On The Horizon

Jim Squire

A Look At The Key Non-Conference Opponents For Each MAC East Team Next Season--Mid-Major Madness

Ohio University Bobcats:

- 2014-2015 Record: MAC:(5-13), Overall: (10-20)

Key Out of Conference Match Ups:

November 14th vs Florida Gulf Coast
November 22nd vs Tulsa ( Ezybonds U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam)
December 12th at Cleveland State

Outlook: The Bobcats are coming off a down year in coach Saul Phillips first year a the head man in Athens. Ohio start their season hosting "Dunk City". Florida Gulf Coast beat the Bobcats last year in Athens and should pose a threat to sour the start to Ohio's season. In their next key match up the Bobcat's take on Tulsa in the Virgin Islands. Tulsa finished last year with a respectable record of 24-11. The Golden Hurricane should give the Bobcats all the can handle in St.Thomas. Lastly the Bobcats face the Cleveland State Vikings out of the Horizon league. This game will take place at Quicken Loans Arena the home of Cleveland's beloved Cavaliers.The Vikings will be hard to beat at home after posting a 12-3 record at home.

Metro & state: UDM's Juwan Howard Jr. to play in Spain--The Detroit Free Press
Howard Jr. Inks Deal With Spanish League Team--detroittitans.com

Sporting blitz--Oakland Post
Kampe reflects on trip to Spain--Oakland Post

Registration Now Open for 2015-16 Phoenix Phenoms--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Boo Davis Signs Pro Contract With KB Peja--uwmpanthers.com
Milwaukee Men’s Basketball To Hold Student Fantasy Camp--uwmpanthers.com

College Hoops Mailbag: Overseas trips, Texas under Shaka and sleepers--Eye On College Basketball

Q: Who could be this year's Northern Iowa or Murray State: a non-traditional power that has the talent/team to get a good seed? -- Jordan Kuehne

A: I'll have a preseason Cinderella list when we get closer to the season, but I'll give you two teams now that will definitely appear on it.

Valparaiso gave Maryland all that it could handle last season in the NCAA Tournament, and returns its entire rotation this season after Vashil Fernandez was granted a fifth season of eligibility by the NCAA. The return of Fernandez is massive, as he was the Horizon's Defensive Player of the Year last year and is one of the best returning shot-blockers in the nation. Beyond him, stretch-four Alec Peters returns to be their lead offensive weapon, as do Darien and Tevonn Walker in the backcourt. It's an experienced, defensive-based team that can really shoot, and those are the schools who can give the big boys issues come Tournament time. They went 28-6 last year, and it wouldn't be out of the question for them to win 30 games in 2015-16 and earn an at-large bid.

#67 Valparaiso Men's Basketball 2015-2016 Preview--College Sports Madness

Men’s basketball Horizon League schedule finalized--The Northerner
MBB Horizon League schedule, home game times finalized--nkunorse.com

Basketball season tickets available, Join the Uprising--nkunorse.com

WBB announces Horizon League schedule, sets tip times--nkunorse.com

Woods Named Associate Head Coach--wsuraiders.com

Men's Basketball's Second Annual Wine Taste Under Two Weeks Away--ysusports.com

Jim Squire

2016 Point Guard Daniel Levitt Commits To Cleveland State--Mid-Major Madness

Women's Basketball to Hold Open Tryouts Sept. 15th--valpoathletics.com

Jim Squire

Catching Up with Ex-Cleveland State Players Overseas--More Than A Fan

Metro & state: UDM hoops learns conference schedule--The Detroit Free Press

Detroit Women's Basketball Schedule Set for 2015-16--detroittitans.com

OAKLAND ANNOUNCES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HORIZON LEAGUE SCHEDULE--ougrizzlies.com

Women's Basketball Horizon League Schedule Announced--uicflames.com

Women's Basketball Releases 2015-16 Conference Slate--GreenBayPhoenix.com

League Office Announces Women’s Conference Schedule--uwmpanthers.com

HL defensive Player of the Year excited to return to second home--The Torch
Big man's return assures deep run--The Torch

Horizon League Unveils Women's Basketball Schedule--valpoathletics.com

New floor for the home of the Norse--The Northerner
Hays, Ford join Norse Athletics--nkunorse.com

Women's Basketball Releases 2015-16 Schedule--wsuraiders.com

Women's Basketball Announces 2015-16 Schedule--ysusports.com

Horizon League Women's Basketball Conference Schedule Announced--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Cleveland State basketball announces 2015-16 HL schedule--Cleveland State Hoops

UDM Athletics to Host "Hoop Night in the D" on Oct. 16--detroittitans.com
Titans To Appear Three Times On Horizon League’s ESPN Package--detroittitans.com
Five-Game Homestand To Open HL Play As Titans League Slate Is Announced--detroittitans.com

Men's basketball team returns from Spain--Oakland Post
HORIZON LEAGUE ANNOUNCES TELEVISED GAMES ON ESPN--ougrizzlies.com
OAKLAND ANNOUNCES MEN'S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE--ougrizzlies.com

UIC announces full 2015-16 slate--The Catch and Shoot
MEN'S BASKETBALL RELEASES 2016 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE--uicflames.com

UWGB releases nonconference schedules--Green Bay Press Gazette
Golden - and some peculiar - moments at UWGB--Green Bay Press Gazette
Darner, Men's Basketball Releases 2015-16 Non-Conference Slate--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Horizon League Releases 2015-16 Conference Schedule--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Women's Basketball Releases 2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule--GreenBayPhoenix.com

UWM men's basketball conference schedule set--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Adds Doug Lewis To Men’s Basketball Staff--uwmpanthers.com
Milwaukee To Have Three Games On ESPN Networks In 2015-16--uwmpanthers.com
Milwaukee Announces 2015-16 Horizon League Schedule--uwmpanthers.com

Examining the Horizon League Men's Basketball Schedule--Inside VU Sports
Men’s Basketball Horizon League Slate Announced--valpoathletics.com

Double Bonus: Realignment, Potential Liberty Lawsuit, Poetic Justice for Northern Kentucky--Mid-Major Madness

Poetic Justice for Northern Kentucky?

If Eastern Kentucky does leave the OVC for the Sun Belt then it could trigger a bit of poetic justice in my head. Northern Kentucky left a bad taste in Atlantic Sun fans mouths when the Norse bolted the conference, seemingly overnight, for the Horizon League. The Horizon League is a nice home for a school that basically resides in Cincinnati but there is no secret that NKU would prefer the Ohio Valley.

NKU basically begged the OVC to let them in when they were first transition to Division I but the conference added Belmont instead (which makes sense). The ASun was then the only conference that really opened its arms to NKU and saved them from the Independent peril that NJIT, Longwood, Savannah State, and so many others suffered for years.

I would think that EKU does leave for the Sun Belt that the OVC will be looking for a twelfth member and NKU might have been a very strong candidate for the gig. Perhaps patience would've paid off for a school that ran for perceived greener pastures earlier this year. Maybe East Tennessee State or Chattanooga can be the OVC's solution instead?

2016 Power Forward Carson Williams Commits To Northern Kentucky--Mid-Major Madness
Men’s basketball announce non-conference schedule--The Northerner
MBB releases 11-game nonconference slate--nkunorse.com

UK visit to NKU highlights women’s hoops schedule--The Northerner
WBB announces 2015-16 nonconference slate--nkunorse.com

WSU teams with Northern Ky. as travel partner--Dayton Daily News
Men's Basketball League Schedule Announced--wsuraiders.com

Men's Basketball Announces 2015-16 Schedule--ysusports.com

Women's Basketball Golf Outing Sets New Fundraising Record--ysusports.com

Men's Basketball League Schedule Announced--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

MSU hoops happy with Italy trip, which ends with loss--The Detroit Free Press
MSU sees progress during third straight setback--The Detroit News

Valparaiso Crusaders 2015-16 Season Preview--Mid-Major Madness

Jim Squire

Cleveland State Class of 2019: Find Your Sports Teams. All of Them.--More Than A Fan

Report: Boomers' Broekhoff finds new home--Sportal NBA Australia

Jim Squire

Double Bonus: Breaking Down the 2016 College Hoops Marathon--Mid-Major Madness

Green Bay Phoenix at East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 6 am, ESPN2

This game will be my coffee and will be a big stage for two first year head coaches in Steve Forbes at ETSU and Linc Darner at Green Bay. Darner is especially intriguing coming from Florida Southern where he went 218-72 over nine seasons, which included a national championship last season. The Phoenix are looking to replace superstar guard Kiefer Sykes, while the Bucs need to replace at star of their own in Rashawn Rembert.

ETSU has gone the transfer route to reload and should have Deuce Bello (Missouri/Baylor), Ge'Lawn Guyn (Cincinnati), and Peter Jurkin (Indiana) all eligible for this one. It's an interesting experiment in Johnson City to say the least.

This will be a great early game to see where these two teams are as they both are in semi-rebuilding mode.
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Valparaiso Crusaders at Rhode Island Rams, 10 am, ESPN2

Speaking of mid-major star power, this game will have plenty. Rhode Island is loaded and looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time this century. E.C. Matthews gets a little help from Memphis transfer Kuran Iverson and sharpshooting Towson transfer Four McGlynn.

On the other side of the court Valpo is poised for another Horizon League title run with Alec Peters leading the way. Peters has already posted over 1,000 points in his first two seasons as a Crusader and also averaged 6.7 rebounds per game last season. It'll be fun to watch him go at it with Hassan Martin in November.