On The Horizon

Jim Squire

TMM's Weekend Warriors: Week 5--The Mid-Majority

One Conference: Horizon League

While all is quiet in (on?) the Horizon tonight, the rest of the weekend features several opportunities for teams in this league to pick up big non-conference wins. The weekend is anchored by the first game on the docket, with Butler hosting Ohio State. So critical is this game for the Bulldogs that many of the pundits are suggesting (and I agree) that a Butler loss would likely force this squad into auto-bid-or-bust mode. If Matt Howard can stay on the floor for 30 minutes, without fouling out, that'd be a nice start.

Elsewhere Saturday, the Loyola Ramblers host San Francisco in a match-up of big city, Jesuit schools. Loyola has been a pleasant surprise thus far in the Horizon League. Picked to finish at, or near, the bottom of the league, the Ramblers have gotten out to a 5-2 start. Wins against Western Michigan and at league-foe Milwaukee signaled to many that Jim Whitesell's bunch shouldn't be taken lightly. It's been a total team-effort thus far, as they cross their fingers that sophomore star-in-the-making, Jordan Hicks, will soon return from injury.

On Sunday the League has a number of interesting "regional" match-ups. Detroit will be looking for an all-important RLU in Ann Arbor when they take on Michigan. Wright State will stay in the state of Ohio, and in MAC play after defeating Toledo earlier this week, when they travel to Miami (Oh.) to take on the Redhawks. And, UIC will stay in Chicago...but play on the road...when they take on DePaul Sunday night.

The big game Sunday features the first team in the HL to knock off a ranked opponent this season...and no, Butler isn't playing on back-to-back nights. The Green Bay Phoenix, fresh off their RLU of Wisconsin, will travel to suburban Detroit to take on Oakland out of the Badlands Conference. The win over Wisky was the first for the Phoenix in 16 attempts, but it didn't come without a casualty. Green Bay's all-everything point guard, Rahmon Fletcher, missed the game's overtime session with a knee injury, and it was revealed Thursday that he has a sprained MCL and will miss a couple weeks. It will be interesting to see how this team responds without having their floor general running the show...especially on the road against Oakland, since the Golden Grizzlies have won 2-of-3 in this series.

Mid-Majority Chat Block, Episode 605--The Mid-Majority

[Comment From Ramblermania!Ramblermania!: ]
Despite the loss at a really solid Green Bay team, Loyola has me believing! Am I being overly optimistic, or can these young Ramblers compete in the Horizon this year?

They're shooting 3's and rebounding, which is a really weird combination but it's working. If the guards can keep nailing them and Andy Polka can keep grabbing the boards, they could grab a 5 or 6 seed in the HL tourney. Why not?
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[Comment From John T.John T.: ]
Even the Ivy League has gotten some love as a possible two-bid conference recently (highly unlikely), but what are some conferences that could be? It looks like Butler has almost killed the HL's chance.

Anybody who is seriously talking about a two-bid Ivy is either saying things to get attention, or is drunk. C'mon. Both Harvard and Cornell's average RPI win is below 150. Butler will get some love back if they destroy Xavier and Ohio State, but the two-bid love has to focus back on the west coast. The WCC is in better position to dubl-bid than anyone right now.
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[Comment From John T.John T.: ]
On the less positive side of things... Who wins first against a DI opponent UIC or Chicago State? Neither have a gimme coming up the schedule and neither has a DI win yet this season.

My heart says Chicago State, but my brain says UIC. Either way, it might take awhile.
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[Comment From Matt (Myrtle Beach)Matt (Myrtle Beach): ]
Damon, What happened to Detroit? A 1 point loss at home to Tennessee St??? Is it just an aberration for a team learning how to win after years of losing? What's the word on Holman's knee? Will he back against Michigan or is it more of a long term injury?

I was asking that same question Wednesday morning. You're right though...it's still a work in progress. Not having Holman for that game did hurt...and those types of situations are ones that this team isn't equipped to deal with quite yet. I haven't heard an update on Holman's knee...but wouldn't suspect it's anything long term.
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[Comment From uwgbphoenixphanuwgbphoenixphan: ]
Is the Horizon League a 3 team race? Or does Butler have this thing in the bag?

Right now, as we speak, I'd say the Horizon League is a 3-team race. Now, despite their struggles, I still think Butler is the team to beat...but what Green Bay did earlier this week in beating Wisconsin...was a signal to the rest of the league that they shouldn't be taken lightly. Not surprisingly, Wright State is quietly taking care of business, and have a big one coming up next week at Mississippi State.

If you remember, Green Bay beat Butler last season when they were nationally ranked, and then proceeded to lose their next two games to lesser opponents, so I'm keep a close eye on what they do this weekend at Oakland.

Butler needs to win Saturday against Ohio State. If they don't...they'll likely only have one way of getting back to the NCAA Tournament, and that's winning the HL Tourney.

Checking in on… the Horizon League--Rush The Court

RTC Live: Ohio State @ Butler--Rush The Court
Butler's schedule offers no relief--The Indy Star
Howard says Dawgs remain confident--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler Hosts #13/15 Ohio State, Former Coach--ButlerSports.com
LIVE BLOG: Men's Basketball vs. #13 Ohio State--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Take Win Streak To Cincinnati--ButlerSports.com

Cleveland State guard Anthony Wells trades redshirt for game jersey--Cleveland Plain Dealer

Vikings Travel to Niagara--csuvikings.com

Women's Hoops to Face Morehead State on the Road--detroittitans.com

Titans Ready For Bout With Michigan--detroittitans.com

City Rivals Collide This Sunday As Men's Basketball Faces DePaul--uicflames.com

Loyola to honor best players from its glory days of 1980s--The Chicago Sun-Times
Scouting report: Loyola basketball--Daily Herald

The BIAH Quotables--Ballin' is a Habit

UW-Green Bay had the upset of the week, knocking off newly-minted top 25 Wisconsin. Head coach Tom Kowalczyk used a bit of NCAAlgebra to start off the press conference:

First thing's first. Does that mean we're better than Duke?

Ahh yes, the ole' "If team A beats fifth ranked team B, and team C beats team A, then team C is therefore better than fifth-ranked team B." I love word problems.

Phoenix douse Flames in an impressive victory--UWGB Fourth Estate
Phoenix Men Brace for Tough Test at Oakland Sunday--uwgbathletics.com

Women's basketball: Today's UWGB-Evansville preview--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix set Kress on fire as it upset No. 21 Blue Demons--UWGB Fourth Estate
Phoenix outlast Northern Iowa for 25th consecutive regular season victory--UWGB Fourth Estate

Left Out in the Cold: Despite Final Score, Panthers Battle Marquette Tough (but not Tough Enough)--Milwaukee Panther Tracks

Panthers Host Chicago State Sunday--uwmpanthers.com

Valpo takes on Irish--The Post-Tribune
Scouting today's VU-ND women's basketball game--The NWI Times
Valpo Returns Home, Faces Toledo Saturday Afternoon--valpoathletics.com

VU's men's hoops team takes on Albrecht, Toledo--The NWI Times
Former Crown Point standout Albrecht thriving for Toledo--The NWI Times
Valpo Continues Road Swing Saturday at #3/4 Notre Dame--valpoathletics.com

Raiders limping a little--Dayton Daily News

Women's Basketball Continues Road Swing at Buffalo on Sunday--ysusports.com

Jim Squire

Parking shuttle for Ohio State game--Indy Star Butler Insider
Green Bay, not Butler, scores a big win--Indy Star Butler Insider

Loyola celebrating 1984-85 NCAA tournament team--The Chicago Tribune

Women's basketball: UWGB improves to program record 8-0 by beating Ball State--Green Bay Press Gazette
Hoewisch has Career Game as Green Bay Takes Care of Ball State--uwgbathletics.com

Men's basketball: Fletcher's knee expected to mend with rest--Green Bay Press Gazette

UWM Fades After Comeback, Falls At UNI--uwmpanthers.com

Bruszewski thriving for Notre Dame women's basketball team--The NWI Times

Turnaround for Raider hoops started at Miami 3 years ago--Dayton Daily News
WSU point guard dealing with knee injury--Dayton Daily News
Evans strains MCL; probably out for Miami--Mark Katz's Blog

Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 10--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

Thursday's Shootaround: Rough night for the big schools--Ballin' is a Habit

MID-MAJORS HAD A NIGHT:

UW-Green Bay 88, Wisconsin 84 OT: After climbing into the rankings with a win over Duke, Wisconsin came out flat on the road in a classic trap game (they play rival Marquette next). Bryquis Perine scored a career high 22 points and Randy Berry added 13 points and 12 boards, his third double-double, to lead the Pheonix to their first ever win over the Badgers. Trevon Hughes had 27 points, a career-high, but fouled out in overtime as UW-GB students stormed the floor after the win.
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Other notable games:
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* Purdue 86, Valpo 62: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore both scored 19 points as Purdue hit 10-22 three's and assisted on 20 of their 29 field goals.

Around the Top 25: Some big-conference boys get beat up--College Hoops Journal

—UPSET—Green Bay 88, No. 20 Wisconsin 84 (OT). Curse of Gary Parrish? Maybe. The power of the Phoenix? You bet! Wisconsin had the cajones to schedule this road game, and it should be commended for doing so. The Badgers were forced into 18 turnovers. That’s the kind of treatment they usually dole out at the Kohl Center.
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No. 5 Purdue 86, Valparaiso 62. Homer Drew thanked the media for sticking around after his team got handled in West Lafayette. I love Homer Drew.

New York blog 4: Offense poor? Yes, but so is defense--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler To Run Parking Shuttle At Ohio State Game--ButlerSports.com

Butler Defeats Indiana State, 67-60--ButlerSports.com

Hooten's Dozen Leads Titans Against Bowling Green--detroittitans.com

UIC plus-minus observations--ChicagoNow.com

The best and worst of advanced statistics in Chicago--ChicagoNow.com
Loyola's Jim Whitesell To Be Guest On WSCR Thursday Morning--LoyolaRamblers.com
Loyola Head Coach Jim Whitesell To Appear On FOX Chicago's Final Word--LoyolaRamblers.com

Green Bay knocks off No. 20 Wisconsin 88-84 in OT--MICentralSports.com
Men's basketball: Phoenix upsets UW in OT thriller--Green Bay Press Gazette
Game #10: UWGB 88, Wisconsin 84 FINAL--UWGB Basketball
UWGB's Fletcher could miss time UPDATED 1:15 p.m.--UWGB Basketball
UWGB's Fletcher has sprained MCL, may only miss one game--UWGB Basketball
Winks Thinks: The Never-Ending Cycle Edition--SportsBubbler.com

If you thought the Packers two game stretch of losing to Tampa Bay and then beating Dallas was confusing, then what do we make of the Badgers beating Duke only to then lose to UW-Green Bay? I understand that the Phoenix aren't a bad squad, but Wisconsin should never be losing to Green Bay, ever. I'm not sure how many of you outside of the Green Bay television market got to see the game, but it was brutal. Not the style of play during the game, but rather the video quality. Honestly, I made a highlight video of my swim team in high school that was shot in better quality than that game. Choppy video, crazy zooms, terrible graphics. It honestly looked like one of those high school games you see on your local television a week after the game was played. Obviously, I'm just trying to deflect my anger that a terrible Badgers loss will bring.

Phoenix Upset Badgers in Green Bay--SportsBubbler.com
Phoenix Drops Badgers, 88-84, in Overtime Thriller--uwgbathletics.com

UWGB vs. Ball State women's basketball preview--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Hits the Road to Take on Ball State--uwgbathletics.com

Land Warriors: 2009-2010 Best of the Biggest--Ballin' is a Habit

James "Big Lumber" Eayrs - UW-Milwaukee - 6'7, 310lbs

Let us be the first to introduce you (pending you aren't already familiar, thank you Sports Illustrated) to the quintessential land warrior.

His name? James Eayrs. His Occupation? "Big Lumber". We must give SI's Seth Davis credit for opening our eyes to this monstrous wrecking-ball with long range firepower.

Here is what Davis had to say about the man who moves like a nimble iguana:

Body of a sumo wrestler, hands of a surgeon, feet of a ballet dancer.

Luke Winn also had nice things to say about the over-sized riot shield with a buttery touch:

How can you not love Big Lumber? He's the Big Baby of the Northwoods, standing 6-7 and weighing 310 pounds, lighting up the Horizon League with surprising touch for his size. Not only does Eayrs provide constant entertainment -- his look and body type are completely unique in college hoops -- he gives hope to husky children everywhere, that one day, they, too, can play college hoops.

Take a look at this true land warrior and then imagine him with an extra 80lbs of "armor". Entering his freshman year, Eayrs tipped the scales at a svelte 390lbs. At 6'7 and 390lbs he would be hands-down the largest player in the NFL. But at a sleek 310lbs this land warrior has extra mobility and has acquired long-range precision (he is 14-37 from behind the arch).

Jame Eayrs was not always known as "Big Lumber". He heard "The Dancing Polar Bear", "Big James", and "Big Country". It was not until a January 9th, 2009, when Eayrs sank a game-tying 3-point buzzer-beater, that the legend of "Big Lumber" was born. The rotund rocket-launcher has become something of a pop icon in Milwaukee. During the siberian-esque winters in the great Midwest, people ditch the ice fishing in favor of bearing witness to the quintessential land warrior. The fans love him, the commentators are wooed by him, and the opposing players and coaches are absolutely puzzled by him. He is "Big Lumber" .

Big James The Blogger--Panther Blog Zone
Panthers Head To Fargo For Matchup With North Dakota State--uwmpanthers.com

Road Report: Snatches and Dispatches--The Mid-Majority

Game No. 026 - Valparaiso at Butler
Saturday, December 5, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- There will be plenty of time to dissect the reasons why Butler is not living up to its potential, why 10-minute efforts and poor perimeter defense are absolutely killing their chances at an at-large bid. The Bulldogs did everything they needed to do (and not an iota more) to extract Valparaiso from the premises in an 84-67 Saturday spank. With that taken care of, we can discuss what happened at halftime.

Nothing in this world is better than mascots playing basketball, and nothing brings people more joy. You can look it up, it's been scientifically proven. Even when it's two on two, mascot hoops is better than a million Zolofts. At Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, four mascots entered the arena, two left utterly broken and humiliated, and hundreds of kids' lives were changed for the better.

The action was overseen by an inflatable referee from a ten-dollar haircut store. The game itself pitted Hink the Butler Bulldog and Big-E-Foot the Indiana Ice mascot against two cows. Now, I've seen my share of guarantee games and I've watched teams from the SoCon destroy NAIA squads by upwards of 100 points. I've never seen basketball destruction like this, sports fans. During the five-minute game, Hink and Big-E-Foot had possession of the ball for at least 4:40. Whenever the other team had it, Bulldog and Thing just take it from them. The cows, shills for a chicken restaurant and a convenience store, couldn't hold the ball in their hooves, and had trouble keeping their costumes together. You can't dribble or shoot when you're using one limb to keep your head on.

This was as close to murder on the basketball court as I've ever seen. I wanted to call the cops from the press row phone.

When this website is gone -- and it might be, soon -- I want you to remember something, and keep it in your heart always. Push aside anything that I may have presented as wisdom, forget all the 3,000-word essays, replace it all with these four simple words: cows suck at basketball.

Johnson, Moore lead No. 5 Purdue past Valpo 86-62--MICentralSports.com
Boilers on target in this one--The Indy Star
Boilers shooters heat up--The Post-Tribune
Valpo changes lineup, tries to shore up 'D'--The Post-Tribune
Greetings from Purdue-Valparaiso at Mackey--The Wisdom of Oz
E.C.'s Moore helps Purdue obliterate VU in men's hoops--The NWI Times
NCAA discusses expanding tournament--The NWI Times
Wrapping up Purdue (MBB)--The VU Beat
Valpo Falls at #5/5 Purdue--valpoathletics.com

Wright State women knock off Miami--Dayton Daily News
Women's Basketball Shots Their Way to 75-68 Victory at Miami--wsuraiders.com

Men's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 9--The Horizon League
Green Bay Faction--Horizon League Network

Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 8--The Horizon League
Women's Basketball Scoreboard -- Dec. 9--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

ATB: Don’t You EVER Give Up…--Rush The Court

# #13 Georgetown 72, #20 Butler 65. Georgetown got 25 points and 14 rebounds from Greg Monroe as the Hoyas dominated Butler on the inside, outrebounding the Bulldogs 43-30. Perhaps Monroe’s biggest impact came on the defensive end, as he helped force Matt Howard into one of the worst games of his career as he finished 1-9 from the floor while looking intimidated in the post before fouling out. Georgetown jumped out to a 52-35 second-half lead, which Butler couldn’t bounce back from. Austin Freeman was 4-5 from deep in adding 18 points for the Hoyas, who picked up a must-needed statement win. Butler, who got 24 and 8 boards from Gordon Hayward, is not the top 10 team that many predicted they would be during the preseason right now, but this is still an impressive win nonetheless. For Butler to be in position to earn an at-large bid should it come to that, they are now probably going to have to beat both Ohio State and Xavier in coming weeks.
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Marquette 71, Milwaukee 51. Marquette bounced back from their loss to NC State with their 37th consecutive win in this series (second-longest active streak) behind Jimmy Butler’s 19/5. Lazar Hayward also chipped in 13/4 in the easy win for the Golden Eagles.

--The Big Lead

RTC Live: Jimmy V Classic--Rush The Court
Morning 5IVE--Rush The Court

Has Butler painted itself into a corner by losing nearly every one of its marquee games thus far this season? Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman and Luke Winn believe so, and we’re inclined to agree with them. Horizon League POY Matt Howard has ok numbers, but he’s averaging a ridiculous FOUR fouls per game, including five DQs so far this season, which is 25% more than his career average of 3.2 FPG, so he really needs to get that under control.

Tuesday's Pregame Beat--Ballin' is a Habit

7:oo pm: Georgetown vs. Butler: We finally get a chance to see how good Georgetown is. The Hoyas come in largely untested except for a slugfest with a very mediocre Temple team. The Hoyas top five is talented, but they have no bench to speak of. They are don't have much size inside. Butler, on the other hand, is very good, but they struggled out in Anaheim, going 1-2. Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack are both playing well this season, but Matt Howard has yet to find a groove. Expect Howard to have a big day against a relatively weak Georgetown frontline.

Wednesday's Shootaround: Georgetown and Indiana win in MSG--Ballin' is a Habit

Georgetown 72, Butler 65: G'Town got 25 and 14 from Greg Monroe as he absolutely shut down Matt Howard, who finshed 1-9 from the floor. Austin Freeman added 18 in the win, while Gordon Hayward went for 24 points and 8 boards in the loss. The question that remains is did Butler just cost themselves a chance to be an NCAA Tournament team? It is getting dangerously close to that point. The Bulldogs are now 0-3 against top 25 teams with just one more chance to pick up a win ... and it is against the Evan Turner-less Buckeyes. With Xavier struggling as well, it realy looks like Butler will head into conference play with a win at Northwestern as their best out of conference win.

But why is Butler struggling so much?

For starters, Matt Howard is struggling, especially on the defensive end. He is averaging 4.0 fouls per game, has fouled out five times, and has played just one game with less that three fouls, which is why he is barely averaging 24 mpg. But even with Howard on the court, Butler doesn't have much size of length up front. Hayward is 6'9", but he rarely plays on the interior defensively, and is rarely effective when he does. Willie Veasley, who is all of 6'3", usually ends up playing the majority of minutes at the four spot, meaning that Butler is almost always going to have a disadvantage on the inside.

Howard's struggles carry over to the offensive end as well. Butler has no post presence without Howard, and when he is struggling (or not on the floor), it means that Butler becomes way too reliant on the three and the (over) penetration of their guards. Howard is the most important player on this team, and he must pick up his play if Butler plans on making it to the tournament.

A bit of a underwhelming showcase in MSG tonight--College Hoops Journal
Around the Top 25: No. 15 Georgetown 72, No. 22 Butler 65--College Hoops Journal
Georgetown up to the task, and ranking--Washington Post
Butler squanders opportunity against ranked opponent--The Indy Star
New York blog 2: Bulldogs in the Garden--Indy Star Butler Insider
New York blog 3: Get better, not bitter--Indy Star Butler Insider
GEORGETOWN 72, BUTLER 65--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Georgetown Beats Bulldogs In Jimmy V Classic--ButlerSports.com

No Shortage of Great Sporting Events Over Holiday Break--The Cauldron

No Worries At 2-4: Women's Basketball Can Right Ship--The Cauldron

Titans fall at Calihan--The Detroit Free Press
Detroit Mercy regresses with loss to Tennessee St.--The Detroit News
Women's Basketball Set For Wednesday Home Match-Up Against BGSU--detroittitans.com

Titans' Buzzer Beater Falls Short--detroittitans.com

Holiday Gift Ideas from Chicago College Basketball--ChicagoNow.com

UIC Flames Holiday Pack - $65.00

You could just get a Flames fleece blanket, but why stop there? The holiday pack may look like expensive, but look what you get: 4 premium lower level seats, the fleece blanket and a holiday card. This is the gift that inspired this post. You also get to pick which game the four tickets are to. Personally, I'd recommend buying them quick because the best deals are Dec. 16 against Oregon State, Jan. 15 against Loyola or Jan. 23 against Butler. All offer to some great reasons to watch. Maybe by January the Flames will have finally heated up on offense. Buy it now.

LoyolaGift.jpg

Loyola University Chicago Banner - $32.00

The history of Loyola is great and the present might eventually catch up, so why not celebrate it with this very nice banner. While I'm sort of jealous that I can't find the blanket that Kyle Whelliston mentions in this Mid-Majority post the banner is a nice substitute. The banner is 1.5'x3' so you're going to need some space for it. Personally, I think a great idea would be to buy the banner and then if the Ramblers make a tournament this year buy a patch for it and sew it on. You'll have an excellent keepsake from an unexpected occurrence. The other Loyola gift I would totally buy? A DVD of the intro video at the Gentile Center. Now there's a great combination of the new and the old. Since you can't have that, get the banner. Buy it now.

Women's Basketball Having a Block Party This Season--uicflames.com

Ramblers Look To Stay Perfect At Home, Host San Francisco Saturday--LoyolaRamblers.com

Men's basketball: Point guards key to UWGB-UW showdown--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Set for Home Clash with No. 20 Wisconsin--uwgbathletics.com

Marquette defeats Wisconsin-Milwaukee 71-51--Daily Herald
Ties that bind--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Koonce finds comfort all across the state--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Sloppy but satisfying--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Awww... Snap!! Loyola Takes over the Cell, Downs Milwaukee 69-64 (Foggy Horizon as Cross-Town UWM-MU Battle Looms)--Milwaukee Panther Tracks
Live Blog - Milwaukee at Marquette--Panther Blog Zone
This is a Rivalry?--SportsBubbler.com
UWM - UIC Game Notes--SportsBubbler.com
Turnovers Hurt Panthers In Loss At Marquette--uwmpanthers.com

Panthers Shoot For 2-2 Road Trip At UNI--uwmpanthers.com

Where he belongs--The Post-Tribune
Purdue won't take new-look Crusaders lightly--The Post-Tribune
Crusaders travel to No. 5 Purdue for third game against top-five opponent this season--The NWI Times
Wrapping up Butler--The VU Beat
Blast from the past--The VU Beat
Adams’ 18 Not Enough as Valpo Falls at #15 Pittsburgh--valpoathletics.com

Adams hits 18, but VU falls to Pitt Pittsburgh--The Post-Tribune
No. 15-ranked Pittsburgh cruises over VU women--The NWI Times

Raiders hold on to beat Toledo--Dayton Daily News
Was Toledo's rally reminiscent of Northeastern game?--Dayton Daily News
Raiders sneak by Toledo--Mark Katz's Blog
Raiders shoot down Rockets--RaiderRoundball.com
Raiders Hold On For 66-56 Win at Toledo--wsuraiders.com

OFF TO A SLOW START--Youngstown Vindicator
2009-10 Women's Basketball Promotional Schedule--ysusports.com

2009-10 Men's Basketball Promotional Schedule--ysusports.com

Men's Basketball Scoreboard - Dec. 8--The Horizon League
So How Does This Loyola "Thing" Happen?--Horizon League Network
My Perfect Team--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Red Line Lounge, Week 04--The Mid-Majority

KW: Yeah, I think it's between Auburn and Wyoming for this year's top MTILP (Major Team I'd Like to Play). And the Big Sky wasn't the only conference getting under way this weekend. Lots of great SoCon, MEAC, MAAC, OVC, Badlands, NEC, A-Sun and Horizon contests this weekend. Any other early parentheticals that caught your eye?

DL: Detroit. 2-0 in the HL after beating Youngstown State and Cleveland State. This team is soooooo dangerous. Still figuring out how to play together, but the talent is definitely there, and it's beginning to come together. What about you? I noticed you spotlighted some SoCon action in a G!O!T!N! while I was gone. And for the record, I actually DIDN'T get any cake on Saturday night.

KW: I can't wait to see the Titans play.

Checking In On… The Big Ten--Rush The Court

Coming Up:
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* December 9th – Wisconsin vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay – Wisconsin is on a high after knocking off Duke and then taking care of Grambling State with ease. Green Bay is putting up numbers, so this should be an interesting in-state matchup. 8:00 PM
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* December 12th – OSU vs. Butler – The first true test since Evan Turner went down. Butler comes in ranked #20 in the country, and even though OSU on paper is #15, you take away Turner and I might even say that OSU is the underdog. This is the game where a new leader must emerge, or it could mark the start of a long season for OSU fans with Turner watching from the sidelines. 12:00 PM, ESPN

ATB: Weekend Cheers & Jeers--Rush The Court

#20 Butler 84, Valparaiso 67. Butler used a hot second half of shooting (69%) to pull away from Valparaiso and got a well-balanced effort from its stars Gordon Hayward (18/4/5 assts) and Matt Howard (16/5) to knock out Valpo despite allowing 53% shooting from the Crusaders.