in a 70-62 triumph over Wright State on Saturday.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 29

Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Junior Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Cotton tied for game scoring honors with 21 points in Detroit's only game of the week, a 68-63 loss at Loyola. Cotton played 38 minutes in posting his second consecutive game with 20 or more points since coming back from a hand injury three games ago.

Danijel Zoric, UIC
Junior Forward * Serbia and Montenegro
Zoric led the Flames to a 2-0 record, snapping a six-game skid. He averaged 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for the week, including 15 points in a come-from-behind win over Wright State plus 12 points, six boards and two blocked shots versus UW-Green Bay.

Majak Kou, Loyola
Junior Guard * Hamilton, Ontario
Kou averaged 22 points, five rebounds and two blocks per game as the Ramblers went 1-1 last week. He has now scored 20 or more points in each of his last four outings, including 23 versus UW-Green Bay and 21 plus six boards, three assists and four steals in a victory over Detroit.

Ryan Werch, UW-Green Bay
Sophomore Guard * Ripon, Wis.
Werch came off the bench to score all of his career-high 17 points in the second half Saturday at UIC. He connected on five three-pointers in that game and also hit a key triple with 38 seconds left to secure a victory at Loyola on Thursday. He also added two free throws 21 seconds later as part of a 12-point performance.

Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee
Senior Guard * Chicago, Ill.
Davis led the Panthers with 22 points in a 78-70 victory at Youngstown State. Davis was eight-of-15 from the field and scored the first 14 points of the second half as UWM expanded on a 36-35 halftime lead. It was his ninth game with 20 or more points this season.

Drew Burleson, Wright State
Junior Forward * Wheelersburg, Ohio
Burleson averaged 15.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the Raiders' two losses last week. He posted 18 points and seven rebounds in a 70-62 defeat at Butler after a 12-point effort versus UIC. For the week, he shot 55 percent (12-of-22) from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers.

Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Junior Guard * Ellenwood, Ga.
Humphrey averaged a double-double (20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds per game) for the week. He had a game-high 27 points plus nine rebounds in a 68-63 win at Cleveland State after posting his ninth double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 boards in a 78-70 loss to UW-Milwaukee.

Horizon League Players of the Week

Nov. 21-- Justin Bowen, UIC
Nov. 28-- Brandon Crone, Butler
Dec. 5-- Leon Young, Loyola
Dec. 12-- Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Dec. 19-- Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Dec. 26-- Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee
Jan. 2-- Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
Jan. 9-- Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Jan. 16-- Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Jan. 23-- Ije Nwankwo, Cleveland State
Jan. 30-- Brandon Polk, Butler

This Week in the Horizon League

Horizon League teams start the stretch run toward the League Championship, with most playing three games this week. The opening week of February could play a pivotal role in determining some teams' positions in the League summit which starts on the last day of the month.

Action gets underway Monday when Wright State hosts Youngstown State in a re-match of the Jan. 12 contest which saw Wright State post a 64-60 victory in the Beeghly Center. Monday's line-up also has UIC trying to avenge a (Jan. 2) 75-56 loss at Butler when the Bulldogs visit the UIC Pavilion, while UW-Milwaukee travels to Loyola looking for a season sweep after the Panthers' 78-75 victory in Milwaukee on Jan. 11. UW-Green Bay also tries for a sweep of Detroit,hosting the Titans after registering a 60-57 triumph at Calihan Hall on Jan. 2.

On Thursday, UW-Green Bay travels to Butler while Wright State meets UW-Milwaukee for the second time in two weeks. UWM won the first meeting 61-54 at home on Jan. 21. Also, Detroit hosts Cleveland State trying to avenge a 60-57 loss to the Titans on Jan. 12, and Youngstown State has the same motivation after an 85-84 overtime loss at UIC on New Year's Eve.

Saturday features four more games with Detroit at UIC for an ESPN2 broadcast, while Butler hosts UW-Milwaukee, Cleveland State travels to Loyola, and UW-Green Bay visits Wright State. UWM won the first meeting with Butler (64-59 on Jan. 7), with the Ramblers going for the sweep after a 77-60 triumph in Cleveland on Dec. 29. Detroit doused the Flames with a 76-65 decision at home on Jan. 21, and the Phoenix defeated Wright State 57-44 in Green Bay (Jan. 19).

Around the Horizon League

Panthers keep on rolling
UW-Milwaukee improved to 15-4 overall and 8-1 in the League following a 78-70 victory at Youngstown State on Thursday. The Panthers start the week on a three-game winning streak and have won 11 of their last 12 overall to push their League lead to three full games. UWM could put a virtual lock on its third straight regular-season League title with road wins against the next two teams on the ladder, Wright State and at Butler this week.

Thursday's victory secured a seventh consecutive winning season for a program that had only seven plus-.500 campaigns in the 20 years before the hiring of Bo Ryan in 1999. Five more wins would give UWM 20 or more for the fourth season in a row, a feat which has never been accomplished in 110 seasons of basketball at the school.

The Panthers hit the road for three more games this week but will have only one more game away from U.S. Cellular Arena after Saturday's showdown at Butler. Senior forward Adrian Tigert could break a school record in that game with his 112th opening-tip appearance. He would eclipse the mark set by Chad Angeli (1997-2001).

Tigert ranks sixth in the League at 7.1 rebounds per game, while senior guard Boo Davis moved up to fourth place on the loop scoring charts at 16.5 points per game after a 22-point performance at Wright State---his ninth game of 20 or more this season. Davis also shares the circuit lead with 59 three-pointers, a rate of 3.11 per game.

Senior forward Joah Tucker joins Davis on the scoring charts, rated ninth at 15.9 points per contest along with his 5.9 rebounds-per-game pace (tenth-best in the League). He also leads all active Horizon League players with 1,209 career points in 82 games at Milwaukee.

Bulldogs race up the charts
Butler moved up six spots on the League charts---from eighth place to second---with a pair of victories last week. BU defeated Clevealnd State (55-51 on Wednesday) and Wright State (70-62 on Saturday) to improve to 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the League.

Senior forward Brandon Polk led the way for the Bulldogs, netting career-highs of 29 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots versus CSU. He shot 54 percent (20-of-37) from the field last week and also pulled down 17 rebounds compared to his season average of just over four per game heading into the week. Polk holds the third spot on the loop scoring charts at 17.2 points per game and is in the same position with his .540 field-goal accuracy.

Butler committed 14 turnovers at Cleveland State---the most since a 16-miscue showing against South Dakota State on Dec. 28---but had only four errors against Wright State on Saturday. BU continues to rank third in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.5).

Senior guard Bruce Horan hit four more three-point field goals last week, raising his school record to 260 in his career. That total puts him fourth in League history, surpassing UIC's Cedrick Banks (258 from 2001-05), and Horan could climb two more spots this week, moving past Cleveland State's James Madison (262 from 1995-2000) and UW-Milwaukee's Clay Tucker (264 from 1999-2003). Horan has at least one tri-lighter in 66 consecutive games and shares the League lead with 59 treys this season (3.11 per game) on 43.7 percent accuracy behind the arc. His 260 career triples account for 780 of his 852 career points (91.5 percent).

Sophomore guard A.J. Graves added 17 points against Wright State and currently ranks 13th in the League at 13.1 points per game. He's also tied for sixth with 1.37 steals per outingand is one of three Bulldogs among the top three-point scorers with 1.63 triples per game. Senior backliner Avery Sheets adds 1.68 treys per contest.

The Bulldogs' success has come despite being outrebounded by an average of 6.6 boards per game. BU has won the battle off the glass only four times in 19 games but has overcome that difficulty by shooting a League-best 46.2 percent from the field, including a circuit-high 38.4 percent from three-point range.

Raiders cling to first-round bye hopes
Wright State remains third in the League at 4-4 despite four consecutive losses, including a 62-57 homecourt defeat to UIC on Wednesday and a 70-62 setback at Butler on Saturday. WSU had won four straight before the current skid and opens the week at 8-10 overall.

Wright State led the Flames 54-52 with 8:47 remaining but did not hit a field goal the rest of the way as UIC took the lead with a 15-1 run. The Raiders tried to post a similar comeback after falling behind 27-7 at Butler, rallying to within six points with two minutes left but could not complete the comeback.

Sophomore forward Jordan Pleiman posted a season-high 18 points with eight rebounds on Saturday, with junior forward Drew Burleson adding 18 points and seven boards. Burleson added 12 points and nine caroms in the loss to UIC, giving him an average of 15.0 points a night for the week.

Burleson has lifted his season pace to 12.3 per game, putting him 13th on the loop scoring charts, while junior guard DaShaun Wood is tenth at 15.6 per appearance. Wood had 12 markers Saturday and should join the Raiders' 1,000-point club this week. He needs 20 more to become the 25th Raider to reach four figures.

Wood also leads the Raiders in assists (4.33, fourth in the League), steals (1.78, second on the loop charts) and free-throw percentage (.796, fourth in the circuit). Pleiman leads the way off the glass for WSU, ranking seventh in the League at 6.3 caroms per contest.

Vikings happy to hit the road?
Cleveland State dropped to 8-11 overall and into a five-way tie for fourth place at 4-5 in the League after losing twice at home last week. The Vikings fell 55-51 to Butler on Wednesday and suffered a 68-63 defeat at the hands of Youngstown State on Sunday. CSU needs one more win to match its 9-17 record from the 2004-05 campaign.

The Vikings are on the road for the next three games, which could be beneficial for the team's success. In nine League games involving CSU, the home team is only 2-7 this season as the Vikings are 3-1 on the road and 1-4 at the Wolstein Center. For the basis of comparison, home teams are 23-7 in the other 30 League games this season.

Junior forward Ije Nwankwo has helped solidify the VIkings' rotation as the only change to coach Mike Garland's opening line-up in the past 14 games. The quintet of Nwankwo, forwards Patrick Tatham and J'Nathan Bullock plus guards Carlos English and Raheem Moss have opened each of the last nine contests, the longest streak by any group in Mike Garland's three-year tenure as Viking coach. In contrast, CSU had different starting quintets in each of its first five contests this season.

Nwankwo led the Vikings with 10 points and nine reboudns against Butler and also had 13 points with eight caroms versus YSU. In 11 appearances, he owns a team-best 11.0 points-per-game scoring average, although he has not played enough games to enter the League statistical charts.

Moss is 18th in the circuit at 10.8 per game, while senior forward Frashon McGee stands ninth at 6.0 rebounds per outing. English leads the League with 2.00 steals per game and stands third at 4.79 assists per contest. As a team, CSU boasts several impressive defensive numbers, leading the League in opponents' field goal percentage (.418) and also holding foes to a loop-best .293 clip behind the three-point line. The Vikings' 8.79 steals-per-game pace is easily the best in the League, with Youngstown State next at 7.11.

Titans take step back before busy week
Detroit lost its only game of the week, a 68-63 setback at Loyola on Saturday to drop the Titans to 10-12 overall and 4-5 in the League.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton scored 21 points against the Ramblers---his second consecutive 20-point performance---with senior forward Torvoris Baker adding 14 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Detroit outrebounded the Ramblers 38-33 and limited LU to 39 percent shooting from the field but could not overcome 15 turnovers.

Cotton, who also had 24 points against UIC on Jan. 21, is 11-for-18 (61.1 percent) from three-point range in his last four games and is now ranked seventh in the League with his 40.5-percent mark for the season. His 30 tri-lighters are already more than the 22 he posted in 22 games last season. He currently ranks fifth in the League with a 16.4 points-per-game average.

Baker leads the Titans and ranks third on the loop charts at 7.6 rebounds per game overall, but has lifted that mark to 8.3 in League play. Only Youngstown State's Quin Humphrey (9.3) has a better mark in loop action.

Senior forward Chuck Bailey saw his career-best six-game double-figure-scoring streak come to an end Saturday when he posted eight points and six rebounds. His three-of-seven line from the field was the first time in seven games where Bailey failed to top the 50-percent mark.

Sophomore guard Jon Goode ranks ninth in the League at 2.86 assists per game while also shooting 43 percent behind the three-point arc (third-best in the League).

After playing just one game in nine days, the Titans have three in a six-day span this week. UDM is at UW-Green Bay on Monday and hosts Cleveland State on Thursday before traveling to UIC for a Saturday matinee that airs nationally on ESPN2.

Penguins ride Humphrey-Roberts tandem
Youngstown State split two games last week, moving to 7-12 overall and 4-5 in the League. YSU suffered a 78-70 homecourt loss to UW-Milwaukee on Thursday but rallied for a 68-63 victory at Cleveland State on Saturday behind 27 points and nine rebounds from junior guard Quin Humphrey.

Humphrey continues to lead the League in both scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounding (9.0 per contest), averaging 20.0 and 10.0, respectively, last week. Junior guard Keston Roberts added 16 points against CSU and ranks seventh in the League at 16.1 points per game.

Saturday's win featured an unlikely hero in little-used Mike Adams. The senior center, who entered the game with three points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes for the entire season, had nine points and grabbed eight boards while also blocking two shots in 17 minutes Saturday. He scored nine of YSU's final 17 points, eclipsing his two-year total career before the game, and secured the victory by canning two free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining.

Humphrey posted his eighth double-double of the year, becoming the first Penguin with that many in one season since Marcus Culbreath in 1995-96. One more would give him the most by a YSU player since Jerome Sims registered 16 during the 1990-91 campaign. Humphrey needs 38 points to become the 30th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

The Penguins' four League victories are the most for the school since Youngstown State joined the League in 2001-02. The team's two road loop victories (Saturday plus an 84-76 win at Loyola on Dec. 28) match the team's total in the last four seasons.

Ramblers stay at home
Loyola split two games at the Gentile Center last week, losing 72-66 to UW-Green Bay on Thursday before coming back for a 68-63 victory over Detroit on Saturday. The Ramblers start the week at 12-7 overall and are one of five teams at 4-5 in League play. LU is now 11-0 this season when leading at halftime.

Loyola wraps up a six-game homestand this week hosting UW-Milwaukee on Monday and Cleveland State on Saturday. After the CSU contest, the Ramblers play four of their last five loop games on the road.

Junior guard Majak Kou registered 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four steals in Saturday's victories, posting his fourth consecutive game with 20 or more points. He is averaging 22.3 points per game during that span, filling some of the production lost when freshman backliner J.R. Blount suffered a foot injury versus UIC on Jan. 14.

Kou has climbed to 11th on the League scoring chart at 13.5 points per game and also owns a loop-best 1.58 blocks-per-game average to go with a 1.68 steals-per-outing rate which is third-best in the loop.

Junior guard Blake Schilb is second in the League in scoring at 18.6 points per game, including 24 versus UW-Green Bay. Schilb has scored in double figures in 25 consecutive regular-season League games and ten straight overall this season. His 1,131 career points put him five away from entering the top 25 in school history.

Freshman forward Leon Young grabbed ten rebounds against the Titans for his first double-digit tally since Dec. 17. Young still ranks second in the League at 8.0 rebounds per game and is also averaging 10.2 points per contest.

Phoenix snap road hex
UW-Green Bay broke through for its first road victory of the season Thursday, defeating Loyola 72-66. An 81-68 loss at UIC on Saturday, however, relegated the Phoenix to a 10-11 overall record which includes a 4-5 loop ledger.

The victory at Loyola gives the Phoenix a 1-8 record on the road. UWGB is also 1-1 in neutral-site games compared to an 8-2 mark at the Resch Center. Junior guard Ryan Evanochko led the way with 25 points and six assists, surpassing the 20-point mark for the fourth consecutive game and eighth overall. He added nine assists at UIC but was limited to eight points by the Flame defense.

Sophomore guard Ryan Werch filled some of the void Saturday by hitting five three-pointers in the second half and finishing with a career-high 17 points. His five triples were one short of the school record for a half, which was set earlier this season when Ryan Tillema canned six against UNC Greensboro.

UW-Green Bay has now dropped two of its last three games, due in large part to a rebounding disparity. The Phoenix won at Loyola despite a 41-31 disadvantage off the glass, while UIC claimed the boards with a 40-32 advantage on Saturday. Including a Jan. 21 loss at Cleveland State, the Phoenix have been outrebounded by a combined total of 123-93, a difference of 10.0 caroms per contest.

Evanochko is sixth in the League in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game to go along with a 4.86 assists-per-game rate which is second only to Youngstown State's Derrick Harris (5.47). Freshman forward Mike Schachtner adds 10.0 points per game, while redshirt freshman forward Terry Evans is 11th in the League at 5.8 rebounds per contest and fourth with his rate of 1.05 blocks per outing.

After the road dates at Butler and at Wright State this week, UW-Green Bay closes the regular season with three home dates among the final four League games on the schedule.

Flames end slide, re-join League chase
UIC posted a pair of victories last week, moving to 3-6 in the League and 10-11 overall by defeating Wright State (62-57 on Wednesday) and UW-Green Bay (81-68 on Saturday). The victory at WSU ended a six-game skid which was the school's longest in five years.

The Flames rallied from a 50-35 deficit Wednesday, holding the Raiders without a field goal over the last 8:47 in the process. The 15-point margin was the biggest comeback in a victory by the Flames this season.

Senior forward Justin Bowen recorded his seventh double-double of the season against the Phoenix, tying his career-high with 26 points and collecting ten rebounds. He was 10-of-14 from the field and is now fifth in the League at 53.8 percent this season. That efficiency has carried Bowen to eighth place on the League scoring charts at 16.0 points per game.

Senior guard Rocky Collum made his second appearance of the season Saturday, scoring three points in nine minutes. Collum averaged 8.7 points per game a year ago but has had to overcome a torn MCL, pink eye and a tear in his esophagus in the first three months of his senior campaign.

Junior forward Danijel Zoric returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Jan. 5 and averaged 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last week---more than double his season pace of 5.1 points an outing.

Sophomore forward Othyus Jeffers was held to two points Saturday but pulled down 12 rebounds and handed out five assists. The only Flame to start all 19 games this season, Jeffers averages 11.8 points per game this season and is fourth in the League at 7.6 rebounds per game---one spot ahead of Bowen's 7.2 norm. Jeffers also stands eighth at 2.95 assists per game, two spots better than freshman guard Josh Mayo's 2.67 per-game pace.

Horizon League Spotlight Leaders

30-Point Games:
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State - 3
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay - 1

20-Point Games:
Blake Schilb, Loyola - 10
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee - 9
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay - 8
Brandon Polk, Butler - 8
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State - 7
Justin Bowen, UIC - 6
Brandon Cotton, Detroit - 6
DaShaun Wood, Wright State - 6
Majak Kou, Loyola - 5
Keston Roberts, Youngstown State - 5
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee - 5
J.R. Blount, Loyola - 3
A.J. Graves, Butler - 3
Jon Goode, Detroit - 2
Josh Lawrence, UW-Green Bay - 2
Josh Mayo, UIC - 2
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee - 2

10-Rebound Games:
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State - 9
Torvoris Baker, Detroit - 7
Justin Bowen, UIC - 7
Othyus Jeffers, UIC - 7
Chuck Bailey, Detroit - 6
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee - 6
Leon Young, Loyola - 6
Jovan Stefanov, UIC - 2
Blake Schilb, Loyola - 2
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee - 2
Double-Doubles:
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State - 8
Justin Bowen, UIC - 7
Chuck Bailey, Detroit - 5
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee - 5
Othyus Jeffers, UIC - 4
Leon Young, Loyola - 4
Torvoris Baker, Detroit - 3
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee - 2

Active Double-Figure Scoring Streaks
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee - 16
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee - 13
Keston Roberts, Youngstown State - 12
Blake Schilb, Loyola - 10
Brandon Cotton, Detroit - 5
Ije Nwankwo, Cleveland State - 5
Brandon Polk, Buter - 5
Majak Kou, Loyola - 4
Drew Burleson, Wright State - 3
Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay - 3
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State - 3
DaShaun Wood, Wright State - 3