News On The Horizon 11/18/2013

Night Court: Wisconsin continues to impress so far this season--Eye On College Basketball

That's a good win: Wisconsin moves to 3-0 with an impressive road win at Green Bay .

One can easily make the case that Wisconsin has the best collection of wins in the country right now. The Badgers dispatched of St. John's and Florida fairly easily in their first two games, and then went on the road Saturday and knocked off Green Bay, 69-66. Bo Ryan's team was down seven in the second half, but made a late run to get the victory. Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky had 16 points and eight rebounds, and also blocked the game-tying layup attempt from Keifer Sykes in the final seconds. Kaminsky then hit a free throw to provide the final margin of victory. Sykes had 32 in a losing effort for Green Bay.
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Notebook:
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-- Wright State might be the favorite in the Horizon, but the Raiders fell on Saturday toDePaul in the CBE Classic. The Blue Demons made a late run and pulled away for an 81-72 win. Cleveland Melvin had 23 points and 13 boards.

Mario Chalmers takes flagrant foul suspension to heart--Miami Herald

Norris Cole started at point guard in place of Chalmers, who is averaging 9.7 points per game and shooting 51.7 percent from three-point range. Chalmers was assessed his flagrant foul on Friday after fighting through a screen set by Samuel Dalembert. Chalmers said his arm was being held by Dalembert and in attempting to free himself Chalmers inadvertently hit Nowitzki.

“It’s disappointing,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a tough play. We’ll deal with the Flagrant 2 and even that was tough, because Mario had his arm caught and it was a double screen and he was trying to get free, but he did make contact. From that standpoint we understand it. …We disagree with the suspension based on that.

LeBron James, Miami Heat cruise past Charlotte Bobcats--Miami Herald

The Heat (7-3) finished the final eight minutes of a relatively close game with Beasley, Norris Cole, Roger Mason Jr., Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis and Beasley, Mason Jr., Andersen and Lewis played all 12 minutes of the final period.

“I’m really proud of the group and really proud of the group that finished,” Spoelstra said. “To be able to earn that trust and to keep playing with confidence and playing hard and playing for each other and they earned the right to finish the game.”
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Spoelstra emphasized consistent defensive intensity during the Heat’s walk through before the game and the Bobcats shot just 34.9 percent from the field. Guard Kemba Walker led the Charlotte with 22 points but his missed breakaway dunk in fourth quarter was indicative of the home team’s overall execution in the second half. Charlotte was shooting 32.3 percent entering the final period and the Heat pulled away when Cole checked in for James.

Chalmers suspended for foul on Nowitzki--South Florida Sun Sentinel

In essence, the foul cost Chalmers part of Friday's fourth quarter, all of Saturday's game and now basically has him on flagrant-foul probation the balance of the season. Norris Cole started in his place Saturday.

Winderman's view: Heat 97, Bobcats 81--South Florida Sun Sentinel

Norris Cole, on starting in place of Chalmers, "Guys have to step up and I'm ready. I'm always prepared."

LeBron's 30, Heat supporting cast take down Bobcats 97-81--South Florida Sun Sentinel

So more was delivered, by a most unlikely cast of characters, Norris Cole, Michael Beasley, Chris Andersen, Rashard Lewis and Roger Mason Jr. carrying the Heat to the finish.

"That," Spoelstra beamed afterward, "is what this is built on."
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So instead of Wade-to-James, James-to-Wade or relief points from Bosh, there was a two-man game of Beasley-Cole, as well as the hustle of Lewis, Mason and Birdman.

"We all wanted to finish the game," Beasley said.

They did just that, Beasley closing with 15 points, Andersen with 10 points and seven rebounds, Lewis with nine points and nine rebounds, and Cole and Mason keeping it under control. In fact, of the foursome, only Cole didn't play the entire final period.
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Early foul trouble for Bosh and Andersen had Spoelstra turning to Joel Anthony in the first quarter and then going with Mason to give a break to Cole, who started at point guard in place of Chalmers.

Vikings Finish Roadtrip at Eastern Michigan--csuvikings.com

Women's Basketball Hosts Eastern Michigan Sunday Afternoon--csuvikings.com

Saturday's state college basketball roundup: Shannon Smith powers Michigan women past Detroit--The Detroit News

Morning Coffee: Columbia Pushes Spartans, Oakland Still Kicking--Mid-Major Madness
College Basketball Viewing Guide For Sunday, 11/17/2013--Blogging the Bracket

Evening Window
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Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Gonzaga Bulldogs (Maui Invitational), 8 p.m. (KAYU/ROOT Sports Northwest)
The 2-0 Zags blew by Colorado St. Rams to open the Tip-Off Marathon on Monday night, while the Grizzlies are 0-3 after consecutive road losses against UNC, UCLA, and Cal. Yikes.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Oakland moves on to No. 15 Gonzaga after near upset at Cal--The Oakland Press
Oakland University dealing with ‘collateral damage' after players' arrests--The Oakland Press
GRIZZLIES TAKE ON NO. 15 GONZAGA ON SUNDAY--ougrizzlies.com

OAKLAND EDGED BY CANISIUS 62-57--ougrizzlies.com

Eastern Illinois romps over UIC--The Chicago Tribune

Badgers survive in-state scare from Green Bay--Bucky's 5th Quarter
No. 20 Wisconsin rallies to beat Green Bay 69-66--MICentralSports.com
Saturday’s Pregame Shootaround: Ohio State-Marquette highlights the day--CollegeBasketballTalk

WHO’S GETTING UPSET?: No. 20 Wisconsin at UW-Green Bay, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN3)

We all know about the Badgers, but the Phoenix are legit this year. Alec Brown is a seven-footer with some actual NBA potential, while the best guard on the floor this evening will likely be Kiefer Sykes, the UWGB point guard. Wisconsin is coming off of a pair of solid wins against St. John’s and Florida. Could this be their letdown?

Frank Kaminsky the difference as No. 20 Wisconsin holds off Green Bay--CollegeBasketballTalk
Late Night Snacks: Doug McDermott shines, Marshall Henderson returns--CollegeBasketballTalk

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1) No. 20 Wisconsin moved to 3-0 on the season as they picked up yet another impressive win, this time knocking off UW-Green Bay on the road, 69-66. The Badgers now have beaten Green Bay, Florida and St. John’s this season.

No. 20 Wisconsin rallies to beat Green Bay 69-66--Sports Illustrated
Wisconsin Wins Again, Though Green Bay Impresses--Basketball Predictions

Wisconsin-Green Bay is as good as many expected them to be this season, they should have been able to give Wisconsin a tough time in the Resch Center. And they did. Wisconsin got everything they wanted here, escaping with a three point victory. The key was Alec Brown fouling out. Wisconsin was putting in a lot of effort to get him fouls all night, and it eventually paid off. That opened up the lane for Wisconsin to get key baskets late. The Badgers now have arguably the best set of wins in the country, with three victories over likely RPI Top 100 teams. They have flaws (particularly on the glass, due to their lack of height), but they look like they'll be in contention for a 3-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As for Green Bay, I really liked what I saw from them. This performance moved them into my newest bracket projection. Keifer Sykes and Alec Brown are one of the best inside-outside combos of any mid-major. Green Bay was, originally, my pick to win the Horizon League this season. The abuse allegations around Brian Wardle caused me to lose my nerve during the summer and I moved Wright State into the spot as favorite. But all of that looks to be behind them, and this Green Bay team looks awfully impressive. Not only are they the Horizon favorite, but they have the potential to be a scary 12 or 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Sykes, UWGB come up short as Wisconsin escapes with victory--Green Bay Press Gazette

Women's basketball: UWGB rallies past Duquesne--Green Bay Press Gazette
Women's Basketball Rallies for Thrilling 68-60 Win at Duquesne--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Sunday’s Pregame Shootaround: Michigan travels to Ames in a matchup against Iowa State--CollegeBasketballTalk

MID-MAJOR MATCHUP OF THE DAY: Valparaiso at Ohio, 2:00 p.m.

Valparaiso and Ohio meet up in a Horizon League-MAC matchup after each team had battled with Big Ten programs. The Crusaders cut it close in the second half against Illinois only to lose 64-52. The Bobcats were also trying to pull the upset late in the game, but in-state rival Ohio State took care of business in a 79-69 win.

Crusaders Rally, But Fall at Ohio--valpoathletics.com

Loyd helps No. 6 Notre Dame rout Valparaiso--MICentralSports.com

DePaul ends game on 20-4 run for win--The Chicago Tribune
Game Recap: DePaul bounces back against Wright State--Big East Coast Bias

Women Defeat Akron--wsuraiders.com

Marcus Keene Scores Career-High 20 in Loss to UMass, 85-69--ysusports.com