On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Stardate 64-20110110: Family Business--The Mid-Majority

Horizon League: Just start calling it the Bizarrizon. The weekend began with Butler's mind-melting blowout of previous league-undefeated Cleveland State, a 23-point job paced by the "Glue Sticks," mega-Caucasians Matt Howard and Andrew Smith. The next day, a crotch punch in the Detroit-UIC game. Sunday, more madness. The most historically invisible and anonymous program in the conference, Youngstown State, nearly knocked off Butler at Hinkle. And Cleveland State's lost Indiana weekend continued at Valparaiso, where a 10-0 Viking rally-run was not enough against the Crusaders in a 64-58 decision. Now, everybody has at least one loss, and there's a four-team 4-1 traffic jam at the top.

Game 7-035: Wright State at Loyola (Ill.) - plus BONUS NAIA field trip!--The Mid-Majority

Sloan considers lineup change for unsettled Jazz--Salt Lake Tribune

Sloan has considered inserting either Miles or rookie Gordon Hayward into the starting lineup. But Miles is Utah’s premier scorer off the bench, while the 20-year-old Hayward is still adjusting to the highs and lows of the NBA.

Butler gets good scare from Youngstown State--The Indy Star
How to make the most of your Victory Firelight experience--Victory Firelight
Cutting Down the ‘Net: Audio, anyone?--Victory Firelight

This’ll go down as Cleveland State’s lost weekend--Beyond The Arc
Cleveland State drops to No. 7 in Mid-Major Top 25--Let's Go Vikes!
The Gary Waters Radio Show - Jan. 10--Let's Go Vikes!
Men's Basketball Notes: 1-11-11--csuvikings.com

Vikings Play at Butler on Thursday Night--csuvikings.com

Detroit Mercy center Eli Holman suspended--The Detroit News

Birton suspended--ChicagoNow.com

Brad Birton will miss UIC's game against Milwaukee - The trip up to Wisconsin is going to be a big one for UIC and the fact that Birton will miss the next one doesn't help. Of course we knew this suspension was coming because a flagrant foul that warrants ejection draws an automatic suspension, but it still stings.

That said, I'm excited for what's planned for the Flames' trip up north. I'll have a new voice joining the site to help with covering UIC. More on that tomorrow. Also, more basketball tomorrow as DePaul is in action against Seton Hall and Northwestern plays at Iowa.

Titans rally past Flames--Whoosh!Net
Listen to Coach Moore on 312Sports.com Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.!--uicflames.com
Green Bay Game Time Changed to 11 a.m. Saturday--uicflames.com

Women's Basketball Continues Road Trip Wednesday At Milwaukee--uicflames.com

Loyola Heads North For Weekend In Wisconsin--LoyolaRamblers.com

Saturday's Women's Basketball Start Time Moved Up to 5 p.m.--LoyolaRamblers.com
Loyola Opens Road Swing With Wednesday Night Clash At No. 23/20 Green Bay--LoyolaRamblers.com

UWGB men's basketball: Phoenix changes Saturday's game to 11 a.m.--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB women's basketball: MRI results pending, but Ritchie out at least two weeks--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB women's basketball preview--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix Tips off Three-Game Homestand Wednesday--uwgbathletics.com

Horizon League Power Rankings (January 4-10)--PantherU
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back..--Milwaukee Panther Tracks
Panthers Back At Cell For Weekend Homestand; UIC Visits Thursday--uwmpanthers.com

Panthers Return Home To Host UIC Wednesday--uwmpanthers.com

Valpo's Johnson named Horizon Player of Week--The Post-Tribune

Crusader Women Return Home for First Time in 2011 on Thursday--valpoathletics.com

Defense key for Raiders against Valpo, Butler--Dayton Daily News
WSU freshman fighting through midseason fatigue--Wright State University Sports
WSU and Raider Nation aim to ‘black out’ Valpo this Friday--The Guardian
Butler game has different meaning for WSU seniors--The Guardian

Lady Raiders thump Valpo, set three-point record straight--The Guardian

YSU men look to build on Butler effort--Youngstown Vindicator
Men’s Basketball Hosts Wilberforce Tuesday Evening--ysusports.com

Green Bay women's basketball team moves back into AP Top 25 Poll--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Tempo-free Horizon League--ChicagoNow.com
Stadium Journey's look at Chicago's venues--ChicagoNow.com
The Nation's Top 25 Freshmen--Basketball Prospectus

9. Ray McCallum, Detroit
Like Smith, McCallum was a 2010 McDonald's All-American. Unlike Smith, he logs a ton of minutes. McCallum has stepped effortlessly into the scoring point guard role for the Titans, sporting a high assist rate for a team that doesn't often do assists. He's also recorded a low turnover rate for a team that commits a lot of turnovers. McCallum poses little threat from the perimeter but he's getting the most out of what he brings to the table for his father, coach Ray McCallum, Sr.

Utah Jazz seem to have a Rallies-R-Us ability--Deseret News

What's that mean for the possible change?

Who knows? Sloan might not even be sure at this point. But the coach did tinker with his lineups again, using Earl Watson aside Williams in the backcourt for extended minutes and playing rookie Gordon Hayward at shooting guard and Andrei Kirilenko as a power forward in the second half in different combinations.

College Basketball: Purdue, Butler, Valparaiso, and Louisville Remain On Top--SB Nation Indiana

Butler - The Bulldogs struggled to put away Youngstown State, but a tip in by Andrew Smith with a minute left broke a 79-79 tie and Butler went on to win 84-79. Shelvin Mack had 28 points and Matt Howard 26.

Valparaiso - The Crusaders helped Butler out by knocking off Cleveland State 64-58 at home. The Vikings, who came into the weekend as the last unbeaten team in Horizon League play, had an 0 for 2 trip to the Hoosier State Thanks to 20 points from Cory Johnson. Valpo, Butler, Detroit, and Wright State are all tied for the Horizon lead at 4-1 in conference play, with 4-2 Cleveland State a half game back.

Butler gets good scare from Youngstown State--The Indy Star
Butler, Colts fans spoiled--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler prevails over hot-shooting Youngstown State--Victory Firelight
BUTLER 84, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 79--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Butler Survives Hot-Shooting Youngstown State, 84-79--ButlerSports.com

Brittany Bowen Named Horizon League Player of the Week--ButlerSports.com

Early season logjam atop the Horizon League: Cleveland State Insider--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State stumbles to second straight loss, 64-58, to Valparaiso--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Fall To Valparaiso, 64-58--csuvikings.com

Detroit Mercy's Eli Holman suspended for Butler game--The Detroit Free Press
Holman Unavailable for Butler Game--detroittitans.com
Homecoming Week Festivities--detroittitans.com

Robbins center of attention in UIC loss--The Chicago Tribune
Flames incinerate Illini at United Center--UIC Chicago Flame

Women’s Basketball topped by Illini--UIC Chicago Flame

UW-Green Bay men's basketball game vs. Illinois-Chicago on Saturday moved to 11 a.m.--Green Bay Press Gazette
UWGB moves Saturday start time vs. UIC--UWGB Basketball
Phoenix Win Highlighted by Impact of Newcomers--uwgbathletics.com
Green Bay Men's Basketball Changes Start Time for Saturday's Game--Green Bay Press Gazette

Women's basketball: UW-Green Bay returns to AP Top 25 at No. 23--Green Bay Press Gazette
Women's Basketball Rejoins AP Top 25 Poll--uwgbathletics.com

Weekly Panthers report--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Time for UWM women's game moved--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Women's Basketball Game Saturday Moved To 5 p.m.--uwmpanthers.com

Non-Conference Opponents Update 1/10--Hammer and Rails
VU plays big when it counts--The Post-Tribune
Little, Buggs put clamps on CSU star--The Post-Tribune
Cleveland State at Valparaiso, Jan. 9, Live Blog--Off The Mark
Cory Johnson named Horizon League Player of the Week--Off The Mark
Crusaders hold off late Cleveland State threat--The NWI Times
Crusaders Claim Share of First With Win Over CSU--valpoathletics.com
Johnson Named HL Player of the Week--valpoathletics.com

Evans’ growth at point guard shows commitment to development--Wright State University Sports
WSU gets chance for statement weekend in Horizon League race--Wright State University Sports
Raiders Host Valparaiso and Butler--wsuraiders.com

Raider fans and students: Can you do me a favor?--The Guardian

Butler rallies to edge Youngstown State 84-79--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Guins Make 14 3's in 84-79 Loss to Butler Sunday Afternoon--ysusports.com

Butler's Bowen earns women's basketball Player of the Week honors--Horizon League Network

Valparaiso's Johnson Records Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week Accolade--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Game 7-033: Cleveland State at Butler--The Mid-Majority
Game 7-034: Detroit at Illinois-Chicago--The Mid-Majority

Piston rookie Monroe had pre-draft thoughts of Utah--Salt Lake Tribune

In the 2010 draft, Utah had a handful of players on its radar, including Georgetown power forward Greg Monroe and Butler’s Gordon Hayward.

If both had been available, I don’t know whom the Jazz would have picked.

But Detroit, selecting two spots earlier, helped make the decision for them.

The Pistons grabbed Monroe at No. 7.

The Jazz took Hayward at No. 9.

Today, midway through their rookie seasons, both players appear to have bright futures.
...
Like Hayward, Monroe played two years of college basketball before jumping to the NBA.

Both are still months from celebrating their 21st birthday.
...
Like the Jazz with Hayward, Monroe is happy about landing in Detroit.

Sloan gets creative--Salt Lake Tribune

Sloan’s most unique rotation came during the second quarter, with a lackluster Utah squad staring at a 49-33 deficit. Employing a blend of first-tier starters and rookie bench players, Sloan turned to Watson, Deron Williams, Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans and Al Jefferson at once. At the same time, primary rotation players Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell were stuck on the sideline.

Sloan then pushed the agenda further during the early third quarter, turning again to Hayward, and teaming the rookie with Williams, Kirilenko, Millsap and Jefferson.

“Probably in [Hayward’s] behalf, I shouldn’t have put him out there as a young player, maybe,” Sloan said. “But he’s going to get experience anyway.”

Hayward acknowledged that random insertions are never easy. But he survived the fire, and said he is always prepared to enter a contest at any time.

“You can’t control who he decides to put in the game. You just try to be ready on the bench and focus the whole time,” Hayward said. “And when he puts you in, just go out and compete.”

Butler's Mack not shooting like NBA prospect--The Indy Star
Game Preview: Butler vs. Youngstown St.--Victory Firelight
Bulldogs Face Youngstown State In Sunday Matinee--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Score 72-66 Win At Detroit--ButlerSports.com

Butler 79, Cleveland State 56--Let's Go Vikes!
Vikings Travel To Valparaiso For Sunday Contest--csuvikings.com

CSU women fall short in upset bid against No. 20 Green Bay--Let's Go Vikes!
Garland Scores 17, But Vikes Drop 63-55--csuvikings.com

Ray McCallum's tip-in clinches Detroit Mercy's victory--The Detroit News
Late Putback Gives Titans Tough Road Win, 72-69--detroittitans.com

Detroit Mercy falls to Butler, snaps five-game win streak--The Detroit News
Valiant Titans Effort Against Butler Comes Up Short--detroittitans.com

UIC getting closer to first Horizon League win--ChicagoNow.com
Tempo-free stats from UIC vs. Detroit--ChicagoNow.com
UIC fails to close again in 72-69 loss--The Chicago Tribune
Flames remain winless in Horizon League play--The Chicago Sun-Times
Men's Basketball Falls Short, Drops 72-69 Decision versus Detroit--uicflames.com

Comeback Falls Short For Women's Basketball At Loyola

Ramblers’ offense downright offensive--The Chicago Sun-Times
Loyola Drops 58-41 Decision To Wright State--LoyolaRamblers.com

Hot Start Pushes Loyola Past UIC, 69-58--LoyolaRamblers.com

Phoenix overcomes Ritchie's knee injury--Green Bay Press Gazette
No. 20 Green Bay Finishes Ohio Roadtrip Improving to 4-0 in League Play--uwgbathletics.com

Men's basketball: Phoenix fends off Panthers' late attack to beat archrival--Green Bay Press Gazette
Team Effort Helps Green Bay Hold Off Milwaukee, 69-64--uwgbathletics.com

Panthers find right balance, beat Youngstown State--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

UWM has tough shooting game, falls to Phoenix--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Rivalry Remastered – Game 17 at Green Bay--PantherU
Road Trip--PantherU
Postgame Extra – Milwaukee at Green Bay--Panther Blog Zone
Second-Half Surge Sends Phoenix Past Cold-Shooting Panthers--uwmpanthers.com

Milwaukee Cruises Past Youngstown State In Road Victory--uwmpanthers.com

Braced for their best--The Post-Tribune
Horizon League teams have tendency to come back strong after blowout losses--The NWI Times
Valpo Prepares For Sunday Visit From Cleveland State--valpoathletics.com

VU ends road trip with loss--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso University women's basketball team begins 0-3 in Horizon League--The NWI Times
Valpo Women End Road Trip with Loss at Wright State--valpoathletics.com

Raiders' Chicago trip much friendlier than the last--Dayton Daily News
Raiders’ guard studies, excels in win over Loyola--Dayton Daily News
All-around Evans game leads WSU to 58-41 road win vs. Loyola--Wright State University Sports
Men Complete Chicago Sweep With 58-41 Win at Loyola--wsuraiders.com

Women Blow Out Valpo 90-67--RaiderRoundball.com
Women Set Three-Point Records in Win Over Valparaiso--wsuraiders.com

Huge Crowds Needed at Beeghly Over Next Two Weekends--Let's Go Guins!
Men’s Basketball Visits 2010 National Runners-Up Butler Sunday--ysusports.com

Brandi Brown Nets 22 in Penguins' Loss to Milwaukee--ysusports.com

Detroit, Wright State, Green Bay Tally Wins on Saturday--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Game 7-032: Detroit at Loyola (Ill.)--The Mid-Majority
Mid-Majority Chat Block, Episode 709--The Mid-Majority

4:04

Helloooo Hoops Nation. Welcome to the first Chat Block of calendar year 2011, and appropriately enough we're in the capital city of Indianapolis. We're here for the big Cleveland State-Butler throwdown-showdown-slowdown-hoedown tonight at Hinkle, and we're getting pumped! I'll bet there's something you're excited about too. Let's chat about it!
...
4:57

[Comment From Dan Dan : ]
Hey Kyle, what's wrong with the Ramblers? For the second year in a row, they've started hot in non-conference play but can't seem to win important HL games. You've seen them in person a couple times now, can you shed some light on their conference struggles?
Friday January 7, 2011 4:57 Dan
5:01

It's a good ball-control team that can shoot the #superhoop well. For one thing, they scheduled down to build confidence, and now they're in a league that gets better every year and has a lot of interesting, multi-dimensional teams. (I was really struck at how long, athletic and mean Detroit is.) After seeing them twice in person and a few times on #pixelvision, they go down like a stack of logs if you hit them with a few strong runs. They'll fight back the first few times, then go "oh, what's the use." The body language sucked at the end and during the postgame last night.
...
5:09

That's it for another thrilling week of small-conference basketball, sports fans, and the beginning of the weekend. Thanks for all your great questions -- we really got a bump in participation today after the break -- and if I didn't get to you, come back next Friday at 4 pm ET and we'll do it all over again. Remember, Cleveland State-Butler tonight!

The Other 26: Week 8--Rush The Court
Set Your Tivo: 01.07-01.09--Rush The Court
Friday's Pregame Beat: Previewing your college hoops weekend--Ballin' is a Habit

BEST STORYLINES

Friday:

* 7:00 pm: Cleveland State @ Butler: The best two teams in the Horizon League. And the favorite in the league may not be Butler.

The B.I.A.H Not-Top-10 Rankings--Ballin' is a Habit

2. Butler
Record: 10-5
Evidence: 24-point loss to UW-Milwaukee

The loss to UW-Milwaukee was their first in five games, but there is no reason the back-to-back Horizon League champs should be losing to a middle-of-the-pack team by 24. What's worse is the marquee match-up this weekend between first-place Cleveland State and the Bulldogs has lost some of it's luster. This game was going to be a possible preview of the conference championship, but now it looks like Cleveland State is in a league of it's own, despite not even playing Butler yet. If Butler wants to make it back to the NCAA tournament, they will probably have to do it by getting an at-large bid, and I don't see that happening.
...
10. Toledo
Record: 3-11
Evidence: One quality win and a bunch of ugly, smelly losses

The Rockets didn't get a win til damn-near Christmas, and they still needed an extra session to defeat Valparasio. Their other wins are against Florida Gulf Coast and some school called Indiana Northwest. But what's worse is that they have scored under 50-points five times this season, including a 41-point output against a sub-par Alabama squad. In that game, Toledo went scoreless for seven minutes to start the second half and wound up losing by more than their total output, 83-41.

Cleveland St. vs. Butler is game of the night--College Basketball Blog
College Basketball: Butler Hammers Conference Rival Cleveland St. 79-56--SB Nation Indiana
Butler among transfer options for Carlino--The Indy Star
College Basketball On TV For January 7, 2011--Blogging the Bracket

Teammates: Smith's big game no surprise--The Indy Star
Horizon showdown is no contest as Stevens gets his 100th victory--The Indy Star
Horizon has a real race--Indy Star Butler Insider
Game Preview: Butler vs. Cleveland State--Victory Firelight
Butler asserts itself, pounds Cleveland State--Victory Firelight
BUTLER 79, CLEVELAND STATE 56--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Butler Rolls Over Cleveland State, 79-56--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Battle Detroit For Second Place--ButlerSports.com

Vikings can't control the ball while on the road: Cleveland State Men's Basketball Insider--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Butler men's basketball team routs Cleveland State, shows there's no change on the Horizon--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cole Hits Double-Double, But Vikes Fall To Butler, 79-56--csuvikings.com

Women's basketball: Today's UWGB vs. Cleveland State preview--Green Bay Press Gazette

Men's basketball: With Williams back, UWGB can only wonder what if--Green Bay Press Gazette

Live Men's Basketball Blog - Milwaukee @ Green Bay--Panther Blog Zone

Women's basketball: VU (3-11, 0-2) at Wright St. (8-6, 1-2)--The Post-Tribune
Scouting Valparaiso University women's basketball--The NWI Times

Johnson, Wood spark high-flying 2nd half--The Post-Tribune
Youngstown State at Valparaiso, Jan. 7, Live Blog--Off The Mark
Crusaders outrebound Youngstown State 47-24 in 24-point blowout--The NWI Times
Live from the ARC: Valparaiso vs. Youngstown St. (MBB)--Region Sports Extra
Valpo Handles Penguins Easily Friday Night--valpoathletics.com

Preview: Wright State at Loyola--Dayton Daily News
WSU has plenty of 3-point options--Dayton Daily News

No ‘O’: Valpo shuts down YSU--Youngstown Vindicator
Blake Allen Scores Career-High 17 Points in Loss to Valparaiso--ysusports.com

Home Teams Pick Up Victories Friday Night--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

ATB--Rush The Court

Tonight’s Quick Hits…
...
* Mid-Major Stars. Detroit’s Ray McCallum, Jr., and Charleston’s Andrew Goudelock had big nights as their teams won key games within their conference races. Charleston’s Goudelock had 31/6/8 assts as the Cougars went to on the road to Furman and won a game that gave themselves a leg up on the SoCon South division race early. It was his second 31-point outing in the last three games. McCallum continued his impressive freshman campaign with a 16/5/6 asst performance at Loyola (IL) to move to 3-1 in the Horizon, an unexpected start to the conference season for a team that has struggled at times this year. These are definitely two names to remember for March.

College Basketball: Several Indiana Teams Face A Huge Double Weekend--SB Nation Indiana
RPI WATCH: 1/7/2011--Bring On The Cats

Presbyterian moved to .500 in the Big South Conference by absolutely whacking poor Gardner-Webb, but on the flip side, a Loyola team we once thought was pretty decent proved otherwise by getting whacked at home by Detroit to fall to 1-4 in Horizon League play.

A three loss Thursday for Chicago--ChicagoNow.com
David S. Glasier on CSU vs. Butler: Nothing in-between about mid-major duel (with video)--News-Herald
Who knew Butler could lose a Horizon League game like that?--Beyond The Arc NBC Sports

Butler, Cleveland State come in angry for early showdown--The Indy Star
Vikings pressuring Butler--Indy Star Butler Insider
Defensive challenge ahead with CSU--Victory Firelight
Bulldogs Host League-Leading Cleveland State--ButlerSports.com

Seniors Pace Bulldogs In 70-58 Victory--ButlerSports.com

Cleveland State Vikings are 15-1; do they deserve a Top 25 ranking? Poll--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State men's basketball team wants to serve Butler notice — Vikings ready to challenge as midmajor power: Terry Pluto--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Walk-on Tim Kamczyc is now walking tall for Cleveland State men's basketball team--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings a 6 Point Underdog as They Head to Horizon League Rival Butler--Let's Go Vikes!
A Butler-Cleveland State Photo Gallery--Let's Go Vikes!
"Beat Butler" T-Shirts Now Available at CSU Bookstore--Let's Go Vikes!
CSU BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Cleveland State basketball programs prepare for rivals--Let's Go Vikes!
Gary Waters Receives Hugh Durham Award Mid-Season Coaching Honors--csuvikings.com

Cleveland State women's basketball team routs Milwaukee--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Two With Double-Doubles, As Vikes Pounce On Panthers, 77-60--csuvikings.com
Vikings Host No. 20 Green Bay on Saturday--csuvikings.com

Detroit Mercy 83, Loyola (Illinois) 71--The Detroit Free Press

CHICAGO — Nick Minnerath scored 20 points and Ray McCallum added 16 as Detroit defeated Loyola, 83-71, tonight.

Chris Blake had 15 points for the Titans (9-7, 3-1 Horizon League), and Eli Holman had 10 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.

Geoff McCammon had 18 points, Terrance Hill 16 and Walt Gibler 15 for the Ramblers (10-6, 1-4), who played their first home game since Dec. 11 after four straight on the road.

Holman’s layup with 18:34 remaining gave Detroit the lead for good, 40-38. McCallum and Jason Calliste hit three-pointers to spark an 8-0 run that resulted in a 51-41 lead, and Loyola got no closer than six the rest of the way.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Detroit picks up win in first Horizon road game--The Oakland Press
Titans Tally 83-71 Win in League Road Opener--detroittitans.com
Detroit Eying 4-1 start in League Play Saturday--detroittitans.com

Dixon Earns National Jesuit Player Of The Week Honors--detroittitans.com
Women's Basketball Fights Off Crusaders, 68-52--detroittitans.com
Titans Ready To Battle Butler--detroittitans.com

Northwestern vs. Illinois preview--Sippin' on Purple

What are they bad at?: Two distinct things: drawing fouls - 328th in the nation in terms of free throws per shot attempted - and late game finishing. The Illini haven't played many close games this year, and the ones they have played have had mixed results. Overtime against Texas was a complete debacle, both the Texas and Missouri games saw really dumb intentional fouls allow the other team to crack the game wide-open, and against UIC, the Illini blew a decently-sized lead in the game's closing minutes to fall 57-54.

Matchup: Detroit at Illinois-Chicago--The Chicago Tribune
UIC still looking for 1st conference win--Daily Herald
Raiders seniors get it done--Whoosh!Net
The Howard Moore Podcast: Episode #7--uicflames.com
Men's Hoops Falls Short Against Wright State, 71-63--uicflames.com
Men's Hoops Hosts Detroit on Comcast SportsNet Chicago Saturday--uicflames.com

Women's Basketball Set For Crosstown Showdown--uicflames.com

Matchup: Wright State at Loyola--The Chicago Tribune
Holman, Minnerath burn Loyola--The Chicago Sun-Times
Loyola falls to Detroit, 83-71--Daily Herald
Strong Shooting Sends Detroit Past Loyola, 83-71--LoyolaRamblers.com
Loyola Faces Wright State To Close Out Weekend Homestand--LoyolaRamblers.com

Loyola Wraps Up Three-Game Homestand Against UIC--LoyolaRamblers.com

Women's basketball: Phoenix powers past the Penguins--Green Bay Press Gazette
Phoenix Begins Road League Play With 71-57 Win--uwgbathletics.com
Phoenix Wraps up Road Play at Cleveland State--uwgbathletics.com

Looking ahead to UWGB vs. UWM--UWGB Basketball
Green Bay Hosts In-State Foe Milwaukee Saturday Night--uwgbathletics.com
FLYING WITH THE PHOENIX: INSIDE GREEN BAY MEN'S BASKETBALL--uwgbathletics.com

UWM's Haarsma finds it tough to watch while others play--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
UWM coach Jeter taking a more relaxed approach--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Drill: Williams records rare Division I feat--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers Head To Green Bay Looking For Third-Straight League Win--uwmpanthers.com

Long drought costs UWM--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Live Blog: Milwaukee @ Cleveland State--Panther Blog Zone
Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Cleveland State--Panther Blog Zone
Panther Shooting Goes Cold In Loss At Cleveland State--uwmpanthers.com
Panthers Look To Snap Losing Streak At Youngstown State--uwmpanthers.com

KNOW THY ARCHENEMY: Kansas Jayhawks--Bring On The Cats

Anyhow, as they currently stand, KU's quality wins are against Arizona, Cal, Colorado State, Memphis, North Texas (already RPI No. 98 and falling, however), UCLA, USC and Valparaiso.

Pushover games not on Crusader schedule--The Post-Tribune
Buggs has given the VU men's basketball team a lift since returning from injury--The NWI Times

VU women fall behind early, lose at Detroit--The Post-Tribune
Slow start leads to women's basketball loss for Valpariaso University--The NWI Times
Road Not Kind to Valpo Thursday Evening in Detroit--valpoathletics.com
Crusader Women Close Road Trip Saturday at Wright State--valpoathletics.com

Dad’s health brought women's hoops star to WSU--Dayton Daily News
Women Fall to Butler--wsuraiders.com

Once again, Raiders keep a top scorer under wraps--Dayton Daily News
Defense rescues Raiders on road--Dayton Daily News
Duggins’ 22 points paces Wright State in 71-63 road win vs. UIC--Wright State University Sports
In grinding out road win, WSU learns to stay focused on defense--Wright State University Sports
Men Win 71-63 at UIC--wsuraiders.com

Not the same old Penguins--Youngstown Vindicator
Penguins fall to ranked Phoenix--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Put Up Strong Fight in Loss to 20th-Ranked Green Bay--ysusports.com
Guins Hope Intensity Remains vs. Milwaukee on Saturday--ysusports.com

League play continues with nine games slated for Thursday and Saturday--Horizon League Network
Detroit's Dixon Earns National Jesuit Player Of The Week Honors--Horizon League Network

Road Teams Go 2-0 On Thursday--Horizon League Network
Howard Named to Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 List--Horizon League Network
Chances for Early Statements Throughout Weekend--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

RTC’s Top 10 Moments of 2010--Rush The Court

#1. As If You Didn’t Know What #1 Would Be: Gordon Hayward‘s half-court heave that almost won a national championship has been romanticized and rhapsodied to such a degree over the last nine months that, a few years from now, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear someone tell us a version in which the thing actually goes in. It doesn’t matter, though, whether Hayward’s shot was launched from just behind the three point line or from half court. What matters is that there was a shot. For all of this to happen, a few things were needed. In this case, it took a coach whose youthful visage (and dancing ability) and homespun elegance cause(d) everyone to label him as the Next Big Thing, while his actual knowledge of the game and artful coaching tell us that he’s a Current Big Thing. It took a freckle-faced kid who looks like he should be worried about completing his paper route or hanging out with Linus and Snoopy, not taking you to the hole or banging fade-aways over you with apparent nonchalance — and certainly not winning national championships. Most of all, it took a group of role players and “secondary” recruits who believed in their coach and his system and willingly forgot themselves in order to make it work. Forget that the most famous missed shot in the history of Our Game did not go in. That Butler even had a shot in the air to win a national title shows us all again that somewhere inside this sport, that answer exists — that combination, that solution, that formula which, when it is realized, can overcome any opponent, no matter how big they are or how small you are. The shot represents the best and biggest thing that the NCAA Tournament is all about, the reason that people who don’t watch another college basketball game all year are transfixed during the Tournament — hope.

Utah Jazz: Hawks swoop down and embarrass Jazz--Deseret News

At least fans got free tacos from the promotion that awards attendees fast food anytime Utah blocks six shots at home.

The Jazz rejected nine Atlanta attempts, including a particularly sweet swat by Gordon Hayward, who slapped away Jamal Crawford's layup try from behind in the first half.

Jazz notes--Salt Lake Tribune

Gordon Hayward became the odd man out in Sloan’s rotation with the return of Miles. He played just six minutes against Detroit, when he had previously been seeing extended time when the Jazz were short-handed.

Kragthorpe: Jazz can’t be taken seriously after latest debacle--Salt Lake Tribune

The only redeeming moment of the opening half came when rookie Gordon Hayward scrambled back to block Jamal Crawford’s breakaway layup, with the Jazz trailing by 14 points. Hayward followed with a jump shot on the Jazz’s next possession, but his effort was not contagious.

Take Two: Butler vs. Valpo, Milwaukee--Victory Firelight

Gary Waters Earns Midseason Hugh Durham Award--Let's Go Vikes!

Titan Basketball Fans Invited To Enjoy "Coneys with Coach McCallum"--detroittitans.com
First League Road Test Thursday--detroittitans.com

Scouting: Wright State at UIC--Daily Herald

UWGB women's basketball preview--Green Bay Press Gazette

By the numbers--UWM Post

Horizon League gets a depth charge--The Post-Tribune

Women's basketball: VU (3-10, 0-1) at Detroit (7-6, 1-1)--The Post-Tribune

Chances for Early Statements Throughout Weekend--Horizon League Network