Horizon League Television Schedule, Week of Jan. 26 (All times EST):
Thursday, Jan. 27
#-/rv Cleveland State at UIC, 8 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com, Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Youngstown State at Loyola, 8 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com
Friday, Jan. 28
Wright State at Green Bay, 8 p.m. -- ESPN3.com
Detroit at Milwaukee, 9 p.m. -- ESPNU
Saturday, Jan. 29
Butler at Valparaiso, 2 p.m. -- Horizon League Game of the Week
#-/rv Cleveland State at Loyola, 4 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com, Lakeshore
Youngstown State at UIC, 4 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com
Sunday, Jan. 30
Detroit at Green Bay, 2 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com
Wright State at Milwaukee, 2 p.m. -- HorizonLeague.com, Sports32
INDIANAPOLIS -- Seven teams sit within 2.5 games of the top spot in the Horizon League as the second half of the League schedule gets underway on Thursday, with three of the four teams near the top hitting the road this weekend.
On Thursday, League co-leader #-/rv Cleveland State (18-3, 7-2 Horizon) hits the road for its Chicago swing, opening the two-game set at the UIC Pavilion, where UIC (5-15, 0-8 Horizon) finally returns home for the first time since Jan. 8 for an 8 p.m. ET tip. The Vikings own the longest current winning streak in the League at three games, while the Flames have dropped eight straight contests.
Two of the League's most prolific scorers will square off at the Pavilion, with Norris Cole leading the Vikings against UIC's Robo Kreps. Cole leads the League in scoring (20.1 ppg) and assists (5.1 apg), while Kreps just eclipsed the 1,400-point mark in his career and ranks seventh (15.3 ppg) and ninth (3.2 apg) in the categories in which Cole paces the conference.
Loyola (12-8, 3-6 Horizon) will look to build on two consecutive wins on Thursday evening, when they host Youngstown State (7-12, 1-8 Horizon) at the Gentile Center. The contest marks the 2,000th game in the history of Penguins basketball, with YSU looking for the 991st win in program history.
The Penguins enter the game with a League-leading 7.8 three-point field goals per game, while Loyola comes into the evening leading the Horizon League with a 37.0 percent three-point field goal percentage. Geoff McCammon has been the top gunner for the Ramblers, leading the way with 2.6 triples per game and needing one more three to tie for sixth in Loyola history.
Youngstown State and Cleveland State will swap sides of Chicago on Saturday, with the Penguins heading to UIC and the Vikings venturing up Lake Shore Drive to meet Loyola. Both games will begin at 4 p.m. ET, live on HorizonLeague.com.
The ESPN family of networks will once again bring fans Friday night Horizon League action, with Wright State (13-8, 6-3 Horizon) traveling to Green Bay (11-10, 5-4 Horizon), hoping to fend off a Phoenix squad that has won five of six contests, including four straight at the Resch Center. ESPN3.com will carry the contest, which tips off at 8 p.m. ET.
The Phoenix stayed in the hunt for a first-round bye with a 63-61 win at League-leading Valparaiso on Sunday, less than 48 hours after staging an epic comeback to come within a dropped three-pointer of tying Butler late in a six-point loss. Wright State enters the contest having split its previous road trip, overcoming a 10-point deficit late in a 66-62 win at Youngstown State before a 19-point setback against Cleveland State in the Horizon League Game of the Week.
ESPNU will carry Detroit's (11-10, 5-4 Horizon) trip to Milwaukee (5-5, 10-11 Horizon) on Friday, with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Eli Holman and Anthony Hill will wage a battle for control of the post, which could tilt the contest in one team's favor. In the backcourt, two of the League's most exciting point guards in Ray McCallum and Kaylon Williams will look to lead their team to what could prove to be a crucial victory at the end of the year.
Milwaukee took the first meeting between the teams, 84-81, in overtime at Calihan Hall, and a sweep of the Titans could be critical in a potential tiebreaker.
Detroit and Wright State will pass each other headed in opposite directions on I-43 on Saturday, with the Titans heading for a Sunday matchup against Green Bay, while the Raiders and Panthers will contest their game Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
The Horizon League Game of the Week will feature League-leading Valparaiso (15-6, 7-2 Horizon) and one of its closest pursuers, third-place Butler (14-7, 6-3 Horizon). Both teams are coming off of surprising home losses, with the Crusaders dropping a two-point decision to Green Bay and the Bulldogs falling in overtime to Milwaukee.
The teams opened 2011 against each other in Hinkle Fieldhouse, with Butler racing out to a large lead and holding on midway through the second half in a 76-59 Bulldog win. Shelvin Mack led a balanced Butler attack with 16 points, while Ronal Nored and Shawn Vanzant each chipped in 11. The Crusaders' Brandon Wood was held to nine points in the first game, with Cory Johnson and Jay Harris paced Valpo with 14 points each.
With Greg Rakestraw and Bob Lovell on the call, the game will be available in all 10 Horizon League markets, along with Kansas City, Mo., and Lincoln, Neb. Tip-off from the Athletics-Recreation Center is slated for 2 p.m. ET.
