News On The Horizon 12/28/2023

#HLMBB Games Preview – December 28th – December 31st--HoriZone Roundtable
12/28/23 THURSDAY NEWS AND NOTES--Staring at the Floorboards

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• Theoretically Oakland’s zone should be an issue for dribble drive, downhill charging Cleveland State (and the Vikings have been inefficient in zone offense this year), but ...

#HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 7--HoriZone Roundtable
A very-flawed midseason #HLWBB awards ballot--HoriZone Roundtable

Cleveland State Men's Basketball Resumes #HLMBB Play against Oakland--csuvikings.com

Battling injury woes, Titans look for first win in Indy--HoriZone Roundtable
Back On The Hardwood As Titans Visit IUPUI On Friday--detroittitans.com

UWGB transfer Noah Reynolds has been everything the Phoenix expected heading into big game against Wright State--Green Bay Press-Gazette
Phoenix Resumes Horizon League Play, Hosts Wright State and Robert Morris This Weekend--greenbayphoenix.com

JAGUARS RETURN TO HORIZON LEAGUE PLAY AGAINST TITANS ON FRIDAY--iupuijags.com

Return To League Play Starts With Robert Morris Friday Night--mkepanthers.com

Panthers Welcome Purdue Fort Wayne to Close Out Calendar Year--mkepanthers.com

Oakland Ends Home-Stand With League Battle against NKU--goldengrizzlies.com

‘Dons programs enjoying unprecedented success: PFW men, women resume Horizon League play this weekend--Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
'Dons and Norse Resume League Play on Friday--gomastodons.com

RMU Men’s Basketball Resumes #HLMBB Play at Milwaukee--rmucolonials.com

RMU Hosts IUPUI in #HLWBB Action on Friday Night--rmucolonials.com

Men’s basketball: Expect another tight race for Horizon League crown--Dayton Daily News
Wright State basketball: Raiders hope to duplicate last year’s success in Wisconsin--Dayton Daily News
Men's Basketball steps back into HL play at Green Bay--wsuraiders.com

Penguins Host Wright State Friday as League Play Resumes--ysusports.com

News On The Horizon 12/27/2023

Tristan Enaruna Named #HLMBB Player of the Week--csuvikings.com

At 30,000 feet or two months, the view is uncertain--HoriZone Roundtable
Reisma Named #HLWBB Player Of The Week--csuvikings.com

David Douglas Jr. Named Under Armour Horizon League Freshman of the Week--greenbayphoenix.com

UWGB coach Kevin Borseth is recovering from surgery as the Phoenix prepares for its Horizon League nemesis--Green Bay Press-Gazette

Norse standout Vinson reportedly out for the season with ACL tear--LINK nky

Golden Grizzlies Resume Conference Play With Road Showdown against Vikings--goldengrizzlies.com

Erin Woodson Picks Up Second #HLWBB Freshman of the Week Honor--gomastodons.com

Women’s basketball: WSU hopes to contend in Horizon after promising non-league season--Dayton Daily News

Under Armour #HLMBB Players of the Week (December 26)--Horizon League

Under Armour #HLWBB Players of the Week (December 26)--Horizon League

News On The Horizon 12/26/2023

Wright State basketball: Brown has become key sub as freshmanWright State basketball: Brown has become key sub as freshman--Dayton Daily News

News On The Horizon 12/25/2023

Panthers Right the Ship with Dramatic Overtime Victory Over Chattanooga--UWM Post

Penguins riding high into holiday break on 7-game win streak--Warren Tribune Chronicle

News On The Horizon 12/24/2023

Oakland Women's Basketball Falls to Miami Ohio in OT--WXOU

News On The Horizon 12/23/2023

Tankersley, Toatley Put Up 20 In Setback At NC State--detroittitans.com

Christmas spirit: UWM pulls together when it matters, beats Tennessee-Chattanooga in OT--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Panthers Go Overtime To Pick Up Big Win Against Chattanooga--mkepanthers.com

College Basketball Notebook: Holiday break coming at the right time for NKU, Thomas More hoops--NKyTribune

The West Coast trips haven’t gotten any easier for the NKU Norse with a 92-56 pasting Thursday night at Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. It’s the second West Coast trip – and step up in class — for NKU this season with an earlier 75-67 loss at Washington for the 7-6 Norse who are on Christmas break until a Horizon League game Dec. 29 at Purdue-Ft. Wayne. NKU is 2-0 in the conference.

Road games at Power Five programs haven’t been all that kind to NKU as they lost 90-66 at Cincinnati as well. At home, NKU is 5-1 and now gets to look at concentrating on a conference schedule which the Norse have used to move on to the NCAA Tournament in March four of the last seven seasons.

After maybe their best game of the season, an 85-75 win at Eastern Kentucky, the Norse withered in the second half, outscored by 54-27, by Saint Mary’s after trailing 38-29 at halftime. Marques Warrick and Trey Robinson each had 14 points to lead NKU at Saint Mary’s. Michael Bradley scored 10 with freshman Jeremiah Israel, the Lloyd Memorial product who has been earning Freshman of the Week honors in the Horizon League, adding eight.

That Sam Vinson played just 15 minutes with a single field goal and three assists certainly didn’t help the Norse in this game. Neither did 38.0 percent shooting (19 of 50) shooting from the field. Saint Mary’s hit 34 of 62 from the field (54.8 percent).

The EKU road win was especially important for the Norse who had lost their first three games this season against mid-majors – Middle Tennessee (74-57) and Illinois State (62-59) on the road and Akron giving up a 77-76 dunk at the buzzer for the lone home loss this year.

Purdue-Ft. Wayne (11-2, 2-0) looks to be a tough challenge for NKU to get the second half of the season started.

NKU WOMEN GET A MUCH-NEEDED BREAK

With losses in five of their last six games, the NKU women fell to 2-6 (0-1 Horizon League) with a crushing 83-42 loss Wednesday at Middle Tennessee. It’s their fourth straight loss on the road for the Norse women who return to action with a pair of Horizon League road contests Dec. 29 at Oakland (Mich.) and Jan. 1 at Detroit Mercy.

Kalissa Lacy led NKU in scoring in the Middle Tennessee game with 13 points, the only Norse player in double figures for an NKU team that hit just 29.2 percent (14 of 48) from the field against the Blue Raiders. For the season, Khamari Mitchell-Steen, with 14.6 points a game leads the Norse, followed by Carter McCray’s 12.4 ppg and Macey Blevins’ 11.4.

Robert Morris men's basketball fades in 2nd half of loss to Cornell--Tribune-Review
Colonials Drop “Frustrating” Game Versus Cornell Right Before Holiday Break--Colonial Sports Network
Late Baskets Lift Cornell Past RMU 90-85--rmucolonials.com

Wright State takes care of business, blows out Muskingum--Dayton Daily News
Six in double figures as Raiders wrap up non-conference with win--wsuraiders.com

Women's Basketball grabs Friday night Vegas win--wsuraiders.com

News On The Horizon 12/22/2023

Vikings back on track heading into league play--HoriZone Roundtable
Cleveland State vs. Western Michigan men’s basketball: Tristan Enaruna’s career night helps Vikings stay perfect at home--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State Men’s Basketball Stays Perfect at Home with Win over Western Michigan--csuvikings.com

Vikings batter through Drexel to sweep Fort Myers trip--HoriZone Roundtable
Cleveland State Women’s Basketball Finishes FGCU Tournament With 69-59 Victory Over Drexel--csuvikings.com

UDM Downed At Central Michigan--detroittitans.com
Titans Fly Out To NC State For Saturday Affair--detroittitans.com

Titans Place Four In Double-Figures in Hard-Fought Battle Over Florida A&M--detroittitans.com

Freshman Duo Shows Out as Phoenix Takes Care of MSOE--greenbayphoenix.com

BALANCED JAGUARS BREEZE PAST DEFIANCE COLLEGE, 90-67--iupuijags.com

Men’s Basketball suffers setback to Saint Mary’s--nkunorse.com

Oakland Men's Basketball Falls to Michigan State 62-79 in East Lansing--WXOU
Infiltrating UD Arena: Recap of Oakland versus Dayton--HoriZone Roundtable

Toledo's 32 From the Free-Throw Beats Oakland Women's Basketball 75-63--WXOU
Golden Grizzlies Lose at the Buzzer to Miami (OH) in OT Thriller--goldengrizzlies.com

Sellers Sets Appearance Record as 'Dons Dominate Aquinas on Fitness Day--gomastodons.com

Wright State’s Nagy dreading visit from Division III team--Dayton Daily News
Men's Basketball closes non-conference schedule with Friday matinee--wsuraiders.com

Big third quarter not enough in Raiders' Vegas debut--wsuraiders.com

NCAA Basketball: RJ Davis’ rise, Oso Ighodaro’s regression highlight Dec. 22 Rauf Report--Heat Check CBB

Youngstown State is a mid-major to monitor

Let’s go into the holiday on a deep cut! After all, this is the time of year for Penguins, right?

Jerrod Calhoun and his coaching staff are quietly turning Youngstown State into a premier program in the Horizon League. The Penguins won their first-ever conference title last season behind an elite offense. After retooling its roster via the transfer portal, YSU is more balanced and perhaps more dangerous this year.

The Penguins are 10-1 in their last 11 games following an 0-2 start, with the only loss coming to Dayton on the road by eight. This run has featured a significantly increased role for Tennessee Tech transfer Brett Thompson. The fifth-year guard is averaging 13.0 points in eight games since entering the starting lineup.

Thompson has given the Penguins another high-level scoring option to pair with Brandon Rush, the team’s leading scorer who put up 23 points in Thursday’s victory over Navy.

While those two lead the backcourt, the frontcourt runs through versatile big men DJ Burns and Ziggy Reid. Both players can dominate the glass, make plays out of the post and shoot the 3, giving YSU an offense that is very tough to stop.

Youngstown State currently has the highest KenPom rating in the Horizon (135). Meanwhile, its NET ranking (102) rivals the likes of Kansas State (94), Arkansas (96) and Indiana (115). The Penguins are a legitimately good team — and they might just wreak havoc on your bracket come March.

YSU’s offense carries Penguins past Navy’s defense for 75-65 victory--Warren Tribune Chronicle
Penguins Finish Non-Conference Play with Seventh Straight Victory--ysusports.com

Canisius rallies from 16 down to defeat YSU 65-59--Warren Tribune Chronicle