Men's Basketball Weekly Release #3

Nov. 20, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Horizon League Player of the Week

A.J. Graves, Butler
Junior * Guard
Switz City, Ind. (White River Valley)
Graves led the Bulldogs to victories over Notre Dame and Indiana in the NIT Preseason Tip-Off, scoring 48 points in those two games. He hit eight three-pointers in a 28-point outing against the Fighting Irish, and canned another triple with five seconds left to secure the victory over the Hoosiers. Graves hit only four of 18 shots against IU but made all ten of his free throws and also registered four steals.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending November 19

J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
So. * F * Flint, Mich.
Bullock led the Vikings with a 21.7 points-per-game scoring average in three outings at the Americas Youth Classic in Evansville, Ind. He also pulled down 23 rebounds, while hitting 19 of 24 free throws. His 19 points led CSU past Miami (Fla.), 78-67, on Sunday.

Ryvon Covile, Detroit
Sr. * C * Detroit, Mich.
After missing all of last season following knee surgery, Covile posted double-doubles in each of his first three games this year. He averaged 12.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game in three contests, scoring 15 points against 16th-ranked Marquette.

Josh Mayo, UIC
So. * G * Merrillville, Ind.
Mayo scored 42 points in two contests last week, shooting 57 percent (16-of-28) from the field with eight three-pointers. He registered a career-high 26 points with six treys at Davidson, then posted 16 points in a loss to Bradley on Sunday.

J.R. Blount, Loyola
So. * G * Milwaukee, Wis.
Blount tied for team scoring honors with 21 points in the Ramblers' 96-74 victory over John Carroll, his sixth consecutive double-figure effort. The total was his highest output since a 24-point night versus Bradley last November. He is now averaging 15.8 points per game for the year.

Terry Evans, UW-Green Bay
So. * F * St. Louis, Mo.
Evans posted his first career double-double Friday as the Phoenix defeated Northern Michigan, 76-59. He scored 13 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, the most by a UWGB player since Brandon Morris had 16 versus Savannah State on Dec. 23, 2003.

Jordan Pleiman, Wright State
Jr. * F * Fort Loramie, Ohio
Pleiman recorded a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds in a 70-63, double-overtime loss at Coastal Carolina. He hit four-of- seven shots from the field and three-of-five from the free-throw line, and also logged a game-high four steals.

Keston Roberts, Youngstown State
Sr. * G * Brooklyn, N.Y.
Roberts scored in double figures in each of the Penguins' games, scoring a team-high 22 versus Slippery Rock on Sunday after his 15-point outing at Duquesne earlier in the week. Sunday's performance featured eight-of-14 shooting from the field, three tri-lighters and three-of-four accuracy at the line.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs to hit Broadway in busy week
Butler starts the week at 4-0 after winning the Indianapolis regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off last week by defeating Notre Dame (71-69) and Indiana (60-55). The Bulldogs also knocked off Illinois-Springfield (62-56) for their first 4-0 start since the 2002-03 squad which reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs move on to Madison Square Garden and an NIT semifinal date with Tennessee, coached by former UW-Milwaukee sideline boss Bruce Pearl. Second-ranked North Carolina and Gonzaga await the result of that contest on Friday. BU closes its whirlwind tour Saturday night at home versus Kent State.

Junior guard A.J. Graves led the way last week, canning a career-high eight three-pointers in a 28-point effort versus Notre Dame and hitting another trey to seal the victory over IU. His eight treys versus the Fighting Irish were the most by a Bulldog since Darnell Archey had eight versus Louisville in the 2003 NCAA tourney. Graves had 20 points against Indiana as the Bulldogs overcame a 38-23 rebounding disadvantage and outscored IU 37-29 in the second half.

Junior guard Mike Green had a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists versus UND. The 12 helpers were Butler's most since Thomas Jackson set up 15 baskets against Detroit in 2000. Green also scored 17 points in the victory over the Hoosiers.

Butler's fast start lifted the school to the top of the first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) standings report. It was the first time in school history that Butler held that status, and commemorated BU's first sweep of instate rivals Notre Dame and Indiana since 1993-94. Butler leads the League with a plus-13.2 points-per-game scoring margin, allowing only 54.2 points per contest.

Junior forward Drew Streicher scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Bulldogs' victory over UIS on Saturday. Graves and senior forward Brandon Crone had 12 and ten points, respectively.

Ramblers win home opener
Loyola moved to 3-1 on the season after dispatching John Carroll, 96-74, on Friday in the Ramblers' Gentile Center debut. LU won its home opener for the third year in a row and is now 16-3 in its last 19 outings at home, entering Monday's contest when San Diego visits Chicago's North Shore.

Senior guard Blake Schilb and sophomore backliner J.R. Blount each scored 21 points in the victory, combining to hit 14 of 23 shots from the field. Blount's total marked his sixth consecutive double-figure output, dating back to last season.

Schilb climbed to 47th place in League history with 1,411 career points, and now needs 41 more rebounds to become only the 18th player in Rambler annals to amass 1,000 points and 500 boards. Fellow senior Majak Kou is 121 points away from 1,000 in his career after registering 13 against John Carroll.

Monday's game carries added significance for Schilb, who was 0-for-6 from the field and scored only three points in last year's meeting versus San Diego, the only time in his 91-game career the NBA prospect has failed to hit at least one field goal.

Junior guard Tracy Robinson scored a career-high 15 points Friday, canning all three of his shots behind the arc. He has now made 21 of his last 43 tries from 19-9 and beyond, including six of his last eight at home. Robinson stands atop the loop field-goal percentage charts at .625 for the season.

The Ramblers lead the League in scoring offense, averaging 79.0 points per game through four contests while shooting a circuit-best .505 from the field. Blount (seventh at 15.8 points per outing), Kou (eighth at 15.7) and Schilb (ninth at 15.0) give LU three of the League's top ten scorers while sophomore Leon Young (sixth at 7.3 rebounds per contest) and freshman Andy Polka (seventh at 7.0) are among the loop's best off the glass.

Penguins stay on level ground
For the second week in a row, Youngstown State split its two contests as the Penguins lost 81-75 at Duquesne but ran past Slippery Rock in their home debut, 95-57. The Penguins start the week at 2-2 prior to match-ups at Big Ten Conference representatives Michigan (Wednesday) and Ohio State (Friday).

With YSU's (Nov. 9) game against Michigan State in the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic, it marks the first time in school history the Penguins have played three teams from the Big 10 in the same season.

Youngstown State had six players score in double figures against Slippery Rock on Sunday for the first time since Dec. 3, 2003. Senior guard Keston Roberts led the way with 22 points, sophomore forward Jack Liles had 16, junior forward John Barber and Byron Davis had 14 apiece, junior guard-forward George Cotal scored 12 and senior guard Quin Humphrey finished with 10. Davis, Cotal and Liles all came off the bench. The totals by Liles and Cotal were career-highs. YSU also out-rebounded the Rock by a count of 43-20, allowing only three offensive rebounds from 39 missed shots.

Humphrey scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds at Duquesne, marking his third consecutive outing of 20 or more points to open the season. Last year's League scoring leader at 19.2 points per game, he holds that status again early the season with a rate of 20.0 markers per outing. He also ranks tenth with a pace of 6.5 rebounds per contest, and is 77th in League history with 1,203 career points.

The Penguins set League season-highs with their .589 (33-of-56) field-goal percentage and 21 assists versus Slippery Rock. YSU leads the circuit with a .449 percentage from three-point range and an average of 15.5 assists per game. YSU's .458 field-goal rating is second only to Loyola (.505). The three-point production is a marked improvement from last year, when the Penguins finished at .330 behind the arc.

Raiders drop marathon
Wright State lost its only game of the week, falling 70-63 in double-overtime at Coastal Carolina on Sunday. Junior forward Jordan Pleiman had 11 points and ten rebounds, while freshman guard Vaughn Duggins led the team with 12 points and senior guard DaShaun Wood also tallied 11 points.

The 50-minute contest was WSU's first since Jan. 5, 2002, when the Raiders defeated Butler, 90-87, at Hinkle FIeldhouse. Sunday's game was tied 28-28 at halftime, 51-all at the end of regulation and 55-55 after the first extra session before the Chanticleers out-scored WSU 15-8 in the second overtime. Coastal Carolina out-rebounded the Raiders, 48-35.

The Raiders start the week at 1-1 and have only one game this week. WSU visits Chicago State on Wednesday night to close the November portion of the schedule. Wright State then has ten games in the month of December, beginning Dec. 2 when Detroit comes to Dayton to open the Horizon League schedule. That match-up also represents the Raiders' season debut at the Nutter Center and the team's lone appearance at home until Dec. 16.

Wood currently ranks sixth in the League with a 16.0 points-per-game scoring average, while junior forward Scottie Wilson is second at 8.0 rebounds per outing--three spots ahead of Pleiman (7.5). The senior backliner was five-of-11 from the field and had four assists plus two steals Sunday before fouling out near the end of regulation.

Wood and Pleiman are tied for second on the loop steal charts at 2.50 per game apiece, with Pleiman logging four thefts at Coastal Carolina. The junior forward also went four-of-seven from the field and three-of-five at the line in 39 minutes of action on Sunday.

As a team, Wright State leads the League in field-goal defense, limiting opponents to 38 percent shooting in the first two games.

Vikings' resurgence continues
Cleveland State carries a 2-3 record into the week, a ledger that includes a 78-67 victory over ACC representative Miami (Fla.) on Sunday, following losses to Buffalo (77-73) and host Evansville (63-49) at the Americas Youth Classic. The win over Miami was CSU's second ever victory over an ACC school, improving CSU to 2-7 all-time. The Vikings beat Florida State, 87-85 in OT at home in 2000-01.

The Vikings hit 11 of 23 three-point attempts against the Hurricanes, and also out-rebounded the ACC rep 33-32 while committing only nine turnovers. Cleveland State sealed the victory with a 23-of-28 showing at the free throw line, continuing the team's dramatic turnaround at the charity stripe. CSU ranks second in the League shooting .747 from the stripe (74-of-99) in its first five games. Last year, the Vikings ranked last in the League with a meager .649 free throw percentage (355-of-649).

Sophomore forward J'Nathan Bullock is the best example of how CSU has improved from the charity stripe. Through 22 games last year, Bullock was a .511 shooter from the line (47-of-92) but he improved over the final six games to shoot .766 (36-of-47). That improvement has carried over to this season as he has made 28 of his 37 attempts (.757). Bullock is also shooting a torrid 55 percent (30-of-55) from the field in 2006-07. That increased production is evident on the loop scoring charts, where he ranks second at 18.0 points per contest this season.

The Vikings are also doing a much better job of taking care of the ball this year, averaging 13.8 turnovers a game, including 10 or less in three of the five contests. Sunday's nine turnovers represented CSU's lowest total in over four seasons. Senior guard Carlos English is averaging 4.0 assists per game, the fourth-best rate in the League.

Freshman Joe Davis has made an immediate impact on the CSU program, averaging 11.8 points per game off the bench with three double-figure efforts.

Titans' road struggles continue
Detroit stands at 1-2 prior to Monday's contest at Western Michigan. The road woes which dogged Detroit last year (when the Titans won just three times away from home all season) were solved temporarily when Detroit rallied to defeat Maine, 57-50, in the season opener in Milwaukee. But the Titans then dropped successive games at Marquette (87-45) and Kent State (61-48).

Senior center Ryvon Covile, who missed all of last season following knee surgery, posted double-doubles in each of last week's three contests. That matches the longest streak by any Titan last season (Torvoris Baker had three in a row). Covile leads the League with an average of 12.0 rebounds per outing, four more than his nearest competitor. His 2.33 blocks per game are also the most by a League player this season.

All-League guard Brandon Cotton topped all Titan scorers in two of the first three games of the season and is averaging 16.3 points per game (fifth-best in the League), just below his 17.5 norm of a year ago. The senior backliner has made six of his first 13 shots from behind the three-point line, good enough for a .463 accuracy rate and well ahead of his final .375 percentage of a year ago. Cotton started the year off with 24 points against Maine, the 34th time he has topped the 20-point mark as a Titan.

Four players---Covile, Cotton, sophomore forward Chris Hayes and junior guard Jon Goode ---have started all three games for Detroit. The other job has been split up, with three players ---Muhammad Abdur-Rahim, Nemanja Jokic and Zach Everingham---each getting one starting nod from coach Perry Watson.

The Titans are 0-1 against the MAC with Saturday's loss to Kent State, and they'll have three more cracks at that league by mid-December. UDM is at Western Michigan on Monday night, and also plays MAC rivals Eastern Michigan and Toledo later in the schedule.

Flames' road show continues
UIC slipped to 1-2 on the season, falling 100-89 at Davidson on Wednesday and 81-72 at Bradley on Sunday. The Flames continue their longest road trip of the season---a five-game swing in a 10-day span---on Tuesday night at Miami (Ohio). The contest is the second game for the Flames in the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Following the tilt with the RedHawks, UIC will travel to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill., for the final two rounds. The Flames will meet Florida A&M on Nov. 24 and then either Jackson State or Savannah State in the tourney finale.

Both of UIC's losses this season have come against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and in both contests the Flames' opposition connected on 10-plus three-pointers.

Sophomore guard Josh Mayo averaged 21 points per game last week, shooting 57 percent (16-of-28) from the field including eight-of-16 from three-point range. The point guard had a career-high 26 points at Davidson, canning six treys to lead five Flames in double figures, but UIC could not overcome Davidson's 41-22 rebounding advantage.

Junior forward Othyus Jeffers ranks tenth in the League with his 14.7 points-per-game scoring pace. Junior guard T.J. Gray has shown that he will be an effective weapon off the bench for UIC this season as the Western Illinois transfer posted back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts last week, netting eight tri-lighters in the two games.

Phoenix crashing the boards
UW-Green Bay is the third League team at 1-2 this season. The number 17 has been prevalent in the team's early action this season. UWGB lost each of its first two games by that margin---74-57 at Oakland on Nov. 12 and 79-62 at Wisconsin on Wednesday---before defeating Northern Michigan, 76-59, on Friday.

Sophomore forward Terry Evans posted his first career triple-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds in Friday's home-opening victory over Northern Michigan. His 16 rebounds were the most by a Phoenix player since Brandon Morris recorded the same total against Savannah State Dec. 29, 2003.

The Phoenix leads the Horizon League in rebounding margin in the early stages of the season. UW-Green Bay has out-rebounded its first three opponents by an average of 4.7 per game, including a 40-33 advantage over a much taller Wisconsin squad Wednesday and a 46-37 cushion versus NMU. Individually, Evans is tied for third in the League at 7.7 caroms per contest.

Senior guard Ryan Evanochko scored only three points Friday but handed out seven assists to pace the Phoenix attack. He had 19 points and six helpers at Wisconsin, and leads the League at 5.33 set-ups per game for the year.

UW-Green Bay opens up a four-game road swing Tuesday as it travels to Eastern Illinois. The Phoenix continues a stretch during which the Phoenix plays six of its first seven regular-season games away from home. UW-Green Bay will also head to North Dakota State Saturday.

Panthers look to cure ailments in homestand
UW-Milwaukee comes into the week at 1-4, riding a four-game losing streak which includes a 66-59 setback at Michigan on Wednesday plus a 69-58 defeat at Northern Iowa on Sunday. Last year's Panthers went until Jan. 14 before losing their fourth game last season.

The Panthers attempt to reverse their fortunes with two home dates this week. UWM hosts South Dakota State on Wednesday and Tennessee Tech on Sunday.

Junior guard Avery Smith scored a collegiate-high 23 points at Michigan, the second time he has crossed the 20-point mark this season . Smith, who averaged 4.7 points per game in 2005-06, logged 21 versus UAB on Nov. 12, and ranks 11th in the League at 14.0 points per game this season.

Junior forward Paige Paulsen reached double figures in both games last week, scoring 13 points in Ann Arbor and a team-high 14 at UNI, where he was the lone Panther in double figures. Paulsen is averaging 13.0 points per game with three double-figure efforts this season, and leads the team at 6.2 rebounds per contest (ranking 11th in the circuit).

Shooting has been the key statistic for the Panthers so far in 2006-07. Through five games, UWM is shooting only 34.2 percent from the field (last in the League) while opponents are shooting 50.8 percent. UWM also ranks ninth behind the arc at 30.6 percent from three-point range.

Crusaders cruising
Valparaiso, which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08, is off to a 3-0 start for the second consecutive season. This year's run includes a 75-67 victory at IPFW last Monday plus a 70-58 triumph at Niagara on Saturday. The Crusaders visit North Carolina State on Tuesday night, looking to reach 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign.

Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa led the way at Niagara with a career-high 19 points, lifting his season scoring pace to 17.0 points per game, putting him fourth on the Mid-Continent Conference charts. He also leads the Mid-Con at 12.7 rebounds per outing.

Junior guard Shawn Huff paced the Crusaders at IPFW, scoring 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as visiting Valpo held off its in-state rival. Huff averages 14.3 points, joining Igbavboa and junior center Calum MacLeod to give the Crusaders a trio of double-digit scorers. Seven-footer MacLeod chips in with 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing.

Valpo has scorched the nets in the early going, shooting 51.0 percent (76-of-149) from the field while holding opponents to 35.8 percent (72-of-201) accuracy. Igbavboa is at 66.7 percent (18-of-27) from the floor, with MacLeod hitting 13 of his 20 shots for a 65 percent rating. Huff supports that duo by shooting 57 percent (15-of-27).

The Crusaders have overcome the disparity in shot attempts by attempting 80 free throws this season, making more (56) than their opponents have tried (48) at the charity stripe.