Valparaiso

Horizon League Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:44:39 -0500

Butler, with legitimate Elite Eight aspirations, should be the dominant force in the Horizon. An infusion of Juco talent and returning injured players should help the quality of play throughout the league.

Conference Rank: 12th

10 year average: 15th

Conference Page

All-Horizon Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Shelvin Mack	Butler	So
G	Norris Cole	Cleveland St	Jr
G	Vaughn Duggins	Wright St	Jr
G/F	Gordon Hayward	Butler	So
F	Matt Howard	Butler	Jr

Player of the Year - Gordon Hayward Freshman of the Year - Seth Evans (Green Bay)
CHN Award Winners		Leaders
CHN All-Americans Gordon Hayward Mid-Major All-Americans Gordon Hayward (1st Team) Matt Howard (1st)		Best Scorer: Gordon Hayward Best Rebounder: Matt Howard Best Passer: Spencer Stewart

Horizon League Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

11	Butler	Horizon	1	NCAA
57	Wright State	Horizon	2	NIT
87	UWM	Horizon	3	CBI/CIT
111	Green Bay	Horizon	4	CBI/CIT
152	Cleveland St	Horizon	5
177	Valparaiso	Horizon	6
200	Illinois Chicago	Horizon	7
231	Detroit	Horizon	8
281	Youngstown St	Horizon	9
310	Loyola Ill	Horizon	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the HL?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the Horizon League?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:04:33 -0400

Wright St Beats Valpo, Advances to HL Quarters

Bill Kintner — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:19:54 -0500

DAYTON - It took reserve player Copper land going 6-6 from the field and a 22-27 effort in the second half from the foul line for Wright State to beat Valparaiso 68-56 in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.

Well it also took Wright State's stellar defense and Scott Grote's career high at Wright State of 19 points too, to get the Raiders into the quarterfinal game on Friday.

The way the Horizon League runs their tournament is a little different than most conferences. The number one seed and number two seed get a two game bye into the semi-final games held at the number one seed's venue. The other eight teams play at the 3-6 seed's venues with the four winners advancing to the quarterfinal games on Friday at the number one seed's venue.

This game announced just a little over two days ago had only 3006 people which is 2500 under Wright State's season average. It felt like an early season game or maybe a preseason exhibition game against a no-name team.

Wright State coach Brad Brownell worried that since his players were going to class today that they would not understand the possible finality of this game.

"I told them to do something different today. I wanted them to feel it was a tournament and not like a normal school day," said Brownell. "We have a lot of HL signs in the locker room to remind the team this is a tournament game and if you lose, you're out."

When asked what he did different today Grote proudly said he fixed breakfast, which is not a normal activity for him. With his 19 points he may be cooking breakfast a lot more on game days.

Wright State (19-12) jumped out to an 11-0 lead and at the 12:50 mark Wright State led 15-3.

Valpraiso was looking scared. After a couple of time outs and some field goals the Crusaders started to whittle Wright State's lead down and at the 8:37mark Urule Igbavboa hit a 3-pointer to get the lead down to 17-9. By halftime the Raiders led 29-23.

"We have a lot of new guys and this is their first post season. It wasn't a lack of energy, maybe we were a little tense," said Valpo's Jake Diebler about his team's slow start.

In the second half Valparaiso (9-22) kept chipping away and finally got the lead down to one point with 16:23 left when Diebler hit a 3-pointer to make it 34-33.

After a time out, Wright State went on a 14-0 run over the next six minutes to go up 46-33.

The Crusaders went on a little mini-run to cut the lead to five points with 8:33 left. After that point, Wright State went 13-15 from the foul line and put the game away.

"We made free throws late but we took care of business," said Brownell. "I like the way our team is playing and hopefully we can keep the season going for a few more games."

Valparaiso's coach Homer Drew was not panicked when the Raiders jumped out ahead by 12 points. After all they were down 12 points and last year in the Nutter Center and fought back to win a squeaker.

"They are very physical. We weren't concerned, I had faith we could come back and then we went on a little run of our own. Then they went on that 14-0 run and that really hurt us, said Drew. "We didn't play our best basketball and a lot had to do with Wright State's defense. We didn't execute or make shots when we had to."

For Valpo Michael Rogers and Diebler each score 14 points and De'Andre Haskins scored 13 points.

Game notes:
-Wright State leads the all-time series 8-5.
- "We have played more closely to our maximum potential than any other team," said Brownell. When you of it in those terms, Brownell is right about that. The Raiders are not a great team, but they play consistently closer to their best of any team in the Horizon League.
-Wright State plays Milwaukee on Friday at 6 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
-Cleveland State plays UIC on Friday at 8 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Horizon League Tournament: Preview & Predictions

Evan Dorey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:47:02 -0500

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, giving a brief statistical review and presenting the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Horizon League Championship

The Horizon league utilizes a two-round bye, in which the bottom 8 teams battle for spots in the semifinals, where the top 2 seeds are waiting for them. First round games are hosted at campus sites, the quarters and semis are in the #1 seeds’ building, and the highest remaining seed hosts the final.

Tournament Odds

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Butler	100.00%	100.00%	86.12%	68.48%
2	Green Bay	100.00%	100.00%	56.98%	16.28%
3	Cleveland St.	97.12%	81.56%	40.18%	11.28%
4	Wright St.	92.77%	61.28%	10.15%	3.04%
5	Milwaukee	90.81%	35.86%	3.66%	0.74%
6	Youngstown St.	60.07%	9.91%	1.43%	0.08%
7	Illinois Chicago	39.93%	7.87%	1.38%	0.09%
8	Loyola Chicago	9.19%	1.13%	0.02%	0.00%
9	Valparaiso	7.23%	1.73%	0.05%	0.00%
10	Detroit	2.88%	0.66%	0.03%	0.00%

Only two teams look to have any legitimate shot of stopping Butler and causing consternation across the bubble, Green Bay and Cleveland St. There’s also a pretty clear drop-off below the #5 seed, with the bottom five having little chance to even make the final.

#1 – Butler Bulldogs (25-4, 15-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.153

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (2^nd Round)

There’s no Horizon team that’s as complete as the Bulldogs, who have the conference’s best defense and one of its best attacks. They make more than 50% of their shots from inside the arc, and get a lot of points from the free throw line, but turn the ball over more than a ‘traditional’ Butler team. Butler’s defense is spectacular at stopping shots, holding opponents to 36% from the field and 30% from three.

Players to watch:

6-8 FR Gordon Hayward, 13.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 61.7 eFG% - Hayward has been one of the nation’s best freshmen, and looks like the kind of player power conference programs will be kicking themselves over the years to come. He doesn’t lead Butler in scoring or rebounding, but is easily the team’s most efficient option, a good inside guy who shoots 46% from behind the arc and over 80% from the free throw line. He’s also a solid defender, averaging better than a block and a steal, and should be a player to watch throughout the month of March.

6-8 SO Matt Howard, 14.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6 eFG% - Another key to Butler’s successful season, Howard is a good inside scorer who does his best work at the free throw line; he’s 7^th in the nation in free throw rate, and hits them at a 77% clip. He’s also the team’s best rebounder, and one of the Horizon’s best shot blockers.

#2 – Green Bay Phoenix (22-9, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.103

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1996 (1^st Round)

Green Bay is as good a shooting team as you’ll find in the country, the only team in the top 5 nationally in both three-point and free-throw shooting. It’s also pretty solid inside, and manages to hold on to the ball, all of which adds up to the conference’s best offense. When the Phoenix get on a roll, they can put up some frightening offensive numbers, which is good, because their defense hasn’t been particularly strong. They are the worst team in the Horizon on the defensive glass, and are only average at defending shots, so they need all the points they can get.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Ryan Tillema, 17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG,60.3 eFG% - Tillema missed the first month of the season, and despite starting only 5 games, he leads the Horizon in scoring. He’s a 44% three-point shooter, and is an excellent ball control guard, turning the ball over just 30 times all season.

6-4 JR Troy Cotton, 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 58.4 eFG% - Cotton is the Phoenix’s most-frequent three-point shooter, and at 42% he’s a very dangerous long-distance option. Like Tillema, he doesn’t turn the ball over much, and is an incredibly efficient offensive player.

#3 – Cleveland St. Vikings (21-10, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.093

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1986 (Sweet Sixteen)

The Vikings’ season may best be remembered for some close finishes, falling on a buzzer-beating three against Butler and winning on a miraculous half-court shot at Syracuse. An eight-game winning streak towards the close of the conference season got them into the battle for a second seed, but they couldn’t clinch it, forcing them to play two extra games. The Vikings are the most inside-oriented team in the tournament, a good thing, given their poor three point shooting. They also struggle to defend the outside shot, but make up for it by leading the league in shot-blocking and forcing turnovers.

Players to watch:

6-5, SR J’Nathan Bullock, 15.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 47.7 eFG% - Bullock is a critical player for the Vikings, leading them in both scoring and rebounding. He’s a solid player who does a lot well, but doesn’t have any particular area where he’s a dominant force. His

6-3, SR Cedric Jackson, 9.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.4 APG, 3.0 SPG, 41.3 eFG% - Almost all of Jackson’s value comes when he’s not shooting the ball, and the Vikings should try to avoid possessions ending in his hands. He makes up for his shooting by leading the conference in assists and steals, while also being a good rebounder.

#4 – Wright St. Raiders (18-12, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.068

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

Wright St. had an 0-6 start to the season, including dropping its first two conference games, but rebounded to reach a 7-3 conference record before picking up a few tough losses down the stretch. The Raiders defend better than any non-Butler team in the HL, holding opponents below 38% from the field, and forcing turnovers at an impressive rate. They play at a pretty slow pace, and are somewhat vulnerable to the three, but their problems tend to come from the offensive end. Wright St. simply doesn’t make many shots, just 41% from the field, and compounds that by getting very few of their misses back. It does manage to get shots up, as it rarely turns it over, but that doesn’t end up producing a lot of points.

Players to watch:

6-7 JR Cory Cooperwood, 9.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 49.0 eFG% - Cooperwood’s stats fit Wright St.’s profile really well: he’s only a decent scorer by many team’s standards, but he’s the Raiders’ most efficient offensive player. He’s also an effective defender, recording good block and steal rates, and is easily the Raiders’ best rebounder.

6-5 JR Todd Brown, 11.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 49.5 eFG% - Brown plays more minutes than any other Raider, and is the only serious three-point threat on the team, a 43% shooter from behind the arc. 39% from two, though, means he that he should try and stick to the outside shot.

#5 – Milwaukee Panthers (16-13, 11-7) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.024

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (2^nd Round)

Milwaukee looked to be serious challengers for the conference title when it sat at 7-1 in mid-January, but it closed the season with a 4-6 record, and was unable to parlay a big win over Butler into a top 4 seed. The Panthers shoot a terrible percentage from the field, but have put together a decent offense anyways. They rebound well and take a lot of threes, which they make at a decent clip. Their performance inside the arc is their Achilles heel, as they hit just 43% of inside shots. Defensively, Milwaukee is again around league average, and unlike the offense, it is stronger inside than outside. It is also one of the nation’s weakest teams at forcing turnovers.

Players to watch:

6-7 JR James Eayrs, 11.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 50.6 eFG% - One of my favorite moments of the season was watching ‘Big Lumber’ hit the game-tying three against Green Bay, a game that really started an uptick in his minutes and his level of play. He’s 6-7, 340 pounds, and an solid three-point shooter, not the most common sight. He’s good on the glass and at the free throw line, but his biggest asset is his play behind the arc.

6-3 SR Avery Smith, 11.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 42.9 eFG% - Smith does just about everything but make shots, leading the team in assists and steals and sitting second in scoring and rebounds. His problem is his shooting percentages, which are terrible, 39% overall and just 29% from behind the arc.

#6 – Youngstown St. Penguins (11-18, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.055

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Outside of a four-game stretch that saw it beat both Chicago schools and both Wisconsin schools, Youngstown has struggled to find any consistency, getting some very nice wins, but dropping a lot of games against the bottom teams in the league as well. The Penguins are good three point shooters, but most of their offense comes from inside the arc. They also do quite poorly on turnover margin, forcing few themselves while committing more than most league teams. Their one defensive strength is on the perimeter, where they hold opponents below 33% on three-point attempts. When the ball goes inside, though, they usuallly have trouble getting stops.

Players to watch:

6-7 JR Sirlester Martin, 9.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 44.1 eFG% - Martin is second in the Horizon in rebounding, and while he’s only fourth on the team in scoring, he’s part of a fairly even group of scorers around the 10 PPG mark. Martin’s problem is shooting, as he hits just 43% of his two attempts.

6-2 JR DeAndre Mays, 10.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 43.4 eFG% - Mays’ overall percentages aren’t great, but he’s a solid lead guard, with a good assist rate and the ability to hit the long distance shot.

#7 – UIC Flames (15-14, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.036

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

The Flames are the last team that are close to even in in-conference efficiency margin, and the last team with a significant chance of making the semifinals. A good start and strong finish to the season for UIC were ruined by a 4-11 stretch in the first month and a half of the conference season. This is a quality shooting team, making a good percentage of free throws and threes, but with most of its shots coming from insie, where the Flames shoot just 43%, the offense as a whole isn’t too strong. Interestingly, their opponents tend to have success from outside as well, making a lot of threes and rarely turning the ball over. The Flames’ defensive system leads to opponents taking a large number of threes, and since UIC doesn’t stop enough of them from being made, it has the conference’s second worst defense.

Players to watch:

5-11, SR Josh Mayo, 16.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.6 eFG% - Mayo is part of one of the conference’s best inside-outside combinations, and is second in the Horizon in scoring. The senior guard shoots an almost identical percentage from two and from three, both around 40%, and is excellent at the free throw line, where he shoots 86%. He’s not the primary ball distribution guard, but does manage to average more than 3 assists.

7-0, SR Scott VanderMeer, 10.7 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 41.2 eFG% - VanderMeer is the conference’s best pure big man, a dominant shot-blocker and rebounder. What’s surprising about him is his shooting percentage, which is certainly not as high as you’d expect from a 7-footer.

#8 – Loyola Chicago Ramblers (14-17, 6-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.118

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1985 (Sweet Sixteen)

The Ramblers came up with the Horizon’s most surprising result of the year when they snapped a six-game losing streak by being the only HL team to win a regular season game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. They were incredibly efficient on the offensive end in that game, which is the only way they can realistically win with the conference’s worst defense. Horizon opponents have shredded Loyola, shooting over 50% from two, and 46% overall. Loyola also has a worse offense than any team ahead of them in the standings, explaining why there is such a big gap to the bottom three teams. They are the conference’s worst at making shots, but are very good offensive rebounders, and don’t turn it over much.

Players to watch:

6-1, SR J.R. Blount, 13.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 39.9 eFG% - Blount leads the Ramblers in scoring and assists, but this isn’t really a good thing, as he is quite a poor percentage player, shooting under 40% from the field and struggling with turnovers.

6-8, SR Darrin Williams, 7.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 51.4 eFG% - Williams is only Loyola’s fifth ranked scorer, but is really the only player who shoots decently, at 51%. He’s also a good rebounder and shot blocker, and the Ramblers need him to play well in the post.

#9 – Valparaiso Crusaders (9-21, 5-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.090

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2004 (1^st Round)

The Crusaders are the perfect example of why this time of year is so magical, as more than a decade later the Valpo name is still associated with its huge tourney upset in 1998. This edition will have pulled a big upset if it even manages to make the semifinals, as they’ve had a tough season, though they have won two of their last three. Valpo’s offensive struggles have come despite their solid shooting; the problem has been in getting possessions, as they are near the bottom of the league in turnovers and rebounding. Defensively, the Crusaders are pretty mediocre, with he only bright spot being their ability to force turnovers.

Players to watch:

6-9, SR Urule Igbavboa, 12.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 BPG, 50.2 eFG% - Igbavboa has taken a larger role in the Valpo offense in his senior year, and seen his efficiency drop from a successful 07-08 season. Still, he’s a versatile player with a lot of talents, leading the Crusaders in scoring, blocks and rebounding and chipping in with some assists as well. He is at his best when he can get to the free throw-line, where he earns a lot of points despite a mediocre percentage.

6-3, SO Howard Little, 9.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 54.7 eFG% - Little is the rare Crusader who is a serious threat from behind the arc, and while he doesn’t take a lot of shots, he’s efficient enough to sit second on the team in scoring. He’s also a pretty good rebounder, and leads the team in steals.

#10 – Detroit Titans (7-22, 2-16) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.142

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (2^nd Round)

It may be as cheesy as it gets, but ‘Mercy’ is an appropriate name for the Titans, given their woeful performance with the ball, one of the worst in-conference offensive showings in the nation. Consider that if they were as good defending against the Horizon average as Memphis have been against Conference USA (which is pretty damn good, if you didn’t know), they’d probably still be a .500 team. Given this, it’s a miracle that they managed to stay within single digits of Butler in both games against the Bulldogs. Interestingly, they manage to be terrible offensively while still making a decent field goal percentage, which should tell you everything you need to know about how useful that stat is in isolation. The problem is twofold, turnovers and three-point shooting. When you make just 25% of long-range attempts, and give the ball up once every four times down the floor, it’s hard to find possessions in which the ball ends up in the basket. Defensively, Detroit are actually decent, mostly because they force turnovers themselves and do well on the glass.

Players to watch:

5-11 JR Woody Payne, 8.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 45.7 eFG% - Payne is a bit of an oddity, a 5-11 player who takes very few threes, and doesn’t do well on those he does attempt. He’s a decent point guard, leading the team in assists, having one of the best steal rates in the country, and only occasionally struggling with turnovers.

6-7 JR Thomas Kennedy, 11.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 47.5 eFG% - The Titans’ leading scorer, Kennedy could actually be an efficient player if he cut out the three-pointers, on which he shoots just 24%. He’s an OK rebounder, but nothing special, and doesn’t contribute enough in any other area to make up for his poor shot selection.

My statistical all-Horizon League team:

Butler SO G Matt Howard, 14.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 55.6 eFG%

UIC SR G Josh Mayo, 16.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 48.6 eFG%

Green Bay SR G Ryan Tillema, 16.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG,59.4 eFG%

Butler FR G/F Gordon Hayward, 13.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 61.7 eFG%

Cleveland St. SR F J’Nathan Bullock, 15.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 47.7 eFG%

Horizon League Tournament 2009: Seeding/Schedule

Press Release — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:27:55 -0500

2009 Speedway Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship

Tuesday, March 3 / First Round / at campus sites
Game 1 - #10 Detroit at #3 Cleveland State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 2 - #7 UIC at #6 Youngstown State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 3 - #9 Valparaiso at #4 Wright State, 7 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 4 - #8 Loyola at #5 Milwaukee, 8 p.m. ET (HLN)

Friday, March 6 / Second Round / at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Game 5 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m. ET (HLN)
Game 6 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m. ET (HLN)

Saturday, March 7 / Semifinals / at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Game 7 - Game 5 winner at #1 Butler, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Game 8 - Game 6 winner vs. #2 Green Bay, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Tuesday, March 10 / Championship / at higher remaining seed
Game 9 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Wright State 68 - Valparaiso 58

Bill Kintner — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:40:08 -0500

DAYTON – When two offensively challenged basketball teams shoot under 40 percent for the game one of the teams is going to win ugly and tonight it was Wright State. They played a little less ugly than Valparaiso as they won 68-58 in front of 5618 fans at the Ervin J. Nutter Center.

But it took a lot of effort for the Raiders to pull this win out.
With Valpo up 28-27 at halftime the Raider’s defense gave up a 3-pointer to Urule Igbavboa to go down by four points at 31-27. Less than a minute later Igbavaboa put in a layup to increase the Crusader lead to 33-27.

At the 18:33 mark Wright State’s Cory Cooperwood hit a jump shot to make it 33-29 and that got the Raiders on a roll. Over the next 12 minutes Wright State went on a 23-8 run which put them up by 11 points at 50-39 with 7:53 remaining.

“Their defense tightened and our defense gave up some baskets we normally don’t give up. We struggled to get a basket during that run,” explained Valparaiso coach Homer Drew.

Valparaiso (6-17, 3-9 HL) was able to cut the lead to five points when De’Andre Haskins hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left in the game, then 31 seconds later he hit a jumper to make the score 56-51 and that is as close as the Crusaders got the rest of the game.

Several times late in the second half Wright State (14-9, 8-4 HL) threatened to blow the game open but then couldn’t make critical free throws, which allowed Valpo to keep the deficit in the single digits. For the game Wright State shot just 54.8 percent (23-42) from the free throw line. A lot of those free throws were late in the game as Valpo tried to stop the clock.

Even though Wright State shot the ball well, Wright State coach Brad Brownell felt that the defense and decision making kept things together for Wright State in the second half.

He said, “Thankfully our defense was good enough to bail us out when we weren’t making free throws. I think we made some better decisions and we made more aggressive plays, got ourselves better shots and kids finished.”

With 32 seconds left Wright State’s Todd Brown made one of two free throws to give the Raiders their largest lead at 13 points to make it 68-55. Valpo’s Logan Jones made a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to cut it to the final score to a 10 point deficit for the Crusaders.
In the first half Wright State got good looks but could only manage a pathetic 25 percent (6-24) shooting percentage. The Raiders hung with Valpo by making five three pointers and going 10-14 from the free throw line.

While Wright State was experiencing shooting woes the Crusaders shot a respectable 45.5 percent (10-22), they made three 3-pointers in 10 attempts and made five free throws in seven attempts in the first half.

Todd Brown scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half to keep the Raiders in the game. In the second half his legs cramped up and it hampered what could have been a monster night.

“I was feeling it was going to be a Kolbe night. It felt good when I was shooting before the game and they just went in,” said Brown after the game.

Igbavboa led all scorers with 21 points.

Game Notes:
-Homer Drew needs just one more win to be the 33rd coach in Division I to reach 600 victories.
-Sick Bay……………Wright State’s John David Gardner played just six minutes in the first half picking up three assists before coming out with pain in his hip from an ongoing injury that he has had for two weeks.
-Wright State leads the all-time series 7-5.
-Valparaiso’s next game is on Saturday against Detroit at 3 p.m.
-Wright State’s next game is at home against Butler at 7 p.m.

GameNight: North Carolina vs Valparaiso

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:15:49 -0500

Start: Dec 20 2008 - 1:59pm

Editor's Early Preview (12/15):

Its hard to imagine UNC losing a game before January 11th at the earliest (when they head to Wake Forest), and this game could get ugly. Valpo is just a ho-hum Horizon League that doesn't bring anything particularly exciting or interesting to the table. Another glorified practice for Roy's Heels.

Full preview from the GameNight staff coming soon! Post your thoughts in the GameThread below:

Horizon League Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:53:29 -0500

Conference Rank: 16th

10 year average: 15th

Conference Page

All-Horizon Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Josh Mayo	UIC	Sr
G	Cedric Jackson	Cleveland St	Sr
G	Vaughn Duggins	Wright St	Jr
F	J'Nathan Bullock	Cleveland St	Sr
F	Matt Howard	Butler	So
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans J'Nathan Bullock Matt Howard		Points: Josh Mayo 17.1 Rebounds: Scott VanderMeer 7.5 Assists: Cedric Jackson 4.9

Horizon League Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

53	Cleveland St	Horizon	1	NCAA
60	Wright State	Horizon	2	NIT
65	Butler**	Horizon	3	NIT
87	Valparaiso	Horizon	4
118	Green Bay	Horizon	5
154	UIC	Horizon	6
186	Loyola Ill	Horizon	7
194	Detroit	Horizon	8
220	Milwaukee	Horizon	9
262	Youngstown St	Horizon	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the HL?

Other OVC Content

Conference Media Poll

Cleveland State Tops HL Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: Horizon League

State of '08: Indiana

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:33:08 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Indiana. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

INDIANA

INDIANA - Considering all the turmoil this program has gone through, Indiana's still topped ND in the RPI for 9 of the last 10 seasons. While Indiana will surely struggle this year, and probably next as well, you still have to figure in time the Hoosiers will regain their place on top of the state's basketball pyramid.

NOTRE DAME - From 1991 to 2000, ND missed the NCAA Tournament every season. But in Mike Brey's eight seasons, the Irish have reached the holy land 5 times. This year, expectations are as high as ever, and a Top 10 ranking is not out of the question.

BUTLER - Who has been the top team in Indiana over the last two seasons? Butler, according to the computer rankings. Brad Stevens picked up where Todd Lickliter left off and led the Bulldogs to an amazing 30-4 overall record. In the last 12 years, Butler has made 7 NCAA Tournaments and 3 NITs. In fact, they've had more Tourney wins recently than ND. But I give the Irish the edge for more consistent success, being in a better conference, and because they'll probably outperform Butler in the next two seasons.

PURDUE - Despite getting tons of hype last season, Purdue probably wasn't as good as many think. They mostly beat up on weak Big Ten teams and poor non-conference opponents. But the program is obviously going in the right direction, and a more legit Top 20 finish is likely this season. Still, the Boilers haven't topped ND in the RPI since the turn of the century, and haven't surpassed Indiana since 2003.

VALPARAISO - From 1996 to 2004, Valpo made the Big Dance an amazing 7 out of 8 tries. The last four seasons have been a bit more pedestrian as the program has made the move to the bigger Horizon League. But the Crusaders still knocked off 5 Top 100 teams last year, and should once again make the postseason in 2009 (NIT or CBI).

6. IUPUI - Ron Hunter continues to do a great job in Indianapolis. Since 2003, the same year IUPUI shocked many by making the Big Dance, the Jaguars have consistently finished in the upper half of the Summit League. Without George Hill, their might be a bit of slippage in 08-09, but I still expect an RPI better than 175 or so.

7. INDIANA STATE - In 2000 & 2001, Indiana State was one of the country's darling mid-majors, making the tourney in back to back to seasons, and upsetting 4-seed Oklahoma in 01. But the program has run into some lean seasons, and there hasn't been a .500 or better finish since then. But beginning in 2003, the Sycamores' RPI has improved every year (from 260 to 128), a trend which could very well continue in 2009.

8. EVANSVILLE - The Purple Aces are in the bit of a slump, and Marty Simmons has a lot of work picking up the pieces left by Steve Merfeld. Evansville hasn't reached the .500 mark in MVC play since 2001, and almost certainly won't accomplish that feat in 2009. At least they managed to beat Ball State on the road early last year.

9. BALL STATE - In the 80's and 90's, and really up until 2004 or so, Ball State was a consistently solid program that was always competitive in the MAC. But somewhere along the way, the bottom has fallen off, and the Cardinals haven't even won 10 games in the last four campaigns. Another sub-200 RPI should be expected in 08-09.

10. IPFW - Relatively new to D1 (2004), IPFW has shown signs of improvement every year. Officially joining the Summit League was a big step last year, and finishing 9-9 in conference play was a pleasant surprise.

Last: Georgia - Next: Indiana

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list)

2008-09 Valparaiso Basketball Preview: #87

Joel Welser — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:11:56 -0400

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Valparaiso Crusaders

Overall Rank: #87*

Conference Rank: #4 Horizon

2007-08: 22-14, 9-9, 4^th

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Following a relatively successful first season in the Horizon League, Valparaiso looked like they could compete for a title this year. But that was in April. By August, the expectations took a big hit with the transfer of Bryan Bouchie and the departure of Samuel Haanpaa to play professionally overseas. Yet, Coach Homer Drew still has some seasoned veterans and some talented underclassmen who are ready to fill the void and lead the Crusaders back to the postseason.

Who’s Out:

Haanpaa was a unique player. At 6-8, he was a guard who had a nice looking stroke. Last year he hit 43.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and he was a very effective shooter. He could have developed into a dominant player if he was more willing to be aggressive getting to the basket, but Haanpaa’s shooting will certainly be missed. Bouchie was a decent scorer and a solid rebounder out of the backcourt and his leadership could have been used this year. The news in the backcourt gets worse. The top two scorers on the team were Shawn Huff and Jarryd Loyd. Huff did a little bit of everything from the wing and averaged 12.6 points and 4.5 rebounds during his senior campaign. Little used Matt Bennett and Calum MacLeod have also wrapped up their careers at Valparaiso.

Who’s In:

With the unexpected departures, the large group of newcomers will have to play a bigger role than expected. Point guard Erik Buggs is amazingly quick and garnered a McDonald’s All-American nomination. His speed and defense could lead to the 5-11 Memphis, Tennessee product making an impact off the bench this year. Logan Jones could work his way into the starting lineup. The 6-1 shooting guard can score in bunches and has the most potential among the freshmen to help replace the outside shooting left behind by Huff, Loyd and Haanpaa. De’Andre Haskins, Andrew Ferry and walk-on Nick Shelton will add more inexperienced depth on the perimeter. There is only one returning forward on the roster and that means Benjamin Fumey and Cameron Witt will have to play a role. Fumey redshirted last year and that experience will help the 6-8 forward fit right into his role on the Crusaders. His international experience with Germany’s youth teams cannot hurt either. Witt has international experience too. The Australian can run well for his size and can score from everywhere on the floor. But he is not just a big guy who shoots, Witt can mix it up in the paint and grab rebounds and block shots.

Who to Watch:

The backcourt does have four players returning who have starting experience. Jake Diebler is not a big scorer, but he did average 2.6 assists and less than one turnover per game last year and plays great defense. Brandon McPherson will be running the show. The 6-1 guard also is the best returning outside shooter and will have to use his three-point shooting ability more than he did last year. If McPherson’s shot is not falling, somebody else’s better be. Michael Rogers and Howard Little had decent freshmen campaigns. Rogers, at 6-6, proved to be an effective rebounder and his size could allow the team to spend some time in a four guard lineup like they did last year. Little did not see as much playing time as Rogers, but the 6-4 guard will be asked to play a bigger role during the 2008-2009 campaign.

Final Projection:

The man in the middle of the four guard lineup last year was Urule Igbavboa. He will be this year too. The 6-9 senior averaged 11.0 points and a team high 7.3 rebounds last year and should not have much trouble matching those numbers again this year. If Fumey or Witt can develop into decent scorers, it will free up some space for Igbavboa. If one of those two newcomers can play some defense and block a few shots, it would drastically help the Crusaders on the defensive side of the ball. However, the most important thing to watch out for this year is the outside shooting. This team will be more athletic than last seasons group, but that might not lead to a better season if nobody can knock down shots.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Brandon McPherson, Senior, Guard, 10.1 points per game

Jake Diebler, Senior, Guard, 4.9 points per game

Logan Jones, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Michael Rogers, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 points per game

Urule Igbavboa, Senior, Forward, 11.0 points per game

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