Loyola (Chi)

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

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)

Butler Falls to Lowly Loyola: Box of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:52:27 -0500

CHN now features a live scoreboard, stats, standings, etc.. here. Occasionally, we'll be featuring a box score of the day, with some commentary on why the box score is interesting. It might be involve a huge upset, a big personal effort, some odd statistical, occurrences, or other intriguing tidbit.

Box Score of the Day:

Today's pick is.. Loyola's 71-67 Win Over Butler.

When Butler lost to Green Bay two weeks ago, it was disappointing, but not Earth-shattering. The Phoenix are a solid team, and it was on the road. Today's home loss to lowly Loyola (Ill), who entered with an RPI of 218th, and having lost six straight, does raise some questions. The Bulldogs, who entered the week at 15th in the AP Poll, will surely drop.. but by how much? Are they in danger of falling out of the Top 20? Top 25? And with a challenging game at Davidson coming up, not to mention 3 other league games, and the HL Tournament, are they no longer a lock for the NCAA Tournament?

Statistically, Butler wasn't dominated in any category. Matt Howard set a career high with 30 points, and the team shot a respectable 44% from the floor. Hayward's 6 turnovers look bad, but the team's 12 total TO's are in line with the numbers they put up in wins. Butler's 23% shooting from three obviously didn't help the cause either.

But there were a couple major differences in today's loss, as compared to their 23 point over the Ramblers in Chicago. In that game, Butler dominated the boards, but here that advantage was nullified. The other difference was the sudden emergence of Jordan Hicks for Loyola. Hicks came into the game averaging 2.9 ppg, and he scored 0 points in 16 minutes in the first meeting. But today, he lit up the scoreboard for 23 points and 8 boards. Hicks transformation started 3 games ago against Wright State when he broke out for 14 points on 5-8 shooting. He followed that up with 4-4 shooting in mostly mop up duty against Valpo, into today's all-star performance. Besides Hicks, Loyola also got a standout performance from Justin Cerasoli. Fans around the country may be familiar with Cerasoli, as he's had stops at Seton Hall, Ole Miss, and now Loyola.

Loyola-Chicago 71, Butler 67

Sunday, February 15, 2009 2:00 PM

Location - Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials - Brent Hampton, Gary Maxwell, Patrick Adams
Attendance - N/A

Final Scoring Summary

Final	1	2	T
Loyola-Chicago	37	34	71
Butler	23	44	67

Loyola-Chicago Ramblers

					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FGM-A	3GM-A	FTM-A	OFF	DEF	TOT	A	PF	STL	TO	BLK	PTS
Justin Cerasoli	31:00	5-8	2-3	5-6	0	4	4	5	4	2	3	0	17
Aric Van Weelden	24:00	2-3	2-3	0-0	0	1	1	3	4	0	1	0	6
Jordan Hicks	38:00	8-16	3-5	4-4	4	4	8	0	1	1	0	1	23
JR Blount	39:00	2-13	0-4	1-2	0	2	2	3	1	0	2	0	5
Darrin Williams	22:00	4-8	0-0	0-0	3	2	5	1	4	0	2	2	8
John Benokske	17:00	1-2	0-0	0-1	1	3	4	1	3	0	0	2	2
Marcus Thomas	24:00	3-7	2-4	2-2	1	2	3	0	1	2	1	0	10
Walt Gibler	2:00	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Courtney Stanley	1:00	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Ryan Sterling	2:00	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	200	25-58	9-20	12-15	9	18	27	13	19	5	9	5	71
		43.1%	45.0%	80.0%	Team Rebs: 4				Total TO: 9

Butler Bulldogs

					REBOUNDS
PLAYER	MIN	FGM-A	3GM-A	FTM-A	OFF	DEF	TOT	A	PF	STL	TO	BLK	PTS
Gordon Hayward	39:00	4-10	2-7	4-4	2	7	9	3	2	0	6	0	14
Shelvin Mack	34:00	1-10	0-6	3-4	2	1	3	2	2	1	2	0	5
Ronald Nored	37:00	1-4	0-3	0-2	1	3	4	5	3	1	2	0	2
Willie Veasley	35:00	5-10	3-7	0-2	0	3	3	0	4	0	0	1	13
Matt Howard	34:00	11-13	0-0	8-12	4	5	9	2	3	1	2	3	30
Zach Hahn	9:00	1-2	1-1	0-0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	3
Garrett Butcher	5:00	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alex Anglin	4:00	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Grant Leiendecker	3:00	0-2	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	200	23-52	6-26	15-24	9	21	30	13	16	3	12	4	67
		44.2%	23.1%	62.5%	Team Rebs: 4				Total TO: 12

Complete Scoreboard & Matchups

NCAA Statistics & Leaders

Standings

Odds

TV Schedule

Wright State Tops Loyola: Recap

Bill Kintner — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:36:02 -0500

DAYTON - Another day another defensive gem for the Wright State Raiders as they held Loyola to 29.4 percent shooting for the game and 15.4 percent in the second half to get a home court win 68-47.
The final score was not a true indication of how tight the game was until the end.

It took a Wright State defensive lock-down that held Loyola scoreless from the 9:46 mark until there was 2:02 left in the game to put the Ramblers away for good. In the same time-frame the Raiders were not exactly shooting lights out but they did manage to score 14 points thanks to their foul shooting that accounted for nine of those points.

Loyola's Walt Gibler finally got some points on the board to end the scoring draught when he made two free throws after getting fouled by Will Graham. Two more free throws by Loyola's Courtney Stanley and the Ramblers were done scoring for the game. They made just four field goals in the second half.
"Their defense is very good, we had to have better ball movement and defend better against the three," said Loyola coach Jim Whitesell. "We have to rebound better too. We played well for spurts, we just didn't have enough good minutes to beat Wright State."

Wright State (11-8, 5-3 HL) held a 41-30 lead at the half. The Ramblers came out and went on a 10-3 run in the first five minutes to cut the lead to 44-40 on a layup by J. R. Blount, another by Gibler and a 3-pointer by Justin Cerasoli. After that Loyola (11-9, 3-5 HL) scored just seven more points in the game.

For Wright State in the second half Cory Cooperwood came alive to score 10 points after not scoring in the first half.

In the first half Cerasoli hit a 3-pointer 52 seconds into the game to give Loyola their biggest lead of the game at 3-0.

The score went back and forth until with 11:26 left in the first half Loyola had a 17-15 lead, then 43 seconds later when Wright State's Todd Brown hit a 3-pointer to give the Raiders the lead that would hold the rest of the game.

The game plan the Raiders used worked well. Wright State's coach Brad Brownell wanted his team to concentrate on rebounding and defending Loyola's guards and it worked pretty well with the Raiders holding a 38-30 rebounding edge and keeping Loyola's guards from scoring in double figures.
He said, "We did what we were trying to do. Their guards are so good, you are trying to keep them from penetrating. Then you want to keep them off the glass. Offensively we tried to be aggressive and try to have a little better flow."

Notes:
-Wright State has won 11 of the last 13 games losing only to ranked programs, Wake Forest and Butler, both on the road.
-When Loyola scores at least 70 points good things happen. Last year the Ramblers were 7-0 hitting the 70 mark. Dating back to the 2005-06 season they are 17-2 when scoring 70 and this year they are 5-1.
-Wright State leads the all-time series 16-14.
-Loyola's next game is on Saturday at Detroit at 1:05 p.m. and it is televised on Fox Sports Detroit.
-Wright State's next game is Saturday against UIC at home at 7 p.m.

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

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Rise & Fall: Horizon League

State of '08: Illinois

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:39:39 -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: Illinois. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS - In 2005, Bruce Weber led Illinois to the National Title game behind the amazing backcourt duo of Deron Williams and Dee Brown. But those were Bill Self's guys, and Weber's teams have gotten worse every season. Last year the Illini missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.. and have little shot of making it this year as well. While Illinois is still the class of the state, SIU continues to the close the gap. The Illini's 2010 class can't get on to campus quickly enough.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Before last season, SIU had made 6 NCAA Tournaments in a row, including two Sweet Sixteen runs along the way. Even last year, despite the mediocre 11-7 MVC record, the Salukis were better than many think.. as they knocked off Top 40 foes like Mississippi State, Saint Mary's, and Western Kentucky.. all of whom made the Big Dance.

BRADLEY - In 2006, Bradley made a name for itself, shocking many pundits by making the Sweet Sixteen. 2007 was arguably an equally successful regular season (an RPI of 38 vs 33 the previous season), but the Braves ended up in the NIT. Bradley has topped DePaul in the RPI each of the last 3 seasons (also beating them 3 times in a row), and should accomplish that feat again in 2009

DEPAUL - Still trying to find its groove in the Big East, DePaul should most likely finish in the conference's bottom 3 in 08-09. The program has made just 2 NCAA Tourney trips in the last decade, in 2000 & 2004. Fourth year coach Jerry Wainright has some work to do getting DePaul back to that level.

UIC - Veteran coach Jimmy Collins has led UIC to 3 NCAA Tournaments since taking over in 1996. Since their last trip in 2004, the Flames have been mired in mediocrity, going 32-34 in Horizon League games in that period. Another similar middle of the pack finish is expected in 08-09.

6. ILLINOIS STATE - 1998 was the last time the Redbirds made the Big dance, but 07-08 was the best since then. First year Tim Jankovich led his team to a 13-5 MVC record, and an RPI of 34. Illinois State had the 2nd highest RPI of any team that didn't make the Big Dance.. and got screwed by playing the only higher team (Dayton) in the 2nd round of the NIT. Another NIT is possible this season, but the NCAA Tournament will have to wait.

7. NORTHWESTERN - The Wildcats' futility is known to all fans, as the program has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament in its 100+ year existence. The last postseason trip (one of 3 ever) was in 1999, a first round loss in the NIT. From 02-04, BIll Carmody supplied some hope as NU finished with a .500 Big Ten record in '04 for the first time since 1968. But the hope has mostly fizzled out with just 3 wins in their last 34 conference games.

8. LOYOLA - Coming off a down season, Loyola is hoping to repeat the success they had in 06 & 07 when Blake Schilb led the Ramblers to 19 & 21 win seasons. Jim Whitesell's crew should most likely improve on last year's RPI of 222.

9. NORTHERN ILLINOIS - The Huskies are coming off two brutal seasons (just 12 D1 wins combined), and should once again be one of the worst teams in the MAC this season. But every couple years NIU has a decent run: In 2006, they upset DePaul (for the 2nd year in a row), as well as Kansas State, and Ohio. In 2003, they finished 3rd in the MAC and won two conference tourney games

10. CHICAGO STATE - From 2001 to 2003, Chicago State may have been the country's worst program. Now CSU is simply bad, and lacks a conference affiliation since leaving the Summit League after 2006. (2006 was oddly one of CSU's best ever D1 seasons, as they finished on a tear and went to the conference title game). Its hard to expect much from the Cougars any time soon.

11. WESTERN ILLINOIS* - One of the country's usual doormats, WIU is arguably coming off its best season since 1999. Which isn't saying too much considering the Leathernecks won just 10 D1 games and only beat one Top 200 team all season (North Dakota State). There's every reason to expect another 290-300 RPI this year.

12. EASTERN ILLINOIS* - In 2004, EIU went from being a run of the mill sub par program to one of the worst in the country. With an RPI of 337 last year, the Panthers were the 3rd worst full-time D1 team, only edging out UMES and fellow OVC team Jacksonville State.

* WIU and EIU have had very similar success recently, and have even split their meetings in the past 4 years. I give WIU the edge for being in the Summit League, which has outperformed the OVC for the last handful of seasons.

Last: Indiana (Yes, I know I reversed the order of Indiana & Illinois by mistake..) - Next: Iowa

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

Horizon League Quaterfinals: UIC Dominates Loyola

Bill Kintner — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:35:25 -0500

When a team doesn’t shoot well, doesn’t rebound well and doesn’t shoot free throws very well there is a pretty good chance they are not going to win that night and that describes Loyola in their loss to UIC in the quarterfinals 60-49.

Loyola (12-19) shot a poor 38.3 percent (18-47), only made 56.3 percent (9-16) and then got killed on the boards 36-20.

UIC (18-14) was not world-beaters either shooting just 36.2 percent (17-47) including just 3-15 from 3-point land but that rebounding margin and shooting 88.5 percent (23-26) from the free throw line providing them with their winning margin.

“It wasn’t pretty according to some bystanders and some of the people I talked to after the game, but it was a win for us and it was a win that was hard-fought, especially in the first half,“ according to UIC coach Jimmy Collins.

In the first half there were eight lead changes and five ties before Loyola’s Tracy Robinson hit a jumper with :53 left to put Loyola up 21-19 at the half. At that point the rebounding edge by UIC was small at 14-11.

In the second half all heck broke lose as both teams clunked shot after shot but the Flames creamed Loyola in rebounding 22-9.

Loyola coach Jim Whitesell pointed to the bad shooting and the poor rebounding of his team as big factors in the loss.

“”Give them a lot of credit, I don’t think either of us shot it great. Sometimes you have to get the extras like offensive rebounds,” said Whitesell. “That’s what they did. They didn’t shoot it well but they got some extra boards to make up for it. In a game like this, if you get two shots at a basket or three sometimes it gets you going.”

UIC helped keep Loyola off balance by frequently switching defenses from zone to man to man.

“It was a team effort. The coaches did a good job of switching us from zone to man to zone and we were able to contain them,” explained UIC player Josh Mayo who led all scorers with 17 points.

Robinson led Loyola with 15 points.

Notes:

-UIC leads the all-time series with Loyola 29-13.

-There was no 3-point shootout between students of UIC and Loyola because there weren’t any at the game. I think there may have been three UIC students but I didn’t see any Loyola students.

-UIC plays Butler Saturday night at about 7:30 p.m.

Wright State Wins Ninth in a Row

Bill Kintner — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:18:31 -0500

DAYTON – Another close game, another win for the Raiders, as Wright State holds on to beat Loyola 55-51

That makes nine straight wins by the Raiders and every win has been by single digits. Wright State (18-6, 10-4 HL) has only played three games that were decided by double digits this year.

Unfortunately for Loyola (9-15, 5-9 HL) that makes 12 straight games decided by less than 10 points and only four of them were wins.

Tonight the Raiders jumped out to an 11-0 lead as Will Graham contributed a jumper and a layup, Vaughn Duggins did the same and Todd Brown sunk a 3-pointer.

But hold on, the Ramblers went on a 22-4 run to go up by seven at 22-15 at the 5:12 mark led by a couple of long-range 3-pointers by Justin Cerasoli.

With 1:34 left in the half Wright State’s Cooper Land sunk a 3-pointer to pull the Raiders to within three points at 30-27.

The two teams battled to a draw and that was the final score going into halftime.

In the second half there were four ties and 12 lead changes.

Wright State took the lead for good at the 2:15 mark when Will Graham made a layup to put the Raiders up by one at 48-47.

Will Graham a player known more for defense and assists had a big game as he scored 17 points by slashing and driving to the basket.

Duggins praised Graham after the game saying, “We are not going to have a good game from every one. I think it is the best I have seen him play. He came out with great energy. They just couldn’t guard him tonight.”

Wright State coach Brad Brownell thought this may have been Graham’s best game.

“He rebounded the ball well. Will goes to the basket real well; he has just a little extra burst of energy. He covers a lot of ground on his dribble,” said Brownell.

Duggins led all scorers with 20 points and Leon Young led Loyola with 13 points.

Although Loyola took 55 shots to Wright State’s 40 shots, the Raiders out-shot the Ramblers 50 percent (20-40) to 36.4 percent (20-55), from 3-point land 27.5 percent (6-16) to 20 percent (4-20) and from the free throw line 81.8 percent (9-11) to 43.8 percent (7-16).

Loyola coach Jim Whitesell said his team just couldn’t get the big basket when they needed it.

“We couldn’t get the basket or two when we needed it. Give them (Wright State) credit they made those shots and we didn’t help ourselves on the Free throw lines,” explained a tired Whitesell.

Brownell thought that his team’s ability to bounce back after several Loyola runs was key to his team pulling out another win.

” I am proud of the way we finished the game again. Our defense was outstanding in the second half,” said Brownell. “I was proud of our guy’s ability to withstand a bad spell or two and to not give into it. A couple of times we were back on our heels and we were able to come back.”

Notes:

-Referee Rick Hartzell was waiting before the game for the cheerleaders to finish up on the court. He spotted a little tot sitting in the courtside seats with his dad. He walked over and handed him ball to hold for a minute. Right before tip-off he motioned for the little guy to throw him the ball. He got it out to him on a single bounce and the kid had a neat memory from the game.
-Wright State leads that all-time series 15-14.
-Loyola’s next game is on Saturday at Detroit at 2:30 p.m.
-Wright State’s next game is Saturday at home against UIC at 7 p. m.