Men's Basketball Weekly Release #17 - Championship Preview

Feb. 27, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Junior Guard * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb averaged 23.5 points, 10 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three steals in the Ramblers' two victories last week, helping Loyola secure the #4 seed in the Horizon League Championship. He tallied 24 points, a career-best 12 rebounds plus six assists and four steals in a 76-63 victory over Wright State, and posted a season-best 29 points plus eight boards as Loyola defeated Youngstown State 87-84 in overtime Saturday. He now leads the League in scoring at 19.1 points per game.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 26

Brandon Polk, Butler
Senior Forward * Wichita, Kan.
Polk helped the Bulldogs to a 72-64 victory over Youngstown State with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting plus four rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He added 15 points in the Bulldogs' 73-71 loss at Detroit to close the regular season.

J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
Freshman Forward * Flint, Mich.
Bullock scored a career-high 25 points against UIC on Wednesday, hitting 10 of 20 shots from the field and grabbing eight rebounds in the overtime loss. He came back with a double-double versus UW-Green Bay on Saturday, logging 13 points with ten rebounds.

Jon Goode, Detroit
Sophomore Guard * Flint, Mich.
Goode drove the length of the floor for the game-winning basket to lift Detroit past Butler 73-71 on Saturday. He finished the afternoon with a game-high 21 points plus a career-high-tying nine rebounds and three assists. Goode was seven-of-nine from the floor and six-of-six at the line.

Jovan Stefanov, UIC
Junior Forward * Serbia & Montenegro
Stefanov helped the Flames to a pair of overtime victories, averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists against Cleveland State and Wright State. He matched a season-high with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds versus WSU after posting 11 points and five assists at CSU.

Ryan Tillema, UW-Green Bay
Freshman Guard * Randolph, Wis.
Tillema set a career-high with 23 points and grabbed a personal-best nine rebounds in UWGB's 76-72 victory at Cleveland State on Saturday. He was eight-for-ten from the field with five three-pointers as the Phoenix gained the #3 seed for the League Championship.

Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
Senior Forward * Milwaukee, Wis.
Tucker tallied 24 points and nine rebounds in the Panthers' only game, a 76-57 victory over Detroit which helped secure UWM's third consecutive regular-season League title. He hit a personal-best five three-pointers and narrowly missed his fourth double-double of the season.

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Senior Guard * Detroit, Mich.
Wood averaged 16.5 points in two games last week, including an 18-point showing in the Raiders' loss at Loyola and 15 more against UIC. He hit 12 of 27 shots from the field including four three-pointers during the week while handing out 13 assists in the two contests.

Domonique Crawford, Youngstown State
Senior Guard * River Rouge, Mich.
Crawford scored a League-season-high 37 points in YSU's 87-84 overtime loss to Loyola. Crawford was 12-of-20 from the field including six three-pointers and added seven rebounds while playing all 45 minutes. He had ten points in his first career start at Butler on Wednesday.

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
Feb. 6-- DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Feb. 13-- Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
Feb. 20-- Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Feb. 27-- Blake Schilb, Loyola

Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship Pairings Set

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Defending champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee holds the top seed for the 2006 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship, which begins Tuesday (Feb. 28) with first-round games at campus sites. From there, action moves to the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee, Wis., for second-round games on Friday (Mar. 3) and semifinals on Saturday (Mar. 4), with Saturday's doubleheader slated for a national audience via ESPNU.

Tuesday's three-game schedule begins at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) when (#8 seed) Cleveland State University (10-17 / 5-11) plays at (#5 seed) University of Detroit Mercy (8-8 / 15-15). The other two games have (#7 seed) Wright State University (13-14 overall / 8-8 Horizon League) visiting (#6 seed) University of Illinois at Chicago (14-15 / 8-8) and (#9 seed) Youngstown State University (7-20 / 4-12) at (#4 seed) Loyola University Chicago (17-10 / 8-8) for 8 p.m. (Eastern time / 7 p.m. Central) contests.

Regular-season champion UW-Milwaukee hosts the next two rounds as the top seed, and also has a bye into the semifinals along with #2 seed Butler University. UWM won its third consecutive regular-season crown with a 12-4 League ledger as part of a 19-8 overall mark, while Butler finished 11-5 in the circuit and 18-11 overall following a 73-71 loss at Detroit on Saturday (Feb. 25).

UW-Milwaukee looks to repeat its 2005 performance when the Panthers defeated Detroit 59-58 in the final and eventually advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. First-year UWM coach Rob Jeter relies on the senior trio of forwards Joah Tucker and Adrian Tigert plus guard Boo Davis, while Butler coach Todd Lickliter's roster features senior forward Brandon Polk and guard Bruce Horan.

UW-Green Bay carries the #3 seed into the tournament, based on an 8-8 League record as part of a 14-15 season mark after a 76-72 victory at Cleveland State on Saturday. The Phoenix will face the winner of the UIC-WSU game at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern time / 4:30 p.m. Central) on Friday, with a berth in the semifinals on the line. The winner meets Butler at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time / 3:30 p.m. Central).

The other semifinal features host UW-Milwaukee against the winner of that 8 p.m. game, with tip-off time scheduled for 7 p.m. (Eastern / 6 p.m. Central). Both semifinals will air nationally on ESPNU.

The higher-remaining seed earns the right to host the championship game, scheduled for 9 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday night (Mar. 7). The Horizon League's automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament is on the line in that contest, which airs live on ESPN.

UW-Green Bay claims the third seed at the top of an unprecedented five-way tie for third place in the final League standings. In its 27-year history, the Horizon League had never finished with more than three teams tied for any position, but UWGB's 5-3 mark against the other four 8-8 teams (Loyola, Detroit, UIC, and Wright State) gives the Phoenix that first-round bye. Wright State had stood third until Saturday but fell to seventh with a 69-66 overtime loss at UIC, putting the Raiders 3-5 in that quintet of 8-8 teams.

Loyola, Detroit and UIC each posted a 4-4 record in the five-team group, but Loyola went 3-1 in the smaller group featuring LU, UDM and the Flames---sweeping UIC and splitting with the Titans---to capture the #4 seed. Detroit's 2-2 mark (splitting with both teams) puts the Titans fifth and UIC (1-3) sixth.

Six of the bottom seven seeds all remained uncertain until the Ramblers' 87-84 overtime victory at Youngstown State on Saturday night closed the 72-game Horizon League regular-season schedule. That result capped a thrilling final day in which two games went to overtime and a third was decided with 1.3 seconds remaining in regulation.

Tuesday's line-up features a pair of re-matches as Loyola and Youngstown State switch venues for their second meeting in four days, while Wright State comes to the UIC Pavilion for the second time in 76 hours.

The top seed has won 12 of the first 26 League Championships, but only one of the last four. UWM achieved that feat in 2005 after the second seed won the previous two (UIC in 2004, UW-Milwaukee in 2003) and UIC claimed the 2002 crown after entering the tournament as the #6 seed.Streaming video with audio of all first- and second-round tournament games is available free, live on the Internet via Horizon League All-Access. For more information on this service, log on to the official Horizon League web site at www.horizonleague.org.

2006 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

First Round -- Tuesday, February 28 (games played at home of higher-seeded teams)
Game 1: (#9 seed) Youngstown State (4-12 / 7-20) at (#4 seed) Loyola (8-8 / 17-10), 8 p.m. ET / www.horizonleague.org
Game 2: (#8 seed) Cleveland State (5-11 / 10-17) at (#5 seed) Detroit (8-8 / 15-15), 7 p.m. ET / www.horizonleague.org
Game 3: (#7 seed) Wright State (8-8 / 13-14) at (#6 seed) UIC (8-8 / 14-15), 8 p.m. ET / www.horizonleague.org

Second Round -- Friday, March 3 (at Milwaukee, Wis. / U.S. Cellular Arena)
Game 4: Game 3 winner vs. (#3 seed) UW-Green Bay (8-8 / 14-15), 5:30 p.m. ET / www.horizonleague.org
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m. ET / www.horizonleague.org

Semifinals -- Saturday, March 4 (at Milwaukee, Wis. / U.S. Cellular Arena)
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. (#2 seed) Butler (11-5 / 18-11), 4:30 p.m. ET / ESPNU
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. (#1 seed) UW-Milwaukee (12-4 / 19-8), 7 p.m. ET / ESPNU

Championship -- Tuesday, March 7 (at home of higher remaining seed)
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 9 p.m. ET / ESPN

Around the Horizon League

Panthers in familiar perch atop League
UW-Milwaukee won its third straight regular-season title with a victory over Detroit (76-57 Wednesday) combined with the Titans' 73-71 win over Butler on Saturday. The Panthers are now idle until Saturday when they put a 19-8 overall record on the line.

UWM is one triumph away from a fourth consecutive 20-win season, a feat which has never occurred in the program's 110-year history.

Senior forward Joah Tucker scored a game-high 24 points versus Detroit, including a career-high five three-pointers to go with his nine rebounds. The League's Preseason Player of the Year, Tucker landed on the First-Team All-League honor roll after averaging 16.4 points per game in the regular season. That total puts him sixth on the loop scoring list while his 6.1 rebounds per game are ninth-best in the League.

Two other Panther seniors---guard Boo Davis and forward Adrian Tigert---earned Second-Team All-League honors. Davis stands eighth at 16.0 points per game, including a rate of 3.00 three-pointers pre game. He is a 39 percent shooter from the tri-light zone.

Tigert is fifth in the League in rebounding at 7.4 per game, helping establish him on the League's All-Defensive Team. But he has also made an impact at the offensive end of the floor, ranking 13th in scoring (12.7 points per game) and fourth with a .551 field-goal percentage.

As a team, UW-Milwaukee leads the League in scoring (73.5 points per game), scoring margin (plus-8.0 per game) and rebound margin (plus-6.2 per contest).

Bulldogs shot for the top but fall short
Butler owns the second seed for the League Championship, closing the regular season with an 11-5 loop ledger and 18-11 overall. The Bulldogs' hopes for a share of the regular-season title ended when Detroit edged Butler 73-71 in Saturday's finale, the Bulldogs' first loss in regulation since Jan. 21.

BU set a school record and tied a Horizon League mark with 18 three-point field goals at Calihan Hall. The Bulldogs eclipsed the previous program standard of 17 (set in 2000) and tied the League hallmark set by Detroit versus UW-Milwaukee in 2000. Senior guard Bruce Horan hit a career-best seven of the 18, with sophomore guard A.J. Graves and senior backliner Avery Sheets each canning five.

Horan's 10 three-pointers last week give him 103 for the season and 304 for his career. Only Rashad Phillips of Detroit (348, 1997-2001) has more tri-lighters in League history. Horan also extended his streak to 76 consecutive games with at least one triple, the second-longest run in NCAA history. He leads the League with his 3.55 triples per game this season (on 43.5 percent shooting), and needs 12 more points for 1,000 in his career.

Sheets has already surpassed the 1,000-point mark, entering the League Championship with 1,032. Sheets also leads the circuit with a 2.63 assist-to-turnover ratio, with 92 helpers and only 35 miscues. Sheets is one of only two active League players with 300 career assists (307, behind Wright State's DaShaun Wood at 323).

Horizon League Player of the Year Brandon Polk is fourth in the League, scoring 17.9 points per game. He also ranks second in field-goal percentage (.573) and blocked shots (1.55 per game). The senior forward is the first BU player to win that award since Ryan Hainje (2000-01).

Head coach Todd Lickliter recorded his 100th career victory with Wednesday's triumph over Youngstown State. He reached that plateau faster (151 games) than any other coach in Butler basketball history.

Phoenix come up short at the end
UW-Green Bay claimed the third seed for the League Championship, emerging from an unprecedented five-way tie for third place to win a first-round bye. The Phoenix finished the regular season at 8-8 in loop play and 14-15 overall following a 76-72 win at Cleveland State on Saturday.

Freshman guard Ryan Tillema scored a career-high 23 points at CSU, canning five three-pointers in seven attempts to go with nine rebounds. The five triples raised his season total to 49 and erased the school frosh mark of 47 set by Tony Bennett in 1988-89.

Another of Bennett's freshman records could fall this week, as Terry Evans is one steal away from matching Bennett's 49 steals. Evans earned All-Defensive Team recognition for his efforts, which include per-game norms of 1.66 steals (fourth in the League) and 1.00 blocks (fifth on that list). He also stands 11th in the League at 5.6 rebounds per appearance.

Junior guard Ryan Evanochko added 15 points at CSU and sits seventh on the loop scoring charts at 16.0 points per contest. Evanochko is also the League's second-leading playmaker with 4.97 assists per game.

Freshman forward Mike Schachtner garnered All-Newcomer Team recognition, averaging 10.4 points per game during the regular season. He gives UWGB a representative on that list for the third year in a row, the longest current streak in the League.

Junior forward Josh Lawrence enters the tournament as the League's top three-point shooter, hitting 45.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He chips in with 9.4 points per game.

After being picked seventh in the League's preseason poll, the Phoenix rose to third position to mark the fourth consecutive year coach Tod Kowalczyk's team has finished higher than its entry-level projection.

UW-Green Bay's seven tri-lighters Saturday give the Phoenix 190 for the season, the third-highest total in school history.

Ramblers use strong finishing kick
Loyola enters the Championship with the longest active winning streak, winning its last three games to climb to 17-10 overall and 8-8 in loop play. Those marks include a 76-63 victory over Cleveland State on Wednesday and an 87-84 overtime triumph at Youngstown State on Saturday. LU and YSU meet again in Tuesday's first round.

Loyola finished in an unprecedented five-way tie in the League standings, the school's best final position since tying for the top spot in 1986-87. A victory Tuesday would give Loyola its highest victory total (18) since 1984-85 when the Ramblers went 27-6 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.

Junior guard Blake Schilb took over the League scoring lead with his season-high 29-point performance at YSU. The First-Team All-League selection hit seven three-pointers, including one to force the extra session, and now averages 19.1 points per game. He could become the first Rambler since David Bailey (2001-02) to finish atop the League scoring charts. Schilb is now 18th in school history with 1,294 career points.

Schilb's all-around performance puts him among the League leaders in all ten major categories, including free-throw percentage (first at .838), assists (fifth at 3.85 per game) and steals (sixth at 1.37 per outing).

Freshman forward Leon Young earned a spot on the League's All-Freshman Team, closing the regular season with a career-high 23 points at YSU. Young has now scored in double figures off the bench in seven of the Ramblers' last eight games. He ranks fourth in the League at 7.5 rebounds per game to support his 10.8 points-per-game scoring pace.

Junior guard Majak Kou leads the League with his 1.56 blocks-per-game average and is third at 1.67 steals per outing. Those numbers made Kou an easy choice for the League's All-Defensive Team, but he also averages 13.3 points per game to rank 12th on the circuit scoring chart.

Titans rebound for first-round home date
Detroit holds the fifth seed and enters the Horizon League Championship at .500 both overall (15-15) and in the loop (8-8) after splitting two games last week. The Titans lost 76-57 at UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday but rallied to defeat Butler 73-71 in the regular-season finale.

The difference between the two results is evident in the rebounding totals. Detroit lost the battle of the boards 42-30 at U.S. Cellular Arena but dominated the glass for a 37-19 advantage versus Butler. Detroit also shot 54.7 percent from the field against the Bulldogs.

The Titans open the Championship at Calihan Hall, which has been a virtual guarantee of success. Detroit was just one point away from a perfect home schedule during the regular season, with a 72-71 loss to UW-Milwaukee providing the only blemish in 13 games. In League action, Detroit went 7-1 at home but just 1-7 away from home.

Junior guard Brandon Cotton continued his hot shooting, collecting 20 points against Butler. He reached the 20-point mark for the sixth time in his last seven games, a stretch which also includes a career-best 30 points versus UDM's first-round opponent, Cleveland State. Cotton ranks fifth in the League with his 17.7 points-per-game pace.

Senior forward Torvoris Baker earned a spot on the League's All-Defensive Team, as the loop's head coaches recognized his performance which has produced 7.7 rebounds per game (second only to Youngstown State's Quin Humphrey). Baker also averages 9.1 points per game and has five double-doubles in 2005-06.

Sophomore guard Jon Goode's 21 points Saturday marked the third time he's reached the 20-point mark this season, and included the game-winning basket with 1.3 seconds left which gave UW-Milwaukee the top seed for this week's Championship. Goode averages 11.1 points for the season.

Flames go the extra mile for home game
UIC won back-to-back overtime games in the final week of the regular season, claiming the sixth seed and final home-game spot by outlasting Cleveland State (72-67 on Wednesday) and Wright State (69-66 on Saturday) to finish 8-8 in the League as part of a 15-14 overall mark. UIC tries to repeat Saturday's performance when Wright State returns to the Pavilion on Tuesday.

The Flames have set a school record with seven overtime games this season, including each of their last three League contests. UIC is 5-2 in games lasting more than 40 minutes.

Once 1-6 in the League, UIC went 7-2 in the final five weeks to finish in a five-way tie for third place. That stretch included road wins at Wright State, Youngstown State, UW-Milwaukee and Cleveland State. UIC now holds the sixth seed for the first time since 2002, when the Flames won the Championship title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Second-Team All-League choice Justin Bowen ranks ninth in the League at 14.6 points per game ---a total enhanced by 52 percent shooting from the field---and stands sixth at 7.0 rebounds per game.

League Newcomer of the Year Othyus Jeffers matched Bowen's total of seven double-doubles. He leads all newcomers with 7.6 rebounds per game (putting him third overall in the circuit) and also averages 11.8 points per game along with a team-high 2.93 assists per outing (eighth in the League).

Fellow All-Newcomer Team honoree Josh Mayo is third in the League with his 82.8 percent mark at the free-throw line. Mayo has missed onlly 14 of 93 attempts this season, part of his 10.2 points-per-game average. Mayo also carries a rate of 2.59 assists per contest.

Raiders have chance for revenge
Wright State dropped to the seventh seed as a result of the League's first-ever five-way tie for third place, entering the tournament at 8-8 in loop play and 13-14 overall following losses at Loyola (76-63 on Wednesday) and UIC (69-66 in overtime Saturday) to close the regular season. The Raiders have a quick chance for redemption as Wright State returns to UIC for Tuesday's first-round action.

Junior guard DaShaun Wood led the Raiders in both games, scoring 18 points at Loyola and matching junior guard Tyrone Scott's 15 against the Flames. Wood also handed out seven assists at UIC and currently stands fourth on the loop charts at 4.59 helpers per game.

The First-Team All-League selection also ranks third in scoring at 18.0 points per game and shares the circuit lead with 1.78 steals per game. The latter number helped earn a spot on the League's All-Defensive Team, making Wood one of two players (along with UW-Milwaukee's Adrian Tigert) to gain both All-League and All-Defensive honors.

Junior forward Drew Burleson also scored in double figures with 11 points Saturday, while fellow junior Jordan Pleiman pulled down a game-high ten rebounds. Burleson currently stands 14th in the League at 12.6 points per outing, while Pleiman's 6.8 carom norm puts him seventh on that list. Pleiman also ranks third with a .573 field-goal touch.

Scott's scoring Saturday featured five tri-lighters as the reserve guard came off the bench to play 30 minutes against the Flames.

Tuesday's game will be the 1,000th in WSU history. The Raiders are 590-409 all-time.

Vikings head to Detroit to open tournament
Cleveland State draws the eighth seed for the League Championship, entering the tournament at 10-17 overall and 5-11 in loop play after a pair of home-court losses last week. UIC posted a 72-67 overtime victory on Wednesday before UW-Green Bay edged CSU 76-72 in Saturday's finale.

Playing away from home might be a blessing for the Vikings. In 16 League games involving CSU, the road team is 11-5 this season. Cleveland State split its eight road dates and went 1-7 at home. In League contests not involving CSU, the home team is 40-16.

Freshman forward J'Nathan Bullock has stepped up his game in the final portion of the season. In his last three games, Bullock is averaging 18.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing, with a pair of double-doubles sandwiched around a career-best 25-point outburst versus UIC. He had nine of the Vikings' ten points in the extra session and has raised his season scoring average to 11.1 points per game.

Cleveland State finds itself without a representative on any of the four League honor rolls---the All-League units, the All-Newcomer Team and the All-Defensive Team. This marks the second time in 22 seasons of conference play (including 11 in the Horizon League) that CSU is without an individual honoree The other was in 1995-96.

Junior guard Carlos English remains tied for the League lead at 1.78 steals per game, while his 4.74 assists-per-outing pace is third on the circuit boards. Junior guard Raheem Moss is fourth in the League at 2.12 three-pointers per game as part of his 9.8 points-per-contest norm, while junior forward Patrick Tatham ranks eighth at 6.2 rebounds per contest.

Junior center Ije Nwankwo doesn't appear on the League stat sheets, since he has not played in the required 75 percent of CSU's 27 games to date. However, the transfer from Purdue leads the team with his 11.3 points per game and also pulls down 5.3 rebounds per appearance.

Penguins light up scoreboard
Youngstown State closed the regular season at 7-20 overall and 4-12 in League play after a 72-64 loss at Butler on Wednesday and an 87-84 overtime setback versus Loyola on Saturday.

The Penguins get a quick re-match when they visit Loyola for the first round of the League Championship. YSU also opened at Loyola last year, falling 78-75 in the first round.

YSU scored just 18 points in the first half at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but rallied for 46 after intermission and carried that momentum in Saturday with its highest scoring total since Jan. 5. Senior guard Domonique Crawford scored a League-season-high 37 points Saturday, hitting six three-pointers during his 12-of-20 performance.

Junior guard Quin Humphrey now ranks 20th in school history with 1,102 career points. His 516 this season are the most by a YSU player since Reggie Kemp had 589 in 1990-91, and he is only the fourth Penguin to score 500 in a season since Youngstown State moved to Division I in 1981. The First-Team All-League selection has now scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games this season and 51 of 55 over the past two years. His ten double-doubles are the most in the Horizon League this season.

Humphrey now ranks second in the League in scoring (19.1 points per game, 0.03 behind Loyola's Blake Schilb). Humphrey tops the League at 8.4 rebounds per game. In League competition, he topped the charts at 20.2 points and 8.3 rebounds a night, becoming the first player to achieve that feat since Loyola's Javan Goodman in 1989.

Senior guard Derrick Harris leads the League at 5.37 assists per game. His 145 set-ups are the most by a Penguin since Ryan Patton logged 163 five years ago.

Junior guard Keston Roberts earned a spot on the League's All-Newcomer Team, averaging 14.4 points per game in the regular season. That puts him tenth in the League in scoring while Crawford is seventh with a .506 field-goal percentage.

Horizon League Announces All-League Teams, Specialty Award Winners

INDIANAPOLIS -- Senior forward Brandon Polk and coach Todd Lickliter of Butler University earned top honors as the Horizon League announced its men's basketball All-League Teams and specialty award winners Monday (Feb. 27). Polk was named the League Player of the Year, while Lickliter garnered Coach of the Year honors.

Sophomore forward Othyus Jeffers of the University of Illinois at Chicago captured the third individual award, winning Newcomer of the Year accolades. All three honors are the result of voting by League head coaches and sports information directors plus selected media representatives from throughout the League.

Polk averaged 17.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game to pace the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the regular season. His scoring pace is fourth-best in the League and includes a 57.3 percent touch from the field which is second on the loop charts in that category, matching his standing with a 1.55 blocks-per-game norm. Polk has scored 20 or more points in 14 games this season. The Wichita, Kan., native posted a season-high 29 points versus Cleveland State University on Jan. 11 and scored 26 in four other contests. He is the first Butler player to win the League's top honor since Ryan Hainje in 2001-02.

Lickliter won the coaching accolade after directing BU to an 11-5 League record as part of an 18-11 overall standard. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the League's preseason poll, but remained in contention for a share of the regular-season title until losing 73-71 at Detroit on a shot with 1.3 seconds to play in Saturday's finale. He posted his 100th career coaching victory on Feb. 22, reaching that mark faster than any coach in BU history (151 games), Lickliter is the third Butler mentor to win the award, joining four-time winner Barry Collier and 2000-01 honoree Thad Matta.

Jeffers made an immediate impact on the Flame program, ranking third in the League at 7.6 rebounds per game while also averaging 11.8 points and a team-best 2.93 assists per contest. The Chicago native tops the circuit with 11 games of ten or more rebounds and has registered seven double-doubles in his debut campaign. Jeffers has scored in double figures in 20 of the Flames' 29 games, including five of the last six.

Polk headlines the five-player First-Team All-League squad, along with Blake Schilb of Loyola University Chicago, Joah Tucker from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, DaShaun Wood of Wright State University and Quin Humphrey from Youngstown State University. Schilb and Tucker are repeat selections to the First-Team unit, while Polk and Wood each stepped up from their Second-Team status last season.

Schilb finished the regular season atop the League scoring charts at 19.1 points per game, with 15 contests of 20 or more points. The six-foot-seven junior also tops the circuit as an 83.8 percent shooter at the free-throw line and ranks among the League leaders in all ten major statistical categories including assists (fifth at 3.85 per game), rebounding (15th, 5.1 per game), steals (sixth, 1.37 per contest) and assist-to-turnover ratio (11th at 1.24).

Tucker ranks sixth on the League scoring charts at 16.4 points per game, leading the Panthers to their third consecutive regular-season championship. The senior forward from Milwaukee---the League Preseason Player of the Year---has pulled down 6.1 rebounds per game (ninth-best on the loop charts) to pace UWM to a 19-8 overall record, including a 12-4 mark which puts the Panthers as the top seed for the League Championship.Wood averaged 18.0 points per game (third in the League) and tied for the regular-season lead with his 1.78 steals-per-game pace. The five-foot-11 junior also dished out 124 assists (fourth at 4.59 per game) while collecting an average of 4.6 rebounds per contest.

Humphrey trails Schilb by 0.03 points per game on the loop scoring chart (19.1 per game) and tops the loop charts with his 8.4 rebounds-per-game norm. The six-foot-four junior could become only the second player ever to lead the League in both categories and scored 30 or more points in three consecutive games in January.

The Second-Team All-League squad includes a repeat selection in Brandon Cotton of the University of Detroit Mercy, along with Ryan Evanochko from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Justin Bowen of UIC plus UW-Milwaukee teammates Boo Davis and Adrian Tigert. Cotton ranks fifth in the League in scoring at 17.7 points per game, with Evanochko seventh at 16.0 per contest, Davis eighth at 16.0 and Bowen ninth at 14.6. Tigert's 7.4 rebounds-per-contest norm puts him fifth on that list.

Joining Jeffers on the All-Newcomer Team are Leon Young of Loyola and UIC's Josh Mayo, plus Mike Schachtner of UW-Green Bay and Youngstown State junior Keston Roberts. Young is fourth in the League in rebounding at 7.5 per game and has posted five double-doubles in his first collegiate season. Mayo leads all freshmen with his 2.59 assists per game, while Roberts paces the newcomers at 14.4 points per outing (tenth in the League). Schachtner has averaged 10.4 points per game to help the Phoenix to the #3 seed in the League Championship.

The five-member All-Defensive Team, selected by the League's nine head coaches, features Wood and Tigert plus Loyola's Majak Kou, Detroit's Torvoris Baker, UW-Green Bay's Terry Evans. Kou leads the League at 1.56 blocks per game and is third with 1.67 steals per outing, while Evans was one spot behind on the latter list at 1.66. Baker finished the regular-season second on the loop rebounding charts at 7.7 caroms per contest.

2005-06 Horizon League All-League Teams

All-League First-Team
Brandon Polk, Butler
Blake Schilb, Loyola
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee
DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State

All-League Second-Team
Brandon Cotton, Detroit
Justin Bowen, UIC
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee

All-Newcomer Team
Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Josh Mayo, UIC
Leon Young, Loyola
Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay
Keston Roberts, Youngstown State

All-Defensive Team
Torvoris Baker, Detroit
Majak Koy, Loyola
Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee
DaShaun Wood, Wright State

Player of the Year: Brandon Polk, Butler
Newcomer of the Year: Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Coach of the Year: Todd Lickliter, Butler

Horizon League Spotlight Leaders

30-Point Games:
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State3
DaShaun Wood, Wright State2
Brandon Cotton, Detroit1
Domonique Crawford, Youngstown St.1
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee1
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay1

20-Point Games:
Blake Schilb, Loyola15
Brandon Polk, Butler14
Brandon Cotton, Detroit12
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee11
DaShaun Wood, Wright State11
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay10
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State10
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee8
Justin Bowen, UIC6
Majak Kou, Loyola6
Keston Roberts, Youngstown State5
A.J. Graves, Butler4
Josh Mayo, UIC4
Five players with3

10-Rebound Games:
Othyus Jeffers, UIC11
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State11
Torvoris Baker, Detroit10
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee10
Justin Bowen, UIC7
Leon Young, Loyola 7
Chuck Bailey, Detroit6
Jordan Pleiman, Wright State5
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee4
Jovan Stefanov, UIC3
Patrick Tatham, Cleveland State3
Five players with2

Double-Doubles:
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State10
Adrian Tigert, UW-Milwaukee9
Justin Bowen, UIC7
Othyus Jeffers, UIC7
Chuck Bailey, Detroit5
Torvoris Baker, Detroit5
Leon Young, Loyola 5
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee4

Active Double-Figure Scoring Streaks
Joah Tucker, UW-Milwaukee25
Blake Schilb, Loyola18
Brandon Polk, Butler15
Brandon Cotton, Detroit13
DaShaun Wood, Wright State12
Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State11
Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay8
Drew Burleson, Wright State5
Boo Davis, UW-Milwaukee5
J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State4
Othyus Jeffers, UIC4