Valpo, Detroit Return to Action in Semifinal Round Against Green Bay, Wright State

Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (March 9)

Men's Basketball Championship Homepage

Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinal Round (All times EST)
No. 3 Wright State vs. No. 2 Detroit -- 6 p.m., ESPN3 live/ESPNU tape-delay
No. 4 Green Bay vs. No. 1 Valparaiso -- 8:30 p.m., ESPNU

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- No. 1 Valparaiso and No. 2 Detroit return to action for the first time since the last day of the regular season to face No. 4 Green Bay and No. 3 Wright State, respectively, in the semifinal round of the Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament at the ARC.

No. 3 Wright State and No. 2 Detroit get the action started tonight at 6 p.m. EST; the game will also be tape-delayed on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. EST and is live on ESPN3 and Full Court.

The Raiders earned their trip to the semifinals with a 66-59 win over in-state rival No. 6 Youngstown State, keyed by a big 3-pointer by Reggie Arceneaux and a defensive stand that saw the Penguins go 0-for-3 from the floor with a turnover during a crucial four-possession span late in the second half.

Arceneaux finished with 11 points off the bench for the Raiders, who were led by Mile Dixon's 14. Jerran Young and AJ Pacher poured in 13 apiece.

Detroit earned byes through the first and second round of the tournament by securing the No. 2 seed during the regular season, its best finish under head coach Ray McCallum.

The Titans and Raiders split their season series, each winning on the road. Wright State won 64-62 at Calihan Hall on Jan. 21, just two days after Valparaiso had completed a 22-point, second-half comeback to end Detroit's 17-game homecourt winning streak. Kendall Griffin led the Raiders with 15 points in the win, while Arceneaux added 11 and Cole Darling scored 10. Doug Anderson had a game-high 20 points for the Titans, while Nick Minnerath added 12 and Jason Calliste and Juwan Howard, Jr., scored 10 apiece.

Detroit return the favor by picking up an 83-76 win on Jan. 30 at the Nutter Center. Ray McCallum scored a game-high 24 points for the Titans while Minnerath added 18, Anderson poured in 15 and Howard, Jr., scored 11. Young led the Raiders with 14 points in the loss while Arceneaux added 12, Griffin had 11 and Darling scored 12.

This will be the eighth meeting between the teams in the Horizon League Tournament, with Detroit owning a 4-3 advantage. Wright State won the most recent matchup, however, when then-No. 2 Wright State beat No. 7 Detroit 69-50 in the 2010 semifinals.

No. 4 Green Bay meets No. 1 Valparaiso in tonight's second matchup, broadcast live on ESPNU.

The Phoenix earned its way into the semifinal round with a thrilling 64-63 win over No. 5 UIC on Sultan Muhammad's game-winning 3-pointer just seconds before the final buzzer.

Muhammad's shot came as head coach Brian Wardle was yelling for a timeout and 5.7 seconds after UIC senior Gary Talton had hit a pair of free throws to put the Flames up two. Muhammad scored 10 points in the game. Alec Brown led Green Bay with 17 points while  Keifer Sykes added 12. Valparaiso native Hayden Humes scored a game-high 23 in the loss, a career-best total for the UIC junior.

Valparaiso earned the right to host the tournament and byes through the first and second rounds by securing the No. 1 seed and regular season championship.

The Crusaders swept the Phoenix during the regular season, including a win at Green Bay on the last day of the regular season that allowed Wright State to claim the No. 3 seed and made Green Bay the No. 4 seed. Valpo won that game 75-56, led by a game-high 21 points from Matt Kenney as Bobby Capobianco poured in 16 off the bench.

Valparaiso also won 71-63 at the ARC on Jan. 23, led by a game-high 19 points from Ryan Broekhoff while Kevin Van Wijk added 12 and Kenney scored 10. The Phoenix got 18 points from Brown in the loss while Sykes added 15 and Brennan Cougill scored 12.

The winners of tonight's matchups will face off in Tuesday night's championship game on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET.