On The Horizon

Jim Squire

2016-17 Horizon League awards predictions--Mid-Major Madness
2016-17 HLeagueHoops Season Awards--
HLeagueHoops.com

Trio Of Vikings Earn All-League Postseason Honors--csuvikings.com

Horizon League, Olympia Entertainment To Host Numerous Events And Activities In Conjunction With “Motor City Madness”--detroittitans.com

Titan Trio Honored in Horizon League Postseason Awards--detroittitans.com

LITTLE AND JONES EARN ALL-LEAGUE HONORS--goldengrizzlies.com

Ferguson caps 4-pack--Whoosh! Net

UWGB's Kraker named Horizon League MVP--Green Bay Press Gazette
Kraker Named POTY, Lindstrom, Wellnitz and Hibner Honored--greenbayphoenix.com

Men’s basketball lets season finale slip away, 86-75--UWM Post
Relive Milwaukee’s NCAA Tournament Win On Spectrum Sports--mkepanthers.com

Panthers Are Fifth Seed At Motor City Madness--mkepanthers.com
Odegard, Kostowicz Earn All-League Honors--mkepanthers.com

College basketball: Six mid-major stars who could lead upsets in March--ncaa.com

Alec Peters | Valparaiso

If Peters’ name sounds familiar, it might be from the 2015 tournament when he led the Crusaders to a near upset of Maryland. Or, perhaps, it’s just from looking at the stat leaders throughout the season.

The senior ranks seventh in the nation in scoring at 23 points per game as he looks to cap off his college career by grabbing Valpo’s first tournament win since its Sweet Sixteen run in 1998. Peters is maybe a tad undersized at 6-foot-9, but he erases any deficiencies with a deadly combination of great post work and a soft shooting touch. He’s put up 20 points in 23 of his 29 games. He also averages a double-double per game.

Don’t think he just beats up on weaker Horizon League players, either. In the Crusaders’ three games against ranked teams, he averaged 24.7 points per game and poured in 26 against a BYU team that just beat Gonzaga.

Valpo is far from a sure thing to make the tournament — it’s currently tied atop the conference standings with Oakland, which it lost to in both regular-season meetings — but if the Crusaders can hoist the Horizon League trophy, watch out for Peters’ swan song.

Bracketology: Gonzaga holds on to No. 1 Seed--College Basketball Talk

Milwaukee
5) Virginia
12) ILLINOIS STATE
4) PURDUE
13) VALPARAISO

Player of the Year Power Rankings: It’s Frank Mason III’s award to lose--College Basketball Talk

JUST MISSED THE CUT

Josh Jackson, Kansas
Donovan Mitchell, Louisville
Monte’ Morris, Iowa State
Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame
Lauri Markkanen, Arizona
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Malik Monk, Kentucky
Dwayne Bacon, Florida State
Dillon Brooks, Oregon
Joel Berry II, North Carolina
Jock Landale, Saint Mary’s
Alec Peters, Valparaiso

Previewing Championship Week: What to expect from mid-major conference tournaments--College Basketball Talk

6. Just how healthy is Alec Peters?: The star scorer for Valparaiso, Peters was an NBC Sports preseason all-american, but between a couple of bad league losses and a surge from Oakland late in the year, the Crusaders have reached a point where they are not in position to receive an at-large bid to the Big Dance. But he’s currently dealing with a stress reaction in his foot, and while he’s expected to play in the Horizon League tournament, it’s difficult to know just how healthy he is. Peters is good enough to lead Valpo to a win as a No. 13 or No. 14 seed, and it would be a shame to see him miss out on the Big Dance.

FIve storylines to watch during week one of conference tournament play--The Dagger

1. Will Alec Peters be healthy enough to lead Valparaiso?

One of the great stories from this past summer was the loyalty Peters showed to Valparaiso. The heralded 6-foot-9 forward chose to stay with the Crusaders even after coach Bryce Drew left for Vanderbilt and dozens of high-major programs reached out through back channels urging him to consider leaving as a graduate transfer.

For months, it appeared Peters’ loyalty would be rewarded. He averaged 23 points and 10.1 boards to play his way into contention to be a first-round draft pick and to lead Valparaiso into position to win the Horizon League title. But then Peters suffered an unspecified lower leg injury that sidelined him for the Crusaders’ final two regular season games and has since thrown his availability for the Horizon League tournament into question.

Valparaiso (24-7, 14-4) is an experienced, postseason-tested team that would be a tough out in the NCAA tournament, but there’s little chance the Crusaders will get there if Peters either can’t play in the Horizon League tournament or is at less than full strength. They’ll likely have to get by a Green Bay team that upset them in the conference tournament last year just to earn the right to make the title game, where an Oakland team that beat them twice this season could be waiting.

New Bracketology – 2/28/17--College Hoops Daily

14 SEEDS: Princeton; Belmont; UNC Asheville; Valparaiso.

Franklin, Lindfors Earn Horizon League Postseason Awards--valpoathletics.com

Despite constant changes, Murray thrives for Norse--The Northerner

Rebecca Lyttle named to #HLWBB All-Defensive Team--nkunorse.com

Wright State’s Merriweather named Horizon League Coach of Year--Dayton Daily News
Welch, Merriweather Honored by Horizon League--wsuraiders.com

Mary Dunn Named Horizon League Freshman of the Year--ysusports.com

Horizon Leage, Olympia Entertainment to host numerous events in conjunction with Motor City Madness--The Horizon League

#HLWBB Postseason Awards Announced; Kraker Player of the Year--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

The Morning Dish – Sunday, February 26, 2017--Hoopville

Today’s Menu:

Valparaiso will attempt to lock up the outright Horizon League title and the top seed in the league tourney, but the Crusaders will have to work for it at Northern Kentucky, which has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the entire season.

The Morning Dish – Monday, February 27, 2017--Hoopville

Side Dishes
...
Oakland will be the top seed in the Horizon League Tournament after they won 86-75 at Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky beat Valparaiso 82-78. Oakland and Valparaiso finish the regular season tied at 14-4 in league play, but the Golden Grizzlies swept the Crusaders head-to-head.

Wright State builds 40-19 halftime lead, eases by UIC 87-49--CBS Sports
N. Kentucky beats Valparaiso 82-78 behind McDonald's 23 pts--CBS Sports
Oakland clinches Horizon crown in win over Milwaukee--CBS Sports
Green Bay rallies in 2nd half, downs Detroit 89-81--CBS Sports
2017 Horizon League Tournament Bracket: Oakland overtakes Valpo on the league’s final day--Mid-Major Madness
Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings: Gonzaga stays No. 1 despite loss--Mid-Major Madness

Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings
RANK TEAM RECORD LAST WEEK POINTS
...
16 Valparaiso 24-7 12 71
...
23 Oakland 24-7 NR 41

Conference Tournaments 2017: What’s New--Blogging The Bracket

Who’s Newly Eligible

Northern Kentucky, which participated in last season’s Horizon Tournament and the 2015 A-Sun event as it was transitioning into Division I, is now fully eligible for the Horizon League’s automatic bid this time.
...
Site Changes
...
Finally, this will be the second and final year that the Horizon League plays its event at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Next season, that tournament switches to the new Little Ceasars Arena, also in the Motor City.

David S. Glasier: Gary Waters could be out at Cleveland State after fast, hard fall in two seasons--News-Herald
Vikings Pull Out the Win for Senior Day in Regular Season Finale, 69-55--NEO Sports Insiders
BRACKET – Cleveland State Men’s Basketball Get 8th Seed And Rematch With Youngstown Coming UP Friday In Detroit--NEO Sports Insiders
Vikings Earn No. 8 Seed in Horizon League Tournament; Will Face No. 9 YSU on Friday at 8pm--csuvikings.com

Sports Mini Series--The Cauldron

Men’s Head Basketball Coach Gary Waters recently surpassed Ray Dieringer for the most games coached by a coach in program history.

Waters coached his 361st game as head coach on Feb. 11 against the University of Illinois at Chicago, a game in which the Vikings were victorious.

2017 is Waters’ 11th season as head coach. He has compiled a 193-169 record at CSU. He has led the team to five 20-win seasons, three National Invitational Tournament bids and a NCAA Tournament bid. He has also led the team to two Horizon League Championship games.

Waters was the recipient of the Master Coach Award in 2015.

Waters is under contract with CSU until summer 2019.
...
Women’s basketball picked up a victory against Western Kentucky University Saturday by a score of 77-57. The men’s team dropped their game to Wright State University in double overtime by a score of 74-68.

The Lady Vikings (12-14) were led by junior Khayla Livingston with 19 points and sophomore Ashanti Abshaw with 15 points and nine rebounds. Abshaw surpassed 1000 career points in the game.

The Lady Vikings will take on the University of Detroit Mercy on Thursday at the Wolstein Center.

The men’s team dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime to fall to 8-20 on the season. The bulk of the Vikings scoring came from three players – senior Demonte Flannigan (22), sophomore Rob Edwards (17) and junior Bobby Word (16).

Flannigan added 11 rebounds for his seventh career double-double.

The Vikings will be back in action Tuesday against Detroit Mercy.

Michael Thomas hired as new athletic director--The Cauldron

Women’s Basketball Earns No. 6 Seed In Horizon League Tournament--csuvikings.com
Ely Named Horizon League Freshman Of The Week--csuvikings.com

Allen Nets 24 In Setback At Green Bay, Prepare For #MotorCityMadness--detroittitans.com

#MotorCityMadness Bracket Set, Tickets On Sale & Alumni Tailgate Slated For Friday--detroittitans.com

Cohen Earns Horizon League Player of the Week Honor--detroittitans.com

Greg Kampe keeps his promise, Oakland basketball wins share of Horizon--Detroit Free Press
Sunday's basketball: Oakland wins Horizon League title--Detroit News
Oakland beats Milwaukee, secures first Horizon League hoops title--Press Row Sports
Men’s basketball crowned Horizon League regular season champions--Oakland Post
Athletics to fund Motor City Madness tickets, transportation for students--Oakland Post
GOLDEN GRIZZLIES CAPTURE FIRST HORIZON LEAGUE TITLE--goldengrizzlies.com

2/27 Women's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Horizon Taylor Jones G Oakland

Chicago Weekly Awards, Feb. 27--The Catch and Shoot

Player of the Week

Tarkus Ferguson, UIC

Ferguson flirted with a triple-double shy twice last week while averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three games, although UIC lost the whole trio.

The 6’4″ freshman dropped 11 points, 9 boards and 8 dimes on Green Bay while also posting a career-high 3 blocks. One game later he exploded for 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a career-high 4 steals against Northern Kentucky.
...
Freshman of the Week

Tarkus Ferguson, UIC

Honorable mention: Marcus Ottey, UIC

Illinois Rankings, Feb. 27--The Catch and Shoot

9. UIC (14-17, 7-11 Horizon)

Last week: 7

UIC ended the regular season on a four-game losing streak but still gets a bye to the Horizon League quarterfinals.

Stinging defeat--Whoosh! Net
UIC Stumbles in Regular Season Finale--uicflames.com
Ferguson Named #HLMBB Co-Freshman of the Week--uicflames.com
Flames to Face Phoenix in #HLMBB Quarterfinals--uicflames.com

UWGB men beat Detroit, earn No. 3 seed--Green Bay Press Gazette
Kam Hankerson's impressive week--Phear The Phoenix
Horizon League Tournament bracket set, Green Bay #3 seed--Phear The Phoenix
Green Bay Clinches No. 3 Seed in Tournament with Senior Day Victory--greenbayphoenix.com

Green Bay Clinches 19th-Straight Conference Title, Downs NKU--greenbayphoenix.com

Oakland 86, UWM 75: Inside-outside game beats Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers Come Up Just Short Against Golden Grizzlies--mkepanthers.com

Wright State women 62, UWM 52: Cold spell proves costly for Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Third Quarter Cold Spell Sinks Milwaukee--mkepanthers.com

NIT Bracketology: February 27--NYC Buckets

The bottom of the NIT is a little messy too. That’s partly because teams like UNC Asheville and Valparaiso have been added to the bracket. Both narrowly missed out on winning their conference titles and will have to play on the road to take home a tournament championship. They have resumes that definitely will be intriguing for the committee. College of Charleston, the second best team in the CAA and a serious contender for the tournament title, and New Mexico St. are two other mid-majors that nobody might be talking about, but are quite deserving.
...
NIT Bracket:
...
1. Vanderbilt
8. Richmond
4. Alabama
5. College of Charleston
3. Ohio St.
6. Valparaiso
2. TCU
7. Fresno St.

W-2 BP68--Basketball Predictions

13. VALPARAISO (HORIZON)
13. AKRON (MAC)
13. MONMOUTH (MAAC)
13. VERMONT (AMERICA EAST)

Valparaiso falls without Alec Peters, settles for share of league title--Post-Tribune
Crusaders aim for outright Horizon title--NWI Times
Peters misses 2nd straight game, VU loses on the road--NWI Times
Valpo Drops Shootout at NKU in Regular Season Finale--valpoathletics.com

2/27 Men's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Horizon Drew McDonald F Northern Kentucky

NKU earns signature win against Valpo--Cincinnati Enquirer
Norse outlast league leading Valparaiso to finish regular season--The Northerner
@NKUNorseMBB defeats Valpo, 82-78, finishes third in Horizon League--nkunorse.com
Motor City Madness bracket set, @NKUorseMBB earn No. 4 seed--nkunorse.com
McDonald and Williams earn Horizon League weekly awards--nkunorse.com

Norse drop regular season finale--The Northerner
Phoenix upend @NKUNorseWBB in regular-season finale--The Northerner

Davis pours in 27 points a Wright State rolls in regular-season finale--Dayton Daily News
Wright State’s Mitchell believes Horizon League tourney is up for grabs--Dayton Daily News
Raiders torch UIC Flames 87-49--Raider Roundball
Men Roll Over UIC in Regular-Season Finale--wsuraiders.com

WSU basketball wins big on senior night, before Horizon League Tourney--The Guardian
Women Clinch Share of First-Ever Regular-Season Title--wsuraiders.com

Men's Basketball Garners Ninth Seed; Will Face Eighth-Seeded Cleveland State Friday--ysusports.com

YSU men, women basketball heading to HL Tournament--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Penguins to Open Tournament Versus Ninth-Seeded Valparaiso on Friday--ysusports.com

Oakland Earns Top Seed, Shares Regular Season Title with Valpo; #HLMBB Update Feb. 26--The Horizon League
Horizon League Men's Basketball Players of the Week (Feb. 27)--The Horizon League

Green Bay and Wright State Share Regular Title, Phoenix Top Seed; #HLWBB Recaps, Feb. 26--The Horizon League
Horizon League Women's Basketball Players of the Week (Feb. 27)--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

The Morning Dish – Saturday, February 25, 2017--Hoopville

Meanwhile, Valparaiso and Princeton are both a step closer to winning their regular season titles. Valpo was without star forward Alec Peters, but the Crusaders still went to Wright State and left with an 84-74 win, impressive considering Wright State is tough to beat at home. Shane Hammink picked up the slack with 25 points as the Crusaders outscored Wright State 50-32 in the second half. Oakland won at Green Bay 85-72 to keep pace with the Crusaders, but it is Valparaiso who controls their own destiny.

Cleveland State cruises in 2nd half, beats Youngstown State--CBS Sports

Cleveland State loses another heartbreaker in double overtime--Cleveland State Hoops
Vikings Top Youngstown State, 69-55, on Senior Day--csuvikings.com

Vikings Fall To Oakland On Senior Day--csuvikings.com

Titans Take Down Milwaukee--detroittitans.com
Men’s Basketball Looks To Make It Three In A Row--detroittitans.com

Titans Win Regular-Season Finale, Cohen Surpasses 1,000 Points--detroittitans.com

Oakland basketball heads into finale with shot at Horizon League title--Detroit Free Press
GAME 31: OAKLAND FACES MILWAUKEE IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE--goldengrizzlies.com

JONES, SOMERFIELD AND GLEASON LEAD OAKLAND TO 93-79 ROAD WIN OVER CLEVELAND STATE--goldengrizzlies.com

Career night turns sour--Whoosh! Net
UIC Wraps Regular Season Sunday at Wright State--uicflames.com

Big Second Half Can't Sustain Flames--uicflames.com

UWGB men lose out on No. 2 seed--Green Bay Press Gazette
Men's Basketball Preview vs. Detroit Mercy - Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.--greenbayphoenix.com

Meet Valpo's Alec Peters, the NCAA's best-kept secret--Indianapolis Star
Regular Season Finale Awaits Crusaders Sunday--valpoathletics.com

Crusaders Top Flames on Senior Day, Play Youngstown State in Horizon League Tournament--valpoathletics.com

Who walked off with coach's chair after NKU game?--WCPO
NKU reaping benefits of signing Williams--Cincinnati Enquirer
Regular-season comes to close for @NKUNorseMBB with Valpo; NKU to honor seniors--nkunorse.com

Senior Day against Green Bay caps off @NKUNorseWBB regular season--nkunorse.com

Turnovers doom WSU in loss to Valparaiso--Springfield News-Sun
College Basketball Preview: UIC at Wright State--Springfield News-Sun
Wright State to honor Davis, La Tulip on Senior Day--Springfield News-Sun
Raiders can’t weather storm against Valpo--Raider Roundball

Wright State women fall to Green Bay--Springfield News-Sun
Tom Archdeacon: WSU women can’t kick the Green Bay jinx--Dayton Daily News

Jorden Kaufman Posts Double-Double in Loss at Cleveland State--ysusports.com

No Grand Finale: YSU Women Fall to Detroit on Senior Night--The Jambar
Penguins Fall to Detroit Mercy in Regular-Season Finale--ysusports.com

Valpo, Oakland Clinch Top Two Seeds; #HLMBB Update Feb. 24--The Horizon League
Cleveland State Tops Youngstown State; #HLMBB Update (Feb. 25)--The Horizon League

Seeds 3-10 Clinched for Tournament; #HLWBB Recaps, Feb. 25--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Oakland beat Green Bay, Valpo beat Wright State, Northern Kentucky beat UIC, Detroit beat Milwaukee. As usual, the fewer games left, the simpler the remaining scenarios start to untangle.

        W       L       Pct.    GB      Seed
Valpo   14      3       0.824   0       1-2
OU      13      4       0.765   1       1-2
UWGB    11      6       0.647   3       3-4
NKU     11      6       0.647   3       3-4
WSU     10      7       0.588   4       5
UIC     7       10      0.412   7       6
UDM     6       11      0.353   8       
YSU     5       12      0.294   9       8-10
UWM     4       13      0.235   10      8-10
CSU     4       13      0.235   10      8-10

Oakland's 2 game lead over 3rd place with 1 game to go along with still trailing Valpo by 1 game guarantees that Valpo and Oakland are the only teams left eligible for the 1 seed, with the loser getting the 2 seed. Both teams are guaranteed that their first game in the conference tournament will be on Saturday. If they win, they get a day off before their next game.

Wright State will be the 5 seed. They can still tie for 3rd or 4th place, but none of the tiebreakers favor them. If they tie with NKU and Green Bay (at 11-7), NKU is 3-1, Green Bay 2-2, Wright State 1-3, so the Raiders lose the tiebreaker. Obviously, if they tie only with NKU, the Norse swept them so they lose that one. If they tie with Green Bay who they split with, they lose because they were swept by Valpo while Green Bay split with Valpo.

Detroit clinched the 7 seed with their win over Milwaukee because the only team who can catch them is YSU, and the Titans swept the Penguins.

In order for Oakland to get the 1 seed, they need to beat Milwaukee AND they need Northern Kentucky to beat Valpo. This produces a tie, and Oakland wins the tiebreaker because they swept Valpo (who gets the 2 seed). If Oakland loses to Milwaukee OR Valpo beats NKU, Valpo is the 1 seed and Oakland is the 2 seed.

If Green Bay loses to Detroit, they need Valpo to beat NKU and UIC to beat Wright State in order to get the 3 seed. The Raiders would be 10-8 and Green Bay and NKU would be 11-7. Both Valpo and Oakland favor Green Bay over NKU (both teams split with Green Bay and sweep NKU). If Wright State beats UIC we have a 3-way tie and NKU wins that tiebreaker as mentioned above. If NKU beats Valpo, they get the 3 seed by finishing 12-6.

If Green Bay beats Detroit, they get the 3 seed because even if NKU beats Valpo, their win over Oakland breaks the tie in their favor (NKU was swept by Oakland; both teams would split with Valpo).

YSU can clinch the 8 seed if they beat Cleveland State by simple games-behind math. If they lose to Cleveland State, they tie at 5-13. If Milwaukee beats Oakland, it becomes a 3-way tie. In this case, both Milwaukee and Cleveland State would beat out YSU since the Penguins are the only team to have been swept by Oakland (Valpo swept all 3). Even if Milwaukee loses to Oakland, Cleveland State still beats out YSU on this tiebreaker. So YSU can only get the 8 seed if they beat CSU.

If YSU beats CSU and Oakland beats Milwaukee, Milwaukee and CSU finish tied at 4-14. Valpo swept both, but Oakland split with CSU while sweeping Milwaukee, so CSU gets the 9 seed and Milwaukee gets the 10 seed. If instead Milwaukee beats Oakland, then Oakland also does not break the tie. Green Bay also swept both teams, but Milwaukee split with NKU while CSU was swept by them, so Milwaukee wins this tiebreaker.

If CSU beats YSU and Oakland beats Milwaukee, CSU gets the 8 seed by winning the tiebreaker with YSU. If CSU beats YSU and Milwaukee beats Oakland, then YSU loses the 3-way tiebreaker as mentioned above, and Milwaukee gets the 8 seed because they split with NKU (both swept by Valpo and Green Bay, both split with Oakland).

Jim Squire

The Morning Dish – Friday, February 24, 2017--Hoopville

Tonight’s Menu:
...
There are several important games as the final weekend of Horizon League play starts tonight. Oakland is at Wisconsin-Green Bay (7 p.m., ESPNU), with the Golden Grizzlies in hot pursuit of Valparaiso, which is at Wright State. UWGB is also chasing Oakland, though, just one game behind the Grizzlies with two to play.

Oakland wins 8th straight to beat Green Bay 85-72--CBS Sports
Northern Kentucky picks up 20th victory--CBS Sports
Hammink scores 25, leads Valparaiso over Wright State 84-74--CBS Sports
Detroit Mercy shot 84 percent from the line, beats Milwaukee--CBS Sports
Under the Radar Game of the Day: Oakland at Green Bay--Hoops HD

Levitt Scores Career-High 18 Points in Setback at Detroit Mercy--csuvikings.com
Vikings Host Youngstown State on Saturday For Senior Day--csuvikings.com

Vikings Take Down Detroit, 75-50--csuvikings.com
Women's Basketball Set To Host Oakland On Senior Day--csuvikings.com

Titans Prepare For Tilt At Milwaukee--detroittitans.com

Titans Fall at Cleveland State on Thursday--detroittitans.com
Titans Visit Penguins on Saturday in Regular-Season Finale--detroittitans.com

BIG SECOND HALF LEADS OAKLAND PAST GREEN BAY, 85-72--goldengrizzlies.com

OAKLAND PUTS PENGUINS ON ICE, 80-58--goldengrizzlies.com

Pair of Freshmen Shine as UIC Falls at NKU--uicflames.com

Flames Close Regular Season at Valpo--uicflames.com

UWGB women’s title hopes alive and well--Green Bay Press Gazette
Late Oakland Run Hands Green Bay Tough Loss at Home--greenbayphoenix.com

Green Bay Takes Down Wright State with Late Surge--greenbayphoenix.com

Detroit 81, UWM 74: Woes at the line hurt Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Big Second Half Helps Titans Past Panthers--mkepanthers.com

Fast Start Too Much For Milwaukee--mkepanthers.com

Bracketology: Syracuse banks in a little Madness--College Basketball Talk

Milwaukee
5) Notre Dame
12) ILLINOIS STATE
4) Butler
13) VALPARAISO

No Alec Peters, no problem as Valparaiso clinches share of Horizon League title--Post-Tribune
UPDATE: VU clinches HL share without injured Peters in the lineup--NWI Times
Men’s basketball wins at the ARC on senior night--Valpo Torch
Crusaders still have a chance at the big dance--Valpo Torch
Crusaders set out on the road for final regular season games--Valpo Torch
Crusaders Rise to the Occasion For Road Win at WSU; Clinch Share of League Title--valpoathletics.com

Women's Basketball Senior Day Set for Saturday--valpoathletics.com

Norse earn 20th win of the season--The Northerner
@NKUNorseMBB defeats UIC; notches 20th win--nkunorse.com

Athletics officially induct 2017 class--The Northerner

Norse break four game skid by blasting Milwaukee--The Northerner
Uetrecht to miss remainder of NKU women’s basketball season--nkunorse.com
Sharp shooting from long range bolsters @NKUNorseWBB in win over Milwaukee--nkunorse.com

Valpo overcomes Peters absence to beat WSU--Dayton Daily News
Mitchell is a Triple-Threat for the Raiders--wsuraiders.com
Men Fall to Valparaiso--wsuraiders.com

Green Bay women beat Wright State--Dayton Daily News
Women Drop Tough 58-51 Decision to Green Bay--wsuraiders.com

Men's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season At Cleveland State Saturday--ysusports.com

Penguins fall behind early, can’t catch up in loss to Oakland--Youngstown Vindicator
Shooting touch fails Penguins in loss to Oakland--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Hard Loss for YSU: Missed Shots Bury the Penguins--The Jambar
Penguins to Salute Seniors, Host Detroit Mercy on Saturday--ysusports.com

Green Bay and Wright State Tied for First; #HLWBB Recaps, Feb. 24--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

After Youngstown withstood a Northern Kentucky rally last Saturday night, there were 16 #HLMBB regular season games remaining, which is just the right number for my tiebreaker spreadsheet to handle. For the rest of the night, I started looking at 1st place ties.

I cannot remember a year that was as crazy as 2017 on this:

I'm beginning my annual #HLMBB tiebreaker analysis, and there's a very remote (0.15%) chance of a 6-way tie for 1st at 11-7.
— James Squire (@StlVUFan) February 19, 2017

@StlVUFan Goofed on the numbers. It's actually 24 scenarios and it's 0.04%. Otherwise it was correct.
— James Squire (@StlVUFan) February 19, 2017

@StlVUFan There are 176 scenarios (2.7%) involving a 5-way tie for first (and 3 different 5-team groups within top 6).
— James Squire (@StlVUFan) February 19, 2017

@StlVUFan Meanwhile there are 1608 scenarios (2.5%) involving a 4-way tie for 1st from 5 possible teams. OU-GB game is again major player.
— James Squire (@StlVUFan) February 19, 2017

I did not finally get all the ties resolved (as much as they can be right now - yes there are a few scenarios as usual that require an RPI tiebreaker) until Wednesday night. It helps that there are only 512 scenarios left to consider.

        W       L       Pct.    GB      Seed
Valpo   13      3       0.813   0       1-3
OU      12      4       0.750   1       1-4
UWGB    11      5       0.688   2       1-5
WSU     10      6       0.625   3       3-5
NKU     10      6       0.625   3       3-5
UIC     7       9       0.438   6       6
UDM     5       11      0.313   8       7-10
YSU     5       12      0.294   8.5     7-10
UWM     4       12      0.250   9       7-10
CSU     4       13      0.235   9.5     7-10

Thanks to Green Bay's win over UIC, the top 5 will consist of Valpo, Oakland, Green Bay, Wright State, and Northern Kentucky. UIC (7-9) will be the 6th seed because Detroit (5-11) got swept by the Flames. The bottom 4 are likewise set: Detroit, Milwaukee, Youngstown State, Cleveland State. These 4 teams will play on Friday night.

Valpo (13-3) will be the 1, 2, or 3 seed because Northern Kentucky beat Wright State on Tuesday so that only Oakland and Green Bay can reach 13 wins. They fall to 3 seed if Oakland beats Green Bay, they lose to Wright State and Northern Kentucky, Green Bay beats Detroit, and Oakland beats Milwaukee. This sets up a 3-way tie for 1st at 13-3, with Green Bay 3-1 (sweeps Oakland, splits with Valpo), Oakland 2-2 (swept by Green Bay, sweeps Valpo), and Valpo 1-3. Otherwise, Valpo will play on Saturday against one of the play-in winners from Friday.

Oakland (12-4) will be the 1, 2, 3, or 4 seed. They won't fall to #5 because they swept Northern Kentucky. If they lose to Green Bay and Valpo loses to Wright State on Friday, Detroit beats Green Bay and Milwaukee beats Oakland on Sunday, and UIC and/or Valpo beats NKU this weekend, Oakland, Wright State, and Green Bay finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd at 12-6. Green Bay would be 3-1, Wright State 2-2, Oakland 1-3, so Oakland would get the 4 seed (NKU losing at least once keeps them out of the tie). If they lose to Green Bay but beat Milwaukee, Green Bay beats both Oakland and Detroit, and Valpo beats Wright State and/or NKU, they get the 3 seed because they were swept by Green Bay. If instead they lose to Milwaukee and Wright State loses at least once more, they still get the 3 seed either for the same reason or because Green Bay finishes a game ahead. If in this case Wright State also finishes 12-6, they get the 3 seed if Valpo beats NKU and Green Bay beats Detroit thanks to their sweep of Valpo. If instead Detroit beats Green Bay and NKU beats Valpo, then we have the 4-way ties mentioned below where Oakland gets the 3 seed because of their sweep of NKU.

Wright State and Nothern Kentucky (10-6) will absolutely be playing on Sunday because their highest seed is #3. Valpo's win over Milwaukee on Tuesday eliminated both teams from a share of 1st place. A 3-way tie between Wright State, Green Bay, and Oakland at 12-6 results in the 3 seed because Green Bay will have swept Oakland while Wright State split with both. Add in Northern Kentucky at 12-6 and Wright State drops to 5 because Green Bay is 4-2, Oakland is 3-3 (split with Wright State, swept NKU), Northern Kentucky is 3-3 (split with Green Bay, swept Wright State, swept by Oakland), and Wright State is 2-4 (Green Bay is #2, Oakland is #3 because of their sweep of NKU) and NKU is #4). These are the only 2nd place opportunities Wright State has available to them, and the 3-way tie mentioned is the only way for them to get the 3 seed and play UIC on Sunday.

A 3-way tie between Green Bay, Northern Kentucky, and Oakland at 12-6 leaves NKU as the 4 seed because they were swept by Oakland and they split with Green Bay. If Green Bay loses at least one more game, Oakland wins at least one more game (putting Valpo and Oakland as the top 2 seeds in some order), NKU has the upper hand over Green Bay and Wright State for the 3 seed. In a 3-way tie, they are 3-1, Green Bay 2-2, Wright State 1-3. They swept Wright State so a 2-way tie with them favors NKU. The one exception is a 3-way tie between just NKU and Green Bay. There NKU ends up with the 4 seed because they were swept by Oakland while Green Bay beat Oakland at least once (Valpo is either neutral or they too favor Green Bay, depending on what happens at BB&T Arena on Sunday).

Green Bay (11-5) can be anywhere from 1 to 5 seed. They are the most wide open of the 5.

If they lose to Oakland, NKU beat UIC and Valpo, Wright State beats Valpo, and Detroit beats Milwaukee, Green Bay finishes alone at 11-7 and gets the 5 seed. That's the simple one. If they beat Oakland and Detroit and Valpo loses to Wright State and beats NKU, Green Bay gets the 1 seed because in a 3-way tie with Valpo and Oakland, they are 3-1, Oakland is 2-2, and Valpo is 1-3, and in a 2-way tie with Valpo, Wright State and NKU split with both teams but Oakland swept Valpo while getting swept by Green Bay. That's the next simplest. 2-4 are very complicated. I think I'm going to wait until after Friday's games to continue on with Green Bay.

Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Milwaukee, and Detroit are all bunched up and still kind of a mess too. I've broken all the ties in my spreadsheet, but I'm not sure how to describe what it takes for each time. My spreadsheet tells me that CSU can't achieve the 7 seed, but the other 3 teams are wide open within the bottom 4.

Jim Squire

Valparaiso beats Detroit 83-63 behind Peters' 20 points--CBS Sports
Walker's 21 pts pace Oakland past Illinois-Chicago 87-75--CBS Sports
The Morning Dish – Tuesday, February 21, 2017--Hoopville

Tonight’s Menu: It’s a skimpy slate for impact matchups
...
Wright State at Northern Kentucky is another good battle for place, this in the Horizon League.

McDonald, Murray lead N Kentucky past Wright St, 83-76--CBS Sports
Oakland rips through Youngstown State 101-72--CBS Sports
Detroit beats Cleveland State 91-83 behind Jenkins, Hogan--CBS Sports
Peters hits 4 3s, scores 23; Valpo beats Milwaukee 67-61--CBS Sports
Green Bay rebounds in 2nd half, pulls away from UIC 87-79--CBS Sports
Under the Radar Game of the Day: Wright State at Northern Kentucky--Hoops HD

CSU Vikings Men’s Hoops On the Road Tonight to Take On Detroit Mercy--NEO Sports Insiders
Levitt Scores Career-High 18 Points in Setback at Detroit Mercy--csuvikings.com

Vikings Host Detroit Thursday Evening--csuvikings.com

Vitale, '77 team turn out to honor Duerod--Varsity News
Robinson Jr. Nets Career High In Sunday's Setback--detroittitans.com
Titans Sink Vikings In Senior Day Victory--detroittitans.com
Titans Prepare for Vikings on the Road Thursday--detroittitans.com

To win, Titans must fulfill individual roles--Varsity News
Titans Knock Off Raiders on Senior Night, 85-80--detroittitans.com

2/20 Men's Basketball Players of the Week--College Sports Madness

Madness National Players of the Week
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High-Major Martez Walker G Oakland
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Madness High-Major Conference Players of the Week
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Horizon Martez Walker G Oakland

Oakland senior Sherron Dorsey-Walker's impact transcends basketball--Detroit Free Press
Pat Caputo - Don’t be surprised if OU is dancing in March--Oakland Press
Oakland sends off senior Dorsey-Walker in style; ‘Not enough words to express what he’s done for this school’--Oakland Press
Strong second half leads Golden Grizzlies to sixth-straight victory--Press Row Sports
Men’s basketball smothers the flames--Oakland Post
Men’s basketball ends Senior Night with win over YSU--Oakland Post
More than a game...--goldengrizzlies.com
Oakland Rips Through Youngstown State 101-72--goldengrizzlies.com
It's hard to say goodbye--OAKLAND INSIDER BY TERRY FOSTER
GAME 30: OAKLAND FACES GREEN BAY IN LAST ROAD SWING OF THE SEASON--goldengrizzlies.com

Women’s basketball honors seniors with win over NKU--Oakland Post
OAKLAND ROLLS PAST NKU ON SENIOR NIGHT, 86-66--goldengrizzlies.com

Illinois Rankings, Feb. 20--Catch and Shoot

7. UIC (14-14, 7-8 Horizon)

Last week: 8

UIC went to Detroit to sweep the season series and then hung in at Oakland for an 87-75 loss. It’s looking like the Flames will be the No. 6 seed at the Horizon League Tournament.

Chicago Weekly Awards, Feb. 20--Catch and Shoot

Player of the Week
...
Honorable mention: Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern; Tai Odiase, UIC; Trayvon Palmer, Chicago State

Freshman of the Week
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Honorable mention: Tarkus Ferguson, UIC; Dominique Matthews, UIC; K.J. Santos, UIC

Team of the Week

UIC

The Flames clinched a top-six finish in the Horizon League, which may not sound like much. But it is for a team that hasn’t finished that high since the 2012-13 season.

In all likelihood, UIC will be the No. 6 seed at the Horizon League Tournament, but if it can win Friday at Northern Kentucky, then the No. 5 seed could come into play.

Turnovers burn Flames--Whoosh! Net
Veterans’ night--Whoosh! Net
UIC Reigns From Deep, Falls Short at Oakland--uicflames.com
UIC Bested by Green Bay in Home Finale--uicflames.com
Packed Schedule Sends UIC to Northern Kentucky--uicflames.com

Horizon League Announces Panelists for Champions Brunch--uicflames.com

Flames Stumble in Green Bay--uicflames.com

UWGB guard Brown won't return to team--Green Bay Press Gazette
When UWGB needs stop, it turns to Little Chute's Lowe--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay controls its destiny for #2 seed--Phear The Phoenix
Phoenix Preview: Green Bay vs Oakland--Phear The Phoenix
Join us for Rock the Resch on Friday, Feb. 24 Against Oakland--greenbayphoenix.com
Strong Second Half Fires Green Bay Past UIC in Chicago--greenbayphoenix.com
TICKET SPECIAL: Green Bay vs. Oakland Feb 24 6PM--greenbayphoenix.com
Men's Basketball Preview vs Oakland - Friday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.--greenbayphoenix.com

Green Bay Finishes Off Home Slate with Dominant Victory--greenbayphoenix.com

Valparaiso 67, UWM 61: Crusaders turn back spirited Panthers--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Gritty Panthers Fall To Late Valparaiso Run--mkepanthers.com
Panthers Open Final Homestand Friday, Host Titans--mkepanthers.com

Horizon League Spotlight: Champions Brunch at Joe Louis Arena--mkepanthers.com

UWM women 80, Valparaiso 64: Keep the ball rolling--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Neillsville grad Jenny Lindner's growth mirrors UWM's--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers use second half surge to dismantle Valpo, 80-64--UWM Post
Second-Half Surge Propels Panthers Past Valpo--mkepanthers.com
Women’s Basketball Looks To Extend Winning Streak Friday--mkepanthers.com

VIDEO: Valparaiso’s Micah Bradford makes 3/4 court shot off the shot clock--College Basketball Talk
Bubble Banter: Let’s talk about Syracuse, Georgetown and Georgia Tech--College Basketball Talk

WINNERS
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Valparaiso (RPI: 74, KenPom: 97, No. 12 seed): Valpo is in as a No. 12 seed in our bracket, but they are in as an automatic bid, meaning that there are no at-large teams rated below them. Being the best automatic bid does not guarantee that they’ll be in as an at-large, not when their best win is a Rhode Island team that is fading and they’ve lost four games to sub-100 competition. Win that auto-bid.

Bracketology: Tar Heels vault to top line--College Basketball Talk