Saturday, February 28, 2015

All #HLMBB seeds with 3 games to go

As of last night's games:

Valpo 56 Cleveland State 53

Team      W  L Pct.  GB
Valpo    13  3 0.813 0     Clinched 1 seed
Oakland  11  4 0.733 1.5
GB       11  4 0.733 1.5
CSU      11  5 0.688 2
Milw.     8  7 0.533 4.5   Ineligible
Detroit   7  9 0.438 6     Clinched 5 seed
UIC       3 12 0.200 9.5
WSU       3 12 0.200 9.5
YSU       2 13 0.133 10.5
Valpo's win over CSU clinched the 1 seed and hosting duties. And with that, all RPI ties are gone.

Today's Green Bay-Oakland game settles the remainder of the top 4 seeds. If Green Bay wins, they get the 2 seed, Oakland gets the 3 seed, and CSU gets the 4 seed (Oakland wins the tiebreaker with CSU because they split with Valpo while CSU was swept by Valpo0.

If Oakland beats Green Bay, Oakland gets the 2 seed, CSU gets the 3 seed, and Green Bay gets the 4 seed (CSU wins the tiebreaker since they swept Green Bay).

The winner of the WSU-UIC game gets the 6 seed as the only team of the lower 3 to have 4 wins.

If YSU beats Milwaukee, they win the tiebreaker with the loser of the WSU-UIC game and get the 7 seed (they would be the only team of the 3 to beat 5th place Milwaukee, now that the top 4 teams have swept all 3), and the loser of WSU-UIC would get the 8 seed.

If YSU loses to Milwaukee, they get the 8 seed and the loser of WSU-UIC gets the 7 seed.

Today's games:

Oakland at Green Bay - Winner gets the 2 seed
Wright State at UIC - Winner gets the 6 seed
Milwaukee at Youngstown State - YSU gets the 7 seed with a win

News On The Horizon 2/28/2015

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 23, 2015--Hoopville
So much for a showdown in Cleveland on Friday night. Milwaukee pulled off a 66-60 win over
visiting Cleveland State, putting the Vikings two games back in the loss column. That means Valparaiso can clinch the regular season title with a win at Detroit on Wednesday night. If Detroit wins, Cleveland State can tie the Crusaders with a win on Friday night.
The Morning Dish – Thursday, February 26, 2015--Hoopville
It’s starting to look like no one wants to win the Horizon League. Valparaiso had a chance to wrap up the regular season title but lost to Detroit 63-60. The Crusaders appeared to tighten up late, forcing a terrible shot on their final possession and then committing a bad foul on Juwan Howard, Jr.’s fall-away turnaround three-point attempt with 1.3 seconds left, after which Howard hit the three deciding free throws.
The Morning Dish – Friday, February 27, 2015--Hoopville
Keifer Sykes scored 36 points as Wisconsin-Green Bay held off Illinois-Chicago 72-67. More on the Horizon League race below.
...
Tonight’s Menu: Full Ivy League and heavy MAAC schedules, plus a few others

Valparaiso at Cleveland State (10 p.m. EST, ESPNU) It the Crusaders win, it’s simple: Valpo takes the Horizon League title outright and gets one of the two double byes into the semifinals of the conference tourney, which it would host as the No. 1 seed. If the Vikings win, then Valpo cannot win the title and tiebreakers will decide the top seed and tournament host between CSU and the winner of Saturday’s Green Bay/Oakland game.
O26 Weekly Awards: Miami (OH), Kyle Wiltjer, Howie Dickenman & Binghamton…--Rush The Court
O26 Player of the Week
...
Honorable Mentions: Maodo Lo – Columbia (35 points at Brown… 18 points, six rebounds at Yale); Amere May – Delaware State (39 points vs. Coppin State… 30 points at Hampton); Greg Mays – Green Bay (34 points vs. Detroit… 19 points, seven rebounds vs. Cleveland State); Zeek Woodley – Northwestern State (36 points vs. Central Arkansas… 25 points vs. New Orleans); Jalan West – Northwestern State (10 points, 11 assists, five steals vs. Central Arkansas… 36 points vs. New Orleans); Jalen Cannon – St. Francis-Brooklyn (27 points, 15 rebounds vs. Fairleigh Dickinson… 23 points, 15 rebounds vs. Saint Francis (PA))
...
O26 Dunk of the Week

Keifer Sykes – Green Bay. Newsflash: Sykes is still (barely) 6’0’’ and dunking like he’s 6’6’’. This latest high-flying installment came at the expense of Detroit’s Paris Bass last Wednesday night. That’s right Paris… just get out of his way.

Sunday’s Snacks: No. 9 Utah, No. 24 Ohio State suffer road losses--CollegeBasketballTalk
STARRED
...
2. Kahlil Felder, Oakland

20 points (8-for-14 FG), 14 assists (two turnovers) and five rebounds in the Golden Grizzlies’ 81-56 win over UIC.
...
NOTABLES
...
J.J. Panoske scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures as Milwaukee beat Cleveland State 66-60. The Vikings’ loss means that Valparaiso clinched at least a share of the Horizon League regular season title.

Cleveland State knocked off at UW Milwaukee, 66-60--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State needs assistance to win the Horizon League title - Local College Basketball Insider--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State has chance at Horizon League title after all--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State's Anton Grady, Valparaiso's Alec Peters in head-to-head battle for Player of Year--Cleveland Plain Dealer
CSU Basketball Notebook: Vikings still Alive for No. 1 seed--Cleveland State Hoops
Cleveland State Slips with Loss to Milwaukee 66-60--Vikings Ball
Cleveland State Finishes Their 2014-2015 Season with Valparaiso--Vikings Ball
Vikings Fall at Milwaukee, 66-60--csuvikings.com
Vikings Host Valparaiso in Regular Season Finale--csuvikings.com

Vikings Come Away With 77-70 Victory At Valparaiso--csuvikings.com
Vikings Conclude Roadswing At Milwaukee Saturday--csuvikings.com

UDM 63, Valparaiso 60: Titans snap Crusaders' win streak--The Detroit Free Press
Wednesday's roundup: Detroit slips past Horizon leader--The Detroit News
Detroit Sneaks by Valparaiso 63-60--Titans Update
Senior Delight As Titans Knock Off First Place Valparaiso, 63-60, In Final Regular Season Contest--detroittitans.com
2015 Men's Basketball Summer Camps Announced--detroittitans.com

Freshman dynamo--Varsity Press
Titans Drop Regular Season Home Finale On Thursday Night--detroittitans.com
Three Game Road Swing Starts At Valparaiso On Saturday--detroittitans.com

Oakland guard Kahlil Felder shatters a defenders ankles (VIDEO)--CollegeBasketballTalk
Oakland guard drops defender with a dazzling crossover--The Dagger
OU's Dante Williams eventually emerged as defensive stopper--The Detroit Free Press
Oakland-Green Bay matchup fueld by player-of-year talk--The Detroit Free Press
Oakland keeps conference title hopes alive with win over Youngstown State--The Oakland Press
Hooper Comes Alive! Junior guard’s hot hand helps Oakland douse Flames--Press Row Sports
Horizon League Power Rankings: Conference’s best players peaking down the stretch--Press Row Sports
Pesky Penguins unable to halt Oakland’s winning streak on senior night--Press Row Sports

Oakland Whips UIC 81-56
--Grizz Gang
Oakland Gets Win against Youngstown State 82-71--Grizz Gang
Oakland burns UIC Flames 81-56--Oakland Post
Oakland ices out YSU Penguins, keeps HL championship hopes alive--Oakland Post
The case for K: Why Felder's the Horizon League's frontrunner--Oakland Post
FELDER LEADS OAKLAND TO 81-56 WIN OVER UIC--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND TOPS YOUNGSTOWN STATE, 82-71, ON SENIOR NIGHT--ougrizzlies.com
GAME 31: GOLDEN GRIZZLIES CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON AT GREEN BAY--ougrizzlies.com

GREEN BAY OUTLASTS OAKLAND, 70-55--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND HITS ROAD TO UIC ON SATURDAY--ougrizzlies.com

Mid-Major Rankings for the Week of Feb. 23--The Catch and Shoot
6. Valparaiso (25-4, 12-2 Horizon). Last week: 6

Valparaiso held off Wright State in its only game of the week to keep hold of first place in the Horizon League. The Crusaders have won seven games in a row.
...
14. Green Bay (21-7, 10-4 Horizon). Last week: 7

Green Bay fell out of the Horizon League title race Friday with an overtime loss at home to Cleveland State. The Phoenix finish the season with games they should be favored in against UIC and Oakland. Now their focus will turn to getting the No. 2 in the Horizon League Tournament, which would still give them a bye to the conference semifinals.
Chicago Weekly Awards: Feb. 23--The Catch and Shoot
Player of the Week

Valparaiso played only game this week, and the Crusaders won thanks to a great performance from sophomore forward Alec Peters. Peters posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a pair of steals. He shoot 7-of-14 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Honorable mention: Tre Demps, Northwestern; Vic Law, Northwestern;J ay Harris, UIC
VIDEO: Oakland guard Kahlil Felder breaks Bobby Hain’s ankles--The Catch and Shoot
Untimely errors spoil UIC comeback against Green Bay--The Catch and Shoot
Flames can’t keep momentum against Grizzlies--UIC News
Extinguished after hot start--Whoosh!Net
Sykes is Flame retardant--Whoosh!Net
UIC Easily Defeated by Oakland 81-56--Flame Fanatic
UIC (7-22) and Green Bay (21-7) Square Off--Flame Fanatic
Hot-Shooting Grizzlies Down UIC, 81-56--uicflames.com
Flames Comeback Falls Short against Green Bay, 72-67--uicflames.com
UIC Hosts Wright State in Regular Season Finale on Saturday--uicflames.com

Basketball falls to Horizon’s No. 1 Green Bay--UIC News
Nunn’s layup nets win for Flames against Milwaukee--UIC News
Nunn's Layup Leads Flames Past Milwaukee, 72-70--uicflames.com
Truiett to Be Honored as UIC Hosts Oakland Saturday--uicflames.com

Late Night Snacks: Minnesota wins at Michigan State, No. 7 Arizona and No. 13 Utah roll--CollegeBasketballTalk
STARRED

1. Green Bay’s Keifer Sykes

Sykes surpassed the 2,000-point mark in the Phoenix’s win over UIC, scoring 36 points on 13-for-23 shooting from the field while also accounting for six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
In front of hometown friends and family who molded him, Keifer Sykes reaches major milestone--The Catch and Shoot
VIDEO: Keifer Sykes scores 2,000th career point in return home to Chicago--The Catch and Shoot
Horizon slate a worthy foe for UWGB men--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB men vs. Illinois-Chicago: What to watch for--Green Bay Press Gazette
Sykes' career night lifts Phoenix men--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB men vs. Oakland: What to watch for--Green Bay Press Gazette
Double bye to semi-finals still within reach--Phear The Phoenix
242K: Sykes Passes 2,000 Career Points, Posts Career High in Homecoming--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Sykes Putting Up Unprecedented Numbers in League History--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Quartet of Phoenix Players to Be Honored for Senior Day--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWGB women Horizon champs again after beating Oakland--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB women vs. Youngstown State: What to watch for--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Looks to Secure Outright League Title at Oakland--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Green Bay Seizes Outright League Title with Win at Oakland--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Green Bay Goes for Perfect League Road Record at YSU--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Phoenix Feature: Big Week for Women's Basketball--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Steve McWhorter faces no regrets on staying with Milwaukee through postseason ban--The Catch and Shoot
Prideful Panthers happy to finish home slate with a victory--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panoske provide the dramatic touch for UWM--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers look to send seniors out winners--PantherU
Heading into the last week--PantherU
Panthers open final trip at WSU--PantherU
Black and Gold drops WSU, guarantees .500--PantherU
Milwaukee Drops Cleveland State 66-60--UWM Update
Milwaukee (12-16) Squares Off with Wright State (11-17)--UWM Update
Milwaukee Sends Seniors Out In Style With 66-60 Win Over Cleveland State--uwmpanthers.com
McWhorter Tabbed Horizon League Player Of The Week--uwmpanthers.com
Panoske’s Late Three Lifts Milwaukee Over Wright State, 61-58--uwmpanthers.com
Red-Hot Milwaukee Closes 2014-15 Season At Youngstown State Saturday--uwmpanthers.com

Late shot sinks Panthers' women's basketball team--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Lindner Earns Horizon League Freshman Of The Week Honors--uwmpanthers.com
Women’s Team Holds Grade School Basketball ClinicWomen’s Team Holds Grade School Basketball Clinic--uwmpanthers.com
Thrilling Milwaukee Comeback Comes Up Just Short--uwmpanthers.com
February Closes With PINK OUT And Senior Day Against Vikings--uwmpanthers.com

Like father, like son--Current in Zionsville
Searching for Cinderella: Valparaiso--Define Mid-Major
Mid-majors ready to make some noise--Four Corners
Potential 12-seeds worth a pick
...
Valparaiso (25-4, 12-2 Horizon League)

What's to like: How can you not like the Crusaders for an upset, when they're coached by the ultimate Cinderella-moment-maker, Bryce Drew? If that's not enough, Valpo has the sort of singular player who can make March magic happen in Alec Peters. The sophomore averages 17 points and 6.7 boards a night and has failed to reach double figures just four times this season. And, in a wildly competitive Horizon League, the Crusaders have won seven in a row and 12 of their past 13.
Pregame Shootaround: Valparaiso looks to clinch outright Horizon League title--CollegeBasketballTalk
Valpo falls by three on Howard's free throws--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso gets another shot at outright Horizon League title--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso has eyes on Horizon League prize--The NWI Times
Crusaders suffer late heartbreak in Detroit--The NWI Times
Crusaders heading to Cleveland with Horizon title on the line--The NWI Times
Freshman seizes opportunity off bench, fills needed point guard role--The Torch
Valparaiso Narrowly Beaten by Detroit 63-60--Valpo Daily
Valparaiso Closes Their 2014-2015 Season with Cleveland State--Valpo Daily
Ranking the Best Mid-Major Teams in College Basketball in 2014-15--Bleacher Report
Valpo Basketball Preview--valpoathletics.com
Crusaders Fall on Road at Detroit--valpoathletics.com
Title, Hosting Rights on the Line Friday at Cleveland State--valpoathletics.com

Valparaiso women aim to slow Cleveland State--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso rides second-half burst, but falls short--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso women eye third straight win over Detroit--The Post-Tribune
Cleveland State pulls away from VU women in second half--The NWI Times
Crusaders to make most of final weeks of play in injury-plagued season--The Torch
Vikings Prevail 77-70 over Crusader Women--valpoathletics.com
Pair of Promotions on Tap for Women's Home Finale--valpoathletics.com

WSU mission: Stop skid, send seniors out smiling--Dayton Daily News
Preview: Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Wright State--Dayton Daily News
Donlon irate as WSU drops 8th straight--Dayton Daily News
Tiby trouble for Raiders as losing streak grows--Dayton Daily News
First-round home game on line today for WSU--Dayton Daily News
Men’s basketball: Defenses target Karena--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Raiders prepare for senior night--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Senior night brings emotions--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Last second 3 sinks Raiders--The Guardian
Benzinger Honored by Horizon League--wsuraiders.com
Men Drop 61-58 Heartbreaker to Milwaukee on Senior Night--wsuraiders.com

Bradbury notches 100th win at WSU--Dayton Daily News
Mingo Named Finalist for Lieberman Award--wsuraiders.com
Women Defeat Detroit as Bradbury Wins #100 at WSU--wsuraiders.com

Tough test ahead for YSU defense--Youngstown Vindicator
Oakland defeats YSU men, 82-71--Youngstown Vindicator
Youngstown State Downed by Oakland 82-71--Guin Report
Late Surge Pushes Oakland Past Penguins, 82-71--ysusports.com
Men's Basketball Hosts Milwaukee on Senior Night Saturday--ysusports.com

Awards keep coming for YSU’s Schlegel--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU women host Horizon League’s best in Green Bay--Youngstown Vindicator
Unselfish Schlegel powers YSU women--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Prepare for Top-Ranked Green Bay--The Jambar
Schlegel Collects Several Awards for High-Scoring Performances--ysusports.com
Penguins Set to Battle Green Bay on Saturday at Beeghly--ysusports.com

Milwaukee's McWhorter and Wright State's Benzinger Collect Men's Basketball Honors--Horizon League Network
Feature: Rewards of Coaching--Horizon League Network
Interview: Greg Kampe--Horizon League Network
#HLMBB Weekly - February 25, 2015--Horizon League Network
Clutch Free Throws Lead to UDM Win; Oakland Stays Perfect at Home in League--Horizon League Network
Sykes' Career-High Leads GB to Win; UWM Wins on Late Three-Pointer--Horizon League Network

Youngstown State's Schlegel and Milwaukee's Lindner Collect Weekly Honors--Horizon League Network
WSU's Tay'ler Mingo Named Finalist for Lieberman Award--Horizon League Network
#HLWBB Weekly - February 25, 2015--Horizon League Network
Cleveland State and UIC Garner Wednesday Wins--Horizon League Network
Interview: Mehryn Kraker--Horizon League Network
Phoenix Claim Outright Regular Season Title; Mike Bradbury Collects 100th Win at WSU--Horizon League Network

Thursday, February 26, 2015

All seeds for #HLMBB with 4 games left

Thanks to Milwaukee's win over WSU tonight, they have sealed 5th place and priority over Detroit as a common opponent, even though they are ineligible.

As of last night's games:

Milwaukee 61 Wright State 58
Green Bay 72 UIC          67

Team      W  L Pct.  GB
Valpo    12  3 0.800 0
CSU      11  4 0.733 1
Oakland  11  4 0.733 1
GB       11  4 0.733 1
Milw.     8  7 0.533 4     Ineligible
Detroit   7  9 0.438 5.5   Clinched 5 seed
UIC       3 12 0.200 9
WSU       3 12 0.200 9
YSU       2 13 0.133 10
If Valpo beats CSU they get the 1 seed. If Valpo loses to CSU and Green Bay beats Oakland, Valpo gets the 2 seed (Valpo wins the tiebreaker because they split with CSU while Green Bay was swept by them). If they lose to CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, Valpo ends up with the 3 seed because Oakland also sweeps Green Bay while Valpo only split with them.

CSU gets the 1 seed if they beat Valpo and Oakland loses to Green Bay. If Oakland instead wins out, RPI breaks the tie.

If Valpo beats CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, CSU gets the 3 seed because they win the tiebreaker with Green Bay. If they lose to Valpo and Green Bay wins out, CSU gets the 4 seed because they lose the tiebreaker with Oakland since they get swept by Valpo while Oakland split with them.

Oakland's only shot at the 1 seed is mentioned above in the RPI tiebreaker with CSU. If Valpo beats CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, Oakland gets the 2 seed without the need for tiebreakers. If CSU beats Valpo and Green Bay wins out, Oakland gets the 4 seed because the other 3 teams are 12-4. If Valpo beats CSU and Green Bay beats Oakland, Oakland gets the 3 seed because they win a two-way tiebreaker with CSU (only team to beat Valpo).

Green Bay gets the 2 seed if they win out and Valpo beats CSU. All the tiebreakers are bad for them, so the only way is for both CSU and Oakland to finish 11-5. They get the 3 seed if they win out and CSU beats Valpo (they lose the 3-way tiebreaker with Valpo and CSU but finish 1 game ahead of Oakland). If they lose to Oakland, they lose the 2-way tiebreaker with CSU (head-to-head) and get the 4 seed.

UIC can clinch the 6 seed simply by beating WSU. If WSU beats UIC and Milwaukee beats YSU, UIC ends up with the 7 seed (they finish at least one game behind WSU and they finish ahead of YSU. If WSU beats UIC and YSU beats Milwaukee, UIC gets the 8 seed because they lose the tiebreaker with YSU (Milwaukee finishes ahead of Detroit and sweeps UIC but splits with YSU).

WSU gets the 6 seed if they beat UIC and the 7 seed if UIC beats them and Milwaukee beats YSU. If they lose and YSU beats Milwaukee, WSU gets the 8 seed because they were swept by Milwaukee while YSU split with them (NOTE: this is a correction from my previous post. SECOND NOTE: if Milwaukee doesn't participate in tiebreakers as a common opponent, Detroit would break this tie for WSU instead)

YSU gets the 7 seed if they beat Milwaukee because they win the tiebreaker over either WSU or UIC because both were swept by Milwaukee (likewise, the winner of the WSU-UIC game gets the 6 seed while the loser gets the 7 seed). If they lose to Milwaukee, they of course end up with the 8 seed.

Tonight's games:

Valpo at Cleveland State - Valpo can absolutely claim the 1 seed; Cleveland State can most likely claim the 1 seed (they currently lead in the RPI over Oakland by about 19 points).

All tiebreakers for #HLMBB with 6 games remaining

The disclaimer I wrote here: Top 2 seed scenarios with 10 games left in #HLMBB.
This year my tiebreaker analysis is going to be less than 100% definite because I have not heard yet exactly how the Horizon League office is treating Milwaukee in it's application of the tiebreakers. Obviously they are ineligible for the NCAA tournament, therefore they are ineligible for the Horizon League tournament.

I'm going to go out on a limb and base my analysis on the following premise: all of Milwaukee's league games count for the teams they played, therefore the proper thing to do is pretend that Milwaukee is eligible and then at the very end delete them from the list and move everybody lower up one slot.
has turned out to be much ado about nothing. The only context in which things could have gotten complicated is when Detroit and Milwaukee both finish 7-9. The only top 4 team who would function as a tiebreaker for these two teams is Valpo, and in these scenarios, Detroit would win the tiebreaker anyway. There are 4 of these scenarios that also include a tie for 1st between CSU and Oakland, so procedurally we're not supposed to break this tie until we break that one, but it turns out that CSU and Oakland both split with each team, so Milwaukee-Detroit isn't breaking that tie -- in fact, as mentioned before, nobody can break that tie, it has to be broken by RPI. Moreover, it doesn't matter which of the two wins that tiebreaker, that team is not going to be able to break the Milwaukee-Detroit tie. Only Valpo can (Green Bay gets swept by both teams so they don't resolve anything either.

As of last night's games:

Detroit 63 Valpo 60
Oakland 82 Youngstown State 71
Team      W  L Pct.  GB
Valpo    12  3 0.800 0
CSU      11  4 0.733 1.5
Oakland  11  4 0.733 1.5
GB       10  4 0.714 2
Milw.     7  7 0.500 5     Ineligible
Detroit   7  9 0.438 5.5   Clinched 5 seed
UIC       3 11 0.214 9
WSU       3 11 0.214 9
YSU       2 13 0.133 10
Detroit managed to keep CSU alive for the 1 seed, and in fact the Vikings once again control their own destiny (with the possible exception of RPI tiebreakers, where they depend on their non-conference opponents to help them).

If Valpo beats CSU they get the 1 seed. If Valpo loses to CSU and Green Bay beats Oakland, Valpo gets the 2 seed (even if Green Bay beats UIC, Valpo wins the tiebreaker because they split with CSU while Green Bay was swept by them). If they lose to CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, Valpo ends up with the 3 seed because Oakland also sweeps Green Bay while Valpo only split with them.

CSU gets the 1 seed if they beat Valpo and Oakland loses to Green Bay. If Oakland instead wins out, RPI breaks the tie.

If Valpo beats CSU and Green Bay beats Oakland and UIC beats Green Bay, CSU gets the 2 seed. If Valpo beats CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, CSU gets the 3 seed because they win the tiebreaker with Green Bay. If they lose to Valpo and Green Bay wins out, CSU gets the 4 seed because they lose the tiebrekaer with Oakland since they get swept by Valpo while Oakland split with them.

Oakland's only shot at the 1 seed is mentioned above in the RPI tiebreaker with CSU. The same RPI tiebreaker for 2nd place no longer exists because Valpo lost to Detroit. If Valpo beats CSU and Oakland beats Green Bay, Oakland gets the 2 seed without the need for tiebreakers. If CSU beats Valpo and Green Bay wins out, Oakland gets the 4 seed because the other 3 teams are 12-4. If Valpo beats CSU and Green Bay beats Oakland, Oakland gets the 3 seed because they win a two-way tiebreaker with CSU (with Green Bay beating UIC) and in a 3-way tie with CSU and Green Bay, they finish in the middle of the 3 (CSU 3-1, Oakland 2-2, Green Bay 1-3). If CSU beats Valpo and Green Bay beats Oakland and UIC beats Green Bay, they get the 3 seed because they win the tiebreaker over Green Bay because they split with CSU while Green Bay was swept by them.

Green Bay gets the 2 seed if they win out and Valpo beats CSU. All the tiebreakers are bad for them, so the only way is for both CSU and Oakland to finish 11-5. They get the 3 seed if they win out and CSU beats Valpo (they lose the 3-way tiebreaker with Valpo and CSU but finish 1 game ahead of Oakland). If they beat Oakland but lose to UIC, they lose the 2-way tiebreaker with Oakland (common opponent CSU) and the 3-way tiebreaker with Oakland and CSU (head-to-head-to-head) and in either case get the 4 seed. If they lose to Oakland, they lose the 2-way tiebreaker with CSU (head-to-head) and get the 4 seed.

Now for the lower 3: YSU plays Milwaukee, so they've already split with UIC and WSU. WSU has Milwaukee and UIC left to play and they need a win over UIC to gain a split with them. So the WSU-UIC game is only one left between these 3 teams. WSU and UIC are tied for 8th at 3-11, YSU brings up the rear at 2-12.

If WSU beats UIC, then any ties would have to resort to common opponents. If UIC beats WSU, UIC would have the upper hand in a 3-way tie or a tie with WSU.

Thus, UIC can clinch the 6 seed simply by winning out. If they lose to WSU they can still get the 6 seed if they beat Green Bay (since WSU and YSU both were swept by the Phoenix) and WSU loses to Milwaukee. If they beat WSU but lose to Green Bay, they of course win a tiebreaker with WSU (there is no longer a 3-way tie at 4-12). If WSU beats UIC and Milwaukee wins out and Green Bay beats UIC, UIC ends up with the 7 seed (they finish at least one game behind WSU and they finish tied with or ahead of YSU and they win a tiebreaker with YSU since they split with Detroit while YSU was swept by them (Green Bay, Oakland, CSU, and Valpo all sweep both teams). If WSU beats UIC but loses to Milwaukee and YSU beats Milwaukee and Green Bay beats UIC, UIC gets the 8 seed because they lose the tiebreaker with YSU (Milwaukee finishes ahead of Detroit and sweeps UIC but splits with YSU).

If WSU beats Milwaukee, Milwaukee and Detroit tie at 7-9. Detroit wins the tiebreaker because of their win over Valpo (in addition to being eligible), and Detroit swept YSU while splitting with UIC, so UIC gets the 7 seed in this tiebreaker with YSU.

WSU can also clinch the 6 seed simply by winning out. If they beat UIC but lose to Milwaukee, UIC would still have to lose to Green Bay in order for WSU to gain the 6 seed. If WSU beats Milwaukee but loses to UIC, WSU gets the 7 seed because they lose the tiebreaker with UIC or finish one game behind them. They can't fall to the 8 seed because if they lose out and YSU beats Milwaukee, Detroit breaks the tie in favor of WSU.

YSU can't get the 6 seed for the same reason. If they beat Milwaukee and Milwaukee beats WSU, they tie with either UIC or WSU for 8th place. Milwaukee finishes ahead of Detroit and they favor YSU in either case, so YSU would get the 7 seed. If YSU loses to Milwaukee OR YSU beats Milwaukee and WSU and UIC each win OR YSU beats Milwaukee and WSU wins out and Green Bay beats UIC, YSU gets the 8 seed because Detroit sweeps YSU while splitting with UIC.

Tonight's games:

Milwaukee at Wright State - Milwaukee can clinch sole possession of 5th place (for any solace that gives them) and thus assert themselves as a higher tiebreaker than Detroit, Wright State can keep control of their own destiny for the 6 seed.
Green Bay at UIC - UIC can increase their influence as a tiebreaker and avoid having to meet Detroit next Tuesday, Green Bay can keep alive their pursuit of a 2 seed

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Seeds 1 through 6 in #HLMBB with 8 games left to play.

The disclaimer I wrote here: Top 2 seed scenarios with 10 games left in #HLMBB.
This year my tiebreaker analysis is going to be less than 100% definite because I have not heard yet exactly how the Horizon League office is treating Milwaukee in it's application of the tiebreakers. Obviously they are ineligible for the NCAA tournament, therefore they are ineligible for the Horizon League tournament.

I'm going to go out on a limb and base my analysis on the following premise: all of Milwaukee's league games count for the teams they played, therefore the proper thing to do is pretend that Milwaukee is eligible and then at the very end delete them from the list and move everybody lower up one slot.
has turned out to be much ado about nothing. The only context in which things could have gotten complicated is when Detroit and Milwaukee both finish 7-9. The only top 4 team who would function as a tiebreaker for these two teams is Valpo, and in these scenarios, Detroit would win the tiebreaker anyway. There are 4 of these scenarios that also include a tie for 1st between CSU and Oakland, so procedurally we're not supposed to break this tie until we break that one, but it turns out that CSU and Oakland both split with each team, so Milwaukee-Detroit isn't breaking that tie -- in fact, as mentioned before, nobody can break that tie, it has to be broken by RPI. Moreover, it doesn't matter which of the two wins that tiebreaker, that team is not going to be able to break the Milwaukee-Detroit tie. Only Valpo can (Green Bay gets swept by both teams so they don't resolve anything either.

In short, Detroit is the 5th seed as mentioned in my previous post, and Milwaukee sits there in the middle with them, waiting to see if any other teams need it to break a tie.

To summarize the top 4: Valpo gets the 1 seed by winning one or both of their remaining games. They get the 2 seed if they lose out and Oakland loses at least once. Finally they lose a 3-way tie with CSU and Oakland to get the 3 seed.

CSU gets the 1 seed if they beat Valpo and Detroit beats Valpo and Oakland loses at least once more. If Oakland instead wins out, RPI breaks the tie.

If Valpo gets the 1 seed, CSU gets the 2 seed if they beat Valpo and Oakland loses once more or if they lose to Valpo and Oakland loses out and Green Bay loses to UIC. In either case, if they end up in a 2-way tie with Oakland, RPI will be needed to break the tie and they still could end up with the 2 seed.

If they lose to Valpo they get the 3 seed if Oakland beats Green Bay or if Green Bay wins out and YSU beats Oakland. Otherwise, they get the 4 seed.

Oakland's only shot at the 1 seed is mentioned above in the RPI tiebreaker with CSU. Likewise, if they win out and CSU beats Valpo (who in turn beats Detroit), the same RPI tiebreaker has to break this tie (Valpo is not a tiebreaker in this case because each will split with them; Green Bay is not because each will sweep them). If Oakland wins out and CSU loses to Valpo, Oakland gets the 2 seed. If they beat Green Bay or if they beat YSU and Green Bay loses to UIC, they are guaranteed at least a 3 seed via tiebreakers (head-to-head over Green Bay or Valpo as common opponent if CSU loses to Valpo). Otherwise they end up with the 4 seed.

Green Bay gets the 2 seed if they win out and Valpo beats CSU. All the tiebreakers are bad for them, so the only way is for both CSU and Oakland to finish 11-5 or worse. They get at least a 3 seed as long as they finish ahead of Oakland (if Oakland beats YSU, Green Bay has to win out). Otherwise they get the 4 seed.

Now for the lower 3: YSU has Oakland and Milwaukee remaining on their schedule, so they've already split with UIC and WSU. WSU has Milwaukee and UIC left to play and they need a win over UIC to gain a split with them. So the WSU-UIC game is only one left between these 3 teams. WSU and UIC are tied for 8th at 3-11, YSU brings up the rear at 2-12.

If WSU beats UIC, then any ties would have to resort to common opponents. If UIC beats WSU, UIC would have the upper hand in a 3-way tie or a tie with WSU.

Thus, UIC can clinch the 6 seed simply by winning out. If they lose to WSU they can still get the 6 seed if they beat Green Bay (since WSU and YSU both were swept by the Phoenix) and WSU loses to Milwaukee. If they beat WSU but lose to Green Bay, they win the 3-way tiebreaker (3-1 to 2-2 to 1-3) and they of course win a tiebreaker with WSU. They would not win a tiebreaker with YSU since the Penguins would split with Oakland while UIC was swept by them. So UIC gets the 6 seed if they win out, or if they split and YSU loses at least once more.

WSU can also clinch the 6 seed simply by winning out. If they beat UIC but lose to Milwaukee, UIC would still have to lose to Green Bay in order for WSU to gain the 6 seed. If there's a 3-way tie with YSU at 4-12 with WSU beating UIC, WSU actually wins that tiebreaker if Detroit beats Valpo because Detroit wins the tiebreaker with Milwaukee, and WSU swept Detroit while UIC and YSU each lost at least once to Detroit. So: WSU gets the 6 seed if they win out or if they beat UIC and UIC loses to Green Bay and either Detroit beats Valpo or YSU loses at least once more.

YSU can get the 6 seed if they win out and WSU beats UIC and UIC loses to Green Bay and Valpo beats Detroit (leaving Milwaukee all alone in 5th place for tiebreaker purposes). This would put YSU and WSU in a 2-way tie at 4-12 with Milwaukee as the highest common opponent that can break the tie, and WSU would be swept by Milwaukee in this scenario while YSU splits with them.

Tonight's games:

Valpo at Detroit - Valpo can clinch 1 seed, Detroit already has 5 seed but can increase their tiebreaker influence with a win in cases where Milwaukee loses out (A Valpo loss also sets up a showdown on Friday with CSU for the 1 seed).
YSU at Oakland - Oakland can maintain their slim hopes for a 1 seed (assuming Valpo loses), YSU can maintain their slim hopes for a 6 seed and right to host a first round game

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Top 4 #HLMBB seeds with 8 games to go

I'll just repeat the disclaimer I wrote here: Top 2 seed scenarios with 10 games left in #HLMBB.
This year my tiebreaker analysis is going to be less than 100% definite because I have not heard yet exactly how the Horizon League office is treating Milwaukee in it's application of the tiebreakers. Obviously they are ineligible for the NCAA tournament, therefore they are ineligible for the Horizon League tournament.

I'm going to go out on a limb and base my analysis on the following premise: all of Milwaukee's league games count for the teams they played, therefore the proper thing to do is pretend that Milwaukee is eligible and then at the very end delete them from the list and move everybody lower up one slot.
As of yesterday's games:

Oakland 81 UIC 56
Milwaukee 66 Cleveland State 60
Team      W  L Pct.  GB
Valpo    12  2 0.857 0
CSU      11  4 0.733 1.5
GB       10  4 0.714 2
Oakland  10  4 0.714 2
Milw.     7  7 0.500 5
Detroit   6  9 0.400 6.5
UIC       3 11 0.214 9
WSU       3 11 0.214 9
YSU       2 12 0.143 10
The conference is perfectly split in half. We know that Detroit, UIC, Wright State, and Youngstown State will be playing first round games on Tuesday March 4th, and Valpo, CSU, Green Bay, and Oakland will be waiting for them on Friday.

Thanks to Milwaukee's take down of CSU, Valpo is now the only team in control of their own destiny, though if they lose at Detroit, CSU will regain control over their destiny. But Valpo still gets the 1 seed if they beat CSU. However, they can clinch the 1 seed on Wednesday at Calihan Hall.

Even if they lose both games, they still get the 2 seed if Oakland loses at least one of their remaining games. In a 3-way tie between CSU, Valpo, and Green Bay, CSU wins the tiebreaker (3-1) and Green Bay loses it (1-3), while Valpo sits in the middle (2-2). Replace Green Bay with Oakland and Valpo loses the tiebreaker based on Green Bay as the common opponent, where Valpo is the only team to lose to the Phoenix.

CSU gets the 1 seed if they beat Valpo and Detroit beats Valpo and Oakland loses at least one more game. Green Bay is no threat to CSU because of the head-to-head tiebreaker. If Oakland ties at 12-4, as mentioned above, Valpo drops out first, and there is no common opponent that breaks the remaining tie between Oakland and CSU, so we have to resort to the RPI tiebreaker. rpiforecast.com currently projects CSU as the winner, but I have no idea how sure of a thing that is. I choose to not project but simply leave it hanging.

If CSU beats Valpo and Valpo beats Detroit, CSU gets the 2 seed unless Oakland wins out and wins the RPI tiebreaker. If CSU loses to Valpo, they can still get the 2 seed if Green Bay beats Oakland but loses to UIC. In a 3-way tie at 11-5, CSU is 3-1, Oakland 2-2, and Green Bay 1-3. They also win a 2-way tie with Green Bay as mentioned above.

If CSU loses to Valpo, Green Bay wins out, and Oakland beats YSU, CSU ends up with the 4 seed because they lose the 3rd place tiebreaker with Oakland based on Valpo as a common opponent.

In all the remaining scenarios, CSU gets the 3 seed.

If Green Bay wins out and Valpo beats CSU, Green Bay gets the 2 seed, since CSU and Oakland finish 11-5 or worse.

If Green Bay beats Oakland on Saturday and at least matches their win total during the week, they avoid the 4 seed by winning more games than Oakland. Any Green Bay tie with Oakland breaks in favor of Oakland because of common opponent Cleveland State, if not a head-to-head sweep by Oakland. Therefore, if Green Bay finishes tied with or below Oakland, they end up with the 4 seed (they can only tie at 11-5, and at that record they lose tiebreakers with both CSU and Oakland; if they lose out they must be alone at 10-6).

Detroit and Milwaukee are on an island by themselves. Neither can even tie for 4th, and neither can fall into a tie for 7th. If Detroit beats Valpo and Milwaukee loses out, they tie for 5th place. This accounts for 32 of the 256 possible scenarios. In all but 4 of these scenarios, the tie can be broken simply by virtue of Milwaukee's ineligibility. The remaining 4 scenarios leave the tie in limbo until the tie between CSU and Oakland for first place is resolved using RPI.

In the remaining 224 scenarios, Milwaukee finishes ahead of Detroit. In all 256 scenarios, Detroit ends up with the 5 seed since Milwaukee is ineligible. So we can say unofficially that Detroit will be the 5 seed and host the 8 seed at Calihan Hall on Tuesday March 3rd.

The remaining seeds I will tackle in my next post.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

News On The Horizon 2/22/2015

The Morning Dish – Wednesday, February 18, 2015--Hoopville
Side Dishes:

A pair of games on Tuesday were affected by weather. Cleveland State and Western Carolina were going to play an unusual mid-February non-conference game at WCU as the return game in a two-year contract, but CSU did not travel due to a snow storm. That one has been cancelled with no reschedule date.
The Morning Dish – Friday, February 20, 2015--Hoopville
Tonight’s Menu: Seven games on tap, including a full Ivy League slate

Cleveland State at Wisconsin-Green Bay (7 p.m. EST, ESPN2) Two teams tied for second in the Horizon, just one game back of Valparaiso. One would think the Phoenix have too much firepower for the Vikings, but CSU just hasn’t gone away.
The Morning Dish – Saturday, February 21, 2015--Hoopville
Side Dishes
...
Cleveland State stayed right with Valparaiso in the Horizon League with a 66-61 overtime win at Green Bay. The two teams were tied entering the night, but it is the Vikings that have a showdown next Friday at home against the Crusaders, and that game could be for all the marbles.
Saturday Notes – February 21, 2015--Hoopville
Valparaiso 55, Wright State 48: The stage is almost set for the showdown between the Crusaders and Cleveland State on Friday night. Each has one game before that one.
Horizon League Breakdown: Valpo on Top With Work to be Done--Rush The Court
Wednesday’s Snacks: No. 4 Duke comes back, and No. 12 Louisville continues to struggle--CollegeBasketballTalk
NOTABLES
...
Greg Mays (34 points) and Keifer Sykes (23, eight assists and seven rebounds) led Green Bay to a 96-78 win over Detroit. The Phoenix are now tied for second in the Horizon League with Cleveland State (a game behind Valparaiso), and the two teams meet Friday night.
Pregame Shootaround: Horizon League heavyweights meet in Green Bay--CollegeBasketballTalk
Late Night Snacks: Cleveland State takes down Green Bay again--CollegeBasketballTalk
Night Court: Duke beats UNC in an overtime instant classic--Eye On College Basketball
TODAY'S TOP PLAYERS
...
3. Can we just lump in a whole bunch of Green Bay player? The Phoenix won 96-76 over Detroit. Jordan Fouse: 13 points, nine assists, six rebounds, four steals; Keifer Sykes: 23 points, eight assists, seven rebounds; Greg Mays: game-high 34 points.

Also hoo boy, Sykes!

Night Court: Zags rally from 17 down; UK scores 110; Xavier, LSU good Ws--Eye On College Basketball
Other outcomes blipping the radar:
...
Behind 17 points and 10 boards from Alec Peters, Valparaiso improved to 25-4 overall and 12-2 in the Horizon with its 55-48 win against Wright State.
Mail: Which mid-majors could bust brackets? Was Gibbs' supension just?--Sports Illustrated
I’m glad Joe used the word “unheralded” because that eliminates Gonzaga, Wichita State and Northern Iowa, all of which are technically midmajors. Here are my top five candidates:

1. Murray State. I ranked the Racers 22nd on my AP ballot this week, so there’s no sense in easing up on the accelerator now. Besides not having lost a game since Nov. 29, Murray State could very well enter an NCAA tournament game against a high-major school with the best player on the floor in 6’2” sophomore point guard Cameron Payne. That is usually not the case.

2. Valparaiso. The last team to beat Murray State. Bryce Drew’s Crusaders are in first place in the Horizon with an 11-2 record (24-4 overall). Their leading scorer is Alec Peters, a versatile 6’9” sophomore forward who could start for a lot of power conference teams.
Green Bay hosts Cleveland St. in key Horizon League matchup--Busting Brackets

Hey Joe: Last-minute thoughts as Spartans invade U-M--The Detroit Free Press
The switch to look for tonight is MSU senior Travis Trice starting at shooting guard, with Bryn Forbes becoming the sixth man off the bench. Regardless of whether that happens, the bigger question in basketball is always who finishes the game, not who starts it. You know Trice, Branden Dawson, Denzel Valentine and a big are going to be on the floor for MSU in "winning time." Freshman Tum Tum Nairn replaced Bryn Forbes against Ohio State, Izzo giving up shooting but getting better defense and playmaking in return. When Forbes is hot on a particular night, he probably gets the nod there. But before Nairn emerged, he had that fifth spot by default. Now Izzo has more options.
No shots? No problem for Valentine, Spartans at U-M--The Detroit Free Press
"They tried to take me out the game a little bit, but it freed up other guys," Valentine said. "Trav had a big night, (Dawson) had a big night and Bryn (Forbes) had a lot of open shots. We got the win, that's all I'm happy about."

Forbes (seven points, 1 for 7 from three) had open looks all night, several of them on sharp Valentine passes that could have been assists. The Spartans (18-8, 9-4 Big Ten) are still waiting, though, for all three of its stars to have a big game in a big game.
Hey Joe: Mailbag goes cuckoo for Tum Tum--The Detroit Free Press
So the latest mailbag is heavy on the Tum Tum, for various reasons:

* I have a few Tum Tum questions:
...
2. With the recent success of Tum Tum starting and Trice coming off the bench, do you think this lineup will/should remain for rest of the season?
...
I answered the second question above. I think this is going to be the lineup for the rest of the season, though I still think it's possible Trice replaces Bryn Forbes as the starting off guard. This is somewhat reminiscent of a decade ago when Drew Neitzel replaced Chris Hill as MSU's starting point guard midway through that season, a move that helped the Spartans improve and eventually make a Final Four run. Nairn and Trice also make up a tandem that is somewhat reminiscent of Travis Walton and Neitzel in 2006-07, when MSU needed Neitzel off the ball making shots. So … MSU's backcourt is all Drew Neitzel, at different stages.
Spartans find confidence during win streak--The Detroit News
Izzo will also play Nairn and Trice together plenty while still expecting plenty of contribution from guard Bryn Forbes, as well as Costello and Gavin Schilling at center.
Cleveland State game canceled at Western Carolina for Tuesday night--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State starts big road series at Green Bay and Milwaukee--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State edges UW-Green Bay in overtime, 66-61--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State Game at Western Carolina Cancelled--Cleveland State Hoops
Cleveland State Picks Up Win over Green Bay 66-61 in OT--Vikings Ball
Cleveland State (17-11) Goes Up against Milwaukee (11-16)--Vikings Ball
Vikings Win in Overtime at Green Bay, 66-61--csuvikings.com
Vikings Conclude Wisconsin Swing at Milwaukee--csuvikings.com

Second Half Run Gives CSU 67-63 Victory Over Wright State--csuvikings.com
Vikings Drop 78-65 Contest At Detroit--csuvikings.com

College hoops: UDM, EMU, CMU win; WMU fall at home--The Detroit Free Press
Detroit Blown Out by Green Bay 96-76--Titans Update
Detroit Takes Down Youngstown State 83-70--Titans Update
Detroit Closes Their 2014-2015 Season with Valparaiso--Titans Update
#DetroitsCollegeTeam Visits Green Bay Wednesday--detroittitans.com
ass Records Third Double-Double in Loss at Green Bay--detroittitans.com
Team Effort Lifts Detroit Past Penguins, 83-70--detroittitans.com

Titan Basketball to Host Pink, Purple Games--detroittitans.com

Titans Comeback Just Falls Short At Oakland In #MetroSeries Match-Up--detroittitans.com
Titans Earn 78-65 Victory Over Vikings on Senior Day--detroittitans.com

Kahlil Felder leads Oakland past Detroit 83-78 at O'rena--The Detroit Free Press
Slowed game pace working well for Golden Grizzlies--The Detroit Free Press
Horizon League Power Rankings: Valpo’s big win shakes up the top--Press Row Sports
Max Hooper’s shooting helps Golden Grizzlies escape Wright State with 76-67 victory--Press Row Sports
Oakland Picks Up Win against Wright State 76-67--Grizz Gang
Oakland (14-14) Goes Up against UIC (7-21)--Grizz Gang
Oakland spares Detroit no mercy--Oakland Post
Oakland defeats injury-ridden Wright State--Oakland Post
MEN'S BASKETBALL - KAHLIL FELDER--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND USES LOW POINT AT UDM TO RECLAIM SEASON--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND TAKES FLIGHT OVER WRIGHT STATE, 76-67--ougrizzlies.com
PETROS EARNS HAIER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD--ougrizzlies.com
GAME 29: OAKLAND FACES UIC ON SUNDAY--ougrizzlies.com

Popkey honored, seals the deal late against Detroit--Oakland Post
OAKLAND WINS CLOSE AFFAIR OVER UDM, 64-58, FOR MSHOF CUP AND METRO SERIES VICTORIES--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND CAN'T KEEP PACE WITH WRIGHT STATE, 92-66--ougrizzlies.com

UIC finishes road trip with 67-59 loss to Cleveland State--The Catch and Shoot
UIC fails to capitalize in home loss to Milwaukee--The Catch and Shoot
UIC guard Jay Harris surpasses 1,000 career points with 27-point performance--The Catch and Shoot
Felder sparks Oakland to 81-56 win over Illinois-Chicago--Daily Herald
Flames fall at No. 2 Cleveland State--UIC News
Falling flat at home--Whoosh!Net
UIC Tripped Up by Milwaukee 71-60--Flame Fanatic
UIC (7-21) vs. Oakland (14-14)--Flame Fanatic
Jay Harris Eclipses 1,000 Career Points in Home Loss--uicflames.com
UIC at Oakland on Sunday for Final Road Game--uicflames.com

Women’s basketball hot on boards--UIC News
Women's Basketball Falls at Green Bay, 71-32--uicflames.com

UWGB men vs. Cleveland State: What to watch for--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB men blow late lead in crushing loss--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix fly high over Titans: Photo Gallery--UWGB Fourth Estate
Green Bay Wins Big over Detroit 96-76--Phoenix Fever
Green Bay Tripped Up by Cleveland State 66-61 in OT--Phoenix Fever
Green Bay (21-7) and UIC (7-22) Face Off--Phoenix Fever
Next up: Friday night showdown with Cleveland State--Phoenix Fever
Alec Brown makes Bakersfield Jam debut--Phoenix Fever
GB suspends Henry Uwadiae "indefinitely"--Phear The Phoenix
Alec Brown Set to Make NBA D-League Debut--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Mays' Career-High 34 Fuels Phoenix Rout--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Keifer Sykes Named Finalist for Bob Cousy Award--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Cleveland State Hands Green Bay First Home Loss--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWGB women vs. Illinois-Chicago: What to watch for--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB women clinch 17th straight Horizon title in rout--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix Feature: Coach Sarah Bronk--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Borseth Seizes Win No. 600 as Green Bay Routs Valpo--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Green Bay Throttles UIC to Claim 17th-Straight League Title--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Panthers finally earn road win--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Tough roads to traverse--PantherU
Milwaukee Drops UIC 71-60--UWM Update
Milwaukee (11-16) Faces Cleveland State (17-11)--UWM Update
Milwaukee Earns 71-60 Road Win Over UIC--uwmpanthers.com
Milwaukee Hosts Cleveland State Sunday In 2014-15 Home Finale--uwmpanthers.com

Panthers can't seal the deal--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers Back on TV Thursday Against Penguins--Panther Blog Zone
Women’s Basketball Pink Out Game Set For February 28--uwmpanthers.com
Panthers Drop Heartbreaker To YSU In Final Minutes--uwmpanthers.com

Scanning the Nation Notebook – February 20, 2015--Hoopville

Valparaiso has a glittering record (24-4, including 11-2 in the Horizon League) but has had some bad luck with injuries at the point guard spot this year, losing returning starter Lexus Williams to an ACL tear in September and then seeing the in-season starter Keith Carter go down in early January with a toe injury. Bryce Drew came up with a creative solution, going with 6-foot-8 senior E. Victor Nickerson at the point. Nickerson obviously has a big size advantage against most point guards defending him, and began using it increasingly more frequently to post up or drive on smaller guys as he got more comfortable in the role. One thing that helps is Valpo runs a lot of ball screen offense, so Nickerson wasn’t being expected to be a penetrator and distributor so much as someone to just get the team into its plays. Good news for the Crusaders is that Carter returned on Sunday in a win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
COURTSIDE CANADA: Valparaiso freshman guard Tevonn Walker settling into life in the NCAA--Edmonton Sun
Wright State gives Valparaiso a scare on senior night--The Catch and Shoot
Valpo's Keith Carter stays upbeat, on upswing in comeback--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso seniors celebrate night with a victory--The Post-Tribune
Crusaders begin final week with title in mind--The NWI Times
Peters leads Valparaiso men past Wright State--The NWI Times
Breaking down Horizon League stretch run--Inside VU Sports
Valparaiso finds victory in big conference matchup--The Torch
Skara posts big numbers in few minutes of playing time each game--The Torch
Love in the air at the ARC--The Torch
Valparaiso Knocks Off Wright State 55-48--Valpo Daily
Valparaiso (25-4) and Detroit (13-17) Face Off--Valpo Daily
Valpo Basketball Preview--valpoathletics.com
Crusaders Close Out Perfect Home League Slate Saturday--valpoathletics.com

Scouting Valparaiso vs. Green Bay women's basketball--The Post-Tribune
Injury bug bites Valparaiso again in loss to Green Bay--The Post-Tribune
Post-Tribune Local Roundup for Saturday, Feb. 21--The Post-Tribune
Schlegel torches Valparaiso for 38 in Horizon League rout--The NWI Times
Young Crusaders making huge impact on women’s program--The Torch
Associate head coach finds himself back at Valparaiso--The Torch
There’s no stopping Heidi Schlegel as Youngstown downs Valparaiso--The Torch
Crusaders Go Cold in Green Bay--valpoathletics.com
Penguins, Schlegel Hold on Loosely in Win over Valpo Women--valpoathletics.com

Raiders set sights on more than stopping skid--Dayton Daily News
Valpo rallies to hand WSU 7th straight loss--Dayton Daily News
Wright State Beaten by Oakland 76-67--Rowdy Review
Wright State Takes Loss against Valparaiso 55-48--Rowdy Review
Wright State (11-17) Takes On Milwaukee (12-16)--Rowdy Review
Men’s basketball: Duo’s emergence not enough to stem losses--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Light at the end of the tunnel--The Guardian
Raider Spotlight: Arceneaux plays through the pain--The Guardian
Men’s basketball notebook: Benzinger joins 30-point club--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Raiders drop sixth in a row--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: No longer freshmen--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Not in the zone--The Guardian
Men’s basketball: Eight minute stretch dooms Raiders--The Guardian
Men Fall to Oakland Despite Benzinger's 31 Points--wsuraiders.com
Men Drop 55-48 Decision at Valparaiso--wsuraiders.com

Jump picked for WCBA’s ‘Coach’ program--Dayton Daily News
Dutch sophomore big for WSU women--Dayton Daily News
Women’s basketball: Raiders bounce back against Oakland--The Guardian
Jump Selected to WBCA's "So You Want To Be A Coach" Program--wsuraiders.com
Women Fall at Cleveland State--wsuraiders.com
Women Defeat Oakland for 20th Win of Season--wsuraiders.com

YSU downs WSU behind Keene--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU’s Slocum on cusp of milestone win--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU’s Slocum misses first chance at 700th win--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU finally breaks through with league win--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Slocum in line for 700th win--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Detroit tops Penguins--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Youngstown State Takes Loss against Detroit 83-70--Guin Report
Youngstown State (11-18) Battles Oakland (15-14)--Guin Report
YSU Men’s Basketball Could Stop Titan Offense--The Jambar
Penguins Battle Back But Fall to Hot-Shooting Detroit--ysusports.com

Keene, Schlegel receive top honor--Youngstown Vindicator

Barnes’ Penguins control their own destiny--Youngstown Vindicator
Schlegel’s 38 points rally YSU women past Milwaukee--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU’s twin towers--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Schlegel’s 38 pushes YSU women past Milwaukee--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Schlegel scores 38 again, YSU women win big--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Look to Continue Win Streak--The Jambar
Schlegel Named to WBCA’s ‘So You Want To Be A Coach’ Class of 2015--ysusports.com
Schlegel Repeats as Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month--ysusports.com
Schlegel Scores 38 to Lift Penguins to Come-From-Behind Win at Milwaukee--ysusports.com
Schlegel Delivers Encore Performance in YSU's 87-69 Win at Valpo--ysusports.com

#HLMBB Weekly - February 18, 2015--Horizon League Network
Interview: Juwan Howard Jr.--Horizon League Network
Green Bay and Oakland Win on Wednesday Night--Horizon League Network
Oakland's Corey Petros Earns Haier Achievement Award--Horizon League Network
UWM Scores Road Win at UIC--Horizon League Network
Green Bay's Keifer Sykes Named Finalist for Bob Cousy Award--Horizon League Network
Interview: Gary Waters--Horizon League Network
Cleveland State Wins OT Thriller at Green Bay--Horizon League Network
Interview: Marcus Keene--Horizon League Network
UDM Rides Hot Start to Victory: Valpo Overcomes Halftime Deficit to Win--Horizon League Network
Valpo Holds Onto 1st; Detroit Clinches 1st Round Home Game--Horizon League Network

Green Bay's Mary Ellen Gillespie Appointed to NCAA DI Women's Basketball Committee--Horizon League Network
#HLWBB Weekly - February 18, 2015--Horizon League Network
Cleveland State, Oakland Claim Mid-Week Wins--Horizon League Network
Interview: Jasmyn Walker--Horizon League Network
Detroit's Leahy, Youngstown State's Schlegel Collect Scholar-Athlete of the Month Honors--Horizon League Network
Green Bay Head Coach Kevin Borseth Earns 600th Career Win--Horizon League Network
Green Bay Clinches Share of Regular Season Title--Horizon League Network