March of the Penguins…to the Championship--HoriZone Roundtable
State hoops: Breaking down the teams, men and women, with stretch run
looming--Detroit News
At the mid-major level, the team to keep an eye on might just be the Detroit Mercy men, who've gotten hot, with four wins in their last five, including a dominating victory at rival Oakland on Friday.
"This is what we've been looking for," said Titans fifth-year senior guard Antoine Davis, who came back to Detroit Mercy rather than transfer for a shot at the NCAA Tournament, more than college basketball's scoring record (he's 124 points behind "Pistol" Pete Maravich, with three guaranteed games remaining). "We're trying to win the games that we didn't have the opportunity to win (earlier in the season). We've had a chip on our shoulder, it started at Oakland. It's starting to come together a lot more."
With the mini-surge of late — which is thanks in large part to Davis, of course, but also teammates Damezi Anderson, Gerald Liddell, A.J. Oliver and TJ Moss — Detroit Mercy finds itself in play for the fifth seed in the Horizon League tournament, which starts next week. Interestingly, the fifth seed would give the Titans a first-round bye, but then send them on the road. A sixth seed would mean no bye, but a first-round home game (and potentially an additional game for Davis to try and break the scoring record).
In his three previous head-coaching stops — Indiana, UAB and Texas Southern — Mike Davis, Antoine's dad, has never gone five seasons without making the NCAA Tournament. And the Horizon League is there for the taking, even though a top-four seed is the much-easier path to the tournament championship.
Here's a look at all of the state's Division I teams, and where they stand as the regular season comes to a close:
Men
∎Detroit Mercy (9-9, 13-16 Horizon): The Titans have had a brutal time getting their entire team on the floor, and they lost their second-best player, Jayden Stone, to academic issues in January. But with Davis being Davis, and Liddell healing from a back injury, Detroit Mercy is getting right at the right time.
∎Oakland (12-17, 10-8 Horizon): There were high hopes for the Golden Grizzlies, with pickups of Rocket Watts and Lorne Bowman II to go with studs Jalen Moore and Trey Townsend, but Bowman has been a non-factor, and Watts has been inconsistent on offense. Oakland also has a brutal 3-point-shooting season.
Women
∎Oakland (11-15, 6-11): Coach Jeff Tungate, back after missing much of last season after neck surgery, liked this team, but shooting has been a big problem. OU lost four straight and seven of eight entering Monday's game against Detroit Mercy. Macomb freshman Brooke Quarles-Daniels has been a bright spot, at least.
∎Detroit Mercy (5-21, 3-14): The record is ugly, but first-year coach Kate Achter has racked up as many wins as the Titans had the last three years combined. Paced by a pair of international post players, Detroit Mercy is improving by the day, having just beaten league power IUPUI. The future is bright, for a change.
∎Bringing back the shot of the week this week, because it was so bananas. I've seen Davis make hundreds of tough shots during his college career, but the 3-pointer he made against Oakland at the O'Rena on Friday probably took the cake. He was triple-teamed, with two Golden Grizzlies, Trey Townsend and Keaton Hervey, really up in his face, when, with the shot clocking ticking down, Davis chucked up the shot and, of course, banked it in.
Here's some video, with yours truly on the call (so you might want to turn down the volume):
Hands UP!!!#DetroitsCollegeTeam⚔️ | #MetroSeries pic.twitter.com/RIslQL1QVg
— Detroit Mercy Titans (@detroittitans) February 18, 2023
#HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 15--HoriZone Roundtable WBB
Senior Sendoff: Cleveland State Men’s Basketball Defeats Northern Kentucky on Senior Day--csuvikings.com
Antoine Davis sets two more records as Detroit Mercy continues late surge--Detroit News
Titans Pull Away From IUPUI As Davis Sets Two More School Records--detroittitans.com
Titans Come Up Short in Final Seconds at Arch-Rival Oakland in Metro Series Classic--detroittitans.com
Defensive Effort Leads Green Bay Past Youngstown State 67-54--greenbayphoenix.com
Jags drop two more--HoriZone Roundtable
JAGUARS SLIP UP AT DETROIT MERCY IN 81-68 LOSS--iupuijags.com
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CLOSES OUT REGULAR SEASON WITH BACK-TO-BACK HOME GAMES--iupuijags.com
Panthers Set To Honor 2002-03 MBB Squad Saturday--mkepanthers.com
MKE Falls in Road Finale at Robert Morris--mkepanthers.com
Peppler Takes Home Horizon League Freshman of the Week Accolades--mkepanthers.com
Tough weekend road trips: NKU splits with a win in Ft. Wayne, TMU Saints not so fortunate in Pikeville--Northern Kentucky Tribune
Men’s Basketball drops heartbreaker on the road at Cleveland State--nkunorse.com
Happy Birthday! HoopsHD interviews Max King about Rawle Marshall--Hoops HD
Freshman Brooke Quarles-Daniels plays hero on Senior Night as Oakland defeats Detroit Mercy, 66-65--goldengrizzlies.com
Damian Chong Qui Beats Wright State With Shot From the Logo--gomastodons.com
Colonials continue on this odd season, sweep the week lead by unlikely source--HoriZone Roundtable
MORRISON: Robert Morris Fans: It Is Time to Come Home to the UPMC Events Center--Colonial Sports Network
Video | Head coach Andy Toole discusses recent success and looks at final home game--Colonial Sports Network
Colonials Host Penguins For Home Finale--rmucolonials.com
Colonials Bounce Back; Outlast Milwaukee on Senior Day--Colonial Sports Network
Defensive Stand Lifts RMU On Senior Day--rmucolonials.com
WATCH: Wright State stunned on 45-foot shot at buzzer--Dayton Daily News
Stunning defeat hard to take, but Wright State’s Nagy keeping it in perspective--Dayton Daily News
Raiders drop heartbreaker on Sunday afternoon--wsuraiders.com
Ngwafang’s 25 points lead dominating Senior Day win over Wright State--HoriZone Roundtable WBB
Penguins’ success to be cemented with two regular season games--HoriZone Roundtable
YSU set for significant road matchup against Horizon League foe Robert Morris--Warren Tribune Chronicle
7 March Madness program firsts that could happen in 2023--NCAA
7. First NCAA tournament berth for Youngstown State, Kennesaw State or Utah Valley
Who finally gets through the door by winning its conference tournament? A colony of Penguins, maybe. Youngstown State is tied for the lead in the Horizon League with a 20-7 record. The Penguins’ roster has combined to play in nearly 1,100 college basketball games. That ought to be good for one more in March.
Penguins Seek Share of First Conference Title in Program History at Robert Morris--ysusports.com
Penguins’ slide continues, fall to Green Bay--Warren Tribune Chronicle
YSU searching for a win at IUPUI--Warren Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Can’t Overcome Slow Start, Fall to Green Bay on Senior Day--ysusports.com
Penguins Continue Challenging Stretch at IUPUI on Tuesday--ysusports.com
#HLMBB Roundup - Feb. 19--The Horizon League
Nike #HLMBB Players of the Week (February 20)--The Horizon League
#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – February 21--The Horizon League
#HLWBB Roundup – February 19--The Horizon League
Nike #HLWBB Players of the Week (February 20)--The Horizon League
#HLWBB Roundup – February 20--The Horizon League
#HLWBB Weekly Notebook – February 21--The Horizon League
No comments:
Post a Comment