On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Butler set to make another defensive statement--The Indy Star
Bulldogs Close League Road Trip At Youngstown State--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Return To Hinkle To Host Coastal Carolina--ButlerSports.com

LOYOLA AT UIC | 7, LPTV: Whitesell, Collins call for a 'Battle'--The Chicago Sun-Times
Men's Basketball Hosts Loyola In League Opener This Saturday Night--uicflames.com

Matchup: Loyola at Illinois-Chicago--The Chicago Tribune
Loyola (4-4, 0-0) at UIC (4-2, 0-0)--Daily Herald

When: 7 p.m. at UIC Pavilion

TV: Channel 56

Radio: WIND 560-AM, WLUW 88.7-FM

Skinny: The Ramblers and Flames jump waist-deep into Horizon League play with both teams feeling good about themselves. UIC, which owns a three-game winning streak, just went on the road and smacked Vanderbilt by 19 points. Loyola just held its home court against Holy Cross and William & Mary. The Flames have won five of the last six games in this 22-year rivalry, but last year's win at the Pavilion came in overtime and their Horizon League tournament win required a big second-half comeback. UIC shoots 40 percent from 3-point range and 79 percent from the line, largely because of Josh Mayo (20.8 ppg). He has made 22 of 43 3s and 23 of 26 at the line.

Loyola continues to struggle from 3-point range (25.7 percent) and the line (68.6 percent).

Cougars Fall Short to Loyola--SIUECougars.com
Defense Lifts Loyola To 56-42 Win Over SIU Edwardsvllle--LoyolaRamblers.com

Women's basketball: UWGB vs. Northern Iowa preview--Green Bay Press Gazette

Men's basketball: Phoenix leads the way at free-throw line--Green Bay Press Gazette

Now or later? A crossroads for Drew, VU--The Post-Tribune

VU women's hoops team searches for best start since Ford Administration--The NWI Times

WSU women open Hukilau tourney with loss to BYU--Dayton Daily News
Cougars Drop Wright State in Hawaii--BYUCougars.com
Women's Basketball Drops Bout Versus BYU--wsuraiders.com

Cold shooting leaves WSU 0-5--Dayton Daily News
Game preview: Wright State at UW-Milwaukee--Dayton Daily News

Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 5--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Butler wins 1st Horizon game with last-second 3--The Indy Star
Beautiful finish to an unsightly game--Indy Star Butler Insider
BUTLER 50, CLEVELAND STATE 48--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Buzzer-beater by Zach Hahn lifts the Bulldogs to a stunning road victory--ButlerSports.com

Misery at the buzzer: Butler steals victory from CSU with 3-pointer as time expires, 50-48--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Fall to Butler, 50-48, at Buzzer--csuvikings.com
Vikings Face Mountaineers In Morgantown--csuvikings.com

Vikings Return Home to Host Kent State on Saturday--csuvikings.com

UDM men stumble in Horizon opener--The Detroit News

Showing no mercy--BG News
Women's basketball video highlights vs. Detroit Mercy--BG News
Falcons Run Past Detroit, 72-42--BGSUFalcons.com
BGSU Three-Point Shooting Too Much for Titans--detroittitans.com

Detroit Downed By Milwaukee In Horizon League Opener--detroittitans.com
Men's Basketball Set For Match-Up With Green Bay--detroittitans.com

Women's Basketball Hosts Western Michigan On Saturday--uicflames.com

Ramblers Open Up Horizon League Play At UIC On Saturday Night--LoyolaRamblers.com
Student Tickets Available For Loyola Men's Basketball Game At UIC--LoyolaRamblers.com

Men's basketball story, photos: Phoenix defense shines in Horizon opener--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Stifles Wright State, 57-46--uwgbathletics.com
Phoenix Looks to Extend Winning Streak Saturday Against Detroit--uwgbathletics.com

Panthers' Eayrs asserts presence--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Primal Scream--Milwaukee Panther Tracks
Second-Half Surge Leads Milwaukee To Victory Over Detroit, 71-62--uwmpanthers.com
UWM Continues Horizon League Play By Hosting Wright State Saturday--uwmpanthers.com

Panthers Close Out Road Trip At Washington State--uwmpanthers.com

Crusaders rally, then romp--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso 68. Youngstown State 57--Off The Mark
Igbavboa nets career high as VU snaps skid--The NWI Times
Crusaders Rally From 14-Point Deficit for Road Win--valpoathletics.com

Kulaga Named Horizon League’s Scholar-Athlete for November--valpoathletics.com

Fifth straight loss puts Raiders in unfamiliar territory--Dayton Daily News
Somebody on this team has to score--Dayton Daily News
Raiders can't find offense in loss--Dayton Daily News
Raiders fall again--Mark Katz's Blog
Look ahead is scary--Mark Katz's Blog
Raiders 0-5 after loss in Horizon opener--Fairborn Daily Herald
Men Fall in Horizon League Opener at Green Bay--wsuraiders.com

YSU men collapse again in 68-57 loss--Youngstown Vindicator
Penguins Go Cold In Second Half, Fall 68-57 to Valpo--ysusports.com

Women to host YSU in Saturday matinee--BG News
Guins Open Road Stretch at WNIT Participant Bowling Green--ysusports.com

Men's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 4--The Horizon League
ATB: Blake Griffin Wasn’t Using Those Anyway*--Rush The Court

Butler 50, Cleveland St. 48. This game is another reason we wish we had the U. This was actually a key conference matchup for the Horizon League. Check the video below for the insane finish.

First Full (Kind of) Night of League Action--Horizon League Network

Milwaukee's Waldhart, Valpo's Kulaga Honored as U.S. Army Scholar-Athletes of the Month--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

The State of the Other 22, Week 1--The Mid Majority

2. Butler (Horizon League), 116.770, 5-0 (0-0)

The Horizon League champion Bulldogs, for the time being, is the boat-buoying rising tide. The number one team in both RPI and SOS, retooled Butler has beat all five comers, including Drake on the road and Big Ten team Northwestern in a (mild) Red Line Upset. Their true test comes tonight, in a G!O!T!N! runnerup match with HL favorite Cleveland State.
...
10. Wisconsin-Green Bay (Horizon League), 102.444, 3-2 (0-0)

The computer is blind to that wide loss to Rollins, and Phoenix fans who were there probably wish they were too. But in the Division I portion of the schedule, UWGB has picked up nice wins over 2008 NIT teams Morgan State and Massachusetts. A home game against a struggling Wright State squad during Horizon preview week awaits tonight.

Butler faces early Horizon showdown--The Indy Star

Poor shooting, defense scuttle UE win streak--Evansville Courier & Press
Bulldogs Snap UE's Home-Court Winning Streak--GoPurpleAces.com
Long-Range Barrage Helps Bulldogs Sink Evansville, 70-52--ButlerSports.com

Vikings Win Horizon League Opener--The Fan Home of the Cleveland State Vikings
Women's Basketball Falls to Cleveland State, 70-54--GoZips.com
Strong Second Half Propels Vikings Over Akron, 70-54--csuvikings.com

Illinois-Chicago 74, at Vanderbilt 55--The Mid-Majority

But we've saved the best for last.

Illinois-Chicago 74, at Vanderbilt 55 -- The Flames have a bonafide star in Josh Mayo, a rotation of bruising bigs (many with long names), a strong defense and a head coach in Jimmy Collins that is three parts wizened sage and one part Dolemite. So why aren't they taken seriously in the Horizon League this year? Probably their propensity to run themselves into dumb possessions. Last night in Nashville, Mayo got his 30, freshman Robert Kreps stepped forward for a career high 23, and UIC showed laser-sharp focus, dumping the SEC Commodores with a combination of muscle, ball control and skill. With a lost season in progress at Wright State and disappointments at Valpo, it may be time to put the Flames into that NCAA contender conversation with Cleveland State and Butler.

UIC blasts Vanderbilt men--Nashville City Paper
Vandy stumbles home with a 19-point defeat--The Tennessean
Mayo's big night from long range sends Illinois-Chicago to 74-55 win against Vanderbilt--The Chicago Tribune
UIC, Mayo rip Vanderbilt--The Chicago Sun-Times
UIC beats Vanderbilt 74-55--Daily Herald
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Vanderbilt gets rude homecoming from UIC--Inside Vandy
Mayo leads hostile takeover of Vanderbilt--Whoosh!Net
MBB slides at home to UIC, 74-55--VUCommodores.com
Men's Basketball Beats Vanderbilt, 74-55--uicflames.com

Owls Women's Basketball Falls to UIC 53-40--FAUSports.com
Women's Basketball Downs Florida Atlantic, 53-40--uicflames.com
Women's Basketball Inks Four Players--uicflames.com

Women's basketball splits Thanksgiving tournament--Loyola Phoenix
Beware of the Greek--Loyola Phoenix
Ramblers prevent second Glorious Revolution--Loyola Ramblers
Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down--Loyola Phoenix

Up to women's
basketball

Despite dropping the tourney opener to New Mexico State last Friday, the Ramblers managed to regroup and put up 103 points against Western New Mexico the following day. Get this though: The tourney was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico! Yes, the same Las Cruces where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito filmed Twins!

Down to Queens, N.Y.

The men's basketball team had a rough outing in Queens, N.Y., for the NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Round last week, losing first to Cornell, 78-53, and then to St. John's, 73-54. You can't really blame the guys though, for losing in such a hostile environment. I mean, after all, as L.L. Cool J once poetically emphasized, Killa Queens, killa killa Queens, Queens be the best, yo.

And this week's Shout Out
goes to Elyse VanBogaert.

The junior scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the Ramblers' 103-71 win over Western New Mexico in the Aggie Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic. More importantly, she did it in Las Cruces (see left)! I mean, come on, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito playing as twins! Hilarious!

Annual Misericordia Day At Loyola Set For December 13--LoyolaRamblers.com
VanBogaert Named U.S. Army Horizon League Scholar-Athlete Of The Week--LoyolaRamblers.com

UWGB 66 UND 41--Dakota Student
Men's basketball: UWGB's Evans finds shooting touch--Green Bay Press Gazette
Men's basketball dominates second half, beats UMass--UWGB Fourth Estate
While the students are away, athletes will play--UWGB Fourth Estate
Women's basketball story, photos: UWGB's balanced offense torches Bears--Green Bay Press Gazette
Women's basketball wins rematch against Drake--UWGB Fourth Estate
One season ends, another begins for sophomore Lyons--UWGB Fourth Estate
Lady Bears drop 80-56 game at Wisconsin-Green Bay--Springfield News-Leader
Green Bay Sends Lady Bears to Third Straight Defeat--MissouriStateBears.com
Women's Basketball Rolls Past Missouri State, 80-56--uwgbathletics.com

Milwaukee vs. Detroit Preview--UWM Post Sports Blog
Live Blog: MBB vs. Detroit--Panther Blog Zone
McCallum, Boga Set To Join Panther Program In 2009-10--uwmpanthers.com

VU goes from top to bottom in HL--The Post-Tribune
No sense in scheduling HL games so early--The Post-Tribune
You can't hold the (Josh) Mayo--Off The Mark
Crusaders Look to Get Back on Winning Track at Youngstown State--valpoathletics.com

Valpo Women Cloes Road Trip at North Texas--valpoathletics.com

Preview: Wright state (0-4) at wisconsin-Green Bay (3-2)--Dayton Daily News
Two screws inserted in Duggins' ring finger--Dayton Daily News
Butler, perfect again, visits team-to-beat Cleveland State as Horizon League play begins--Dayton Daily News

Penguins collapse for biting OT defeat--Youngstown Vindicator
Penguins head west to ground Falcons--The Jambar
Red Flash Down Penguins 61-54 in Overtime for First Win--GoRedFlash.com
Penguins Can't Hold Late Lead, Fall in Overtime to Saint Francis (Pa.)--ysusports.com

Penguins host Valparaiso and Butler, face Crusaders in first home league contest--The Jambar

Men's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 3--The Horizon League
In-Game Blog: Butler at Cleveland State--The HoriZone
How Dare You...?--Horizon League Network
2008 HL Championship Re-Match...TONIGHT!--Horizon League Network
Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 3--The Horizon League
CSU's Grove, Loyola VanBogaert Honored as U.S. Army Scholar-Athletes of the Week--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Bulldogs too much for IU-South Bend--Dawgnet News
Bulldogs battle past Northwestern--Dawgnet News
Butler tops Evansville--Dawgnet News
Iowa prospect visits Butler--Indy Star Butler Insider
Loyola blogger projects Butler dominance--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler Visits Horizon League Favorite Cleveland State--ButlerSports.com

Dayton spoils Lady Bulldog's home opener--Dawgnet News
Bulldogs Battle Purple Aces On Wednesday--ButlerSports.com

Defensive domination powers Vikings to romp in Horizon opener, 66-42--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Insider: Butler's man defense a challenge--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings, Bulldogs counting on defense to determine an early Horizon showdown--Cleveland Plain Dealer
CSU Basketball Teams Stay on Track--The Cauldron
Bullock's 29 Points Help Vikings Cruise By Valparaiso, 66-42--csuvikings.com
Vikings Host Butler--csuvikings.com

Vikings Take Short Trip to Akron on Wednesday--csuvikings.com

Titans open Horizon League play on Wednesday--The Detroit News
Detroit Mercy's Holman can't play this season--The Detroit News
UDM Request For Holman’s Immediate Eligibility Denied By NCAA--detroittitans.com
Titans Open Up Conference Play In Milwaukee--detroittitans.com

Detroit to Face Bowling Green on Wednesday--detroittitans.com

College basketball matchup: Illinois-Chicago at Vanderbilt--The Chicago Tribune
Men's Basketball Takes On Vanderbilt This Wednesday--uicflames.com

Women's Basketball Squares Off Against Florida Atlantic--uicflames.com

Loyola holds off William & Mary--The Chicago Tribune
Tribe Rally Falls Short at Loyola (Chicago)--TribeAthletics.com
Team Effort Helps Loyola Get Past William & Mary, 64-61--LoyolaRamblers.com

Loyola Wraps Up Road Swing At SIU-Edwardsville--LoyolaRamblers.com

UWGB women's basketball preview: vs. Missouri State--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Men Open Horizon League Play Thursday at Home--uwgbathletics.com

Panthers on to important matters--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers Set To Open League Play Thursday Against Detroit--uwmpanthers.com

Bench leads Badgers offensively--Badger Herald
UW keeps streak alive with double-overtime thriller--UWBadgers.com
Panthers Drop Heartbreaker In Double Overtime At Wisconsin, 71-69--uwmpanthers.com

Cleveland State 66, Valparaiso 42--Off The Mark
Crusaders look to recover from debacle at Cleveland State--The NWI Times
Crusaders Fall In League Opener at Cleveland State--valpoathletics.com

Three key WSU players to miss time due to injuries--Dayton Daily News
'Everybody's got to step it up' against Green Bay--Dayton Daily News

WSU women fall to Miami 77-60--Dayton Daily News
Poor Play sinks the Lady Raiders in Home Opener--RaiderRoundball.com
RedHawks ride first-half run to 77-60 victory over Wright State--MURedHawks.com
Miami Spoils Women's Home Opener--wsuraiders.com

Slocum to Coach 1,000th Game; Guins Open HL Play Against Valpo--ysusports.com

Men's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 2--The Horizon League

Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 2--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Game! Of! The! Night! 12/2/2008: Valparaiso at Cleveland State--The Mid-Majority

Jeffers makes D-League debut--Whoosh!Net

Badgers Greet, Then Beat UWM--Milwaukee Panther Tracks

Live Blog: WBB @ Wisconsin--Panther Blog Zone

VU starts at top in league play--The Post-Tribune
VU starts Horizon League play today at preseason favorite Cleveland State--The NWI Times
Breaking down the Horizon League men's basketball season--The NWI Times

Start Time for Valpo-North Texas Pushed Back 30 Minutes--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Women Look to “Pack the ARC” for Notre Dame, Host Purdue in a Doubleheader--valpoathletics.com

WSU women are off to a smiling start--Dayton Daily News

Surgery to sideline Raiders' Duggins--Dayton Daily News
Meet the Raiders--Dayton Daily News

Time runs out on comeback effort--The Jambar

Women's basketball finds success in tournament--The Jambar
Penguins Look for First Home Win on Wednesday Against Red Flash--ysusports.com

Men's Basketball Weekly Release #3--The Horizon League
Allow Myself to Introduce...Myself--Horizon League Network
Cleveland State vs. Valpo - "Quasi-Live" Blog--Horizon League Network

Women's Basketball Release #3--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Good Morning Hoops Nation: December 1--The Mid-Majority

Relativity

Missouri Valley vs. Horizon -- In a new, disposable, December-only feature here on GMHN, we're going to take regular looks at how various leagues at our level are stacking up against one another. After all, the scoreboard that BracketBusters conferences use in March is numbers of bids, and though NCAA wins are important, the two-, three- or four-bid tag is what follows a conference around for the next year.

And no conference is as irked about having as many bids as the SWAC last year as the Valley. A perfect storm of departed seniors, five new coaches and a magical Drake squad put the MVC back in one-bid territory for the first time since 1998. So far this season, the league is No. 9 on the conference RPI chart with a .580 non-conference winning percentage.

The Horizon, which shares an overlapping geographical footprint with the Valley, is more used to being a single-dipper, rising to two-bid status just twice in the last decade. It's taken some serious Jenga to make that happen -- witness the split titles between Wright State and Butler two seasons ago. Many schools are in the process of beefing up their basketball programs for the long haul, and the addition of Valparaiso makes future multi-bid seasons likelier, and easier as well. But rebuilding projects and disappointments have put the HL at No. 13 in RPI, with a 21-26 noncon mark.

Head-to-head so far, however, the Horizon enjoys a slight 3-2 edge. After dropping the first two meetings (Bradley over UIC and Illinois State over Wright State), the HL has won three straight. Butler has won two of those, against Drake (in a graduation-addled BracketBuster return two weekends ago) and Evansville. UIC got its revenge against the MVC by dropping Northern Iowa by seven. UNI, of course, went on to beat Auburn at the Chicago Challenge. How much is a win over the Tigers worth, anyway?

Horizon League Notebook--Hoopville

Butler Keeps Winning in Old Rivalry--Butler Keeps Winning in Old Rivalry--Hoopville
Butler picked for '09 tournament--The Indy Star

Cleveland State Insider: Viking shooters needto get hot in Florida--Cleveland Plain Dealer
CSU Men's Basketball: Vikings shake off Lions, win 72-62--Cleveland Plain Dealer
CSU Men's Basketball: Vikings defeat Toledo, 77-56--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dealing with bad breaks: CSU's Woods steadily improving after skull injury--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Big Week For Vikings--The Fan Home of the Cleveland State Vikings
Vikings Host Valpo To Open Horizon League Schedule--csuvikings.com
Bullock Named Horizon League Player of the Week--csuvikings.com

Local college basketball roundup--Cleveland Plain Dealer

American 77, CSU 59

The Eagles (4-3) used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to break a 50-50 tie en route to a victory over the Vikings (3-3) at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.

American outscored the Vikings in the second half, 40-23.

Kailey Klein led the Vikings with 23 points, including 15 in the second half. Angel Roque added 13 points. Stephaine Crosley grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

AU Women's Basketball Remains Undefeated at Home, Defeating Cleveland State 77-59-AUEagles.com
Vikings Drop 77-59 Decision at American--csuvikings.com

Tune In To Coach McCallum's Titan '2-Minute Drill'--detroittitans.com

Titans Suffer 62-49 Setback at Albany--detroittitans.com