Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Meanwhile, we're starting to trim the fat from the full bubble. 21 teams were eliminated from at-large contention: Ball State, Bowling Green, UC-Santa Barbara, East Tennessee State, Eastern Michigan, Elon, Iona, La Salle, UMass, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Missouri State, Navy, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota State, Northeastern, Tennessee State, Toledo, Tulane, Western Kentucky, and Wyoming.
...
12. MONMOUTH (MAAC)
12. VALPARAISO (HORIZON)
12. SAN DIEGO STATE (MOUNTAIN WEST)
12. ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK (SUN BELT)
...
Still alive, but pretty much need a miracle:
UCF, East Carolina, Albany, Boston College, Duquesne, Fordham, Saint Louis, DePaul, Marquette, St. John's, Weber State, Penn State, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, TCU, Long Beach State, Charleston, James Madison, Towson, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Old Dominion, Oakland, Siena, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Illinois State, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV, Utah State, Washington State, Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Mercer, Texas A&M-CC, IPFW, Georgia State, Louisiana Lafayette, UT-Arlington, Pepperdine
▪ Mockevicius, as the Shockers showed in the first meeting, isn’t great defending outside the lane. Anton Grady scored 17 points in that game off the pick-and-pop because Mockevicius lost him. Mockevicius can’t foul, because the Aces don’t have a backup, which puts him in a bind. It’s hard for him to aggressively defend Fred VanVleet in the ball screen because of foul potential. If he doesn’t, VanVleet gets lots of room to motor.
Elsewhere
...
Youngstown State Penguins (9-13, 4-5) at Valparaiso Crusaders (18-4, 8-1), 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
The Crusaders should be able to stay atop the Horizon League, though the Penguins have won their last two road games—against what look to be the conference's worst two teams.
Side Dishes
...
Oakland is making the race in the Horizon League a little more interesting after Kahlil Felder scored 33 points, at times in spectacular fashion, to lead the Golden Grizzlies to an 89-63 romp over Wright State. That brings the Grizzlies within a game of Wright State for second place behind Valparaiso.
Tonight’s Menu:
...
The Horizon League has three games, including the in-state showdown with Wisconsin-Green Bay at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, plus surprising Wright State and its defense taking on the freewheeling offense of Oakland.
THIS ONE’S GOOD TOO: Wright State at Oakland, 8:00 p.m.
Valparaiso has company atop the Horizon League standings, as Billy Donlon’s Raiders are 7-1 in conference games and have won ten of their last 11 games. Friday night they visit one of the nation’s most electrifying guards in junior Kay Felder, whose ability to both score and distribute the basketball makes him a tough matchup for any opponent the Golden Grizzlies encounter. But the key for Oakland will likely be their ability to defend, as Wright State has four players averaging at least 9.6 points per game led by sophomore guard Mark Alstork (12.2 ppg). The Raiders aren’t a prolific scoring team, but their ability to defend makes it imperative that Oakland get stops at a higher rate than it has thus far.
...
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR
...
3. Another key matchup in the Horizon League is Green Bay’s game at rival Milwaukee, with both sporting 5-3 records in league play. The Panthers, who have been the Horizon League’s most efficient offensive team in league play, have five players averaging double figures led by senior forward Matt Tiby (14.7 ppg, 8.8 rpg).
Highest-scoring game: #144 Green Bay 115, #176 Detroit 108 (OT) [98], Monday. Whatever you want to call Green Bay’s system - RP40 or HyperLinc or Screaming Pronghorns - it lived up to its billing last week. Thanks to a 33-point overtime, this game got crowned as the highest-scoring in the land. But the runner-up with Oakland’s 111-95 win over Green Bay that occurred in regulation. The Phoenix is now 5-3 in the Horizon so they’re not just some joke, people. In fact, in conference play, their defense is ranked better than their offense on a per-possession basis.
Looking to end a three-game skid last Saturday when they played Maryland, it was No. 12 Michigan State’s trio of seniors who got the Spartans back on the winning path. Bryn Forbes broke out of a shooting slump to score 25 while Denzel Valentine scored 19 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out eight assists. Add to that the emotional effort from an injured Matt Costello (15 points and 12 rebounds), and it was the perfect formula.
“The good news is my three seniors really played well,” Izzo said. “Costello probably had his best game on leg and a half and Valentine and Forbes played pretty well, and Forbes played pretty well defensively, too. Your seniors are the ones you need in cases like that.”
On the Horizon: Cleveland State (7-14, 2-6) has a tough road chore at Valparaiso, 8 p.m. ESPN3. The Crusaders are sitting atop the league standings along with idle Wright State. Valparaiso (17-4, 7-1), has not lost a game at home this season, and the Crusaders look to stay ahead of the rest of the league both on and off the court.
Drew’s nonconference slate included wins over Rhode Island and Oregon State. The Crusaders, 7-1 in the Horizon League, are ranked second in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom.com. They’ve held their opponents to a 40.7 percent mark inside the arc (fourth in the country). Valpo, led by Alec Peters (17.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG), could battle the top teams in the power leagues.
Five honorable mentions: Roscoe Allen, Stanford. Anthony Beane, Southern Illinois. Mindaugas Kacinas, South Carolina. Alec Peters, Valparaiso. Rashawn Thomas, A&M Corpus Christi.
