On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Tourney Central 3/4/2011 (Day 4)--The Mid-Majority

Horizon League

[6] Wright State vs. [3] Cleveland State - 6:00 pm ET • BBState Preview/Box
WRIG - 19-13 (10-8) RPI: 123 State: 105 SOS: 131 Last 10: 5-5 Form: LLWLW PF/PA: 64.5/61.3
CLST - 25-7 (13-5) RPI: 42 State: 45 SOS: 121 Last 10: 6-4 Form: WLLWW PF/PA: 71.8/63.5
NCAA Selection Sheets: Wright State • Cleveland State
Recent meetings: 02/16/2011 CLST 74 @WRIG 72 01/22/2011 WRIG 46 @CLST 65
Players to watch:
WRIG - #44 Vaughn Duggins Sr. G (18.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.2 apg)
CLST - #30 Norris Cole Sr. G (21.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.4 apg)

Vikings Face Wright State In Horizon League Championship Quarterfinals - Cleveland State moves on to Milwaukee for the next two rounds of the Horizon League Championship, facing No. 6 Wright State on Friday, March 4 beginning at 5:00 p.m. CST (6:00 p.m. EST) in the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. A win would send the third-seeded Vikings to a semi-final matchup against No. 2 Butler on Saturday (March 5). Cleveland State enters the weekend with a 25-7 overall record, the third-highest single season win total in school history. The Vikings, who defeated UIC, 73-61, on Tuesday night to improve to 6-1 in the tourney over the last three seasons, are attempting to become just the second team in tourney history to win the title by winning four games. Wright State is 19-13 after claiming a 60-50 win over Green Bay in the opening round. This will be the 55th meeting all-time between CSU and Wright State with the series being tied at 27-27. The Vikings swept the season series against Wright State, the most recent meeting being a 74-72 decision in Fairborn back on Feb. 16. This will be the third time that CSU has faced the Raiders in post-season play, but the first since 1994-95. ... via Cleveland State

[5] Detroit vs. [4] Valparaiso - 8:30 pm ET • BBState Preview/Box
UDM - 17-15 (10-8) RPI: 139 State: 135 SOS: 146 Last 10: 6-4 Form: LWLWW PF/PA: 74.4/72.2
VALP - 22-10 (12-6) RPI: 72 State: 66 SOS: 116 Last 10: 6-4 Form: WLLWW PF/PA: 73.0/67.1
NCAA Selection Sheets: Detroit • Valparaiso
Recent meetings: 02/10/2011 UDM 74 @VALP 82 01/16/2011 VALP 78 @UDM 68
Players to watch:
UDM - #32 Eli Holman Jr. F-C (11.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 0.8 apg)
VALP - #32 Brandon Wood Jr. G (16.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg)

Valpo Ready For Detroit in HL Quarterfinal - Valparaiso makes the trip north to Milwaukee for the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, as the fourth-seeded Crusaders face off against fifth-seeded Detroit Friday evening. ... via Valparaiso

Horizon League Teams via Player Ratings--ChicagoNow.com
Horizon League Second Round - Live Blog!--ChicagoNow.com

RTC Official Bubble Watch: 03.03.11--Rush The Court

Last Four In

Butler 20-9 (13-5), 44 RPI, 81 SOS- Last year’s Cinderella is going to be a very interesting case should they fall in the Horizon League Tournament for their sixth conference defeat. Butler clinched the #2 seed in that tournament and therefore receives a bye to the semifinals where they’ll likely try to beat Cleveland State for the third time, their two previous wins making up 2/3 of their RPI top-50 wins (the other being Florida State on a neutral floor). Butler’s other opportunities for quality wins were defeats at Louisville, Xavier and vs. Duke. With six sub top-75 RPI losses, Butler is likely out with a loss to CSU in the semifinals and bubble-in with a loss in the finals. Because of this lackluster resume, it’s shaping up to be a nerve-wracking Selection Sunday for Brad Stevens if his team can’t win the tournament title.

Jazz’s home losing streak is the longest since 1982--Salt Lake Tribune

Still, Denver owned a 42-33 lead before Miles assisted on Earl Watson’s 3-pointer and came up with a steal that led to Gordon Hayward’s layup.

A guide to the 2011 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship--Victory Firelight
StatSheet Projects Butler as NCAA Tournament Bubble Team: 03/04/2011--Butler Blue Fever
PHOTO GALLERY | Senior Day at Hinkle Fieldhouse--Butler Collegian
Bulldogs Begin Horizon League Tournament Play--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Can Clinch No. 2 With Win At Valparaiso--ButlerSports.com

Cleveland State women's basketball team wins sixth straight: College Roundup--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Run by Loyola, 73-58--csuvikings.com
Vikings Host UIC For Final Regular Season Game--csuvikings.com

College athletes turn to transfers in search of playing time--Cleveland Plain Dealer

One-year deal: The perception is that when a recruit signs a National Letter of Intent, it's for a four-year scholarship to the school of his choice. The reality is, the NCAA has not awarded four-year scholarships in any sport for 38 years, since 1973. And there is no real push for its return.

At the end of any season, if a coach decides to pull a scholarship, he is within his rights to do so. If a player wishes to leave, he can request a release. At that point, players can transfer to a lower division and play immediately; can play a year of junior college in hopes of another Division I scholarship, or can transfer to another Division I school and sit out a season before playing again.

Ohio State, Cleveland State, Akron and Kent State all have had their share of transfers, in and out, over the past year.

Last season, OSU had one player transfer out and one in; Kent State lost two and gained one; Cleveland State lost three transfers and replaced them with freshmen. Akron had four transfer out, three transfer in.

At Cleveland State, coach Gary Waters had no 2010 scholarships available at the beginning of last recruiting season, yet -- anticipating departures -- he still signed two early recruits, and later a third.

"On both sides, it has become an issue today," Waters said. "Most kids don't want to stay [where they are not playing], and most coaches don't want to keep him [if a player is unhappy not playing]," Waters said.