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Men's Basketball Weekly Release #4

Release  Horizon League · December 9, 2008
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Dec. 9, 2008

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THIS WEEK IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE

Tuesday, Dec. 9
Toledo at Wright State, 7 p.m. ... HLN

Wednesday, Dec. 10
Butler at Bradley, 8 p.m.
IPFW at Valparaiso, 9 p.m. ... HLN

Thursday, Dec. 11
Milwaukee at Miami (Ohio), 7 p.m. ... Sports32
Idaho State at Green Bay, 8 p.m. ... HLN

Friday, Dec. 12
Wright State at Arkansas-Little Rock, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13
Butler at Ohio State, Noon ... Big Ten Network
UMKC at Loyola, 4 p.m. ... HLN
Valparaiso at Miami (Ohio), 4 p.m.
Cleveland State at Marist, 7:30 p.m.
Green Bay at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ... Big Ten Network

Sunday, Dec. 14
UIC at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m.
Wright State at Wake Forest, 4 p.m. ... Fox Sports
Detroit at Bowling Green, 6 p.m.

All times are Eastern Daylight (EDT)
Rankings are Associated Press first, ESPN/USA Today Coaches second

HLN = Horizon League Network webcast (www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv)
# = Tape delayed at 10 p.m. ET

  

HORIZON LEAGUE TEAM NOTES

BUTLER BULLDOGS (7-0, 2-0)

  • Butler has started 7-0 for the third straight year. The Bulldogs opened Horizon League play on the road and swept both games, something last year's record-setting club didn't accomplish.
  • Sophomore Matt Howard scored a season-high 23 points at Youngstown State on Saturday, matching his career high set last year against Ohio State. Freshman Shelvin Mack added a career-best 22 points in the Youngstown State win.
  • Sophomore Zach Hahn's three-pointer as time expired on Thursday at Cleveland State was the first game-winning shot of his basketball career (at any level).

    CLEVELAND STATE VIKINGS (5-4, 1-1)
  • Cleveland State posted a 1-2 record last week. The Vikings rolled past Valparaiso (66-42) in the Horizon League opener, but fell to defending Horizon League-champion Butler (50-48) on a buzzer-beating three-pointer and at West Virginia (53-43).
  • Cleveland State enters the week second in the conference in almost every defensive category, including scoring defense (58.1), field goal defense (.378), three-point defense (.271) and turnover margin (+4.2) while also ranking first in steals (9.6).

    DETROIT TITANS (2-5, 0-2)
  • Detroit has outrebounded all seven of its opponents this season. The Titans are +9 (258-249) overall in that category.
  • Through seven games, Detroit has used four different starting line-ups, with a total of nine players starting at least one game on the season.
  • Detroit has dropped 17 games in a row on the road as well as 16 straight conference road games.

    GREEN BAY PHOENIX (5-2, 2-0)
  • Green Bay has held two straight opponents under 50 points for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
  • Green Bay is riding a five-game winning streak -- its longest since winning six in a row during the 2004-05 campaign (Dec. 29-Jan. 11).
  • The Phoenix is 2-0 in Horizon League play for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign.
  • Green Bay leads the country in free throw shooting at 86.3 percent (138-for-160).

    LOYOLA RAMBLERS (4-5, 0-1)
  • Senior Justin Cerasoli averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 blocks in two games last week. He shot .576 (19-for-33) from the field, including .500 (5-for-10) from long distance.
  • Justin Cerasoli scored a career-high 24 points at UIC on Saturday and is the first Rambler since J.R. Blount (March 1 and 4, 2008) to record 20 or more points in consecutive contests.
  • Freshman Jordan Hicks has started the last three games. He scored a season-high nine points -- in only 17 minutes -- at UIC.
  • Senior Darrin Williams scored in double digits in consecutive games for the first time in his career last week. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in a pair of games and notched a season-best 15 points in a win over William & Mary on Tuesday.
  • Loyola will honor its 1970s All-Decade Team on Saturday at the Gentile Center. The 11 honorees include LaRue Martin, who was the NBA's No. 1 draft choice in 1972.

    MILWAUKEE PANTHERS (5-4, 2-0)
  • Milwaukee is 2-0 in Horizon League play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
  • The Panthers made 48 percent (16-for-33) from three-point range in their two wins last week and are now shooting better than 36 percent from long range this season. UWM shot just 30 percent from three in 2007-08.
  • Milwaukee's only tilt this week -- Thursday at Miami (Ohio) -- will be a homecoming for retiring Director of Athletics Bud Haidet. Haidet worked at Miami for 25 years before moving to Milwaukee.
  • Milwaukee and Miami have met only once before in men's basketball, and that came in 1947.

    UIC FLAMES (5-2, 2-0)
  • Senior Scott VanderMeer is just nine blocks away from breaking the Horizon League's career record. He currently stands at 218, just eight from matching the conference mark of 226 held by Evansville's Dan Godfread that was set in 1990.
  • Senior Josh Mayo, who leads the Horizon League with 21.0 points per game, has shot 75 percent (18-for-24) from beyond the arc over his last three games.
  • Josh Mayo's 30 points at Vanderbilt on Wednesday were the most he has ever scored in a road game. His eight treys were just one off the Memorial Gymnasium record for threes made in a game.
  • UIC's 19-point win over Vanderbilt marked its first road win over a Southeastern Conference school, and the worst home loss suffered by the Commodores since Jan. 14, 2003. It was also Vandy's worst non-conference home loss since Dec. 30, 1988.

    VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (3-4, 1-1)
  • Sophomore Howard Little scored a career-best 14 points at Cleveland State on Tuesday.
  • Senior Jake Diebler put up 15 points in a win at Youngstown State on Thursday. He becomes the eighth different Crusader to score in double figures at least once this year.
  • Valparaiso has never lost to either of its opponents this week. The Crusaders are 7-0 all-time against IPFW and 1-0 vs. Miami (Ohio).

    WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS (0-6, 0-2)
  • Still nursing injuries to freshman Kyle Pressley (ankle) and sophomore Troy Tabler (shoulder), Wright State lost twice in its first Horizon League weekend.
  • Another key injury has been to first-team All-Horizon League honoree Vaughn Duggins, who has a broken ring finger. The junior had surgery on Dec. 3 after breaking it in practice before the Sam Houston State game.
  • Junior Corey Cooperwood, who transferred from Wallace State Community College, collected 14 points and six rebounds in just 21 minutes at Green Bay on Thursday.

    YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS (1-6, 0-2)
  • Junior Sirlester Martin averaged a double-double last week with 11.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Martin picked up his second double-double of 2008-09 with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Valparaiso on Thursday. He also scored 12 points and hauled down nine boards against Butler on Saturday.
  • Senior Jack Liles extended his consecutive games streak to 89, dating back to the 2005-06 season.
  • Against Butler, Youngstown State made all 17 of its free throw attempts. It was the first time the Penguins shot 100 percent from the free throw line since Jan. 5, 2006.

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