45. Oakland Golden Grizzlies
Quite clearly the best team from a single-bid league this season. In Kendrick Nunn, Martez Walker and Jalen Hayes, Oakland probably has three of the five best players in the Horizon League. Greg Kampe's had some pros in the past, but this team has a chance to be his best ever.
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119. Northern Kentucky Norse
In Drew McDonald the Norse have the preseason Horizon POY. This team is second only to Oakland in that league. McDonald's got a great lead guard in Lavone Holland. NKU has swiftly adapted to life at the D-I level.
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144. Illinois-Chicago Flames
Crazy-fun potential in the Horizon League. Dikembe Dixson is back after an ACL injury last season. He'll ball to the wall. Tai Odiase is the best defender in the conference. The Flames will flirt with their first NCAA bid in 14 years.
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158. Wright State Raiders
Mark Alstork transferring to Illinois is going to leave a ... mark. But Scott Nagy's got good contributors returning, and he's probably going to be in the Horizon League title game come 2019. One of the better mid-major coaches out there.
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174. Detroit Titans
A bad season will lead to a blooming turnaround. Corey Allen was the Freshman of the Year in the Horizon, and Jaleel Hogan will be one of the best scorers in the conference.
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199. Green Bay Phoenix
Linc Darner's high-paced offense was not efficient last season. Sandy Cohen, a transfer from Marquette, figures to be a big-time acquisition and should help the Phoenix hover above .500 in the Horizon League.
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227. Youngstown State Penguins
Yet another program with a new coach. Jerrod Calhoun, who cut his teeth in D-II, takes over for Jerry Slocum. Big name to know is senior Cameron Morse, who led the Horizon League in scoring last season (23.2 ppg).
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274. Milwaukee Panthers
A top-three job in the Horizon, but the Panthers are on their third coach in three years after LaVall Jordan left in June when Butler, his alma mater, offered him the job.
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299. Cleveland State Vikings
The Vikings hired Dennis Felton to replace Gary Waters. It's a total construction job here. CSU last made the NCAAs in 2009.
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333. IUPUI Jaguars
With Wichita State moving from the Valley to the AAC, and Valpo moving from the Horizon League to the Valley, IUPUI moved from the Summit League to the Horizon. A good move at a bad time, as the Jags lose their three best players.
Your Company Can Become The Face Of NEOSI’s Cleveland State Basketball Coverage--NEO Sports Insiders
Cleveland State basketball teams both looking up as 2017-18 season begins--The Reserve News
WADL-38 Your Place For Titan Home Games--detroittitans.com
Alexander envisions big step forward for Detroit Mercy--Detroit News
Single Game Tickets Now On Sale--detroittitans.com
7. Kay Felder’s sparkHere are two more times the NCAA is failing to rule sensibly on players' academic issues--CBS Sports
It took just two days of practice and one half of game action for Kay Felder to leapfrog Ryan Arcidiacono as the primary backup point guard. And it’s taken only three games for Felder to establish himself enough to force Hoiberg into a decision whether to make the 5-foot-9 reserve a regular in the rotation. Felder was brought in as added depth while Dunn and Cameron Payne heal from injury. But he’s become a pleasant spark plug off the bench, averaging 8.3 points (on nine shots a game) and 4.0 assists (against three turnovers a night).
“The one thing he can do on this roster is he can get downhill,” Hoiberg said. “He can create his shot. He can make a tough shot. He creates space when he does get a mismatch. We’ve liked what we’ve seen so far. We just need consistent play.”
Felder was at his best Tuesday against his former Cleveland teammates. He scored 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting with four assists in 16 minutes. The Cleveland broadcast crew even marveled at Felder’s improvement. Hoiberg said Wednesday he likes what Felder brings off the bench, particularly on ball screens with Cristiano Felicio. But with Dunn nearing a return, it’ll be interesting to see how Hoiberg uses his newfound spark going forward.
Kay Felder was selected by the Cavs with the No. 54 overall pick in 2016 before being claimed off waivers by the Bulls on Oct. 16. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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9. Not forcing turnovers
Compounding the Bulls’ turnover problem is that they’re not generating any of their own. Chicago averages just 4.3 steals and 12.3 opponent turnovers, ranking ahead of only Charlotte (4.0, 11.7) in both categories.
Felder already looks like an annoyance defensively, and Nwaba doesn’t appear capable of taking defense lightly. Dunn will offer more resistance when he returns, but the rest of the cupboard is empty. It’ll be hard to improve in the short term with token perimeter defense failing to force decisions and cause chaos. The Bulls so far don’t appear to be focused on generating turnovers as much as they are on forcing misses and securing rebounds.
Oakland, CMU to play hurricane-relief game--Detroit News
OAKLAND TO PLAY EXHIBITION WITH ROCHESTER COLLEGE ON NOV. 2--goldengrizzlies.com
OAKLAND HOSTS CENTRAL MICHIGAN IN HURRICANE RELIEF GAME--goldengrizzlies.com
UIC Slides Past St. Francis in Exhibition Action, 97-62--uicflames.com
Green Bay Welcomes UW-Whitewater for First Exhibition Thursday Night--greenbayphoenix.com
Women's Basketball Shines in Exhibition Opener Against UW-Whitewater--greenbayphoenix.com
Green Bay Hosts Ripon Monday Night in Exhibition Contest at Resch Center--greenbayphoenix.com
College Basketball: Wright State women boast improved depth--Dayton Daily News
Season Preview: Women’s Basketball--The Guardian
First Live Action: YSU looks good in Scrimmage--The Jambar
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