Saturday, December 31, 2016

News On The Horizon 12/31/2016

The Morning Dish – Friday, December 30, 2016--Hoopville
Today’s Menu:
...
Valparaiso opens Horizon play at Illinois-Chicago on national TV (5 p.m., ESPNU).
Oakland wins 11th straight opener, tops Wright St 81-62--CBS Sports
N. Kentucky rallies from halftime deficit, beats Detroit--CBS Sports
Morse scores 33; Youngstown St. beats Milwaukee 88-87, 2OT--CBS Sports
Cooper, Anderson help Green Bay top Cleveland St 76-75 in OT--CBS Sports
Walker, Peters lead Valparaiso over Illinois-Chicago 70-59--CBS Sports
Thursday recap: Lipscomb stuns Mizzou, Horizon League play opens and more--Mid-Major Madness
Horizon League heats up

Two of the four Horizon League openers last night went into OT. Recently, we talked about Steven Davis’ potential to lead Wright State to league success, but today he underperformed (13 points, 5-14 FG) in a 81-62 loss to Oakland. To compete with a Sherron Dorsey-Walker (25 points) and a good Golden Grizzlies’ team, he needed to be better. Green Bay fell behind Cleveland State but managed to pull out a win in OT behind Charles Cooper’s 19 points. Youngstown State survived against Milwaukee in OT thanks to Cameron Morse’s 33 points.
Walker Dominates in Second Half as Valpo Outlasts UIC--HLeagueHoops.com
College Hoops Viewing Guide For Friday, December 30, 2016--Blogging The Bracket
Horizon Opener

Valparaiso Crusaders (10-3) at UIC Flames (7-6), 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

Alec Peters and the Horizon favorites head west to UIC Pavilion to take on a Flames squad that’s improving, but limited due to Dikembe Dixson’s knee injury.
Horizon League: Oakland routs Wright State, Detroit falls--Detroit Free Press
The NCAA allegedly nixed the Horizon League’s plans for a double elimination conference tournament--The Catch and Shoot
Cleveland State falls to Green Bay in Horizon League opener--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Green Bay tops Cleveland State, 76-75, in OT--News-Herald
Vikings lose by one in Overtime Thriller, 76-75--NEO Sports Insiders
Cleveland State can’t hold lead in heartbreaking overtime loss to Green Bay in Horizon opener--Cleveland State Hoops
Vikings Drop League Opener to Green Bay, 76-75, in Overtime--csuvikings.com
Vikings Conclude Opening Weekend of League Play vs. Milwaukee on Saturday--csuvikings.com
Titans Tripped Up In HL Opener--detroittitans.com
Detroit Mercy Rings In The New Year With Wright State On Saturday--detroittitans.com

Titans Roll Past Valparaiso in Horizon League Opener, 85-60--detroittitans.com
Thursday’s basketball: Oakland wins Horizon opener--Detroit News
Dorsey-Walker scores 25 in OU win--Oakland Press
Defense keys Oakland past Wright State in league opener--Press Row Sports
Men’s basketball takes down Raiders in Horizon League opener--Oakland Post
Dorsey-Walker Leads Oakland Past Wright State, 81-62--goldengrizzlies.com
GAME 15: GOLDEN GRIZZLIES WELCOME NORTHERN KENTUCKY--goldengrizzlies.com

Women’s basketball extinguishes the Flames in Horizon League opener--Oakland Post
OAKLAND SMOTHERS FLAMES IN HORIZON LEAGUE OPENER, 81-58--goldengrizzlies.com
OAKLAND ROLLS PAST VALPARAISO, 104-63--goldengrizzlies.com
UIC drops Horizon League opener to Valpo--The Catch and Shoot
College roundup: Valparaiso continues dominance over UIC with 70-59 win--The Chicago Tribune
UIC Undone in Conference Opener--uicflames.com

Flames Drop Conference Opener--uicflames.com
UIC Looks to Even Conference Record vs. Detroit Mercy--uicflames.com
UWGB men win overtime thriller at Cleveland State--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Survives in OT to Win League-Opener at Cleveland State--greenbayphoenix.com

UWGB women dominate Northern Kentucky--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Opens League Play with Strong Showing vs NKU, Wins 70-39--Green Bay Press Gazette
Youngstown 88, UWM 87: Penguins outlast Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers fall in double-OT to Penguins, 88-87--UWM Post
Panthers Battle Penguins But Fall In Double-Overtime Thriller--mkepanthers.com
Milwaukee And Cleveland State Close 2016 With New Year’s Eve Matchup--mkepanthers.com

Horizon League Basketball Championships Tickets Now On Sale--mkepanthers.com

Wright State 69, UWM women 51: Cold Panthers fall--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Hot-shooting Wright State blows past Milwaukee, 69-51--UWM Post
Panthers Upended By Raiders--mkepanthers.com
Panthers, Norse Set For New Years Eve Matinee--mkepanthers.com
Derrik Smits' career game helps power Valparaiso past Illinois-Chicago--Post-Tribune
Mutka: Time to say goodbye after 50-plus years on the sports beat--Post-Tribune
Valparaiso set to defend Horizon League title--NWI Times
Smits shines as Valparaiso wins Horizon League opener--NWI Times
Slideshow: The top 10 Region sports stories in 2016--NWI Times
Valpo Men Open League Play With Win at UIC--valpoathletics.com

Crusaders Drop League Opener to Titans--valpoathletics.com
Women's Basketball Team Volunteers at Michigan Science Center--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Can’t Recover From Slow Start, Falls to Oakland--valpoathletics.com
Norse drain 14 threes in win over Detroit Mercy--The Northerner
Oakland pulls away late to defeat Norse--The Northerner
Murray, Holland power @NKUNorseMBB past Detroit Mercy--nkunorse.com

Green Bay opens title defense with win over NKU--The Northerner
Strong second quarter propels Milwaukee past NKU--The Northerner
@NKUNorseWBB drops League opener at Green Bay--nkunorse.com
Hot-shooting Panthers hand @NKUNorseWBB second League loss--nkunorse.com
Alstork shaping up as Raiders’ leader--Dayton Daily News
WSU drops Horizon League opener at Oakland--Dayton Daily News
College Basketball Preview: Wright State at Detroit Mercy--Dayton Daily News
WSU’s Davis embracing breakout season--Dayton Daily News
WSU defeats Detroit Mercy for first Horizon League win--Dayton Daily News
Raiders lose conference opener at Oakland--The Guardian
Men Fall in League Opener at Oakland--wsuraiders.com

Smith’s double-double helps WSU win fifth straight--The Guardian
Women Win League Opener at Milwaukee--wsuraiders.com
Women Fall at Green Bay--wsuraiders.com
Double bonus--Youngstown Vindicator
Penguins win 2-OT thriller--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Outlast Milwaukee 88-87 in Double OT in League Opener--ysusports.com
Penguins Make Late Push But Fall to Green Bay 90-77--ysusports.com

Cleveland State Escapes with 71-68 Win Over YSU in League Opener--ysusports.com
#HLMBB Opens League Play; Dec. 29 Update--The Horizon League
Valpo Fends Off UIC; #HLMBB Update Dec. 30--The Horizon League

#HLWBB Recaps, Dec. 29--The Horizon League

Thursday, December 29, 2016

News On The Horizon 12/29/2016

How the conferences shape up as 2017 approaches--Hoopville
Horizon League: The man on the bench changes, but Valparaiso is still a contender and right now looks like the team to beat. Wright State, Green Bay and Oakland have done well against good schedules, while Northern Kentucky has a nice record against a weak schedule.
The Morning Dish – Thursday, December 29, 2016--Hoopville
Today’s Menu:
...
Big South, Horizon, Northeast, Southland and Summit all get heavy into league play, with perhaps the best game featuring surprising Wright State at Oakland.
Horizon League Power Rankings: Who is on top as conference play begins?--Mid-Major Madness
Thursday TV Schedule: Basketball all day, from the NEC to the WCC--Mid-Major Madness
Horizon League

Green Bay at Cleveland State, 7 p.m., ESPN College Sports Extra
Wright State at Oakland, 7 p.m., ESPN College Sports Extra
Milwaukee at Youngstown State, 7 p.m., ESPN3
Northern Kentucky at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., ESPN College Sports Extra
Cleveland State Men’s Hoops Hosts Green Bay In Horizon League Opener Thursday--NEO Sports Insiders
Vikings Host Green Bay on Thursday to Open League Play--csuvikings.com

Vikings Begin Horizon League Play By Hosting Youngstown State Saturday Afternoon--csuvikings.com
@DetroitMBB Opens HL Play With NKU On Thursday--detroittitans.com

Titans Welcome Crusaders, Flames to Open Horizon League Play--detroittitans.com
GAME 14: GOLDEN GRIZZLIES BEGIN HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY HOSTING WRIGHT STATE--goldengrizzlies.com

GAMES 12 & 13 - OAKLAND WELCOMES UIC AND VALPARAISO TO OPEN HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY--goldengrizzlies.com
17 reasons to be excited for Chicago hoops in 2017--The Catch and Shoot
5. There will be tons of great individual matchups this winter
...
UIC: Tai Odiase has a challenger for his Horizon League blocks title, and his name is Isaiah Brock. The Oakland freshman is averaging 2.0 blocks per game in only 19.5 minutes, while Odiase is averaging 2.5 rejections in nearly 28 minutes. They’ll face each other on Jan. 8 and Feb. 19.

Another good one for the Flames is a battle between the conference’s two prominent freshman point guards: UIC’s Godwin Boahen (9.2 ppg, 3.7 apg) and Cleveland State’s Kasheem Thomas (7.1 ppg, 3.9 apg). With Horizon League Freshman of the Year potentially on the line, they’ll go head to head on Jan. 12 and Feb. 11.
...
12. Tai Odiase will continue his run toward shot blocking history
Photo: UIC Athletics

It’s becoming less and less likely, but Odiase still has a chance to become the first player to ever lead the nation in blocks in three separate seasons. The 6’9″ junior led Division I last year, but so far this year he is only tied for 27th with 2.5 per game.

The blocking title is not out of reach, but Odiase will need a monstrous Horizon League season to get there — we’re probably talking at least 4 blocks per game. Odiase averaged 3.8 blocks in conference play last year, so it’s not unreasonable.

Even if Odiase does not make a comeback in the national race, he’s leading Oakland’s Isaiah Brock in the conference race. Other players have led the Horizon League in blocks three times, but no one has ever been in the conference’s top two for all four years.

Barring a big drop-off over the rest of this season and next, Odiase should complete that feat.

Also, with 177 blocks entering conference play, Odiase will easily move into the top five all time in the Horizon League before the season’s end. Former Butler center Rolf van Rijn is 5th with 203 rejections.

Even if Odiase averages just 2.5 blocks for the rest of his career and UIC does not win a Horizon League Tournament game or make a postseason, Odiase would finish third all-time in the conference with 304 career blocks, only five shy of the record held by Alec Brown and Damian Eargle.
UIC Gets Visit from Valpo to Open Horizon League Play--uicflames.com

Flames Open Horizon League Play at Oakland--uicflames.com
Is Trevor Anderson the front-runner for Freshman of the Year?--Phear The Phoenix
Men's Basketball Game Preview: at Cleveland State--greenbayphoenix.com

Top 10 non-prep, non-Packers stories of 2016--Green Bay Press Gazette
2. UWGB men make NCAA tournament for first time in 20 years

The Phoenix made Linc Darner’s first season as coach a success, advancing to the Big Dance in March for the first time since 1996. It did so by winning four games in four days at the Horizon League tournament at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, including a 78-69 victory over Wright State in the title game. It came one game after an upset over No. 1 seed Valparaiso.

UWGB lost to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAAs and finished 23-13.
...
4. UWGB women earn trip to NCAA tournament

The Phoenix enjoyed another big season, advancing to the NCAA tournament in March after surviving a double-overtime game against Northern Kentucky in the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament and beating in-state rival UW-Milwaukee in the title game.

UWGB was beaten 59-53 by Tennessee in the first round of the NCAAs. It finished the season 28-5.
Developing Panthers enter new Horizon--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Panthers begin Horizon League play tonight--UWM Post
Valparaiso closes non-league play winning 7 of last 9--CBS Sports
Chicago State suffers lopsided defeat at Valparaiso--The Catch and Shoot
Alec Peters surpasses 2,000 career points in win over Chicago State--The Catch and Shoot
Walk-on John Kiser takes turn in spotlight as Valparaiso cruises--Post-Tribune
Freshmen shine on historic night at the ARC--NWI Times
Peters Reaches 2,000 Career Points in Crusaders’ Win Over Chicago State--valpoathletics.com
Horizon League action kicks off for @NKUNorseMBB at Detroit Mercy--nkunorse.com

@NKUNorseWBB opens up Horizon League play at Green Bay--nkunorse.com
Defense on the upswing as Wright State opens Horizon League play--Dayton Daily News
College Basketball Preview: Wright State at Oakland--Dayton Daily News
Familiar foe awaits Wright State’s Nagy in Horizon League opener--Dayton Daily News
Raider Men Open League Play--wsuraiders.com

Raider Women to Open League Play--wsuraiders.com
YSU men’s team ready for Horizon games--Youngstown Vindicator
YSU men begin HL play tonight--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Men's Basketball Hosts Milwaukee in Horizon League Opener Thursday--ysusports.com

Women's Basketball Begins Horizon League Slate Saturday at Cleveland State--ysusports.com
Horizon League Basketball Championships Tickets Now On Sale--The Horizon League
#HLMBB Update Dec. 28; Conference Play Tips Off Thursday--The Horizon League

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

News On The Horizon 12/27/2016

Gary Waters Radio Show Returns on Jan. 3--csuvikings.com
Celebrate Tommy Titan’s Birthday On Thursday During Basketball Doubleheader--detroittitans.com
Oakland’s Felder makes his return to The Palace with Cavaliers--Oakland Press
Top 16 moments of Chicago hoops in 2016--The Catch and Shoot
10. Do a little dance, make a little love, get your first D1 win tonight (Jan. 30)

In Steve McClain’s first year, UIC still had not defeated a Division I opponent with February nearing. The Flames had their best chance on Jan. 30 with Cleveland State visiting.

UIC came back from down nine points to force overtime. With two seconds left in OT, forward Najeal Young knocked down a mid-range jump shot to give the Flames their first D1 win in dramatic fashion.

The dance bumps this one up the list a few spots.

Here are the full highlights.

...
15. Dikembe Dixson drops a 40 burger on Youngstown State (Feb. 16)

It took a few overtimes to get there, but scoring 40 points in any scenario is a huge accomplishment, especially for a freshman.

Equally as impressive, Dixson played all 50 minutes of the double overtime defeat, taking 39 shots to reach his 40 points. He also had 17 rebounds.

This was a game UIC should have won, as it held six-point leads late in regulation and in the second overtime. Dixson, winded from the long night, missed two crucial free throws at the end of the second overtime and Matt Donlan’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left gave Youngstown State a 92-91 victory.
Flames sweep Horizon honors--Whoosh! Net
Panthers Open Horizon League Play With Two Games In Ohio--mkepanthers.com
Panther Baby Race Is Coming January 14--mkepanthers.com

Panthers Kick Off Conference Play Thursday--mkepanthers.com
Player of the Year Power Rankings: Josh Hart No. 1, Caleb Swanigan returns--College Basketball Talk
JUST MISSED THE CUT

Amile Jefferson, Duke
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State
Alec Peters, Valparaiso

League Play on the Horizon for Valpo Women--valpoathletics.com
Men's Basketball Game Time Against Green Bay Changed to 1 p.m.--ysusports.com

Monday, December 26, 2016

News On The Horizon 12/26/2016

Upper-Hand Rankings: Post Non-Conference 2016 Edition--HLeagueHoops.com
Tickets on Sale Dec. 29 for 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's & Women's Basketball Championship--csuvikings.com

Ely Named Horizon League Freshman Of The Week--csuvikings.com
2017 Motor City Madness Tickets Go On Sale Thursday--detroittitans.com
Vote now! Who is the 2016 Michigan athlete of the year?--Detroit Free Press
Kay Felder

Senior guard, Oakland basketball

Despite his small size at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Felder's play on the basketball court is massive. The Detroit native and former Detroit Pershing standout dropped 24.4 points per game as a senior at Oakland University in the 2015-16 season, ranking 3rd in all of Division I basketball, while leading the nation with 9.3 assists per game. Thanks to Felder's game, the Golden Grizzlies went 23-12 last season, reaching the Vegas 16 championship game. All of that led Felder to get drafted 54th overall in June's NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Felder is averaging 9.2 minutes per game in 12 games with the defending champion Cavs, averaging 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Bloomfield Hills grad Yante Maten makes Christmas homecoming amid successful hoops career at Georgia--Oakland Press
Men’s basketball ends non-conference play with win over SEC--Oakland Post

LITTLE NAMED HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK--goldengrizzlies.com
Illinois Rankings, Dec. 26--The Catch and Shoot
8. UIC (7-6)

Last week: 8

UIC ended a two-game home losing streak with victories against Northern Arizona and Roosevelt last week. Freshman guard Godwin Boahen recorded the program’s first triple-double in the latter.
Chicago Weekly Awards, Dec. 26--The Catch and Shoot
Flames Sweep Horizon League Weekly Honors--uicflames.com

Tickets on Sale Thursday for 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships--uicflames.com
W-11 BP68--Basketball Predictions
13. VALPARAISO (HORIZON)
13. EAST TENNESSEE ST (SOCON)
13. FORT WAYNE (SUMMIT)
13. AKRON (MAC)

Tickets On Sale Dec. 29 For 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Championship--valpoathletics.com
12/26 Men's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness
Horizon Mark Alstork G Wright State

Tickets on Sale Thursday for 2017 Little Caesars Basketball Championships--wsuraiders.com

12/26 Women's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness
Horizon Chelsea Welch G Wright State
Horizon League Basketball Championship Tickets Go On Sale This Thursday--ysusports.com
Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week (Dec. 26)--The Horizon League

Horizon League student athletes share favorite holiday gifts--The Horizon League
Horizon League Basketball Championship tickets go on-sale Thursday, December 29--The Horizon League

#HLWBB Players of the Week (Dec. 26)--The Horizon League

Friday, December 23, 2016

News On The Horizon 12/23/2016

The Morning Dish – Friday, December 23, 2016--Hoopville
Santa Clara earned the biggest win of Herb Sendek’s first year there, going across country and stunning Valparaiso 87-80 in two overtimes. In a game matching the Broncos’ Jared Brownridge (30 points) against Valpo’s Alec Peters (35 points, 13 rebounds), it was Brownridge who got more from his supporting cast and SCU earned a huge road win. That’s a terrific win for the Broncos.
...
Today’s Menu:
...
Georgia is at Oakland, a nice home get for the Golden Grizzlies and an opportunity for a quality win for a Horizon League team.
Belmont uses 21-point burst to beat Cleveland State--CBS Sports
Cleveland State Travels To Belmont For Non-Conference Game Finale--NEO Sports Insiders
Vikings lose to Belmont on the Road, 88-61--NEO Sports Insiders
Vikings Drop Final Non-League Game at Belmont; Host Green Bay on Dec. 29 in League Opener--csuvikings.com
Konchar, Fort Wayne hold off Detroit despite Allen's 33--CBS Sports
Corey Allen scores 33 but Detroit Mercy loses to Fort Wayne, 93-86--Detroit Free Press
Thursday’s basketball: Fort Wayne holds off UDM--Detroit News
Allen Pours In Career-High 33 In Setback To Fort Wayne--detroittitans.com
#ICYMI Chris Jenkins Featured On SportsCenter Top 10 Play--detroittitans.com
College Hoops Viewing Guide For Friday, December 23, 2016--Blogging The Bracket
Georgia Bulldogs (8-3) at Oakland Golden Grizzlies (9-3), 7 p.m. (ESPN3)

Last season, the Bulldogs only defeated the Golden Grizzlies by four in Athens. This time around, Georgia will play Oakland off a heartbreaking loss to Northeastern and road setback at Michigan State.
Homecoming for two locals as Georgia visits Oakland basketball--Detroit Free Press
Oakland hoops gets rare visit from Power Five school--Detroit News
Men’s basketball falls to Spartans in second consecutive loss--Oakland Post
OAKLAND HOSTS GEORGIA IN FINAL NON-CONFERENCE TILT--goldengrizzlies.com

Little posts multiple career highs in win over Vermont--Oakland Post
Odiase, Boahen lead UIC past NAIA Roosevelt 91-53--CBS Sports
Marcus Ottey continues dunkfest, posterizes poor Roosevelt defender--The Catch and Shoot
Godwin Boahen posts first triple-double in program history as UIC blows out Roosevelt--The Catch and Shoot
Boahen Secures Triple-Double in UIC Victory--uicflames.com

Flames Fall to Bradley as Non-Conference Play Ends--uicflames.com
Kanter has 19 points, Green Bay blows by St. Mary's (MN)--CBS Sports
UWGB’s Findlay sets steals record in win--Green Bay Press Gazette
By the numbers: Kanter heating up--Phear the Phoenix
Green Bay Ties Steals Record With 22, Cruises to 108-59 Win--greenbayphoenix.com
Next Edition Of Panthers Courtside Report Premieres Tonight--mkepanthers.com
Santa Clara outlasts Valparaiso in double overtime 87-80--CBS Sports
Thursday Recap: Valpo upset, Wichita State back on track, Dons rising and more--Mid-Major Madness
Alec Peters' big night not enough for Valparaiso vs. Santa Clara--Post-Tribune
Valparaiso suffers crushing double-overtime defeat--NWI Times
Valpo Falls at Home to Santa Clara--valpoathletics.com
No. 11 West Virginia battles upstart Northn Kentucky--CBS Sports
The Norse--College Insider
Big matchup at No. 11/13 West Virginia set for @NKUNorseMBB--nkunorse.com

Wright State overtakes Murray State 77-62 behind Alstork
--CBS Sports
Wright State tops Murray State on the road--Dayton Daily News
Alstork leads Raiders to win at Murray State--The Guardian
Wright Stuff--wsuraiders.com
Men Dominate Second Half for 77-62 Win at Murray State--wsuraiders.com

Strong play down the stretch gives Wright State the win over Miami--The Guardian
Dunn, Wright: YSU defeats Point Park--Youngstown Vindicator
Women’s Basketball Cruises Past Park Point--The Jambar
#HLMBB Update Dec. 22--The Horizon League