UWM

HL Semifinals Review: Butler & Wright St Advance

Bill Kintner — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:28:13 -0500

Wright St 69 - Detroit 50

INDIANAPOLIS – When a team makes nine 3-pointers in the first half, that generally means they are in a great position to win the game. Then when they hold that team to just 18 points in the first half, that usually points to a win.

Well Wright State did all that and rolled over Detroit 69-50 in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship.

Led by 6’ 9” center Ronnie Thomas’ four 3-pointer in four tries, the Raiders led 39-18 at the half. The Titans shot just 38.1 percent (8-21) including 1-6 from 3-point land.

Wright State (20-11) didn’t set out in their game plan to set Thomas up to shoot 3-pointers, that is just what the Detroit defense allowed the Raiders to do.

Detroit coach Ray McCallum’s game plan included packing it in around the basket to stop the easy shots, which opened things up for Raiders on the outside where they were 9-14 (52.2 percent).

“We knew they were an excellent 3-point shooting team, but we wanted to take away layups. We didn’t guard the three with our capability,” explained McCallum. “We knew the shooters, we had them identified. It was a quick turn around for our guys, we weren’t able to play Detroit basketball today. “

On the flip side Wright State coach Brad Brownell didn’t draw up any plays to get Thomas shots.

He said, “We didn’t try to have him be our game plan, but Ronnie has shot shots, and had some games where he made more than others. It’s not like we told Ronnie not to shoot. Most teams guard him out there a little differently, and if you leave him open, he’s going to make some shots.”

The game started off just fine for Detroit (20-14) when Thomas Kennedy hit a jumper to put them 2-0. By the 17:26 mark Kennedy hit a 3-pointer to put the Titans up by four at 7-3. That was the biggest lead they would enjoy in the game.

Ronnie Thomas hit a 3-pointer at the 16:32 mark to get the Raiders within one at 7-6 and then Troy Tabler hit a 3-pointer to put Wright State up for good at 9-7.

Wright State got the lead up to 23 points at 36-13 with 3:03 to go in the first half. When the teams headed to the locker room Wright State led 39-18.

In the second half Wright State expanded its lead to 25 three times, the last coming at the 6:06 mark when Scott Grote made a jumper to make the score 63-38. After that Detroit went on a small 13-6 run to close the final point gap to 19 points.

Tabler with 16 points in the game felt that his team used the week off to their advantage which helped them win tonight.

“It helped getting a week with no games, so we can focus our self in practice rather than focus on a game. This week we were able to get better as a team.”

Thomas led all scorers with 18 points, Eli Homan led Detroit with 12 points.

Butler 68 - Milwaukee 59

For Butler it came down to getting stops on defense which finally caused Milwaukee to fall in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship 68-59.

Down by one at the half 29-28, Butler came out and took the lead when Matt Howard made a jump shot at the 19:22 mark. Milwaukee’s Anthony Hill made a layup to put the Panthers ahead at 31-30.

Another Jumper by Howard at the 18:41 mark put Butler ahead 32-31 and they never trailed again in the game.

When Butler’s Shelvin Mack made a layup with 11:56 left it stretched the Bulldog’s lead to nine 44-35.

But Milwaukee (20-14) wasn’t giving up. By the time Ricky Franklin hit a 3-pointer with 6:22 left, the Panthers were within a point at 50-49.

As the Butler fans got a little anxious, Butler coach Brad Stevens had faith in his players, so rather than call a time out he let them play.

A couple free throws by Howard, a lay up by Ronald Nored, then a free throw to complete the 3-point play after a foul by Milwaukee’s Ja’Rob McCallum at the 5:20 mark and Butler had some breathing room with a 55-49 lead.

Over the last five minutes Butler (27-4) worked its lead up to double digits, then as time ran tout Milwaukee’s Burleigh Porte hit a jumper to give Butler the nine point win. “It was a tough game, they are a very physical team. I give those guys a lot of credit, third game in five days,” said Stevens. “I thought they played with outstanding effort and they didn’t get tired.”

Hill led Detroit with 15 points.

Matt Howard led all scorers with 18 points and 13 of those came in the second half.

“They were giving me the ball in good spots. I was trying to attack and get the ball up on the rim, it was working today,” explained Howard.

Butler’s Gordon Hayward had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

That tough Butler defense had Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter saying that Butler was able to play their style, while forcing his team out of how they wanted to play and that was a big factor in his team’s loss.

“We got to this point by playing a certain style, and it was too bad we didn’t get a chance to finish that style out.”

Notes:

- Detroit is the first team to post two upsets (by seed) in the tournament since Titans did it in 1996.

- Former Wright State great Mike Grote and his brother former Michigan State player Steve Grote were in attendance tonight, along with Bog Grote, a former Raider great and father of Wright player Scott Grote. Mike Grote played on the Raiders’ national championship team. Those three are some very knowledgeable fans.

- Not to be out done by the Grote boys, Mike Nienabor, coach at Christian Brothers University, Kirk Nienabor, the all-time assists leader at Bethel University when he graduated and Mike Price, the coach of Cincinnati Oak Hills High School were also on hand for the game.

- Milwaukee made their first appearance in the semifinals since they won the 2006 championship.

- With Wright State’s win tonight the Horizon League has five 20-win teams for the first time in conference history. Only five other leagues have as many 20-game teams this season. The Big East (8), Big 12 (7), SEC (6), ACC (5) and Atlantic 10 (5). All those conferences have more teams than the Horizon League.

Finals Notes

- Wright State and Butler play Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

- Butler’s 20 game winning streak is the longest in the country.

- Butler won their fourth straight league title this season and is hosting the tournament for the third straight year.

- Butler is 13-0 at home and 42-3 in the last three years.

- Butler leads the all-time series with Milwaukee 30-10.

- Butler is in the Horizon League Championship game for the fifth year in a row, but lost three of the last four finals, including in 2007 against Wright State. In the HL/MCC only Xavier had a longer run of final game appearances.

- Wright State was in the Horizon League semifinal game for third time in the last four years.

- Wright State’ s baseball team yesterday beat the number one ranked team in the country, University of Virginia 2-1.

- Wright State fans outnumbered Detroit fans about 10 to 1. There were almost 1000 Raider fans in attendance.

- Wright State has reached the 20-win mark for the fourth year in a row under coach Brad Brownell.

HL Quaterfinals: News, Notes, and Results

Bill Kintner — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:44:55 -0500

Detroit Frustrates Green Bay

INDIANAPOLIS – For Detroit it was part big man in the middle, part penetrating guards and part taking Green Bay’s leading scorer out of his game. All of this added up to a 62-53 win for the Titans in the Horizon League Championship quarter-final game.

The big man part for Detroit was 6’ 10” Eli Holman. He muscled in 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Detroit’s penetrating guards were Woody Payne and Chase Simon. Payne scored seven points and registered five assists. For Simon it was five points and three assists.

Part III, holding Rahmon Fletcher’s scoring down was what Detroit coach Ray McCallum thought was the key to their win. Fletcher came in averaging 17.1 ppg and when the buzzer sounded he had just three points going 1-10 from the field.

“Or focus was on him. Paying attention to Fletcher and slowing him down.”

The scoring started for Detroit (20-13) when Holman slammed home a dunk at the 18:37 mark and from that 2-0 lead the Titans never trailed in the game.

“One thing our coach preached to us, was going to the glass and I know I’m good at that, going to the glass,” said Holman.

The Phoenix got the score down to one point twice in the first half the last time on a 3-pointer by Troy Cotton with 13:52 left.

The Titans did get the lead up as high as eight points at 24-16 with 6:30 left, but Green Bay (21-12) kept fighting and when Seth Evans hit a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left they briefly got it two within two points at 28-26 before Thomas Kennedy hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to push their halftime to five at 31-26.

In the second half Green Bay never got closer than five points.

“Without a question, a disappointing and frustrating loss. The key word is frustrating. Give Detroit credit for that, they took us out of what we wanted to do offensively and we got frustrated,” said Kowalczyk.

Milwaukee Takes Down Cleveland State

INDIANAPOLIS – The nightcap was similar to the first game only this time it was Milwaukee scoring the first basketball and going wire-to-wire to win 82-75 over Cleveland State.

The Panthers spread their scoring around with six players scoring in double digits.

It did get a little exciting in the second half. With Milwaukee leading by 20 points at 62-42, Cleveland State’s Norris Cole drove down the lane and made a layup. That led to 13 straight points by the Vikings to make it 64-55 with 5:58 left in the game.

Finally a layup by Milwaukee’s Anthony Hill at the 4:46 mark got the score back up to double figures at 66-55. Cleveland State (16-17) spent the rest of the game whittling the score down to the final deficit of seven.

“We responded, our guys responded with layups to break the pressure,” said Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter.

Panther player Ja’Rob McCallum also pointed out that they also kicked the ball out when pressured.

“We usually have a guy on the baseline and our bigs are in and out flashing high post.”

Cleveland State’s coach Gary Water agreed that going inside was the difference in this game.

“They could go inside anytime they wanted and get a basket,” Waters explained. “Anytime we made a run and went at them, they would go right to the heart of our defense.”

The first half saw Milwaukee (20-13) go up by as many as 11 points before ending the half up by eight points at 32-24.

Milwaukee’s balanced scoring was led by Hill and McCallum with 14 points. Ricky Franklin had 13 points, Ryan Haggerty had 12 points, James Eayers had 11 points, with seven rebounds and Jason Everkamp pitched in 10 points.

Cleveland State’s Tim Kamczyc led all scorers with 20 points, Cole had 16 points, Jeremy Montgomery had 15 points and Lance James had 13 points.

Quarterfinal Notes

- Wright State coach Brad Brownell had his team practice on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was an off day, then they practiced Thursday in Dayton and Friday for 90 minutes at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Brownell wasn’t sure if having a week off was a good thing or not. No games for a week, is good for his team, which is down two players due to injuries, so his team will be well rested. But playing either Detroit or Green Bay after they played two games might have them in a flow and his team a little rusty. The Raiders worked on things for each team. Today Wright State spent the bulk of their practice today working on their half court offense.

- Butler coach Brad Stevens had the same practice schedule as Wright State going on Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday off. Stevens spent this week watching game films against his possible opponents, Milwaukee and Cleveland State. He also watched some film of them playing teams that he thought might be similar to Butler’s style of play. Stevens didn’t reveal anything different his team was doing before their semi-final game.

- This is Detroit’s first winning season in six years (18-13, 2003-04) and they reached 20 wins for the first time since going 25-12 in2000-01.

- Detroit leads the overall series with Green Bay 20-19.

- UWM-holds a 20-14 lead in the overall series with Cleveland State.

- Milwaukee advanced to the league championship game the last four times it reached the semifinals.

- Big Quote: “I can tell you we’re going to be in a post-season tournament. We are going to play in the post-season and we’re excited to play in the post-season.” Ted Kowalczyk

- Detroit plays Wright State Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPNU on tape-delay at 10 p.m. EST that night.

- Milwaukee plays Butler at 8:00 p.m. The game is live on ESPNU.

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

2009-10 UWM Basketball Preview: #87

Joel Welser — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:59:42 -0400

Overall Rank: #87

Conference Rank: #3 Horizon League

2008-09: 17-14, 11-7

2008-09 postseason: none

Coach: Rob Jeter (62-61 at Wisconsin Milwaukee, 62-61 overall)

Over the last couple of seasons Milwaukee has had to do some rebuilding. This year Coach Rob Jeter’s squad should have the weapons to make a serious run at a postseason tournament. It may not be the NCAA Tournament and the success the Panthers had under Coach Bruce Pearl, but it should be a step in that direction.

Key Losses: G Deion James, G Avery Smith

Key Newcomers:

The player who is most ready to contribute amongst the newcomers is junior college transfer Michael Tyler. The 6-5 junior is raw, since he did not even play much basketball in high school, but he made major strides in his game during his two years at Pratt Community College and will be ready to contribute either at the small forward or power forward position. Ja’Rob McCallum and Lonnie Boga will provide some depth in the backcourt and redshirt freshmen Riley Walker, Patrick Souter and Ryan Haggerty will also be looking for minutes. It is Walker, a 6-6 forward, who has the most potential if he can find minutes on what is turning into a pretty crowded forward position.

Backcourt:

The backcourt does not lack in scoring prowess. Tone Boyle is a quality outside shooter who led the team with 13.2 points per game last year and should be in for a big senior season. Boyle is more than just an outside shooter and will use his speed to get to the basket. The bigger concern in the backcourt is replacing point guard Avery Smith. Deonte Roberts will have a shot at the job. Roberts, who averaged 6.4 points and 1.6 assists last year, is a quality player, but he turned the ball over too much last year and that will have to change if he is going to become Milwaukee’s number one point guard.

Frontcourt:

Tony Meier started all 30 games last year and proved to be a difficult player to defend. He connected on1.2 three-pointers per game and most opposing power forwards will have a difficult time defending him all the way out beyond the arc. James Eayrs usually came in off the bench last year, but he was still the most productive forward on the team, averaging 11.2 points and a team high 5.5 rebounds. With senior Jason Averkamp being a capable backup, and junior Anthony Hill back to provide some rebounding, the frontcourt has plenty of experience. With a couple newcomers, most notably Tyler, this unit can turn into a force in the Horizon League.

Who to Watch:

Ricky Franklin was the most prolific and efficient outside shooter last year and ended the season averaging 9.1 points per game. Franklin, who is just 6-1, is also a great rebounder for a guard and that could prove to be very useful if the Panthers end up running a three guard offense. But that will depend on whether or not Roberts is ready to run the point. If he is not, that job will likely fall to Franklin. Yet, there is another determining factor for Franklin. He may not be eligible this year as a fifth year senior if things do not go as planned in the classroom over the summer.

Final Projection:

Assuming Franklin is back, the offense should be in good shape. The big question is at the point. If Roberts cannot handle it, Franklin will be less of a scorer and more of a distributor and that takes the team’s best shooter and puts him on the ball when he would be much more effective running off screens and looking for open three-pointers. Either way, Milwaukee should end their mini postseason drought and at least make it to the CBI or CIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

Deonte Roberts, Junior, Guard, 6.4 points per game

Tone Boyle, Senior, Guard, 13.2 points per game

Ricky Franklin, Senior, Guard, 9.1 points per game

Tony Meier, Sophomore, Forward, 6.7 points per game

James Eayrs, Senior, Forward, 11.2 points per game

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88		89		90		91

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

Horizon League Quaterfinals: Sights & Sounds

Bill Kintner — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:35:27 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS - Tonight the Horizon League played the quarterfinal games at number one seed Butler University. The 6 p.m. game featured Wright State playing Milwaukee and the 8 p.m. game featured UIC and Cleveland State. In both games the higher seed prevailed. Wright State beat Milwaukee 80-70 and Cleveland State beat UIC 67-64.

-Hinkle Fieldhouse is known for the venue where the big game in the movie Hoosiers was played but this court and fieldhouse has seen all kinds of history. For starters almost every major player from the Midwest has played here. Oscar Robertson played high school games here, Steve Alford once scored 50 points in a high school game at Hinkle. Cazzie Russell came in with Michigan to play Butler. You can't forget Larry Bird playing here in high school and college. There have been ABA and NBA All-Star games. Billy Graham once held a crusade here. Presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton and Bush have spoken here. Jesse Owens ran an indoor track meet while a student at Ohio State here. Maybe the most amazing thing is they still use the original court.

-Wright State came out hitting shooting well and then Milwaukee switched to a zone at about the 13 minute mark and Wright State kept up shooting well from outside including several 3-pointers. The Panthers went back to man-to-man and started a run.

-The crowd in game one was heavily Wright State supporters, probably 85 percent or so were cheering for the green and gold. In fact, I think Wright State had more fans than the other three teams combined. There were maybe 500 Raider fans in attendance tonight.

-At the 10:35 mark writer Jay Pearlman leaned over and called the game for Wright State. The Raiders were leading 59-45. In case you are not familiar with Pearlman's background he used to be a coach on Dan Dakich's staff at Bowling Green State University, so he knows a little about basketball. Of course, he was right again.

-In the second half of the game Wright State held the Panthers to just six points in the first 9:47. The amazing thing was that Milwaukee had just six points and not one was a legit field goal. Their scoring consisted of two foul shots and Wright was called for two goal-tending calls.

-Wright State's athletic director Bob Grant expects 1000 or so fans to be in attendance for the semi-final game against Butler.

-The 80 points Wright State scored tonight were the most points the Raiders have scored in a game all season.

- So far the Horizon League Tournament has had no flub-ups here at Hinkle Arena. No birds flying around crapping on fans or flying into the ventilation system and getting ground up in a flurry of feathers. No score board malfunctions. No mascots taking a doo doo on the court. All of those things I have witnessed at college games. It had been rather uneventful except for the great basketball on the court.

-There was a little unusual excitement tonight when the game officials asked Horizon League officials to remove several Wright State students that were sitting under the basket where the Butler students usually sit. It is not known what they said, but the students said as they were being tossed out that they said nothing offensive. Three Raider Rowdies were removed and the other Raider students behaved themselves.

-UIC has won six of the last seven games they have played coming into tonight's game.

-UIC's 7' 0" Scott VanderMeer hold's the Horizon League record for blocked shots. Including the two he got tonight, it is 273.

-The semifinals on Saturday night feature four teams with at least 20 wins or more.
*Wright State (20-13) plays Butler (25-4) at 7 p.m.
*Cleveland State (23-10) plays Green Bay (22-9) at 9 p.m.

Wright St Tops Milwaukee in HL Quarters

Bill Kintner — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:41:27 -0500

Indianapolis - Sometimes a team can't buy a field goal, tonight for the first 9:47 of the second half Milwaukee couldn't even rent one as Wright State's stellar defense propelled them to a 80-70 win in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of number one seed Butler.

Wright State's 80 points was a season high with four players in double figure and their biggest scorer, Todd Brown only had eight points tonight.

For Milwaukee (17-14) their two leading scorers were held way below their averages. Tone Boyle only scored eight points and Avery Smith who was slowed by an injury didn't score any points.
Before Milawukee and Wright State went even-up at the half Wright State had leads of 14 points and 12 points, before letting those leads slip way.

Wright State's Corey Cooperwood said his team didn't panic about their end of the first half letdown.
"We were confident. Sometimes we go into halftime down by five, but we don't worry about that. We have put that behind us, we need to gout and play hard the second half,' said Cooperwood.
Coming out of the half Wright State went on a 15-2 run during the first five minutes and the game was never seriously in doubt. Milwaukee got within seven points but the Raiders quickly slammed the door to put the game away.

"It was tough tonight. We just tried to stay in front of them and take those shots away from them and not let them go by us," said Milwaukee's Jason Averkamp.

Keeping Eayers to zero points was quite a feat for the Raiders. Brownell described his game plan this way.

"We worked on some rotations for when he slips ball screens and finds his open threes. We tried to give him some different looks to try to make it a little more difficult to get the ball in the post. I think the biggest thing is, he never got into a rhythm, " said Brownell
He thought that they did alright scoring but they had to keep Wright from scoring and forcing them to play behind.

He said, "We scored 70 points, that is about what we need to have a chance to win. They had us playing behind all night."

On Saturday Wright State plays Butler. This year Butler beat the Raiders by 16 point and 18 points, so Wright States task of beating Butler on their home court is daunting.
Brownell thinks that his Raiders must do something different if they have any hope of upsetting the 22nd ranked team in this week's AP Poll.

He said, "At some point here, we have to play them well early to at least put a little doubt in their mind or something to make them a little nervous. At our place, they were so comfortable that we never even made them think they were playing anyone that was at their level, so just every shot they took, they made."

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 St Tops Milwaukee in Horizon Clash

Bill Kintner — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:52:36 -0500

DAYTON - On the night that Todd Brown scored his 1000th point, he also led his team with 21 points as his Wright State Raiders beat University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 70-60.

With Wright State down 32-27 at the half and Brown with just six points, it looked like Milwaukee was in the driver's seat. It took the Raider's until the 15:06 mark to tie up the game on a jumper by Scott Grote after a feed from Brown to make it 39-39.

Next for Wright State (17-12, 11-6 HL) was a 3-pointer by Troy Tabler, then another by Brown and the Raiders never trailed again.

At the 10:29 mark Milwaukee's James Eayrs, all 340 plus pounds of him, hit a 3-pointer to get the Panthers within one at 48-47, but a tip-in by Grote, then a jumper by Brown where he was fouled by Deonte Roberts and made the foul shot, put the Raiders up 53-47.

Wright State pushed the lead up to as high as 16 points at the 2:51 mark on a jumper by Grote before Milwaukee (15-13, 10-7 HL) was able to chip it down to the final score.

"Milwaukee came out and put us on our heels a little bit, but we came back played hard and got a win against a good team," said Wright State coach Brad Brownell. "We had good spacing and guys made plays. We kept plugging and plugging and good things happened."

Brownell thought getting the lead put his team a little more at ease and put some pressure on Milwaukee which let his team take control in the second half. He said, "Once we got a lead, we were a little more relaxed, the defense starts taking chances, which might take them out of position."

In the first half Milwaukee came out strong behind the offensive firepower of Eayrs and the four for five 3-point shooting of Ricky Franklin. The 18 rebounds including seven offensive rebounds also helped the Panthers control the first half.

Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter cited a trust factor as a reason his team lost tonight. "We still get to that point where some runs are made and there is a trust factor. Where we need to trust each other and trust the scouting report. When we don't trust it hurts us," said Jeter.
Eayrs' 22 points kept the Panther's in the game as he hit four 3-pointers and hit six straight free throws.

"He does it night in and night out. He is usually around that double/double mark. Tonight he didn't have as many rebounds but he still kept us in the game.

Franklin also scored 18 points and was the only other Panther in double figures.

Wright State is in fourth place and Milwaukee is in fifth place in the Horizon League. That can change after this Saturday when all the Horizon League teams play.

Game notes:
-Milwaukee leads the all-time series 21-17.
-Since 2001-02 season there are four Horizon League teams with winning records.
Butler
Milwaukee
Wright State
UIC
-Todd Brown became the 23rd player at Wright State to score 1000 points in his career when he hit a jumper early in the night. He said he knew exactly how many points he needed when he came into the locker room and it was written on the dry-erase board.
-This is only the second time all season that Wright State scored 70 points. The Raiders also beat Cleveland State 71-62 on December 30th.
-Milwaukee's next game is at Detroit on Saturday at 2 p.m.
-Wright State's next game is on Saturday against Green Bay at 7 p.m.