Tournament Pressure Hightens as Second Round Picks Up Tonight

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (March 4, 2011) | 2011 Men's Basketball Championship Bracket

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Consensus is that defeating an opponent three times in single season is among the toughest feats in college basketball.  Both Cleveland State and Valparaiso will be looking to do just that on Friday night, as the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship resumes with the second round.  The Vikings meet Wright State, while Detroit and Valpo will contest the late game.  Both games are available live on HorizonLeague.com, with Will Haskett, Joel Cornette and Adam Amin bringing fans the contests.

Third-seeded Cleveland State (25-7) rolled past UIC in the opening round, while No. 6 Wright State (19-13) got past Green Bay in the closing minutes to set up the third meeting of the season.  The last contest between the two was a taught affair, with a late Trevon Harmon three pushing Cleveland State to a 74-72 victory at the WSU Nutter Center.  The Raiders forced League-leading scorer Norris Cole into a distributor mode and the senior delivered as all five Vikings finished in double figures, with Aaron Pogue leading the way with 18.

Both N'Gai Evans and Vaughn Duggins each had 21 for Wright State, with Evans' banked-in three giving the Raiders a brief lead with under 90 seconds to play. However, Cole handed out the last of his 10 assists on the night to Harmon, who restored Cleveland State's lead in the two-point win.

Tipoff between the Vikings and Raiders is slated for 6 p.m. ET, with the winner advancing to face No. 2 Butler on Saturday night.

The second game of the evening pits the Crusaders of Valparaiso (22-10) against the Detroit Titans (17-15).  In two physical games, Valpo emerged victorious, picking up a 78-68 win at Calihan Hall before a home win, 82-74, in the middle of February.

The Crusaders overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half, eventually taking the lead into the locker room and keeping the Titans at arm's length in the second half.  Balance carried the day for Valpo, with Cory Johnson recording 19 points.  First Team All-League selection Brandon Wood poured in 17 points, 12 in the second half.  Ryan Broekhoff stuffed the box score with 17 points, five boards, five assists, five steals and three blocks.

Chase Simon had the hot hand for the Titans, finishing with 22 points while helping Detroit build an early nine-point lead.  Ray McCallum nearly recorded a double-double with 15 points and nine caroms, while Eli Holman came off the bench to post 14 points.  McCallum is the lone Titan to finish in double figures in both games, adding 16 in Detroit's Jan. 16 loss.  Nick Minnerath starred in that contest with 23 points and 12 boards.

Either the Crusaders or Titans will face top-seeded Milwaukee at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, live on ESPNU.