On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Morning Coffee: Upset Specials for Belmont, Indiana State, Illinois State--Mid-Major Madness

Other bites:

Someone finally found the answer for Kendrick Perry. Massachusetts held the Youngstown State star to just 14 points en route to a 85-69 win over the Penguins. Chaz Williams led the way for the Minutemen with 19 points and 11 assists, helping three of his teammates to also land double digits in the scoring column. Cady Lalanne had 13 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for UMass. Bobby Hain had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Youngstown State and Marcus Keene had 20 off the bench in the loss.
Oakland put up a nice effort against Cal on Friday night despite all the distractions. But facing Gonzaga on Sunday was another matter. The Zags ran past the Grizzlies, 82-67, with 21 points from Kevin Pangos, including five 3-pointers. Big men Sam Dower and Przemek Karnowski totalled 27 points and three blocks in the win. Travis Bader led Oakland with 22 points, and Kahlil Felder had seven assists to just four turnovers (yes, we are watching him closely for a reason).
...
Northern Illinois is still looking to string two wins together under coach Mark Montgomery after losing 82-69 to Milwaukee. The Huskies got 19 points and eight rebounds from Darrell Bowie, but it was far from enough. The Panthers were led by Malcolm Moore who had 15 points off the bench on a perfect shooting night. Steve McWhorter added 14 points in the win.
Ohio staged a block party as they held off a late charge from Valparaiso to save a 76-72 win at home. Maurice Ndour had five swats to go along with his 23 points and six rebounds, while Jon Smith added four more. Nick Kellogg poured in four threes and finished with 16 points. For the Crusaders, LaVonte Dority had 20 points while Alec Peters had 16 points, 13 boards and three steals.

LeBron James leading Miami Heat by example--Miami Herald

The Heat still went 10 players deep and, perhaps most impressively, no player logged more than 36 minutes. Norris Cole led the team in minutes (36) and reserve Rashard Lewis played 33 minutes.

Heat win 4th straight, top Hawks 104-88--Miami Herald

Allen scored Miami's first 12 points of the final quarter, Michael Beasley added the next four, and the Heat lead grew 94-78 with 5 minutes remaining, ensuring that the two-time defending NBA champions would keep their starters on the bench for the entirety of the final period. Norris Cole finished with eight points, nine assists and five rebounds for Miami.

"Our starters are rooting them on," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They understand the importance of that group."

Heat's Mario Chalmers more cautious after flagrant-foul issues--South Florida Sun Sentinel

For Chalmers, he is the past the issue. The focus returns to being the starter for the two-time defending champions. Backup Norris Cole was solid in his absence, but Chalmers is ready to regain his role.

"I just got to let it go," Chalmers said. "I just want to be there for my teammates and not let them down like I did last time. I expect to continue to do what I'm doing. It's a minor setback for a major comeback, like the saying goes. I just got to get past this and get ready for Tuesday."

Cleveland State and Kent State get solid wins, Akron Zips struggle - Basketball this week--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Karrington Ward's career-high 28 points leads Eastern Michigan to 81-69 win over Cleveland State--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State in 'foul' mood; Kent State at end of line - Morning Line--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Jonothan Janssen Commits to Cleveland State--Cleveland State Hoops
Vikings Drop 81-69 Contest at Eastern Michigan--csuvikings.com

Vikings Fall Short Against Eastern Michigan, 84-70--csuvikings.com

Kings notes: McCallum will get seasoning in Reno--Sacramento Bee
Physical, but not sharp--The Register-Guard

For a team preaching defense and rebounding, Oregon appeared to get the message by outrebounding Utah Valley 42-30 while holding the Wolverines to 37.9 percent shooting from the field.

However, the message in the locker room after the 17th-ranked Ducks’ 69-54 victory over the Wolverines on Tuesday night in front of 5,717 at Matthew Knight Arena wasn’t overly positive.

“I’m not happy about it,” Oregon senior guard Jason Calliste said of the defensive performance in particular. “Coach isn’t happy, the guys aren’t happy. That’s not good enough if you want to be good.”
...
“We had to get stops tonight,” Calliste said. “All the other games have been easy-flowing, guys had it going and once you get it going, you think you can outscore a team. That is not going to happen every night. You have to lock up, rebound, and defend, that’s how you get it done if you want to win.”

Calliste backed up his words with actions.

“Defensively, at times we played really well and Jason made four or five outstanding defensive plays in the second half,” Altman said. “He showed toughness and did a good job.”

Oregon scored 17 straight in the first half to take a 20-4 lead, but Utah Valley closed within 29-25 by halftime.

“That was definitely disappointing,” Calliste said. “You have to sit down on defense. Just because you are up doesn’t mean the game is over. You have to be solid the rest of the game. Not for 35 minutes or 32, but for 40.”
...
Calliste made a pair of free throws and Loyd added a layup to put Oregon ahead 41-33 with 14:56 left to play. Elgin Cook got a rebound and scored before adding a free throw and Young drove for a layup to put the Ducks up 46-33.
...
“We need to get better,” Calliste said. “We didn’t play that well. Too many guys are worried about the wrong things. We are not going to outscore everyone, we have to play better defense.”

Tuesday's college basketball roundup: Carlton Brundidge paces Detroit in victory--The Detroit News
Titans Visit James Madison Tonight--detroittitans.com
Titans Spoil JMU's Banner Raising Night with 71-67 Road Win--detroittitans.com

Women's Basketball Signs Four Prized Recruits--detroittitans.com
Upset Minded Titans To Visit No. 21/19 Michigan State On Wednesday--detroittitans.com

Oakland falls to No. 15 Gonzaga 82-67--MICentralSports.com
Late Night Snacks: Three ranked teams fall on Sunday--CollegeBasketballTalk

NOTABLES:
...
No. 17 Gonzaga shot 11-for-20 from three in their 82-67 win over Oakland. Kevin Pangos hit five, finishing with a team-high 21 points.

Gonzaga 82, Oakland 67: Golden Grizzlies end road trip winless--The Detroit Free Press
No. 15 Gonzaga tops short-handed Oakland, 82-67--The Oakland Press
OAKLAND DROPS 82-67 DECISION TO NO. 15 GONZAGA--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND'S FELDER GARNERS WEEKLY LEAGUE HONOR--ougrizzlies.com

Attorney for fired Oakland University coach Beckie Francis weighing legal options--The Oakland Press
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Despite strong second half, Oakland falls to Miami--The Oakland Press
Francis' attorney ‘We’re contemplating our options’--Oakland Post
OAKLAND CLOSES HOMESTAND AGAINST MIAMI ON TUESDAY--ougrizzlies.com
MIAMI'S HOT SHOOTING DOWNS OAKLAND 86-68--ougrizzlies.com

Northwestern at UIC--The Chicago Tribune
Men’s basketball faces Northwestern at UIC Pavilion--UIC News
Moore blames self for lackluster effort--Whoosh!Net
Flames Host Northwestern on Wednesday Night--uicflames.com

Women’s basketball rallies to victory against Idaho State--UIC News
Women's Basketball Seeks Second Straight Win Over SIUE--uicflames.com

UWGB basketball: Sykes, Buck get league awards--Green Bay Press Gazette
Sykes Earns Fifth Horizon League Player of the Week Award--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWGB basketball: No guarantee Phoenix will play Wisconsin next year--Green Bay Press Gazette
Tesha Buck Named Horizon League Freshman of the Week--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Phoenix Insider: Total Transformation--GreenBayPhoenix.com

KenPom Movement – Nov. 17--Big Apple Buckets

Here’s a look at the rest of the biggest movers in KenPom’s rankings for this week and the season as a whole.

Biggest Improvements This Week:

Bryant +96 (108)
UC Santa Barbara +72 (106)
UC Irvine +68 (134)
Milwaukee +65 (196)
Kent St. +59 (149)

I wrote about the reason UC Irvine is moving on up in the world earlier this week. The Anteaters went to Washington’s Alaska Airlines Arena and put on a convincing display. The reason UCSB is on this list and UNLV on the drops is the Gauchos’ 85-65 victory in Las Vegas. Milwaukee is a team I didn’t think would be particularly good this season, but the Panthers have won their last three games against Davidson, San Jose St. and James Madison. Bucknell is right outside that group. Also, LIU Brooklyn’s close loss to Indiana and some shakeups around them helped the Blackbirds crack the Top 200 of Pomeroy’s rankings at 199 through Saturday.

Preview: DePaul at Milwaukee--The Chicago Tribune
Melvin, Young lead Demons to road win--The Chicago Tribune
DePaul beats Milwaukee 80-71--Daily Herald
Lesser lights get to shine in UW-Milwaukee victory--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
UWM's Steve McWhorter named co-Horizon League player of the week--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Weary Panthers are short of breath--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Panthers Fall In Return to The Cell--UWM Post
Panthers start off weekend with a win--PantherU
Panthers win third straight game--PantherU
Panthers have won four straight--PantherU
Tough loss at home--PantherU
Panthers Dig Deep To Overcome Huskies, Win NIU Invite Title--uwmpanthers.com
McWhorter Claims Horizon League Co-Player Of The Week Honors--uwmpanthers.com
Panthers Open Home Schedule Tuesday As DePaul Visits U.S. Cellular Arena--uwmpanthers.com
Panthers Run Out Of Gas In 80-71 Loss To DePaul--uwmpanthers.com

Hot shots sink Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Falls In Shootout With Leathernecks--uwmpanthers.com

Men’s basketball: Valparaiso takes late lead, but still loses at Ohio--The Post-Tribune
Men's basketball: Valparaiso at Evansville outlook--The Post-Tribune
Comeback falls short for Crusaders--The NWI Times
Tornado hits VU freshman's hometown in Washington, Ill.--The NWI Times
Wrapping up Ohio--Inside VU Sports
Valpo Men's Basketball Weekly Preview Show--valpoathletics.com
Men's Basketball Returns to Action Wednesday at Evansville--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Signs Four Recruits--valpoathletics.com

Thurgood graduate Thomasson joins Wright State recruiting class--Dayton Daily News
Raiders return home to face D-III Manchester after tough week--Dayton Daily News
Raiders smother D-III Manchester with defense--Dayton Daily News
Raiders spank the Spartans (Manchester not Michigan State)--RaiderRoundball.com
Raiders destroy D-III Manchester--The Guardian
Men Dominate Manchester 83-33--wsuraiders.com

Sledge receives 20-day jail sentence--The Guardian
James Named HL Player of the Week--wsuraiders.com

Youngstown State may finally be ready to turn a corner--Hoopville
Keene excels in YSU loss to UMass--Youngstown Vindicator
Keene provides lift for YSU men--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU men's basketball ready to bounce back--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Short-handed YSU women battling major injury woes--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
The ‘Keene’ to success: Penguins return home for two non-conference opponents--The Jambar
Penguins tame Tomcats--The Jambar
Men's Basketball Hosts Thiel Wednesday Night--ysusports.com
Six Reach Double Figures As Penguins Beat Thiel 82-58--ysusports.com

Despite injuries, YSU women stay positive--Youngstown Vindicator
Penguins fight through injuries in preparation for Wednesday--The Jambar
Norse Code Penguins earn first victory this season--The Jambar
YSU Concludes Opening Three-Game Home Stand Against NKU--ysusports.com
Penguins Make 11 3s, Beat Northern Kentucky 67-53 for Barnes's First Win--ysusports.com

On The Horizon

Thursday, November 21, 2013

News On The Horizon 11/20/2013

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