Men's Basketball Weekly Release #15

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Horizon League Player of the Week

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Senior * Guard * Detroit, Mich. (Crockett)
Wood averaged 24.7 points in three Raider victories, including a 30-point performance to lift Wright State past Butler in Saturday's showdown between the League's top two teams. He was 8-for-15 from the field and 12-of-12 at the line in that game, also grabbing seven rebounds and handing out six assists. He has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games, including 24 (with nine rebounds) at UIC on Wednesday and 20 versus UW-Milwaukee on Monday.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 11

Pete Campbell, Butler
Jr. * F * Muncie, Ind.
Campbell matched his collegiate-best with 28 points including eight treys at Cleveland State on Thursday. He was 10-of-13 for the field in that game, and came back with 13 points and four rebounds at Wright State on Saturday.

J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
So. * F * Flint, Mich.
Bullock scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed three rebounds Thursday night against Butler. The sophomore was seven-of-17 from the field and made all four of his free-throw attempts.

Ryvon Covile, Detroit
Sr. * C * Detroit, Mich.
Covile averaged a double-double (16.5 points, 12 rebounds) in two games last week while shooting 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from the field. He scored 20 points with 11 rebounds versus UIC on Saturday.

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Jr. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Jeffers posted his tenth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds versus Wright State, and came back with 20 points to lead UIC past Detroit on Saturday. He shot 54 percent (13-of-24) from the field for the week.

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Sr. * G * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in two victories last week. He had 18 points to lead LU past Detroit 71-61 on Wednesday, and added 11 points plus a career-high ten assists at UW-Green Bay on Saturday.

Kevin Massiah, UW-Milwaukee
Sr. * F * Toronto, Ontario
Massiah registered eight points with a career-best 11 rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes of action during UW-Milwaukee's 76-50 loss to Wright State on Monday, the team's only action last week.

Jack Liles, Youngstown State
So. * F * Odenton, Md.
Liles posted his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the Penguins' 55-46 loss at UW-Green Bay. He has scored 29 points with 22 boards and seven blocked shots in his last seven games.

Key Showdowns on This Week's Slate Before BracketBusters

Only four League games are scheduled this week, with all nine teams taking part in the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event on Saturday. But what the loop slate lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality as all four match-ups feature large implications on the Horizon League Championship which begins two weeks from Tuesday.

Wednesday's quartet of contests begins in Dayton, Ohio, where loop front-runner Wright State takes on Cleveland State. The Raiders took a half-game lead over Butler with Saturday's 77-65 victory over the Bulldogs, and look to stretch their winning streak to eight games.

Detroit and Youngstown State are among a quartet of teams tied for fifth place, with only two of those squads getting to host first-round tournament games. The Titans and home-standing Penguins have a chance to move to the front of that line Wednesday, as YSU tries to avenge a 66-51 loss at Detroit earlier this season.

UW-Milwaukee, also 5-8, attempts to keep first-round home-game hopes alive as the Panthers host Loyola. The Ramblers can secure the third seed for the Championship by winning one of their last three League games.

The fourth 5-8 team, UIC, hosts UW-Green Bay in the final game Wednesday. The Flames snapped a seven-game skid Saturday at Detroit, while a loss would drop the Phoenix (currently 6-7 and in fourth place in the standings) into the group of eight-loss teams.

Saturday's non-League action sees Butler hosting Southern Illinois on ESPN2, with Wright State's tilt against Cal State-Fullerton on ESPN360. The other home match-ups include UIC hosting Central Michigan, Loyola hosting Eastern Illinois, and Youngstown State hosting Eastern Kentucky. The rest of the League is on the road with Cleveland State visiting Cal State-Northridge, Detroit at Buffalo, UW-Green Bay at Northern Illinois, and UW-Milwaukee at Drake.

News From Around the League

Raiders rise to the top
Wright State re-claimed the top spot in the League standings, knocking off Butler 77-65 on Saturday for its seventh consecutive victory. The Raiders also defeated UW-Milwaukee (76-50 on Monday) and UIC (74-64 in overtime Wednesday) to improve to 19-8 overall and 12-2 in League play. Wright State has held each of its last seven opponents under 40 percent from the field, and is poised to post its first 20-win season since 1992-93 when the Raiders finished 20-10.

Monday's victory was the 100th of coach Brad Brownell's career. Brownell posted an 83-40 ledger in four seasons at UNC Wilmington before taking the reins in Dayton last summer.

Saturday's crowd of 10,827 was the largest in Nutter Center history, as well as the biggest at a game hosted by any League team this year. The previous arena record was the 10,803 fans on hand to witness the Raiders' game versus cross-town rival Dayton in 1994.

Butler was the second-highest-ranked team to lose in the Nutter Center. Wright State defeated (then) sixth-ranked Michigan State 53-49 on Dec. 30, 1999.

Senior guard DaShaun Wood paced WSU with 30 points, the third time he has posted 30 or more this season. Wood was 8-of-15 from the field and made all 12 free-throw attempts while also handing out six assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Wood leads the League in scoring at 19.8 points per game---including a loop-best 20.3 per outing against Horizon League foes---and also tops the charts at 1.89 steals per game while ranking fifth with 3.70 assists per contest. Wood has scored 20 or more points 15 times this season including each of his last four games.

Junior forward Jordan Pleiman owns the circuit's top field-goal percentage (.560) and is 11th in the League in rebounding at 5.7 per outing---one position behind teammate Drew Burleson (5.8 per game), who also ranks fourth with a .518 field-goal clip.

Bulldogs' streak comes to an end
Butler slipped to 23-3 overall and 11-2 in League play with Saturday's loss at Wright State. The Bulldogs had won nine games in a row, including a 92-50 rout of Cleveland State on Thursday, and had become the first team in League history to crack the national top ten.

Butler set a League record with 20 three-pointers at CSU. Three schools had made 18 in a game, including Butler at Detroit last February.

Junior forward Pete Campbell had eight of those during a 28-point performance. Campbell is the League's most accurate long-range sniper, hitting 51.9 percent of his shots from three-point range. He is at 58.4 percent behind the arc to average 13.4 points per game in loop play (8.5 per outing overall).

Junior guard A.J. Graves could crack Butler's all-time top 20 scorers' list this week. With 1,188 career markers, he trails Tim McRoberts (1980-84 and father of Duke All-America candidate Josh McRoberts) by 20 points. Graves ranks fourth in the League at 17.7 points per game and tops the loop charts with a .963 free-throw percentage and 76 treys.

Graves and junior forward Drew Streicher were both named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 team. Graves carries a 3.39 GPA as an actuarial science major while Streicher is at 3.94 in his chemistry/pre-med studies.

Junior guard Mike Green logged nine assists at CSU, leading the way as Butler had 27 set-ups on 33 baskets. Green averages 13.7 points per game and ranks third in the League at 4.19 assists per outing. He also tops the BU charts at 5.7 rebounds per game.

Butler leads the nation with a rate of only 9.5 turnovers per contest, and the team's 56.1 points-per-game yield puts the Bulldogs fifth in Division I in scoring defense. Butler puts its 21-game homecourt winning streak---the sixth-longest active run in D-1---on the line Saturday versus Southern Illinois.

Ramblers close to locking up third place
Loyola extended its winning streak to four games by defeating Detroit (71-61 Wednesday) and UW-Green Bay (69-52 Saturday). The streak----matching LU's longest of the year---lifts the Ramblers to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in League play, with Loyola needing to win one of its last three loop games to secure the third seed for the League Championship. Loyola cannot catch Butler or Wright State for the second seed.

Senior guard Blake Schilb averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the two victories last week, including ten helpers and 11 points at UW-Green Bay for his third double-double of the year. He now stands fourth in school history with 1,752 career points, and is seventh in the League at 16.0 per outing this season. The only player ever to post 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists in a Rambler uniform, the senior also ranks second in assists (4.28 per game) and sixth in steals (1.36 per appearance).

Sophomore guard J.R. Blount pulled down a career-high ten rebounds against the Phoenix. He averages 13.4 points per game, just ahead of senior teammate Majak Kou (13.3) on the team charts. Freshman forward Andy Polka ranks fourth in the League at 6.9 rebounds per game, with sophomore forward Leon Young seventh at 6.2 caroms per contest. Young's .543 field-goal percentage is third-best in that category.

Loyola's season sweep of Detroit is the school's first since 1991-92.

Phoenix experience ups, downs in one week
UW-Green Bay stands fourth on the League ladder at 6-7, part of a 14-12 overall ledger after splitting two games last week. The Phoenix shut down Youngstown State 55-46 on Thursday but scored only 13 first-half points in a 69-52 loss to Loyola on Saturday.

UW-Green Bay enters the week one game ahead of four teams and visits one of those---UIC---on Wednesday to close the road portion of its loop schedule.

The Phoenix held YSU to 27.7 percent shooting from the field, the best defensive effort since Wright State managed 26.9 percent accuracy on Jan. 5, 2004. The 46 points were also a season-low yield.

UWGB will be without senior forward Josh Lawrence for the remainder of the season after he suffered a head injury at Detroit on Feb. 1. Lawrence, who has a long history of concussions, appeared in 106 games in his career with 882 points.

Sophomore forward Mike Schachtner is a member of the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 5 team and is on the ballot for Academic All-America honors. Schachtner owns a 3.844 grade-point average, and ranks tenth in the League in scoring at 14.7 points per game.

Senior guard Ryan Evanochko is one spot ahead of Schachtner on that list with his 15.2 per-game rate. Evanochko also leads the circuit at 5.19 assists per game, while sophomore Terry Evans is eighth in rebounding at 6.2 per game.

Titans stumble into four-way tie
Detroit carries a three-game losing streak into the week, with setbacks at Loyola (71-61 on Wednesday) and versus UIC (75-67 on Saturday) dropping the Titans to 9-16 overall. Detroit is one of four teams owning 5-8 League ledgers.

Detroit has never lost more than 16 games in Perry Watson's 13 years on the bench. Saturday's loss was UDM's sixth this year at Calihan Hall; the Titans went 13-1 at home last season.

Senior forward Ryvon Covile posted a pair of double-doubles---his League-high 13th and 14th of the season. He had 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Ramblers and posted 20 markers with 11 caroms versus the Flames, shooting 68 percent from the field in the two games. His 55.2 percent clip for the year is second only to Wright State's Jordan Pleiman on the loop charts, and Covile leads the League at 10.7 rebounds per outing. He also stands second among League players with his 1.56 blocks-per-game norm and 14th at 13.3 points per game.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton is second on the League scoring chart at 18.3 points per game after his 21-point outing against the Flames. Cotton has scored 20 or more 12 times this season, including eight against League opposition. He had scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games before managing only nine at Loyola.

Cotton and Covile combined for 32 of Detroit's 37 second-half points versus UIC. Zach Everingham (five points) was the only other Titan to score after intermission.

Penguins looking to make history of sorts
Youngstown State is also 5-8 in League play, part of a 10-15 overall record. The Penguins dropped their only game last week, a 55-46 decision at UW-Green Bay on Thursday.

YSU has never hosted a League Championship game, but could accomplish that feat this season. The Penguins host Detroit in a key placement showdown Wednesday before finishing the loop schedule versus Wright State and Cleveland State.

Senior guard Quin Humphrey was held to a season-low six points against the Phoenix. Despite that performance, he still ranks third in the League in scoring (18.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.2 per contest) plus fourth in steals (1.40 per appearance). Fellow senior Keston Roberts adds 16.2 points per game to rank fifth on that loop chart.

Humphrey and Roberts each have more than 400 points this season, becoming the first pair of Penguin teammates to hit that mark since the 1990-91 campaign.

Sophomore forward Jack Liles is averaging 7.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in League play. During his last 13 games (since Dec. 22), he is averaging 8.5 points and 8.6 rebounds, compared to 5.5 and 4.0, respectively, in his first 12 games of the year. Liles has scred 29 points with 22 rebounds and seven blocked shots in his last two games, and his 31 blocks this season are the sixth-most in school history. His 1.24 blocks per game rank third in the League.

Panthers facing critical stretch run
UW-Milwaukee comes into the week at 5-8 in the League (8-18 overall) after Monday's 76-50 loss to Wright State. The Panthers host Loyola on Wednesday and finish the League slate at UIC and at UW-Green Bay. UW-Milwaukee is looking to avoid its first 20-loss season since a 3-24 showing during the 1997-98 campaign.

The Panthers led the League in scoring offense last year with an average of 74 points per game. This year's edition is seventh among the nine teams in the circuit, averaging exactly ten points fewer per contest. UW-Milwaukee has shot less than 40 percent from the field in each of its last four games, including a 29.8 percent mark at WSU. The Panthers have averaged only 51.3 points in their last three games.

Freshman guard Roman Gentry continues to play a larger role for the Panthers, averaging more than 20 minutes in his last four appearances. He had seen double-digit playing time only three times before the recent stretch.

Junior guard Avery Smith is eighth on the individual scoring chart at 15.3 points per game, with junior forward Paige Paulsen adding 11 per outing to go with six rebounds per game.

Saturday's match-up versus Drake brings together two eras of basketball at UW-Platteville. Drake coach Dr. Tom Davis and UWM mentor Rob Jeter are both UWP graduates, with Davis in 1960 after leading the Pioneers to the NAIA Tournament and Jeter in 1991 after helping his team to the NCAA Division III national title.

Flames end slide, return home for key game
UIC is the fourth team at 5-8 in League play, improving to 10-16 overall with Saturday's 75-67 victory at Detroit. The Flames, who also took loop front-runner Wright State to overtime before falling 74-64 on Wednesday, host UW-Green Bay this Wednesday in a chase for the 4-6 seeds and a chance to host a first-round game in the League Championship.

Junior forward Othyus Jeffers logged his tenth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Raiders, and posted a team-high 20 points in the victory at Detroit. That was only UIC's third win all-time at Calihan Hall.

Jeffers ranks sixth in the League in scoring at 16.1 points per contest, and is second with nine rebounds per outing. His 1.69 steals per game and .498 field-goal shooting are third and fifth, respectively.

Sophomore guard Josh Mayo has made ten of his last 17 three-point attempts. Mayo was three-of-five in a 15-point showing at Detroit, and is averaging 14.7 points in his last three games, lifting his season pace to 11.3. Mayo also ranks sixth in the League at 2.86 assists per game.

Sophomore center Scott VanderMeer leads the League with 87 blocked shots, needing five more to tie the single-season League record of 92 set by Dan Godfread of Evansville in 1988-89 and tied by Marquette's Jim McIlvaine two years later. VanderMeer's 3.35 blocks per game are more than twice as many as any other League player (Detroit's Ryvon Covile is next at 1.56).

Vikings still measuring improvement
Cleveland State fell to 8-18 overall and 2-11 in the League with Thursday's 92-50 loss to Butler. But despite their current four-game losing streak, the Vikings are finding solace in marked improvement over last year's results.

Cleveland State is averagng 13.8 turnovers per game, more than two fewer than last year's 16.1 rate. In fact, CSU has committed only 51 miscues in its last five games (10.2 per outing), and matched a season-low with eight against Butler.

Sophomore forward J'Nathan Bullock has shown the most dramatic improvement on an individual basis. Bullock shot just 59.7 percent from the free-throw line as a freshman (including 51.1 percent in his first 22 games), but now ranks tenth in the League with his .746 mark at the charity stripe. Bullock is also 11th in the circuit in scoring at 13.9 points per game, while his 6.4 rebounds per contest rank sixth in that category.

Senior guard Raheem Moss also averages in double figures, providing 10.3 points per outing. Moss leads the team with 41 three-pointers made.

Senior guard Victor Morris is re-gaining the form he showed before suffering a foot injury in December. In his last two games, he is averaging 14 points, 3.5 rebounds and three assists, shooting 53 percent (10-of-19) from the floor with six three-pointers. Morris had 12 points against the Bulldogs.

Crusaders hit bump on the road
Valparaiso---which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08---starts the week at 13-13 overall and 6-5 in Mid-Continent Conference play. The Crusaders defeated former Mid-Con foe Chicago State 91-76 on Monday before falling at IUPUI (68-54) and at Oakland (64-61) over the weekend.

Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa posted a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and ten assists at Chicago State. It was the 13th triple-double in Division I this season.

Junior guard Shawn Huff scored a career-high 25 points Monday, pacing an impressive shooting performance. Valpo did not miss a shot (14-14 FG, 7-7 FT) in the final 12:22 of the game and finished the night at 67.3 percent from the field while setting season highs for points (91) and assists (27).

Huff averages 10.8 points per game as one of four Crusaders in double figures. Sophomore guard Brandon McPherson leads that group at 11.4 points per game, along with a team-high 3.31 assists per outing. Freshman guard Samuel Haanpaa's 11.3 norm includes 44 percent shooting from three-point range, while Igbavboa (11.1) also collects seven rebounds per game for the Crusaders.

Veteran coach Homer Drew remains one victory short of 300 on the Crusader sideline. He can reach that mark Thursday versus Western Illinois. Drew is 586-360 all-time, and 299-238 in 18 seasons at Valparaiso.

On the Horizon This Week:

Tuesday, February 13
Florida Gulf Coast at #13 Butler, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Feburary 14
Cleveland State at Wright State, 7 p.m. - *
Detroit at Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m. - *
Loyola at UW-Milwaukee, 8 p.m. - *
UW-Green Bay at UIC, 8 p.m. - *

Thursday, February 15
Western Illinois at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.

Saturday, February 17
O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters
UW-Green Bay at Northern Illinois, 3:05 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Loyola, 4 p.m.
#16 Southern Illinois at #13 Butler, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Central Michigan at UIC, 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at Youngstown State, 4:30 p.m.
Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton at Wright State, 8 p.m. (ESPN360)
UW-Milwaukee at Drake, 8:05 p.m.
Cleveland State at Cal State Northridge, 10 p.m.
Valparaiso at Western Michigan, 4 p.m.

ALL TIMES EASTERN / rankings noted are from Feb. 12 AP poll

* - Horizon League games