Men's Basketball Weekly Release #5

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Horizon League Player of the Week - Watch

Othyus Jeffers, UIC
Junior * Forward * Chicago, Ill. (Hubbard / Los Angeles Southwest C.C.)
Jeffers led the Flames to a pair of victories last week, averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists against Murray State and Youngstown State. He collected 16 points and nine boards as UIC rallied to defeat Murray State 74-68 on Tuesday, and came back with 16 points plus seven rebounds and four assists as UIC opened League play with an 80-64 victory against the Penguins on Saturday. Jeffers has led the Flames in scoring in four consecutive games and tops the UIC charts in scoring (15.3 points per game), rebounding (9.0 per outing, second in the League) and steals (1.8 per contest).

Previous Players of the Week:
Nov. 13 - DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Nov. 20 - A.J. Graves, Butler
Nov. 27 - A.J. Graves, Butler

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending December 3

Mike Green, Butler
Jr. * G * Philadelphia, Pa.
Green led Butler to victories over Valparaiso and Cleveland State, extending the Bulldogs' winning streak to nine games. Green led all scorers with 16 points in each contest, and added a game-high eight rebounds plus four assists at Valpo, and three set-ups against the Vikings.

Ryvon Covile, Detroit
Sr. * C * Detroit, Mich.
Covile logged two more double-doubles, posting 11 points and ten rebounds in a victory over Eastern Michigan before a 12-point, 11-board outing at Wright State. He also shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from the floor for the week and leads the League with seven double-doubles this year.

Blake Schilb, Loyola
Sr. * G * Rantoul, Ill.
Schilb averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Ramblers split two games last week. He tallied 21 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 67-64 loss to Saint Louis, and came back with 18 points, eight boards and two assists as Loyola defeated UW-Green Bay.

Avery Smith, UW-Milwaukee
Jr. * G * Milwaukee, Wis.
Smith scored a career-high 36 points at Oakland on Saturday, accounting for more than half of the Panthers' total. Smith hit 13 of 22 shots from the field with eight three-pointers. The 36 points were the most by a UWM player since Ed McCants had 38 versus Detroit two years ago.

DaShaun Wood, Wright State
Sr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Wood scored a game-high 19 points and hit the decisive free throws with 14 seconds remaining in the Raiders' 50-49 victory over Detroit on Saturday. Wood was five-of-15 from the field with three tri-lighters along with two assists in 34 minutes of action.

Quin Humphrey, Youngstown State
Sr. * G * Ellenwood, Ga.
Humphrey averaged 22.5 points and five rebounds in two games last week. He poured in a season-high 27 points, grabbed seven boards and had three steals against Canisius on Tuesday. He then scored 18, including 16 in the second half, at UIC on Saturday.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs keeps rolling along
Butler improved to 9-0 overall with a 60-47 victory at (future League rival) Valparaiso on Wednesday and a 70-45 triumph over Cleveland State in the Bulldogs' loop opener. Butler moved up four spots in the AP poll, and its current #15 ranking in the AP poll is the Bulldogs' best since 1948-49 when the school was 11th.

BU is 9-0 for the third time in six seasons under coach Todd Lickliter, boasting the fourth-best start in school history. The 2001-02 teams opened at 13-0, with the 1930-31 quintet winning its first 11 games and the 2002-03 squad starting at 10-0.

The current nine-game winning streak ties for the eighth-longest in school history. Lickliter-coached teams account for four of the top ten streaks in Butler annals.

Junior guard A.J. Graves is 49-of-50 (98 percent) at the free-throw line this season and has made his last 21 in a row. He opened the season with a streak of 28 before missing against Kent State.

Graves ranks second in the League with an average of 18.3 points per game, with junior guard Mike Green 11th at 13.6 per outing. Green also leads the circuit with 1.89 steals per game (just ahead of Graves' 1.78 rate) and stands second on the loop assist chart with 4.11 set-ups per appearance. Graves' rate of 2.67 three-pointers per game makes him the League's most prolific long-range sniper so far this season.

Green paced BU with 16 points in each game last week, and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while handing out four assists against the Crusaders. The transfer from Towson University has been the epitome of consistency of late, scoring exactly 16 points in each of his last four contests.

Butler had held four of its first nine opponents under 50 points this season, allowing a League-low 56.0 points per outing. The Bulldogs also top the loop charts in scoring margin (+12.7 points per game) and free-throw percentage (.814).

Ramblers bounce back after tough loss
Loyola begins the week at 6-2 overall after a 71-52 victory over UW-Green Bay on Saturday, a game which featured the top two teams in the League's preseason poll. Loyola came back after a 67-64 defeat at the hands of Saint Louis on Tuesday, and has now won 11 of its last 14 games dating back to last season.

Senior guard Blake Schilb moved into tenth place on the school's all-time scoring charts with 1,492 points and needs eight more to become the 36th player in League history to record 1,500 points. Schilb, who scored 21 points versus Saint Louis and 18 against UW-Green Bay, is perfect in his last 20 free-throw attempts and has now scored in double figures in 30 consecutive home games. The senior also needs 20 rebounds to become the 18th player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 caroms.

With three triples against the Phoenix, Schilb became Loyola's all-time leader with 168 three-point field goals in his career, eclipsing the mark set by David Bailey (1999-2003). This season, Schilb ranks third in the League in scoring (17.6 points per game), sixth in field-goal percentage (.489), third in assists (3.75 per game), second in free throw percentage (.914), tenth in steals (1.25 per outing) and tenth in three-point percentage (.425).

Sophomore forward Leon Young took over as the League's top field-goal shooter, hitting 58.3 percent of his shots for the season. Young also ranks fourth in the circuit with 7.1 rebounds per game while averaging 10.9 points per contest. He is one of four Ramblers averaging in double figures, with sophomore guard J.R. Blount at 13.0 points per game and senior guard Majak Kou averaging 11.4. As a team, Loyola's 75.2 points-per-game pace and .482 field-goal percentage are the best in the League.

Freshman forward Andy Polka came off the bench to collect a season-high nine rebounds and also matched his personal-best with ten points against UW-Green Bay.

Flames defend home court
After six consecutive games away from home, UIC finally returned to the Pavilion with two victories last week. The team, which opened the season with a homecourt triumph over St. Edward's on Nov. 11, returned to the Pavilion to defeat Murray State (74-68 on Tuesday) and Youngstown State (80-64 on Saturday) to move to 4-4 overall, 3-0 at home. UIC also remained perfect in 16 meetings against YSU all-time.

Junior forward Othyus Jeffers led the way with 16 points in each contest. He added nine rebounds as the Flames rallied from a 12-point deficit against MSU, and contributed seven boards and four assists versus the Penguins.

Jeffers ranks seventh in the League with his season pace of 15.3 points per game, while his 9.0 rebounds per contest trail only Detroit's Ryvon Covile (12.3) on the loop charts in that category. The carom count includes a circuit-leading 3.50 offensive boards per game. Jeffers also stands third in field-goal percentage (.500) and in steals (1.75 per game).

Saturday marked the first time since Nov. 15 that coach Jimmy Collins had his entire roster at his disposal. Sophomore guard Josh Mayo returned from an Achilles strain to score 14 points while senior forward Danijel Zoric came back after a four-game leave of absence to collect 15 points and four rebounds. Mayo, who missed three games due to the injury, is second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game.

Freshman guard Spencer Stewart continued his strong play as a starter wtih seven assists and only one turnover in 67 minutes last week. In four games since being inserted into the starting line-up, Stewart is averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per outing.

Sophomore center Scott VanderMeer leads the League with 2.25 blocked shots per game. As a team, UIC is second in the League at 74.2 points per contest.

UIC takes on Illinois on Saturday at the United Center.

Raiders work late to get League victory
Wright State won its only game of the week, rallying from a ten-point deficit in the last five minutes to defeat Detroit 50-49 on DaShaun Wood's free throws with 14.1 seconds remaining. The Raiders are now 2-2 overall after the first of ten games on the December schedule.

Wood's heroics have been the difference in both victories this season, as the senior guard also canned the go-ahead basket with 0.2 seconds left when Wright State defeated Miami (Ohio), 57-56, on Nov. 11.

Wood finished with 19 points Saturday, and has reached double figures in all four games this year. He currently ranks sixth in the League, scoring an average of 15.8 points per game, while his 3.25 assists per contest put him fifth in the circuit on that list. Wood's 151 career steals lead all active Horizon League players, and include an average of 1.75 per game this season (third-best in the League).

Guard Vaughn Duggins added nine points against the Titans and leads all loop freshmen with his 10.8 points per game for the year. Junior forward Scottie Wilson starts the week as the League's fifth-leading rebounder with 6.5 caroms per contest.

Senior forward Drew Burleson needs 84 points to reach the 1,000 mark for his career. Burleson also has 403 rebounds in a Raider uniform.

Saturday marked the Raiders' first appearance at the Nutter Center this season. WSU opened the year with three road dates, and will also play the next three away from Dayton before opening a three-game homestand on Dec. 16.

The Raiders have experienced "A Tale of Two Halves" throughout the season. In three of the team's four games, the team holding a halftime lead went on to lose the contest. WSU's game versus Coastal Carolina was tied at the break but the Raiders came back from a 25-20 deficit at Miami (Ohio) and trailed 23-22 at intermission on Saturday. Wright State let a 33-31 lead slip away in a (Nov. 22) loss at Chicago State.

Panthers ready to join League chase
UW-Milwaukee is the last team to begin League play, as the Panthers open defense of their loop title this Sunday at home versus Youngstown State. UWM carries a 2-7 record into the week after losing at Central Michigan (76-61 on Wednesday) and at Oakland (76-70 on Saturday). Last season, UWM did not lose its seventh game until Feb. 15.

Junior guard Avery Smith did his part for the team at Oakland, scoring a career-high 36 points against the Grizzlies. Smith hit 13 of 22 shots from the field including eight of 12 behind the arc to post the highest point total by a Panther since Ed McCants scored 38 versus Detroit on Jan. 3, 2005. Smith's point total is also the highest in the Horizon League since Domonique Crawford's 37-point effort versus Loyola on Feb. 25, 2006.

Smith now ranks eighth in the League with an average of 15.0 poins per game for the season. He has scored 135 points in nine outings in 2006-07, compared to 147 in 31 appearances (4.7 per game) last season.

UW-Milwaukee continues to get a wide variety of contributions. After freshman forward Ryan Thornton scored a collegiate-best 13 points off the bench, eight different players have already reached double figures in a game this year. In addition, junior forward Sam Mauldin and freshman guard Roman Gentry each have season-highs of nine points, meaning 10 different players have scored at least nine points in a game.

One way the Panthers have tried hard to make up for their less-than-stellar field-goal shooting (a League-low 36.0 percent) is by getting to the offensive glass. UWM has collected 10 or more offensive boards in eight of its nine games this season, including 16 at Oakland. UWM also had 19 offensive rebounds in the season opener against Radford, and averages 14 second chances per game for the year. Junior forward Paige Paulsen leads the team with 22 offensive boards while averaging 11.4 points per contest.

Vikings see streak snapped
Cleveland State stands at 5-4 on the season, including an 0-1 mark in the League. The Vikings defeated perennial nemesis Kent State 66-59 on Wednesday but had a four-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's 70-45 loss at Butler.

Last week's games started a grueling stretch of four in a row against teams which reached the postseason in 2005-06. CSU visits Kansas State on Tuesday before Saturday's match-up at Ohio State.

The Vikings' winning streak was the school's longest in six seasons. One of the reasons for the success that coach Gary Waters' team has had during the early part of the season has been its ability to start games strongly. CSU is averaging 33.0 points in the first half this year, outscoring its opponents by 2.9 points a game. The Vikings have held the lead at the intermission in seven of the nine games, trailing at the break against only Evansville and Butler.

Consistency has been a key, as well. After the Vikings had 13 different starting combinations in 27 games last year, Waters has found some consistency this season in his starting five. He has used the same starting five in all nine games, going with guards senior Carlos English, Victor Morris and Raheem Moss along with sophomore J'Nathan Bullock and senior Patrick Tatham at the forward spots. If that group starts again at Kansas State, it will be the longest stretch with the same group of starters in the last four seasons. Over the previous three years, CSU used 36 different starting combinations in 83 games.

Bullock ranks ninth in the League at 14.8 points per game, while his rate of 6.3 rebounds per outing is seventh-best in the circuit. Bullock is the only Viking scoring in double figures, but a balanced attack has six players averaging at least 6.8 points per contest. Morris stands at 9.7, with freshman guard Joe Davis at 9.3, Moss at 9.1, junior forward Kevin Francis at 7.2, and English with 6.8 to go along with a team-leading 3.22 assists per outing.

Titans win at home but drop League-opener
Detroit split its two games last week, moving to 2-5 on the season. UDM snapped a four-game losing streak with a 72-52 victory over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, but let a ten-point lead slip away as Detroit dropped a 50-49 decision at Wright State in Saturday's League-opener.

The Titans had posted their top two point totals of the year prior to Saturday, scoring 73 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 25 and 72 versus EMU, but senior center Ryvon Covile was the lone Detroit player in double figures at WSU. It was the third time in seven starts this year where Detroit has failed to score at least 50 points. Detroit was also guilty of 18 turnovers against WSU---the fifth time in seven games where the Titans have had at least 15 turnovers. They averaged 13.6 miscues a year ago, but are turning it over at a 16.9 rate early this season.

Covile has logged a double-double in each of the team's seven games, surpassing Chuck Bailey's team-high total of six for all of last season. Covile leads the League with his 12.3 rebounds-per-game rate this season, and is also shooting 56.1 percent from the field (second-best in the League) to average 14.6 points per game (tenth in that category).

Junior guard Brandon Cotton scored 22 points against EMU, the third time he has reached the 20-point plateau this season. Cotton's 16.1 points per game put him fifth in the League. As a team, UDM ranks second defensively with a yield of 64.4 points per contest.

Phoenix anxious for home cooking
UW-Green Bay comes into the week at 2-5 after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 76-67, on Tuesday, before Saturday's 71-52 loss at Loyola to open the League schedule. The Phoenix has played six of its first seven games on the road, but will now be at the Resch Center for eight of the next nine games.

UW-Green Bay used a strong perimeter attack at FDU, shooting a sason-best 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from three-point range. Senior forward Josh Lawrence hit all four of his shots behind the arc, with sophomore forward Mike Schachtner adding three treys. The duo shared game scoring honors with 19 points apiece.

Sophomore Terry Evans has been dominant on the glass, posting four double-digit rebounding performances already this year---one more than the team's total for the entire 2005-06 campaign. Evans' 16 caroms versus Northern Michigan on Nov. 17 marks the League's single-game high this season, while his 8.7 caroms-per-contest rate is third-best on the circuit charts. Evans, a member of the League's All-Defensive Team in 2005-06, also ranks fourth with 1.29 blocks per game.

Senior guard Ryan Evanochko leads the League with 5.29 assists per game, including nine helpers at Fairleigh Dickinson. He also ranks fourth in the League in scoring at 16.4 points per game, sixth at 1.71 steals per outing and third with a 2.06 assist-to-turnover ratio. He is averaging 37.29 minutes per game, the most by any League player.

Cold shooting, slow starts doom Penguins
Youngstown State has dropped four games in a row, falling to 2-6 overall after a 71-59 loss to Canisius on Tuesday and an 80-64 setback at UIC on Saturday.

The Penguins' two losses last week were both attributed to slow starts and big first-half deficits. YSU trailed Canisius 44-29 at halftime and UIC 44-23. In their eight games this season, the Penguins are being outscored 298-251 in the first 20 minutes. In YSU's two wins, the Penguins have outscored their opponents 90-41 before intermission. In its six losses, YSU's opponents hold a 257-161 edge at the break.

The Penguins' seven-on-17 (41.2 percent) effort from the free-throw line against Canisius played a large part in their 12-point loss. However, on Saturday, YSU was able to stay within striking distance of the Flames for part of the second half because of its solid performance at the line. Youngstown State hit 20 of its 24 second-half charity tosses, including 18 of its first 20. The Penguins hit 3-of-8 from the line in the first half.

Senior guard Quin Humphrey scored a season-high 27 points versus Canisius and has taken over the top spot on the League scoring chart at 18.8 points per game for the year. Humphrey, who led the circuit in both scoring and rebounding last season, has eclipsed the 20-point mark four times this year.

Senior guard Keston Roberts adds 13.5 points per game, while junior guard Byron Davis ranks fourth in the League at 3.38 assists per outing.

Crusaders provide comparisons for top 25?
Valparaiso, which officially joins the Horizon League in 2007-08, dropped to 3-4 overall with losses to three teams among the nation's top 25 teams last week. The Crusaders fell to eighth-ranked Marquette, 65-62, on Monday before 19th-ranked Butler defeated Valpo 60-47 on Wednesday and No. 3 Ohio State posted a 78-58 victory on Saturday.

OSU entered that game ranked No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings, marking the third year in a row that Valpo has met a team ranked atop a national poll.

Junior guard Shawn Huff registered a career-high 22 points Monday, while freshman backliner Samuel Haanpaa had a collegiate-best 18 points against the Buckeyes. Monday's contest was tied at 62-all before Marquette's Dominic James hit a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift the Golden Eagles to victory.

Sophomore guard Brandon McPherson averaged 10.7 points per game last week, hitting 13 of 18 shots from the field against the three top-25 foes. He also handed out nine assists against Marquette and four more versus Ohio State.

Huff's performance against Marquette is part of a season stat line featuring a team-high 12.0 points per game. Sophomore forward Urule Igbavboa is next in line at 11.7 points per contest), along with 8.4 rebounds per outing. Haanpaa is the third Crusader in double figures at 10.2 points per appearance, with McPherson ading 8.6 points and a team-high 4.0 assists per game.

On the Horizon This Week:

Tuesday, December 5
Lock Haven at Youngstown State, 11:05 a.m.
Loyola at Purdue, 7 p.m.
Detroit at #24 Xavier, 7:30 p.m.
Cleveland State at Kansas State, 8 p.m.
Wright State at Bradley, 8 p.m.
UIC at Northern Illinois, 8:05 p.m.
Valparaiso at Evansville, 8:05 p.m.

Wednesday, December 6
Ball State at #15 Butler, 7 p.m.
UW-Milwaukee at Missouri State, 8 p.m.

Saturday, December 9
UIC vs. Illinois, 2 p.m. (at United Center - Chicago, Ill.)
Loyola [La.] at Loyola, 2 p.m.
Cleveland State at #4 Ohio State, 4 p.m.
Wright State at St. Bonaventure, 7 p.m.
#15 Butler at Indiana State, 7 p.m.
Central Michigan at UW-Green Bay, 8:05 p.m.

Sunday, December 10
Youngstown State at UW-Milwaukee, 1 p.m. - *

ALL TIMES EASTERN / rankings noted are from (Dec. 4) AP poll

* - Horizon League games