News On The Horizon 11/4/2015

Ranking every team in college hoops from Grambling St. (351) to UNC (1)--Sports Illustrated

Rank Team  Proj.   Off. Proj. Def. Conf.  Proj.
                 OE     Rank DE    Rank Rank   NCAA seed
...
40   Valparaiso 107.2  80   93.6   14  1st    10 seed
...
139  Oakland  111.3  37  108.4  309  2nd   
...
152  Detroit  103.9  145 102.3  175  3rd   
...
162  Green Bay  96.0  300  95.2   43  4th
...
164  Milwaukee  102.0  186 101.2  143  5th
...
176  Wright St. 98.6  261  99.2  102  6th
...
206  Cleve St.  99.6  240 102.1  169  7th
...
235  N Kent.  102.0  188 107.5  288  8th
...
277  Ill Chi.  99.6  239 107.8  300  9th
...
289  Young St.  103.7  150 113.2  344  10th

No. 10 Shockers enter season with high expectations again--College Sports Madness

They'll have some talented newcomers to help: Cleveland State transfer Anton Grady, former Kansas sharpshooter Conner Frankamp and one of the most talented recruiting classes Marshall has assembled, highlighted by 6-foot-4 guard Landry Shamet and 6-8 forward Markis McDuffie.

MSU 94, NMU 53: Valentine, new Spartans impress in exhibition--The Detroit Free Press

Senior guard Bryn Forbes, called MSU's summer MVP several times by Izzo, showed off his stronger body and some defensive tenacity. And he hit a bunch of shots – 7 for 10 from three -- and scored a game-high 23 points.

Valentine leads MSU to rout of Northern--The Detroit News
Spartans eager for game action vs. Northern Michigan--The Detroit News

Izzo said he expects to start Matt Costello at center with Javon Bess at power forward. Denzel Valentine, Lourawls Nairn Jr. and Bryn Forbes will start at guard, with Eron Harris coming off the bench.

“I’m gonna try to play a lot of people in this game and I think it’s very important because of the number of question marks we have,” Izzo said. “I’d say right now we have two definitive starters and that’s Forbes and Valentine. Tum (Nairn) has been pretty stable but we could go with a bigger lineup there and we could play two bigs up front.

Four CSU Teams Post Perfect Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Scores--csuvikings.com

Women’s Basketball Tabbed Sixth In Horizon League Preseason Poll--csuvikings.com

McCallum: Seaholm grad Paris Bass is ‘face’ of program--HometownLife
B-ball assistants play key roles behind scenes--Varsity Press
Freshman Gibson has Detroit roots--Varsity Press
Titans have talent- and question marks--Varsity Press
On the road: First bus trip of season a learning experience--Varsity Press
Detroit Earns High Grades In Latest NCAA GSR Report--detroittitans.com

#TitanTuesday Feature: Bernard Scott--detroittitans.com
Reynolds Earns Preseason All-League Honors, Titans Picked to Finish Seventh in Poll--detroittitans.com

LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR OAKLAND-EASTERN MICHIGAN HOME OPENER--ougrizzlies.com

OAKLAND PICKED FIFTH IN HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL--ougrizzlies.com

Going one-on-one with Flames basketball coach Steve McClain--UIC News

Winning beginning for women’s basketball in exhibition--UIC News
Flames roll past Roosevelt 99-47 in exhibition opener--uicflames.com
Ruvanna Campbell Named Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year--uicflames.com

Men's Basketball vs Minnesota-Duluth Moved to 12:00 Noon--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWGB's Luke to miss season with ACL injury--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB women picked to win Horizon League--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Tops Preseason Poll for Eighth-Straight Year--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Green Bay Welcomes St. Norbert for Final Exhibition Game--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Nze commits to Milwaukee--PantherU
Rob Jeter Joins Bill Michaels Show Wednesday Morning--uwmpanthers.com
Milwaukee Hosts Parkside In Exhibition Action Thursday--uwmpanthers.com

Eight small-conference teams with Cinderella potential--The Dagger

1. VALPARAISO (28-6, 13-3 last year): With every rotation player back from a team that went 28-6 last year and pushed Maryland to the final possession in the NCAA tournament, Valparaiso enters the new season as an overwhelming favorite to win the Horizon League. In fact, the Crusaders have a chance to chase an at-large bid and not leave their fate to the Horizon League tournament if they can take advantage of opportunities for quality non-conference wins against Oregon, Oregon State, Rhode Island and Belmont. What made Valparaiso formidable last season was its blend of size, skill and outside shooting prowess. Alec Peters, a 6-foot-9 junior, led the Crusaders in scoring (16.8 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and 3-point shooting (.466). Six-foot-10 Vashil Fernandez is the Horizon League's best rim protector and guards Darien Walker and Tevonn Walker are two-way standouts who both averaged double figures last year.

Starting Five: College basketball mid-major players to watch--USA Today

Alec Peters, Valparaiso

The 6-9 forward is the best player on one of the best mid-major teams in the country not named Gonzaga or Wichita State. He averaged 16.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season for a Valpo team with many options. The Crusaders have their top nine players back from a near-Cinderella team last season. They'll likely be in contention for a No. 12 seed if all goes according to plan, and that would mean a spotlight on the versatile big man who can step out on the perimeter and make 46% of his long-range shots. Peters had four triples against Maryland in a 65-62 tourney loss.

Ten mid-majors with potential to write Cinderella stories--USA Today

Valparaiso (28-6, 13-3 Horizon League)

Valparaiso coach and former player Bryce Drew might as well be the godfather of Cinderella considering his shot to stun Mississippi in the 1998 tournament. But his Crusaders have yet to stir up the same magic in two trips to the NCAA tournament in the last three years, including a three-point loss to Maryland in March. This could be Valpo's season for a storybook campaign, with all the pieces in place. That starts with Horizon player of the year Alec Peters (16.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg). Guard play also will be strong, as Tevonn Walker could take another step. If Valparaiso gets to the NCAAs for the third time in four years, this could be the charm.

Bracket Bits: Valparaiso, S.F. Austin among mid-majors to watch--Bracketville
Alec Peters stars for Valparaiso in exhibition basketball game--The Post-Tribune
Peters shines in Valparaiso’s exhibition victory--The NWI Times
Breaking down Valparaiso vs. Indianapolis (Exhibition)--Inside VU Sports
Are Valparaiso's expectations unrealistic?--Inside VU Sports
MBB: Peters powers Crusaders to exhibition victory--The Torch
Men's Basketball 2015-2016 Season Game Day Parking--valpoathletics.com
Peters’ Big Night Leads to Exhibition Win for Valpo--valpoathletics.com

Franklin Named Preseason Second Team All-League--valpoathletics.com

Horizon League releases Women's Basketball preseason poll--nkunorse.com

Wright State women picked to finish second in Horizon League--Dayton Daily News
Wright State women picked second in preseason poll--Dayton Daily News
Women Picked Second; Demmings First Team--wsuraiders.com

Get to Know Morgan Olson--ysusports.com
Women’s Basketball Team Picked Fourth in Horizon League Preseason Poll--ysusports.com
Get to Know Alison Smolinski--ysusports.com

Twenty-Three Horizon League Teams Post Perfect Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Scores--Horizon League Network

#HLWBB Media Event--Horizon League Network