On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Bracket Watch: December 28th - 30th--The Bracketeer

CONFERENCE LEADER GAMES
5. Cleveland State at Youngstown State, Thursday, 8 PM ET, ESPN+
The Vikings were the surprise of early league play in early contests against both Detroit Mercy and Oakland, beating them in convincing fashion. CSU will take its 2-0 league record east to Youngstown to take on a quality YSU team, who was my preseason pick to win the league’s automatic bid. The Horizon League will have battles that create rollercoasters throughout the year due to the travel partner and one-day-off configuration. Many coaches prefer to go all in on the first game, and that should certainly be the case in a competitive tilt like this one. An important week for the Penguins with a hot Purdue Fort Wayne visiting on Saturday. CSU heads to RMU, another feisty team of late. So, we’ve got a big week across the board. Now to the matchup.

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰?

Through 11 games, @Deshon_Parker leads the Horizon League with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio!#GoVikes pic.twitter.com/vVtJIsEaOg
— Cleveland State Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@csu_basketball) December 15, 2022

Cleveland State will need to generate consistent offense as they did in the first two Horizon games to handle an efficient YSU attack. This could be tricky because Detroit Mercy and Oakland have little resistance on defense and the Penguins are a step up. When CSU left league play they scored less than 60 points in all three matchups against the Bonnies, Kent State, and LMU. Sure, that’s stiffer competition – but the Vikings had no flow. They’ll need that here. When YSU has the ball, CSU will depend on its Top 50 defensive eFG% to cause forced shots and poor Penguin decisions. CSU arguably has the most effective defense in the Horizon, and that will keep them in games all year – should it continue. YSU has been a well-oiled offensive machine thru 13 games. High marks in free throw shooting, 3-point shooting, 2-point shooting, eFG%, and second-chance opportunities have carried the Penguins to a 9-4 start. Youngstown State has been even more explosive in their home digs of the Beeghly Center, where they’ve scored 79 or more in all contests to date. Vikings have their defensive work carved out. Difficult to envision a scenario where YSU scores less than 70 in this building, so the question comes back to the Vikings’ offense – where is the scoring going to come from?