Men's Basketball Weekly Release #13
Jan. 29, 2007
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Horizon League Player of the Week
Troy Cotton, UW-Green BayFreshman * Guard * Milwaukee, Wis. (Rufus King)Cotton led the Phoenix to a pair of victories last week, averaging 19.5 points in 21.5 minutes per contest. He came off the bench to score 16 points in Wednesday's 77-57 victory over UIC. Eleven of those came during a 16-0 first-half run to put UWGB in command. He then scored a career-high 23 points Saturday as the Phoenix won at UW-Milwaukee, 73-67. He was a perfect six-of-six from the floor (with three three-pointers) and eight-of-nine at the free-throw line.
Other Top Performances for the Week Ending January 28
A.J. Graves, ButlerJr. * G * Switz City, Ind.Graves led the Bulldogs to a pair of road victories at Loyola and at Detroit. He scored 26 points---10 in overtime---to pace BU past Loyola on Thursday, and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Titans.
Bahaadar Russell, Cleveland StateSo. * G * Phoenix, Ariz.Russell scored nine of the Vikings' last 12 points in a 60-55 victory at UIC on Saturday. His three-pointer with 2:45 left vave CSU the lead for good, as part ofhis 15-point effort which also included six steals.
Brandon Cotton, DetroitJr. * G * Detroit, Mich.Cotton reached double figures in both of Detroit's games last week, leading a balanced attack with 14 points as the Titans defeated UW-Milwaukee on Thursday, and posting a season-best 28 points in Saturday's loss to Butler.
Othyus Jeffers, UICJr. * F * Chicago, Ill.Jeffers averaged 17.5 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in two contests last week. He had 17 points and a career-best 15 rebounds Saturday versus Cleveland State after an 18-point, nine-board effort at UW-Green Bay on Wednesday.
Blake Schilb, LoyolaSr. * G * Rantoul, Ill.Schilb recorded his first two double-doubles of the season, collecting 27 points and 11 rebounds plus six assists versus Butler on Thursday and scoring 14 points with ten rebounds against Wright State on Saturday.
DaShaun Wood, Wright StateSr. * G * Detroit, Mich.Wood averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists as the Raiders defeated Youngstown State and Loyola. He had 17 points against YSU on Wednesday and led the Raiders with 13 points plus eight rebounds at Loyola on Saturday.
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown StateSr. * G * Ellenwood, Ga.Humphrey scored a game-high 22 points in Wednesday's loss to Wright State. The senior was 8-for-18 from the field including a pair of three-pointers, and also collected four rebounds against the Raiders.
Logjam Leaves Little Margin for Error in Standings
Last year, five teams finished tied for third place in the Horizon League regular-season standings, leaving an unprecedented series of tie-breakers to determine seeds three (with a first-round bye) through seven (playing on the road to open the loop summit). That scenario could be duplicated this winter, as four teams enter the week tied for third place at 4-5, with a fifth only one-half game behind (4-6).
Detroit, UIC, Loyola, UW-Green Bay at Youngstown State all carry 4-5 records in loop play, with Detroit hosting the Phoenix (Thursday) and Wright State (Saturday) this week. Loyola hosts YSU on Monday, as well, before visiting Cleveland State on Saturday. The Flames are at Butler on Monday before moving on to meet Youngstown State on Saturday.
UW-Green Bay also has a pivotal schedule this week, with the Phoenix hosting Wright State on Monday before visiting Detroit on Thursday and Cleveland State on Saturday. Youngstown State has a date at Loyola on Monday and hosts Butler on Wednesday before its meeting with UIC at the Beeghly Center on Saturday.
UW-Milwaukee stands one-half game back at 4-6 before Monday's home game versus Cleveland State. The Panthers are then idle until Saturday's re-match at Butler.
Butler and Wright State have pulled away from the pack to some degree, with the Bulldogs at 7-1 before a trio of games this week---versus UIC on Monday, at YSU on Wednesday and versus UWM on Saturday. Wright State has two road contests on this week's schedule, at UW-Green Bay on Monday and at Detroit on Saturday.
Cleveland State tries to climb the loop ladder with its game at UW-Milwaukee on Monday before a two-game homestand versus Loyola (Thursday) and UW-Green Bay (Saturday).
After this week's game, only one-third of the 72-game loop schedule remains before the League Championship begins on Feb. 27.
News From Around the League
Bulldogs on verge of national Top 10 Butler lifted its season record to 19-2 overall and 7-1 in the League with a pair of road victories last week. BU rallied to defeat Loyola 70-66 in overtime on Thursday and then held off Detroit 68-58 on Saturday, marking the first time in 11 years that the Bulldogs have defeated both of those teams on the road.
Butler could become only the second team in the nation to reach the 20-win plateau with a win over UIC on Monday. Wisconsin carries a 21-1 record, with Butler as one of seven teams currently at 19 (see the list on page 16 of this week's release).
Junior guard A.J. Graves saw his streak of 63 consecutive free throws---the fourth-longest in Division I history---come to an end at Loyola, but he hit three of his five three-pointers in the extra session to lead BU to the victory. Graves scored 26 points in the game and is second in the League at 18.8 per game this year. He also tops the circuit as a 97 percent free-throw shooter, and is fourth at 1.60 steals per contest.
Junior forward Pete Campbell has come off the bench to score in double figures in seven consecutive games. After back-to-back 12-point outings last week, he has raised his season average from 2.8 points per game (as of Jan. 1) to 6.3. Campbell is second in the League with a 47.1 percent touch from three-point range, including 24-of-41 (58.5 percent) since the start of the New Year.
Junior guard Mike Green hit his final 11 free-throw attempts at Detroit, finishing with 13 points in Saturday's victory. Green ranks 13th on the League scoring chart at 13.2 points per contest, and also stands third with his 3.95 assists-per-game norm.
Butler leads the League in eight statistical categories, including scoring defense (allowing only 56.2 points per game). Loyola shot just 34.3 percent from the field, becoming the tenth team held under 40 percent by the Bulldog defense.
Raiders split two games on the roadWright State improved to 14-8 on the season, including 7-2 in League play, after defeating Youngstown State 62-49 on Wednesday and shutting down Loyola, 59-47, on Saturday. The Raiders have won nine of their last 11 games since Dec. 28.
Senior guard DaShaun Wood became only the second player in Wright State history to compile 1,500 points, 400 assists and 500 rebounds. He reached the third plateau last week, and also leads all active League players with 185 career steals.
Wood tops the circuit with an average of 19.0 points per game, and shares the League lead with ten games of 20 or more (matching Detroit's Brandon Cotton). He also is second with a rate of 1.86 steals per contest, while his 3.59 assists-per-game pace is fifth on that list.
Senior forward Drew Burleson also joined WSU's 500-rebound club, becoming the 11th player in school annals to reach that mark and also score 1,000 points. Junior forward Jordan Pleiman ranks ninth in the League in rebounding, grabbing six caroms per game while shooting 55.5 percent fron the field.
WSU held its two opponents to an average of 48 points last week. That marks the lowest two-game yield in three seasons, since Wright State allowed 39 against Butler and 53 versus UW-Green Bay.
Freshman guard Todd Brown scored 26 points in the two games last week, lifting his season scoring average to 8.5 points per game. He is just behind fellow freshman Vaughn Duggins (9.1) for second place on the Raiders' scoring charts.
Wright State has limited its last 11 opponents to 59.5 points per game and 41.1 percent shooting from the field. WSU allowed 66.4 points per contest and 45.3 percent accuracy in its first 11 games of the season, winning only three of those outings.
Phoenix shoots up the chartsUW-Green Bay climbed to third place at 4-4 in the League (12-9 overall) with a pair of victories last week. The Phoenix defeated UIC 77-57 on Wednesday, and snapped an eight-year losing streak at UW-Milwaukee by defeating the Panthers 73-67 on Saturday on ESPN2.
The win at Milwaukee not only marked UWGB's first against a home-standing Panther team since Jan. 10, 1998, but it also moved the Phoenix from eighth place to third.
Senior guard Ryan Evanochko became the 19th player in school history to record 1,000 points, hitting a jumper with 4:55 left in the first half Saturday. He finished with 18 points and seven assists, and now has 1,013 markers in a Phoenix uniform. He leads the League with a rate of 5.24 assists per contest, and adds a scoring rate of 15.4 points per outing which is ninth-best in the circuit.
Freshman guard Troy Cotton led the way against UW-Milwaukee with a career-high 23 points before a national television audience. He hit all six shots from the field (three behind the arc).and eight of nine free throws. The three triples lifted his season percentage to a League-best .507 (38-of-75) from 19-9 and beyond. Sophomore teammate Mike Schachtner is third on that chart with a .464 clip from three-point range as part of his 13.9 points-per-game scoring average.
Sophomore Terry Evans also ranks as a League leader with his pace of 2.05 steals per appearance. He adds 6.2 rebounds per game, putting him eighth on that list, as well.
Ramblers drop two at homeLoyola slipped to 13-9 on the season and begins the week in a four-way tie for fourth place (4-5 in the League) after dropping two home games last week. The Ramblers fell 70-66 in overtime to Butler on Thursday and suffered a 59-47 defeat against Wright State on Saturday. The two-game home skid is Loyola's first since January 2005.
Senior guard Blake Schilb recorded his first two double-doubles of the year, posting 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists versus the Bulldogs before adding 14 points and ten boards against the Raiders. He ranks fifth in school history with 1,678 career points, needing 23 more to move into 25th place in League annals.
Loyola's 47-point output Saturday marked the team's lowest since a 48-44 loss at Oral Roberts on Dec. 1, 2004. The Ramblers still lead the League in scoring, averaging 71.2 points per contest for the season. Loyola shot just 35 percent (42-of-120) in the two games last week, after boasting a 47 percent clip through the first 20 games of the year.
Sophomore forward Leon Young contributed 12 points and eight rebounds versus Butler. He leads the League in field-goal accuracy (58.7 percent) and ranks seventh at 6.3 rebounds per game---four spots behind freshman teammate Andy Polka (7.0).
Sophomore guard J.R. Blount stands 12th among League scorers at 13.4 points per game, with senior guard Majak Kou 15th at 13.0.
Penguins still looking for double digitsYoungstown State brings a 9-12 record into the week, holding at 4-5 in the League after a 62-49 loss at Wright State on Wednesday. The Penguins were idle Saturday, ahead of a stretch of three games in six days this week.
Senior guard Quin Humphrey scored a game-high 22 points against the Raiders, hitting eight of 18 shots from the field. Humphrey now ranks tenth in YSU history with 1,494 career points, and stands fourth on the League scoring charts at 17.7 points per game this season. He also is fifth in rebounding (6.7 per contest), as the only player among the League's top five in both categories. Humphrey is listed in the top ten of five different statistical categories, including steals (fifth at 1.43 per contest).
Senior guard Keston Roberts also rates among the loop's top scorers, producing 16.0 points per outing. He finished with ten against WSU, his 18th double-digit total in 21 games. Only Humphrey (19) has been in twin figures more consistently among the Penguins this year.
The Penguins' nine victories match their highest output in six years as a League member. YSU last hit the ten-win mark in 2000-01, finishing at 19-11 overall in its last season in the Mid-Continent Conference.
YSU is 9-0 this season when limiting opponents to less than 40 percent shooting, but 0-12 when allowing opponents to shoot 40 percent or better. Wright State hit 49 percent of its shots in Wednesday's victory.
Flames' struggles continueUIC has now lost four games in a row, dropping to 9-13 overall and 4-5 in loop play after a 77-57 loss at UW-Green Bay on Wednesday and a 60-55 home-court setback versus Cleveland State on Saturday.
The Flames look to halt that skid and earn a sweep of the season series versus Butler on Monday, while UIC puts a perfect 15-0 series mark on the line in Saturday's game at Youngstown State.
Sophomore center Scott VanderMeer has already broken the school's single-season blocked shots record, posting two rejections in Green Bay. He then matched UIC's single-game mark with nine against Cleveland State, giving him 77 for the season. Cleveland State (92) is the only other League team with that many this season. VanderMeer ranks among the national leaders at 3.50 blocks per game.
Junior forward Othyus Jeffers played a stellar all-around game last week, averaging 17.5 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the team's two contests. He notched his eighth double-double with 17 points and a career-high 15 boards against CSU. Jeffers ranks seventh in the League at 15.9 points per game and second with his 9.0 rebounds-per-game norm, while his 1.73 steals per game are third-best on that list.
Senior forward Jovan Stefanov posted his first career double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds Saturday. He was one of three Flames to grab at least ten caroms in that contest.
Titans split two close onesDetroit is also 4-5 in League play and 7-13 overall following two tight match-ups at Calihan Hall last week. The Titans outlasted UW-Milwaukee 91-84 in overtime on Thursday but fell to Butler 68-58 on Saturday.
Thursday's victory marked the 250th of coach Perry Watson's career at Detroit. He is 250-168 in 14 seasons on the Titan bench, including four 20-win campaigns.
Five Titans scored in double figures in that game, but junior guard Brandon Cotton took the spotlight against Butler. Cotton scored a season-high 28 points Saturday, his tenth 20-point game of the year. Seven of those have come in the last nine outings, a run in which he has averaged 21.7 per contest. For the season, Cotton is averaging 18.4 points a night, ranking third in the League.
Cotton has reached double figures in 13 consecutive contests, and 19 of 20 this year. He ranks 18th in UDM annals with 1,290 career points.
Junior guard Brandon Bell registered a double-double Thursday with season-best 14 points and a career-high 11 assists. He became the first Titan to log such a performance since Rashad Phillips in the 1999-2000 campaign.
Senior forward Ryvon Covile is no stranger to double-doubles, boasting a League-high 12 this season. Covile is averaging twin digits in both scoring (13.2 points per game) and rebounding (a loop-best 11.0 per outing) while standing third in field-goal percentage (.523) and second in blocked shots (1.65 per game).
Panthers fall short despite big numbersUW-Milwaukee sits in eighth place but only one game out of third as the week begins. The Panthers resume play at 7-16 overall and 4-6 in League play after a 91-84, overtime loss at Detroit on Thursday and a 73-67 setback versrus UW-Green Bay on Saturday.
Junior guard Avery Smith scored a game-high 32 points against the Titans, his second outing of 30 or more this season. Smith, who also had 36 points versus Oakland last month, finished with 17 points against the Phoenix. He is the fourth Panther in recent years to post two 30-point games in the same season, joining Joah Tucker (two in 2004-05), Dylan Page (2003-04), and Clay Tucker (2002-03). Shannon Smith had a school-record eight such efforts in 1994-95.
Smith stands fifth on the League scoring charts, averaging 16.2 points per game for the season. He has crossed the 20-point mark seven times in 2006-07, hitting double figures in 18 of the team's 23 games.
Junior forward Paige Paulsen is next on the team at 11.5 points per outing and also ranks sixth in the circuit at 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior forward Kevin Massiah adds 5.3 caroms per contest.
The Panthers recorded a season-high 15 steals against UW-Green Bay---the most by a UW-Milwaukee team since a 17-theft performance versus Hawai'i in 2005. Paulsen and Smith each committed four acts of larceny in Saturday's in-state showdown.
Vikings grab road victoryCleveland State improved to 8-14 on the season and 2-7 in the League with a 60-55 victory at UIC on Saturday. That contest was the only action last week for the Vikings, who now have three games this week (at UW-Milwaukee on Monday before home dates against Loyola on Thursday and UW-Green Bay on Saturday).
Sophomore forward J'Nathan Bullock recorded his seventh career double-double with 14 pionts and ten rebounds against the Flames. He has four such outings this season, and ranks fourth in the League in rebonding at 6.8 per game. His 14.3 points-per-game scoring rate is tenth-best in the circuit.
Sophomore guard Bahaadar Russell scored nine of CSU's last 12 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:45 left, in Saturday's victory. He finished with a team-high 15 points plus six steals, the most by a Viking this season.
Russell had scored only ten points in ten appearances through January 11, but is averaging 16 points in his last four contests including 21 versus Detroit on Jan. 13. Russell is 15-of-39 (38.5 percent) from three-point range during the four-game run, and has lifted his season scoring average to 5.3 points per game.
Senior guard Raheem Moss added eight points and seven rebounds in Saturday's victory. He ranks second on the team scoring charts at 10.7 points per game for the season, hitting a team-best 39 three-pointers.
Crusaders ride defense to two victoriesValparaiso---which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08---improved to 10-11 overall with two victories in three tries last week. The Crusaders stifled IPFW for a 59-45 victory and outlasted UMKC 56-52 in overtime before falling 76-60 at Southern Utah on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa averaged 12.7 points and nine rebounds in the three contests, shooting 57 percent (16-of-28) from the field. He logged his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 boards at UMKC, and led Valpo with 14 points and eight caroms aainst IPFW.
Igbavboa averages 10.3 points per game as one of three Crusaders in double figures for the season. Sophomore guard Brandon McPherson heads that ilst, ranking 12th in the Mid-Continent Conference at 12.1 points per game. He also leads the Mid-Con in three-point field-goal shooting at 56 percent, while his 55.3 overall mark from the floor is second-best and his rate of 3.50 assists per game ranks fourth. Freshman guard Samuel Haanpaa adds 11.6 points per contest, hitting 44.3 percent of his three-point attempts (third in the Mid-Con).
Junior center Calem MacLeod shared team honors with 16 points in 22 minutes of action off the bench at UMKC. The seven-footer's three-pointer 12 seconds into overtime put Valpo in front to stay. The 52 points allowed were the fewest given up by the Crusaders in an overtime game in at least 50 years.
On the Horizon This Week:
Monday, January 29 UIC at #13 Butler, 7 p.m. - *Cleveland State at UW-Milwaukee, 8 p.m. - *Youngstown State at Loyola, 8 p.m. - *Wright State at UW-Green Bay, 8:05 p.m. - *Detroit at Chicago State, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, January 31#13 Butler at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m. - *
Thursday, February 1UW-Green Bay at Detroit, 7:05 p.m. - *Loyola at Cleveland State, 7:30 p.m. - *Oral Roberts at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.
Saturday, February 3UW-Milwaukee at #13 Butler, 2 p.m. - *Wright State at Detroit, 4:05 p.m. - * (ESPN2)UW-Green Bay at Cleveland State, 5:30 p.m. - *UIC at Youngstown State, 7:35 p.m. - *Centenary at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.
ALL TIMES EASTERN / rankings noted are from Jan. 29 AP poll* - Horizon League games
