INDIANAPOLIS -- The top three teams in the Horizon League men's basketball standings are all in action tonight, highlighted by a matchup between Valparaiso and Wright State.
The Crusaders are currently sitting atop the conference and have a chance to pick their 20th win of the season in Dayton. It would mark the 13th time in the past two decades that Valpo has won at least 20 contests.
Wright State won't just roll over, however. As has been proven many times before, road wins don't come easily in the Horizon League, and the Raiders -- currently tied for second-place in the Horizon League -- are 9-2 at the Nutter Center.
Both teams were honored yesterday when the Horizon League handed out its weekly awards: Crusaders senior Ryan Broekhoff was named the Player of the Week while Valpo's Bobby Capobianco and Wright State's Jerran Young were named Co-Newcomers of the Week.
Both teams are riding three-game winning streaks, but Valpo took the first matchup of the season, a 69-63 victory on Jan. 19 at the ARC.
Completing the season sweep of the Raiders would put Valpo just two wins away from locking up first place in the Horizon League and hosting the men's basketball tournament next month. Detroit, however, will try to keep pace with the Crusaders tonight before the Titans travel to Valpo on Saturday.
Detroit cannot overlook tonight's competition, though. Cleveland State already beat the Titans once this season, 74-62 on Jan. 12 at the Wolstein Center, and Detroit has uncharacteristically dropped two home games this season, one to Valpo and one to Wright State.
Detroit, tied with the Raiders for second place in the Horizon League, is coming off a tough road loss to Green Bay that snapped a four-game winning streak and the Vikings had won two straight before losing to Valparaiso the last time out.
Joining Valparaiso and Cleveland State in search of completing a season sweep is Loyola, which travels to Milwaukee in the night's final game. The Ramblers won 76-65 two weeks ago at Gentile Arena.
Loyola is riding at three-game losing streak and is in eighth place in the conference standings. The last-place Panthers have lost seven straight, including four at home. There is hope for both team, however: five of Loyola's Horizon League losses have been by three of fewer points and the last two have been by a total of four points, and Milwaukee senior Paris Gulley has scored in double-figures in 15 of his 19 games this season, including four 20-point efforts.
The Valpo-Wright State and Loyola-Milwaukee matchups will be on HLN and the Cleveland State-Detroit contest will be available on ESPN3.
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