Thursday, February 3, 2011

News On The Horizon 2/3/2011

Stardate 88-20110203: Power to the Pixels--The Mid-Majority

Jumbotron feeds are usually sold as part of direct packages from the schools or conferences, and ten dollars per game seems to be the going rate. The idea there is that this is such rare and coveted information that a small subset of people will pay a premium for it. This business model doesn't seem to work that well either, if only for the reason that the feed streams aren't properly protected. This is one area where conferences like the Horizon League are well ahead of the curve: they give it away for free and spread the costs between corporate sponsors and the schools. In so doing, the barriers to entry and interest are stripped away. Which, if you're trying to grow a brand name, is the whole point.

Bettin' is a Habit - 2/3--Ballin' is a Habit

Loyola(IL) (13-9, 4-7) at Wright State (14-9, 7-4)
Wright State hasn't played a home game since January 16, when they defeated Butler 69-65. They've gone 2-2 on the road since then, including a loss in their most recent game, at UW-Milwaukee 54-53. But the Raiders haven't lost back-to-back games since early December and they have already beaten the Ramblers this season, doing it on the road 58-41. I like Wright State to easily cover this one.

Pick: Wright State -5.5

Thursday's Pregame Beat: A big mid-major night--Ballin' is a Habit

7:00 pm: Valpo @ Cleveland State: This is the third of three games that will determine a conference leader tonight. Cleveland State you should know about. They won their first 12 games of the season and were garnering votes for the top 25 at one point this season. Valpo, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise at the top of the league. To be fair, both of these teams are a surprise at the top of the Horizon simply because they are not Butler.

The players to watch: Norris Cole is one of three players nation wide that is leading his league in scoring and assists (Nolan Smith, Charles Jenkins) and one of four averaging 20 points and five assists (Tu Holloway). Brandon Wood and Cory Johnson provide Valpo with a solid inside-outside tandem.

College Basketball On TV For February 3, 2011--Blogging the Bracket

Early Evening (ET)
...
Laptop: Valparaiso Crusaders at Cleveland St. Vikings, Horizon League Network (7 p.m. ET)
In the Horizon League, it's another battle for first, as the 9-2 Vikings host the 8-2 Crusaders. Cleveland State has only lost three times this season, once at West Virginia, and then at Butler and Valpo back-to-back, while the Crusaders have lost just twice in 2011, at Butler on New Year's Day and at home against Green Bay on January 23rd. This game is especially key for postseason purposes, as the Horizon awards a semifinal bye to the top two teams in the league. The winner tonight will be nearly assured of one of those.
KenPom.com prediction: Vikings 67-60, 65 poss.

Also available on HLN free streaming, the games involving the two teams immediately behind the Crusaders and Vikings: Butler at Youngstown State (link) and Loyola-Chicago at Wright State (link), which are both 7 p.m. tips. Remember, the Bulldogs only beat the Penguins by five at Hinkle in their earlier meeting. On the other hand, the Raiders crushed the Ramblers in their earlier meeting in Chicago.


Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse will get a facelift--College Basketball Blog
Utah Jazz: Aching Jazz suffer pain of loss to the Rockets--Deseret News

But the loss spoiled the especially inspiring efforts by fill-in starters Earl Watson and Gordon Hayward, along with backup Jeremy Evans.

Watson, in his fourth straight start in Williams' point guard position, finished with a near-triple-double of 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Hayward added his first double-digit game in two weeks with 10 points, filling in for Kirilenko as the starting small forward. And Evans came off the bench to slam in a few alley-oops, as usual, en route to eight points, two rebounds and two blocks.

Utah Jazz: Earl Watson's superb performance spoiled by defeat--Deseret News

"He pushes the ball a lot, gets us going offensively, gets some easy points — he makes sure to get us those and picks up the energy," said Jazz rookie Gordon Hayward, who joined Watson in the starting lineup on Wednesday and had 10 points. "He does a great job for us."

Butler's key question: How did we defend?--The Indy Star
Game Preview: Butler vs. Youngstown St.--Victory Firelight
Numbers to know tonight--ChicagoNow.com

CSU Host Valpo With First-Place On The Line--Let's Go Vikes!

The NC-Double-Eh Stat Leaders--Raptors HQ

Minutes Per Game

Tyler Murray, Wagner – 37.2

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure – 34.6

Hernst Laroche, New Mexico State – 33.8

Cory Joseph, Texas – 32.6

Olu Ashaolu, Louisiana Tech – 31.6

Alex Johnson, Cal-Bakersfield – 31.5

Kris Joseph, Syracuse – 30.7

Jason Calliste, Detroit – 30.6


UIC-DETROIT TIP-OFF SET FOR 6:30 P.M. CST--uicflames.com
Follow the Flames LIVE from Calihan Hall in Detroit!--uicflames.com

Game Time Set For Women's Basketball Game At Valparaiso--uicflames.com
UIC Women's Basketball Podcast Episode 3--uicflames.com

Loyola Versus St. Peter's Game Time Set--LoyolaRamblers.com

UWGB women's basketball preview--Green Bay Press Gazette
First-Ever Hammerle Scholarship Recipient to be Announced Saturday--uwgbathletics.com

Panthers Try To Extend Winning Streak To Four In National TV Battle With Green Bay--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Panthers Host Youngstown State Thursday At Klotsche--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

College basketball: Cleveland State set for two key tests (with video)--News-Herald
Staying ahead of the storm--The NWI Times

Boyer a friend to region sports--The Post-Tribune

Preview: Wright State vs. Loyola--Dayton Daily News
Bad weather, closed interstate make for long Loyola trip to tonight’s WSU game--Wright State University Sports
Response from billboard: ‘Why is UD afraid 2 play Wright State’--The Guardian
Raiders Host Loyola, UIC and Youngstown State in Five Day Stretch; Free Hot Dogs for Students Tonight--wsuraiders.com

WSU men's, women's basketball doubleheader set with ESPNU--Dayton Daily News

Slocum, Penguins ready for rematch with Butler--Youngstown Vindicator
Beeghly Brawl--The Jambar

Women's basketball tips off second half of conference season--Horizon League Network

Horizon League Heats Up Hardwood with Must-see Matchups--Horizon League Network

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