Men's Basketball Weekly Release #4

Nov. 27, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

A.J. Graves, Butler
Junior * Guard Switz City, Ind. (White River Valley)
Graves earned tournament MVP honors after leading Butler to the title of the NIT Season Tip-Off. He scored 26 points in the championship game versus Gonzaga, adding four rebounds and three steals. Graes came back less than 24 hours later with 26 more points in a double-overtime triumph over Kent State on Saturday. His three-pointer with six seconds left in the first overtime prolonged the game, and he had nine points in the second OT to seal the victory. Graves, who also had five assists and six rebounds against KSU, played 125 of 130 minutes in the three games last week.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending November 26

Victor Morris, Cleveland State
Sr. * G * Inkster, Mich.
Morris averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in victories over John Carroll and Delaware. He scored 15 points at Delaware, hitting six of 11 shots from the field with a trio of three-pointers. Morris scored eight points and handed out seven assists versus John Carroll.

Ryvon Covile, Detroit
Sr. * C * Detroit, Mich.
Covile continued his strong play, scoring 42 points and grabbing 24 rebounds in two games. He shot 68 percent (13-of-19) from the field for the week, and netted a career-high 23 points versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after collecting a UDM-best 14 rebounds versus Western Michigan.

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Jr. * F * Chicago, Ill.
Jeffers averaged 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, hitting 59 percent of his shots (19-of-32) in three outings. He had 19 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in Friday's victory over Florida A&M, and had 15 points plus 14 caroms versus Jackson State on Saturday.

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Sr. * G * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb scored 24 points in an 83-72 vctory at Fairfield, going six-for-nine from the floor and hitting all four three-point attempts. He also had 18 points as Loyola defeated San Diego 69-55 earlier in the week and now stands 19 points away from cracking LU's all-time top-ten scoring list.

Ryan Evanochko, UW-Green Bay
Sr. * G * Beaver Falls, Pa.
Evanochko averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in two games last week. He had 17 of his game-high 19 points after halftime in a 63-61 loss at Eastern Illinois, and 18 of a team-best 20 after the break Saturday at North Dakota State.

Scottie Wilson, Wright State
Jr. * F * Middletown, Ohio
Wilson made the most of his first start of the season, scoring 15 points (13 in the first half) with two rebounds and two steals at Chicago State on Wednesday. He made five of nine shots from the floor including a pair of three-pointers, in 27 minutes of action.

Keston Roberts, Youngstown State
Sr. * G * Brooklyn, N.Y.
News From Around the League

Bulldogs take national spotlight, top-25 rank
Butler captured the NIT Season Tip-Off championship, defeating Tennessee (56-44) and Gonzaga (79-71) at Madison Square Garden to win the most prestigious early-season tournament in the nation. The Bulldogs closed the week by outlasting Kent State 83-80 in double overtime Saturday, improving to 7-0 for the third time in Todd Lickliter's six years at the school and entering the AP national poll at No. 19.

The victory over Tennessee was Butler's first over a top-25 team since the 2003 NCAA Tournament when the Bulldogs ousted #14 Louisville.

Junior guard A.J. Graves was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring 26 points in the finale and 15 versus Tennessee. Senior Julian Betko joined Graves on the All-Tournament team, tallying a career-high 15 points (including 11 in a row) versus the Volunteers and adding 13 against Gonzaga.

Graves finished the week with another 26 points versus Kent State, the team's third game in four nights. Butler hit a season-low four three-pointers less than 24 hours after connecting on a season-high 12 treys versus Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs committed only six turnovers and forced 16 for the victory.

Graves leads the League with an average of 19.7 points per game. He is also the top free-throw shooter in the circuit, hitting 36 of 37 charity tosses for a .973 accuracy mark. He had made his first 28 free throws of the season (and his final two last year) before missing one Saturday.

Junior guard Mike Green had 16 points versus KSU, lifting his season average to 12.9 points per contest. Green is also second in the League at 4.29 assists per outing.

As a team, Butler leads the circuit in scoring defense, allowing only 58.7 points per game. Butler's loop-best 81.4 free-throw percentage includes a 14-of-16 showing versus Tennessee plus a 23-of-26 performance in the NIT final against Gonzaga. Graves and Green combined to make 25 of 26 attempts in those games.

Ramblers extend winning streak
Loyola has now won four games in a row, improving to 5-1 following a 69-55 triumph over San Diego and an 83-72 victory at Fairfield last week. The Ramblers won seven of their first eight games last year on the way to a 19-11 record, the school's best since 1984-85.

Senior guard Blake Schilb scored a season-high 24 points at Fairfield, hitting six of nine shots from the floor including all four tries from behind the arc. The League's Preseason Player of the Year moved into 11th place on the school's career scoring list with 1,453 points---the most among active Horizon League players---and could crack the school's top ten this week. He needs 20 to supplant Leslie Hunter (1,472 from 1961-64) from that post. Schilb's 17.0 points-per-game average is third-best in the League.

Junior guard Tracy Robinson scored ten points at Fairfield, the third time he has hit double figures this year. Robinson had never reached twin digits in his first two seasons in Rogers Park. Robinson tops the circuit charts with a .645 field-goal percentage.

Sophomore guard J.R. Blount has scored in double figures in all six games. Blount is tenth in the League with 14.3 points per contest, making him one of four Ramblers averaging in double figures for the year. Senior guard Majak Kou (12.6) and sophomore forward Leon Young (11.2) are also in that group, with Young ranking third in the League at 7.8 rebounds per contest. He had 11 caroms to go with 17 points against San Diego, and trails only Robinson among League players with his .625 field-goal percentage.

The Ramblers shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field Saturday, lifting their circuit-leading percentage to .500 for the season. Loyola also tops the loop charts with a rate of 78.0 points per outing. Loyola has had three or more players reach double figures in every game this season.

Loyola attempted more free throws (42) than field goals (40) Saturday, but took full advantage of the charity stripe by hitting 34 (81 percent).

Vikings in new territory with three-game run
Cleveland State enters the week at 4-3 and on a three-game winning streak after a 59-53 victory at Delaware on Sunday. The current three-game win streak is the longest since the 2000-01 team won seven in a row. Last year, CSU could only manage consecutive wins five times en route to a 10-18 record.

Sophomore forward J'Nathan Bullock posted the fourth double-double of his career at Delaware, scoring 17 points with a career-high 11 rebounds. Senior guard Victor Moris added 15 points after handing out seven assists in Wednesday's triumph over cross-town foe John Carroll.

The schedule gets a lot tougher in the next two weeks as CSU hosts (2006 NCAA Tournament qualifier) Kent State on Wednesday and plays at Butler on Saturday before traveling to Kansas State and (current) No. 3 Ohio State on Dec. 9 in the next two weeks.

The game against Kent State will be the second time that CSU head coach Gary Waters has faced the school he took to national prominence as head coach from 1996-2001). As head coach at Rutgers last year, Waters claimed a 55-52 win over the Golden Flashes at the South Padre Island Invitational last year.

The Vikings have not played like a team which had gone a combined 31-82 in the previous four seasons. CSU ranks third in the League in scoring offense, averaging 72.1 points per game, while allowing only 66.6 (second only to Butler in the League). Individually, Bullock stands among the circuit's top ten in scoring (sixth at 16.3 points per game), rebounding (seventh with 6.1 per outing) and field-goal percentage (fifth at .535).

Cleveland State continues to excel at the foul line, especially away from home. A season-best 16-for-17 (.941) effort Sunday raised CSU's free throw percentage to .743 for the season, good for third in the league. The Vikings shot just. .649 last year. CSU has been even better on the road, making 63-of-76 free throws (.829).

Raiders still idlingWright State lost its only game of the week, an 86-70 defeat at Chicago State on Wednesday. The Raiders stand at 1-2 on the season, playing fewer games (three) than any other League team so far. Detroit and UW-Green Bay are next on that list at five apiece.

WSU also has only one game this week, hosting Detroit on Saturday to open the 16-game League schedule. The Raiders will then hit fast-forward, though, with a total of ten games on the schedule in December.

Saturday's contest also marks Wright State's fourth consecutive home-opener. WSU's first three outings marked the home debuts for each of the team's opponents---Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 11, Coastal Carolina on Nov. 19 and Chicago State on Wednesday.

Junior forward Scottie Wilson led the Green and Gold with 15 points at Chicago State, hitting five of nine shots from the field with two three-pointers in 27 minutes of action. Wilson made his first start of the year at CSU.

Senior guard DaShaun Wood was the only other Raider in double figures, recording 12 points on six-of-13 shooting in 33 minutes. Wood raised his career scoring total to 1,245 points (second behind Blake Schilb among active players in the League).

Wood is ninth on the loop scoring charts at 14.7 points per game this season, while also standing fourth with a rate of 3.67 assists per outing. His 341 set-ups lead all active League players, and his 2.33 steals-per-game pace this season ties him with teammate Jordan Pleiman for the League lead in that department.

Wright State led 33-31 at Chciago State but let down in the second half as the Cougars shot 62 percent (15-of-24) from the field and hit 20 of 23 free throws after intermission. CSU outscored the Raiders 55-37 after the break to post the victory despite WSU's 52 percent (28-of-54) shooting from the floor. Chicago State outscored Wright State 26-9 at the line for the game.

Flames doused in Chicago Invitational
UIC dropped two of three games last week, falling to 2-4 on the season. The Flames went 1-3 in the two-week Chicago Invitational Challenge, including losses to Miami [Ohio] (72-61 Tuesday) and Jackson State (71-68 Saturday) plus a 75-57 win over Florida A&M on Friday.

Junior forward Othyus Jeffers has posted back-to-back double-doubles for UIC, snagging a career-high 14 rebounds in each of his last two outings. He scored 19 points and also handed out six assists versus FAMU before a 15-point performance against Jackson State. Jeffers leads the Flames in scoring (15.0 points per game, eighth-best in the League), rebounding (9.3 per contest, behind only Detroit's Ryvon Covile on the loop charts) and steals (2.0 per appearance).

Sophomore forward Scott VanderMeer had a strong weekend at the Chicago Invitational Challenge. He blocked seven shots---third-most in UIC single-game history---in the victory over Florida A&M. He then backed that up with career bests of eight points and 10 rebounds versus Jackson State on Saturday.

Sophomore point guard Josh Mayo, the team's second leading scorer with an average of 13.0 points per game, has missed the Flames' last two games with a strained Achilles tendon.

Freshman guard Spencer Stewart made his first two career starts in Mayo's absence and shined for UIC, averaging 9.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per outing. Stewart is now the team leader in assists (3.0 per game).

The Flames lead the League in rebounding margin, boasting a 3.7 caroms-per-contest advantage, and also are second only to Loyola with an average of 73.3 points scored per game. UIC is last in the League on defense, though, allowing an average of 73.5 points per game. Four of the Flames' first six opponents have scored 70 or more points including Davidson's 100-point total on Nov. 15.Penguins get cold treatment versus Big Ten
Youngstown State slipped to 2-4 on the year after a pair of losses to Big Ten Conference teams last week. The Penguins fell 65-56 at Michigan on Wednesday before a 91-57 setback versus (then) fourth-ranked Ohio State on Friday.

The Penguins concluded a "Big Ten Trilogy" this week, having previously played Michigan State on Nov. 9. It was the first time in school history that YSU played three teams from the Big Ten in the same season.

YSU had impressive second-half showings in both games this week, especially against the Wolverines. The Penguins held Michigan to one point in the final six minutes and outscored the Wolverines 33-30 in the last 20 minutes. YSU closed the game on a 23-4 run.

Senior guard Keston Roberts led the way at Ann Arbor, scoring 18 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the floor. He also had 11 points and five rebounds at Ohio State.

In addition to Roberts, senior guard Quin Humphrey had another solid week. Humphrey rebounded from a rough first half to finish with 10 points against the Wolverines, including seven in the final 2:30 minutes of the game. He scored 10 in the first half against Ohio State and finished with 15 overall. Humphrey is second in the League in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per appearance this season.

Junior forward John Barber was the Penguins' top scorer for the second time in his career with 16 points against Ohio State.

YSU will play just its second home game of the season Tuesday against Canisius. Youngstown State has already played five games away from Beeghly Center and will play 10 of its first 13 on the road. After playing host to Lock Haven on Dec. 5, YSU will not return home until Dec. 30.

Youngstown State leads the League in three-point shooting (.400), with junior guard Byron Davis hitting half of his 18 shots from the tri-light zone. He also ranks fifth in the League with a rate of 3.17 assists per game.

Panthers spreading the wealth
UW-Milwaukee split two home games last week, defeating South Dakota State, 75-58, on Wednesday before suffering a 78-68 defeat at the hands of Tennessee Tech on Sunday. The Panthers now play their next three games on the road before returning home to face Youngstown State in the Horizon League-opener.

UWM continues to look to a wide variety of players to contribute offensively. The Panthers had five players reach double figures in the win over South Dakota State last Wednesday and then had six players with eight or more points in the loss to Tennessee Tech Sunday. The Panthers also had both Avery Smith and Kevin Massiah score 10 points off the bench in the win over SDSU, the first two time bench players reached double figures in the same game since 2002.

UW-Milwaukee's starting lineup got a little younger when true freshman Charlie Swiggett earned the start in both games. He is the first true freshman to start a game for UWM since Adrian Tigert started most of the 2001-02 season.

Junior forward Paige Paulsen led the Panthers with 13 points Sunday after scoring 12 in the victory on Wednesday. He tops the UWM charts in both scoring (12.9 points per game) and rebounding (6.3 per game, sixth in the League) while junior guard Avery Smith adds 12.6 points per outing.

UWM's defensive quickness continues to pay dividends. The Panthers have forced 51 turnovers in their last two outings, including 30 against South Dakota State and 21 by Tennessee Tech.

Phoenix crashing the boards
UW-Green Bay dropped a pair of games last week, slipping to 1-4 on the year. The Phoenix let a last-minute lead get away in a 63-61 loss at Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, and dropped an 85-73 decision to North Dakota State on Saturday.

Senior guard Ryan Evanochko averaged 19.5 points, four assists and three rebounds per game for the week. He did most of his scoring in the second half, tallying 17 of his game-high 19 points after halftime at Eastern Illinois and 18 of his team-high 20 points after the intermission against North Dakota State.

Evanochko is fourth in the League in scoring at 16.4 points per game, and also tops the circuit with 4.80 assists per outing. Sophomore forward Terry Evans ranks fourth in the loop with 7.6 rebounds per contest. He had 11 caroms on Tuesday.

Freshman guard Troy Cotton has enjoyed his transition into the starting lineup. After coming off the bench to score 13 points in a win over Northern Michigan, Cotton got a starting nod the past two games and responded with 15 points against Eastern Illinois and 10 against North Dakota State.

The Phoenix will play six of its first seven games on the road, including Saturday's contest versus Loyola to open the League schedule. That match-up could be an early preview of the League Championship, featuring the two teams picked to finish atop the Horizon League standings in the preseason poll. Loyola was tabbed to win the League championship, while UW-Green Bay was selected to finish second.

Covile making up for lost time in Detroit
Detroit carries a four-game losing streak into the week, falling to 1-4 after defeats to Western Michigan (69-67) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (82-73) last week. The Titans host local rival Eastern Michigan before opening the League schedule at Wright State on Saturday.

Senior center Ryvon Covile continued his strong play through the early going as he averaged 21 points and 14 rebounds last week while shooting 13-for-19 (.684) from the field. Covile matched his career scoring high (19) in the first game, then broke it with 23 points against TAMUCC. He set a personal rebounding high of 14 caroms at Western, them matched it with 14 more at home on Saturday. Covile has now posted double-doubles in all five games to date - four more than he had in his first three seasons as a Titan combined.

Senior guard Brandon Cotton came off the bench Saturday, ending a streak of 54 consecutive starts in a Titan uniform. Cotton picked up 12 points in the reserve role, surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career. With 1,004 markers, Cotton became the 115th player in League history to reach four figures.

Covile leads the League in rebounding at 12.8 per game---3.5 ahead of his nearest competitor ---and also is fourth in field-goal percentage (.549) and seventh in scoring (14.0 per game). Cotton's 16.4 per-game pace is fourth-best in the League individually, but Detroit ranks last as a team with a rate of 58.0 points per contest.

Crusaders stepping up in competition
Valparaiso, which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08, suffered its first defeat in four contests with a 78-64 loss at North Carolina State on Tuesday. Junior guard Shawn Huff scored 14 points and handed out four assists in defeat. He has now scored in double figures in all four games this season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.75 assists per appearance.

Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa also has scored ten or more in each outing, but had a streak of three consecutive double-doubles snapped when he tallied ten points and had eight rebounds against NCSU. Igbavboa leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (11.5 per contest), with the latter number ranking second in the Mid-Continent Conference.

Sophomore guard Brandon McPherson also tops a Mid-Con stat chart, boasting a 2.33 assist-to-turnover ratio with 14 set-ups and only six miscues. He also averages 7.0 points per game, making him one of six Crusaders at 6.5 or better.

The Crusaders' early-season tests continue Monday when Marquette comes to the Athletics-Recreation Center. MU, 13th in the AP poll last week, is only the second ranked team to visit the ARC since 1997. Cincinnati held the #19 spot in the nation on Dec. 2, 2003, when the Bearcats defeated Valpo, 68-49.

The Crusaders' first four opponents have combined to shoot only 23.5 percent (24-of-102) from three-point range.