On The Horizon


Detroit   72 Milwaukee        65
Green Bay 74 Wright State     50
UIC       72 Youngstown State 53
Loyola    74 Cleveland State  64
Butler    66 Valparaiso       52

Seed Team             Conf 1st round matchup
---- ----------       ---- -----------------
#1   Detroit          9-2  Would host winner of #8-#9 game
#2   Green Bay        8-3  Would host winner of #7-#10 game
#3   Butler           7-3  Would host #6 Cleveland State
#4   UIC              7-4  Would host #5 Loyola
#5   Loyola           6-5
#6   Cleveland State  6-5
#7   Wright State     4-7  Would host #10 Youngstown State
#8   Milwaukee        4-7  Would host #9 Valparaiso
#9   Valparaiso       3-7
#10  Youngstown State 0-11

Loyola has swept Cleveland State so they control the tiebreaker between the two teams. Likewise, Wright State has swept Milwaukee so they control the tiebreaker between those two teams.

Jim Squire

I'm a little late this year posting this, but it's about time to really zero in on the jockeying for seeds in the HL tourney.

Just to clarify once again, the idea is "if the regular season ended today, these are the way the seeds would be laid out, and this is what the 1st round matchup would be." When I list someone with a seed #, it does not mean they have clinched it, it means they currently leading the race for that seed.

Scores from 2/8/2009:


Butler 62 Loyola 47
Valpo  83 UIC    82

Seed Team             Conf 1st round matchup
---- ----------       ---- -----------------
#1   Butler           14-0 Has clinched #1 seed and double-bye
#2   Cleveland State   8-4 Would receive double-bye
#3   Green Bay         8-5 Would host #10 UIC
#4   Wright State      8-5 Would host #9 Youngstown State
#5   Valparaiso        8-6 Would host #8 Loyola
#6   Detroit           7-6 Would host #7 Milwaukee
#7   Milwaukee         5-7
#8   Loyola            4-10
#9   Youngstown State  2-11
#10  UIC               2-12

Green Bay is 1-0 against WSU. The rematch is later this week, so the #3 seed tiebreaker could change after that game.

One measly win by Butler or one measly loss by Cleveland State (one or the other is very likely) clinches the regular season title outright for Butler, but even if they lose out and CSU wins out to tie at 14-4, Butler still wins the tiebreaker:

1. They will have split their head-to-head series.
2. The only common opponents that can break the tie in this scenario are Wright State, Detroit, UIC, and Youngstown State. Both teams will have swept Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Loyola, and both teams will have split with Valpo.
3. WSU and UDM break the tie in favor of Butler because both teams have beaten CSU already while Butler has already swept them.
4. YSU and UIC would break the tie in favor of CSU because CSU has already swept both teams, whereas Butler would have split with both teams.
5. Since WSU is 8-5, YSU is 2-11, and UIC is 2-12, there is no way that YSU or UIC can finish ahead of WSU, so they won't be used as tie breakers.

One possible flaw to this logic: what if WSU ends up tied with other teams? The tiebreaker procedure requires that ties must be broken from the top down in order, one at a time, so such a tie would be put on hold, and WSU's record would be merged with one or more teams tied with them to form a composite common opponent.

However, the worst record WSU can have is 8-10, while the best record YSU can have is 7-11 and the best record UIC can have is 6-12, so neither of these two teams can even tie WSU. Any other teams that tie with WSU would add nothing to the effect that WSU has by themselves, so the result would still be the same.

Jim Squire

Howard leads No. 18 Butler over Loyola--MICentralSports.com
The Hoops National: February 9, 2010--The Mid-Majority

Big Games
...
Horizon League: at Butler 62, Loyola (Ill.) 47
BUTL - 21-4 (14-0) [RPI: 15, State: 14] LOYO - 13-11 (4-10) [RPI: 187, State: 192]
Star of the Game: Matt Howard 20 Pts (4-8 FG, 12-14 FT)

Butler Clinches a Share of Fourth Consecutive League Title - Matt Howard scored a game-high 20 points and Butler won its third game in five days to clinch at least a share of its fourth consecutive Horizon League regular season title. The Bulldogs came back in the second half to beat Loyola 62-47 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday to improve to 14-0 in Horizon League play. (via Butler)

Monday's Shootaround: WVU-Nova and Kansas-Texas disappoint--Ballin' is a Habit

Other notable scores

* Butler 62, Loyola IL 47: Matt Howard scored 20 points and Willie Veasley added 12 and 8 boards as the Bulldogs clinched a share of the Horizon League title.

February 8 edition of Dancing on the Bubble--College Hoops Journal

The rest of the RPI top 25:

While the RPI is not a perfect system, I do believe if you can get in the top 25, you’re almost always guaranteed an at-large berth.
...
(20-4, 26, 39) Getting stronger and stronger, already up to 13-0 in the Horizon. Totally possible it could be 17-0 going into the Siena game. If that happens and Butler beats the Saints, it could be looking at a 5-seed or better.

Around the Top 25: Rivalry week isn’t off to the hottest of starts--College Hoops Journal

No. 18 Butler 62, Loyola-Chicago 47. This win means Butler will have at least a share of the Horizon title. It’ll be the fourth straight season that’s the case. Matt Howard may be able to get back into a groove after going for a team-high 20 last night.

Bulldogs score 13th win in a row--The Indy Star
Bench helps Dawgs overcome cold start--Indy Star Butler Insider
BUTLER 62, LOYOLA 47--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
LIVE BLOG: Men's Basketball vs. Loyola--ButlerSports.com
Butler Clinches a Share of Fourth Consecutive League Title--ButlerSports.com

Can Cleveland State make a post-season tournament?--Cleveland Plain Dealer

Vikings Begin Three Game Trip at Valparaiso--csuvikings.com

Detroit-Mercy lands Nick Minnerath from Jackson CC--The Detroit News
Detroit Mercy ends losing streak with lopsided victory--The Detroit News
Detroit builds on early lead for big win--The Oakland Press
Titans Cruise Past Chicago State, 92-72--detroittitans.com

Over 175 Enjoyed Girls & Women In Sports Day At UDM--detroittitans.com
WBB Q&A: Sophomore Sierra Spaude--detroittitans.com

Loyola and UIC are big underdogs tonight--ChicagoNow.com
UIC falls to Valpo--The Chicago Tribune
COLLEGE BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS: Tough-luck loss for UIC at Valpo--The Chicago Sun-Times
Valparaiso nips University of Illinois-Chicago 83-82--Daily Herald
Men's Basketball Edged By Valparaiso, 83-82--uicflames.com

Butler routs Loyola--The Chicago Tribune
Another title on Horizon for Bulldogs--The Chicago Sun-Times
Howard leads No. 18 Butler over Loyola--Daily Herald
Rough Second Half Dooms Loyola In 62-47 Loss To No. 18 Butler--LoyolaRamblers.com

Women's basketball: UWGB falls out of AP Top 25--Green Bay Press Gazette

Video: UWGB Monday Minute--Green Bay Press Gazette

Men's basketball: Jeter not disciplined for bumping Fletcher--Green Bay Press Gazette
Should UWM coach Rob Jeter be disciplined? UPDATED--UWGB Basketball

VU extinguishes Flames to stay in hunt for 2nd place--The Post-Tribune
UIC at Valparaiso, Feb. 8, Live Blog--Off The Mark
VU beats UIC in men's hoops; Butler wins 13th straight--The NWI Times
Valpo Wins Shootout Against UIC--valpoathletics.com

Raiders lose Cooper  Land for season--Dayton Daily News
Butler clinches share of Horizon title--Dayton Daily News
Land finished for season with knee injury--Mark Katz's Blog

Brown, Coaches Hope Rebound Record is First of Many Successes--ysusports.com

CSU's Trevon Harmon named Men's Basketball Player of the Week--The Horizon League
Men's Basketball Weekly Release #13--The Horizon League
Men's Basketball Scoreboard - Feb. 8--The Horizon League

Klein named Women's Basketball Player of the Week--The Horizon League

Jim Squire

The Hoops National: February 8, 2010--The Mid-Majority

Big Games
...
Horizon League: at Butler 74, Wright State 62
BUTL - 20-4 (13-0) [RPI: 16, State: 15] WRIG - 15-9 (8-5) [RPI: 96, State: 84]
Star of the Game: Willie Veasley 19 Pts (9-9 FG)

Perfect Veasley Carries Bulldogs Past Wright State - Butler, led by senior Willie Veasley, shot a crisp 67.5 percent from the field and pulled away from Wright State in the second half to win 74-62 Saturday Feb. 6 at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The win was the 12th in a row for Butler and moved them to a perfect 13-0 in Horizon League play. (via Butler)

Howard's consistent play returns--The Indy Star
Bulldogs Close Homestand Against Loyola--ButlerSports.com

Klein is CSU's Best Ever:--The Cauldron

Rivalry Renewed: Cleveland State and Butler--The Cauldron

Titans Return Home For Non-Conference Tilt Against Chicago State--detroittitans.com

Monday's matchup: UIC at Valparaiso--The Chicago Tribune
Scouting: UIC @ Valparaiso--Daily Herald
Men's Basketball's losing streak continues--UIC Chicago Flame
Flames exhale, snap 9-game skid--Whoosh!Net
Men's Basketball Heads To Valparaiso This Monday--uicflames.com

Monday's matchup: Loyola at Butler--The Chicago Tribune
Scouting: Loyola @ Butler--Daily Herald

Purple Eagle eaters--UWM Post
Panthers suffer emotional loss to UW-GB on the road--UWM Post

Rough road trip--UWM Post
‘Pink Zone’ is red-hot--UWM Post

Crusaders hope to find shooting touch vs. UIC--The Post-Tribune
Valpo looks to avoid the trap against UIC--The NWI Times
Valpo Closes Three-Game Homestand Monday vs. UIC--valpoathletics.com

Raiders coach chides Butler’s critics--Dayton Daily News
Raiders need to bounce back after loss to Butler--Dayton Daily News

The Drew Crew – A Student Section To Be Proud Of--Horizon League Network