On The Horizon

Jim Squire

Mid-Majority Chat Block, Episode 707--The Mid-Majority

4:30

[Comment From Alex Alex : ]
Seems like Butler has turned the corner a bit since you saw them play Xavier. Would a December tournament championship keep the possibility alive of a two-bid Horizon?
Friday December 24, 2010 4:30 Alex
4:33

Most definitely. To put it nicely, they were a mess that night. But people are settling into roles, and Matt Howard is emerging as the go-to 20 ppg superstar... that night may have been the night he turned the corner and became the Horizon's best player (again). The defense isn't all the way there yet, though, there are a lot of young guys flapping their arms. They'll likely still need to win out, but if this team is firing on all cylinders, nobody in the Other 25 is as dangerous in a one-and-done situation.
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5:08

[Comment From Santa Claus Santa Claus : ]
I'm giving everyone a Butler>WSU package tomorrow
Friday December 24, 2010 5:08 Santa Claus
5:08

Can't wait to open that, Santa! Thanks!

Set Your Tivo: Christmas Weekend Edition--Rush The Court

Washington State vs. Butler (in Honolulu, HI) – 10 pm Saturday on ESPN2 (***)

This is an intriguing matchup between a team that’s really solid on both ends (Washington State) and one that struggles to shoot but can defend well at times and really disrupt a team’s offensive flow (Butler). Washington State is in the top ten in both offensive and defensive effective field goal percentage while Butler is #219 in the same category on the offensive side of the ball. Klay Thompson and Faisal Aden give Washington State two strong threats from deep with Thompson hitting the dagger three to put Baylor away on Thursday. On Saturday they’ll go up against Butler’s top-rated three point defense, allowing just 26% shooting. However, the Bulldogs are vulnerable in the paint and that could the difference in this game. With DeAngelo Casto and Brock Motum inside, Ken Bone has two offensive threats in the paint that Butler cannot match. The Bulldogs have Matt Howard but nobody else has emerged as the second inside threat. On the perimeter, Butler has struggled shooting the trey. They did well against Florida State behind Shelvin Mack but Brad Stevens can’t count on that every night from his team. The rebounding battle is something to watch and should determine who controls the pace of the game. Washington State isn’t a fast-paced team but they run an efficient offense with good screens and cuts. Butler will look to limit second opportunities and slow the game down, falling back into an aggressive man-to-man defense on the perimeter. Stevens may mix in a zone or two to confuse the Cougars but they can’t allow Wazzu to shoot over them and expect to win. Butler fouls a lot but Washington State doesn’t get many points from the line, nor do they shoot it very well. If the Cougars are to win, it’ll be through strong defense leading to scores on the other end. If Wazzu takes good care of the ball, it’s hard to see them losing this game. For the Bulldogs, they absolutely must rebound well in order to have a chance. Butler will scrap and defend hard but they’re a bit too limited offensively to keep up with Washington State’s dynamic scorers, specifically Thompson. He’ll be the difference in this game in what should be a Cougar title in Hawaii.

Butler expects tough early tests to benefit it later in season--The Indy Star
Butler snips Seminoles in semifinals--Butler Collegian
Butler Meets Washington State In DHC Title Game--ButlerSports.com

Donlon admired mom’s sacrifice for family--Dayton Daily News
Donlon’s mom was driving force in a basketball family--Dayton Daily News
WSU tough to score against, but Raiders’ offense too cold--Wright State University Sports

Jim Squire

Stardate 46-20101223: Winter Break--The Mid-Majority

Set Your Tivo: 12.23.10--Rush The Court

Butler vs. Florida State (in Honolulu, HI) – 10 pm on ESPN2 (***)

Butler took care of Utah while Florida State beat the home team, Hawaii, in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic. Expect this to be a low scoring game between one of the best defensive clubs in the nation (FSU) and a slower-paced team (Butler). Chris Singleton has cooled off a bit since his hot start to the season but remains the Seminoles’ top scorer, rebounder and defender. Singleton going up against Butler’s Matt Howard will be fun to watch.

Quick rundown of your Festivus night schedule--College Basketball Blog

Florida State vs. Butler (10 ET, ESPNU). Florida State is old and the single-toughest team to score against in Division I. Fortunately, Butler knows how to grind a game out, and nobody defends the 3-point shot in all of D-I as well as the Bulldogs. Let's set the over/under for this one at 104.5.

Utah Jazz: Jerry Sloan continues to climb wins list--Deseret News

"That's ridiculous. That's quite an accomplishment," Jazz guard Gordon Hayward said. "Congrats to Coach on that."

To help put Sloan's ridiculous achievement in perspective, consider this: Almost 200 of his coaching victories, including those from his Chicago stint from 1979-82, came before Hayward was even born on March 23, 1990.

Utah Jazz notebook: Gordon Hayward provided fourth-quarter boost--Deseret News
Jazz’s second unit now must find way to integrate Okur--Salt Lake Tribune

Despite the brief appearance, Jazz coaches and reserves believe that working Okur mid-season into the second rotation will not be a major obstacle. Time and patience will be required. Minutes for reserves such as Kyrylo Fesenko, Jeremy Evans, Gordon Hayward, Ronnie Price, Earl Watson and Francisco Elson — all of whom have made major contributions during the Jazz’s surprising 21-9 start — could rise and fall nightly. But everything from Okur’s knowledge of Utah’s offensive and defensive systems to his willingness to come off the bench for the first time since 2004-05 should make the transition smoother than normal.

Butler holds off Florida State to reach Diamond Head title game--The Indy Star
Hawaii blog 3: Bulldogs reach final--Indy Star Butler Insider
Hawaii blog 4: Resilience + 3s = win--Indy Star Butler Insider
Butler out-uglies FSU in semifinal win--Victory Firelight
BUTLER 67, FLORIDA STATE 64--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Butler back on track against Stanford, Utah--Butler Collegian
Bulldogs Edge Florida State, 67-64--ButlerSports.com

Cleveland State 69, South Florida 62--Let's Go Vikes!
Gary Waters Radio Show Once Again Will be Held at Playmakers--Let's Go Vikes!
Luda Ndaye - A Future Star of CSU Hoops--Let's Go Vikes!

All-Chicago Non-Conference Teams--ChicagoNow.com

Women's Basketball Falls In Non-Conference Finale At Eastern Michigan--uicflames.com

Happy Holidays from Women's Basketball--uwgbathletics.com
Women's Basketball Team Gives Back During the Holidays--uwgbathletics.com

Happy Holidays from Men's Basketball--uwgbathletics.com

Valparaiso finds its touch -- just in time--Off The Mark

WSU women have won 3 straight--Dayton Daily News

YSU’s Sulskis, Dimitrov compare Christmas in America, home countries--Youngstown Vindicator

Jim Squire

ATB: Holiday Hoops? Yes, Please.--Rush The Court

Tonight’s Quick Hits…

* Whelliston’s Red Line Upset Record. The Mid-Majority’s record of what he calls “red line upsets” was equaled tonight with ten teams from mid-major leagues defeating major-conference teams. The Las Vegas Classic was particularly inspiring for the little guys, as New Mexico dropped Colorado and Northern Iowa got past Indiana. The others: North Texas over LSU, Siena over Georgia Tech, Dayton over Seton Hall, Cleveland State over South Florida, Seattle over Virginia, Furman over South Carolina, Green Bay over Wyoming, Butler over Utah, and Northern Arizona over Air Force (note: Whelliston considers the Mountain West a major conference). And nice representation among the power leagues, with the MWC dropping three games and the ACC, Big East and SEC grabbing two a piece. Shockingly, the Pac-10 had none tonight (and yes, Oregon State played — see below).

College Basketball Viewer's Guide For December 22--Blogging the Bracket

Oakland hasn't defeated a Division I opponent since upsetting Tennessee on December 14. On Saturday, the Golden Grizzlies fell at Michigan. Yesterday, they lost a thriller at home to Valparaiso, 103-102, in the final of the Lou Henson Award tournament, which Oakland hosted in honor of last year's recipient Keith Benson, who only scored 5 and grabbed one rebound. Valpo's Brandon Rose and Cory Johnson were the night's stars, scoring 35 and 33 respectively. The Grizzlies are at .500 overall now, but only 6-7 against Division I opponents, since they beat non-D1 Rochester in Monday's semifinal.
...
Diamond Head Classic Quarterfinals at Honolulu
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Utah vs. Butler, ESPNU and ESPN3 (11 p.m. ET): Memo to Matt Howard: The Utes are really good at getting opportunities at the foul line, so you'll need to play smart defense. If the Bulldogs play as well as they did against Stanford on Saturday or Duke a couple of weeks back, they'll romp. If they play down to the Utes' level, they're going to have serious issues staying in the winners' bracket.

Utah Jazz: Game at a glance--Deseret News

The Jazz outscore the T-Wolves 41-24 in the fourth, thanks in part to reserves Gordon Hayward and Earl Watson

Utah Jazz: Strong 4th quarter lifts Jazz--Deseret News

Gordon Hayward — yes, the rarely used rookie — clinched the Jazz's latest rallying effort with a slam dunk and a free throw with 13 seconds to go.
...
But the play of Earl Watson (four points, two assists) and Hayward (five points, three assists, three rebounds) in that fourth quarter really gave Utah a big boost.

Hayward played so well that Sloan kept him on the court the entire fourth quarter.

"It was fun," the 20-year-old top-10 pick said. "I just tried to get out there and bring some energy."

Jazz rally against T-wolves as Sloan passes Riley--Salt Lake Tribune

Then he proceeded to make the right calls at the right time, including playing rookie Gordon Hayward — who had recorded just two minutes in his previous two games — all 12 minutes during the fourth quarter Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
...
Then Sloan got creative. Inserting Hayward and veteran reserve point guard Earl Watson as Utah’s Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson struggled with fouls, the Jazz sharpened their focus and slowly chipped away at Minnesota’s advantage. Watson was then substituted for Deron Williams (team-high 25 points), and Utah’s comeback was on.
...
“That’s ridiculous. That’s quite an accomplishment,” said Hayward, referring to Sloan’s win total. “Congrats to coach on that, and I think it was a good come-from-behind win for him for that.”

Butler tops Utah 74-62 in Hawaii tourney opener--The Indy Star
Carlino to BYU; Hawaii tourney opens--Indy Star Butler Insider
Hawaii blog 1: Butler beats Utah--Indy Star Butler Insider
Hawaii blog 2: Getting Mack on track--Indy Star Butler Insider
Howard, Nored carry Bulldogs past Utes--Victory Firelight
BUTLER 74, UTAH 62--THE unOFFICIAL BUTLER BULLDOGS MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE
Bulldogs Hold On Against Utah, 74-62--ButlerSports.com

The Airing of USF Basketball Grievances--Voodoo Five
Freshman Ludavic Ndave delivers for Cleveland State: Vikings Insider--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Second-half blitz fuels Cleveland State men's basketball victory over South Florida--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikes host South Florida tonight--Let's Go Vikes!
Cleveland State 69, South Florida 62--Let's Go Vikes!
Strong Second Half By Cole Fuels CSU over USF, 69-62--csuvikings.com

Titans Fall at Bradley in Hard-Fought Affair, 73-65--detroittitans.com

UIC setting unintentional comedy records--ChicagoNow.com
Oregon State routs UIC 74-54--The Chicago Tribune
Oregon State defeats Illinois-Chicago 74-54--Daily Herald
Follow the Flames LIVE from Oregon State!--uicflames.com
Men's Hoops Falls on the Road at Oregon State, 74-54--uicflames.com

Loyola and UIC split as Horizon League continues solid non-conference--ChicagoNow.com
Loyola knocks off Texas-Pan American--The Chicago Tribune
Strong Second Half Sends Loyola Past UT-Pan American, 84-76--LoyolaRamblers.com

Loyola Shakes Off Slow Start, Eases Past Western Illinois, 64-59--LoyolaRamblers.com

Cowboys look to extend win streak--Cowboy Altitude
Men's basketball: Phoenix rallies to defeat Wyoming--Green Bay Press Gazette
Game 13: UWGB 68, Wyoming 62 FINAL--UWGB Basketball
UWGB scores "Red Line Upset"--UWGB Basketball
Green Bay Heads West to Play Wyoming Wednesday--uwgbathletics.com
Green Bay Storms Past Wyoming for Road Win--uwgbathletics.com
Stifling Defense Helps Comeback Kids Win Again--uwgbathletics.com

VU moving in the right direction--The Post-Tribune

Thursday's Shootaround: Another great game involving Missouri--Ballin' is a Habit

Charlotte 57, Wright State 53: After beating Tennessee on Friday, Charlotte bounced back and rallied late to beat the Shockers. The 49ers got a huge three late in the game from Derrio Green that was the difference maker. Maybe getting rid of Shamari Spears really was addition by subtraction.

Raiders let big lead slip away, fall to Charlotte--Dayton Daily News
Raiders stifled from Charlotte switching defenses--Dayton Daily News
WSU lets 14-point second-half lead slip away in 57-53 loss at Charlotte--Wright State University Sports
The anatony of a breakdown: How WSU could lose a 14-point lead--Wright State University Sports
Wright State men fall at Charlotte--Fairborn Daily Herald
Men Fall at Charlotte--wsuraiders.com
Raiders to Host Blackout Game on January 14--wsuraiders.com

WSU women's basketball pull away for win--Dayton Daily News
Women Pull Out 73-65 Win Over UCF--wsuraiders.com

Three "Red-Line Upsets" Highlight Four-Win Night--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

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

Five teams hope to get their questions answered in the Diamond Head Classic--Ballin' is a Habit

Butler: The Bulldogs, much like last season, have plenty of doubters in regards to their ability to play against high-major competition. That's what happens when Gordon Hayward graduates and your team struggles against the only three tournament teams on your schedule. We know about how good Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard are, and some of Brad Steven's younger guys have played better in recent weeks. But this is still a team that needs to prove it can hang with the big boys. They should have an opportunity to do just that should they get by Utah in the first round.

Sprained ankle puts Okur back on bench--Salt Lake Tribune

Reduced roles

Utah’s Kyrylo Fesenko, Ronnie Price and Gordon Hayward saw their minutes decline during the two games that Okur was on the court and played with the Jazz’s second unit. Hayward saw the largest reduction, dropping to two minutes, while Okur was active after recording 16 during a start versus New Orleans.

Butler leaning on offense--The Indy Star
A Christmas book list--Indy Star Butler Insider
Take Two: Butler vs. Stanford--Victory Firelight
Your guide to the 2010 Diamond Head Classic--Victory Firelight

South Carolina Pulls Away From BU In 2nd Half--ButlerSports.com

Kent State women's basketball team gives coach 400th career victory--Cleveland Plain Dealer

Ohio 57, Cleveland State 45 The Vikings (6-4) shot just 31.5 percent from the field in the loss to the Bobcats (4-8) in Athens, Ohio. Archbishop Hoban's Tenishia Benson scored 14 for OU. Janelle Adams had 10 for CSU.

CSU Women drops to No. 23 in Women’s Mid-Major Top 25--Let's Go Vikes!
CSU Women drops third straight--Let's Go Vikes!
Cold Shooting Dooms CSU in 57-45 Loss at Ohio--csuvikings.com

Cleveland State men's basketball team has chance to make an impression: Vikings Insider--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Close Pre-Holiday Slate By Hosting USF--csuvikings.com

The NC-Double-Eh Schedule - Dec. 22--Raptors HQ

8:05pm Detroit @ Bradley – Jason Calliste has had some big games this season for Detroit, even in the midst of the arrival of much heralded recruit Ray McCallum Jr. After scoring a total of 7 points against Western and Eastern Michigan, Calliste dropped 16 on Central Michigan Saturday. His kid gets major minutes for the Titans and can fill up the boxscore in a hurry. Checking him out would definitely be worth your time.

Four-game Road Swing Wraps Up Wednesday at Bradley--detroittitans.com

Illinois-Chicago at Oregon State--The Chicago Tribune
Flames stand United, upset Illini--Whoosh!Net

Women's Basketball Snaps Skid By Besting Bradley, 74-65--uicflames.com

Scouting: Loyola @ Texas-Pan American--Daily Herald

Loyola Opens Busy Holiday Stretch With Wednesday Matinee Against Western Illinois--LoyolaRamblers.com

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

Wednesday's Shootaround--Ballin' is a Habit

Valpo 103, Oakland 102: Ridiculous box score of the night. Valpo had two guys go for 30, one of whom made 12-13 from the field. Oakland scored 102 points, and only got 5 points and 1 boards from Keith Benson.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Defense fails Grizzlies in shootout loss to Valpo--The Oakland Press
Wood, Johnson lead Crusaders to wild victory--The Post-Tribune
Crusader men's basketball team wins a wild one at Oakland--The NWI Times
Valpo Wins Triple-Digit Shootout at Oakland To Win Tournament Title--valpoathletics.com

Through injuries, Raiders’ Darling still producing--Dayton Daily News
Preview: Wright State at Charlotte--Dayton Daily News
WSU recruit honored at Colts-Jaguars game--Wright State University Sports
Raiders defending their house this season--The Guardian

Previous Evening MAC Review: Fun Belt!--Hustle Belt

Kent State 71, Youngstown State 58 — Seems like they didn't miss a beat with Carlton Guyton suspended for vehicular shenanigans, or Justin Manns suspended for reasons unknown. Another Justin, Justin Greene, and Rodriquez Sherman combined for 41 points and converted 14-of-14 free throws, which is a fundamentally spectatular line. Kent State is now 9-3 and remains perfect at home, if undermanned. Kent State's next game: Tuesday, 12/28 at Morehead State

Kent State defeats Youngstown State 71-58--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Flashes pull away from YSU, 71-58--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
Men's Basketball Comes Up Short in 71-58 Loss at Kent State--ysusports.com
Men's Basketball's Next Two Home Tilts Set for Dec. 30 and Jan. 1--ysusports.com

Horizon League Ventures To Red Line Opponents Four Times Wednesday Evening--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Stardate 43-20101220: Error 302 Object Moved--The Mid-Majority

And then there were the Butler Bulldogs, who destroyed Stanford 83-50 via Columbia Broadcasting with 1.26 points per possession and 31 percent field goal defense. Do you remember when Stanford was in the NCAA Tournament, like, every year? Yeah, we don't either. You might have received a different game that afternoon, like perhaps Illinois against UIC live from Chicago. Instead of being a television showcase for the Illini, it turned into the Robo Kreps show. As 13,117 looked on, the Flames held off IU 57-54 after leading nearly the entire game. (Sidenote: his real name is Robert. So if your name is Robert or Bob, you probably should switch to Robo right now).

ATB--Rush The Court

Tweet of the Night. This one was actually from late last night, but it was well worth it as Butler’s Ronald Nored presented the world with some humorous wordplay upon his arrival in Hawaii. In the future, he may want to check the spelling of the flowery garland presented upon one’s arrival to the islands (“lei”), though, lest he cause significant confusion that has the Butler media relations folks scrambling to explain his TMI faux pas.

Utah Jazz Extra: 5 road trip observations--Deseret News

2. Another Layden on the bench?

Gordon Hayward got his turn on the inactive list Saturday night, which probably disappointed the fan in Milwaukee sporting the "Butler misses Gordon Hayward" sign. Interestingly, the rookie sat between the coaching staff and his teammates during the Jazz's 95-86 win over the Bucks. Instead of a uniform, Hayward sported dark jeans, a button-up shirt with no tie, a navy blue jacket and white Polo sneakers. Combined with his attire, the 20-year-old's boyish looks almost gave the appearance that assistant coach Scott Layden, whom he was seated next to, was participating in a take-your-son-to-work day.

Butler's Howard named Horizon's player of week--The Indy Star
Butler's Howard named Horizon's Player of Week--The Indy Star
Dawgs head for Pearl Harbor--Indy Star Butler Insider
VF Podcast 004: Greg Anthony grabs the mic--Victory Firelight
Big Picture: Success comes inside-out--Victory Firelight
Bulldogs Face Utah At Diamond Head Classic--ButlerSports.com
Matt Howard Named Horizon League Player of the Week--ButlerSports.com

Bulldogs Run Past Coastal Carolina, 71-63--ButlerSports.com
Bulldogs Finish Southern Swing At South Carolina--ButlerSports.com

The Emery Board: Week 6 Well, that was fun--Ballin' is a Habit

Drop-Outs
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Cleveland State: 12-1
First Loss: at West Virginia 74-63
Cleveland State's loss to West Virginia isn't a deflating one. The Vikings had a bunch of guys in foul trouble, and they couldn't stop Casey Mitchell. But the Vikings are set up to do big things in the Horizon League this year. Norris Cole is a stud and don't be surprised if it's CSU and not Butler representing the Horizon League in the Big Dance.

WVU Downs Cleveland State--MSNsportsNET.com
The Gary Waters Radio Show is coming to Parma--Let's Go Vikes!
Cleveland State still remains a top of the Mid-Major Top 25--Let's Go Vikes!
Video: CSU Viking Report With WVU Highlights--Let's Go Vikes!
Norris Cole Up for Bob Cousy Award--Let's Go Vikes!
Norris Cole Chosen As A Candidate For The 2011 Bob Cousy Award--csuvikings.com

Vikings Conclude Roadtrip at Ohio--csuvikings.com
Hard Work and Dedication Led Garland to 1,000 Points--csuvikings.com

Dixon Tabbed Horizon League Player Of The Week--detroittitans.com

Detroit Titans Mourn Loss of Former Student-Athlete Ben Green--detroittitans.com

Illini playing up, and down, to the competition--MICentralSports.com
This is the sort of Illini loss that makes you old and bitter.--Hail to the Orange
The 1-3-1 against Illinois--ChicagoNow.com
City report: UIC's Moore applies lessons from Big Ten days--The Chicago Tribune
Lax practices set stage for Illini loss--The Chicago Tribune
Men's Basketball Set to Face Oregon State in Corvallis Wednesday Night--uicflames.com
Howard Moore Podcast: Episode #6--uicflames.com

Women's Hoops Returns To The UIC Pavilion Tuesday--uicflames.com

Men's Basketball Travels To Texas-Pan American For Final Non-League Game Of 2010--LoyolaRamblers.com

Men's basketball: Change in plans OK with UWGB's Cerroni--Green Bay Press Gazette
Men's basketball: UWGB's Brown batters the Sioux, blocks school-record eight shots--Green Bay Press Gazette
Game #12: UWGB 72, North Dakota 68 Final--UWGB Basketball
Green Bay Hosts North Dakota Monday After Seven-Day Layoff--uwgbathletics.com
Green Bay Rallies Behind Brown's Record Night--uwgbathletics.com
Brown's Block Party Helps Phoenix Set Two School Records--uwgbathletics.com

Weekly Panthers report--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Horizon League Power Rankings (Dec. 14 – 20)--PantherU
Were it my choice--PantherU

UWM women rally but fall in the end--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Post-Game Wrap-Up: Milwaukee @ Toledo--Panther Blog Zone
Milwaukee Storms Back, But Toledo Prevails, 63-59--uwmpanthers.com

Notre Dame women handle Valparaiso--MICentralSports.com

Stardate 44-20101221: The One With Embedded Charts--The Mid-Majority

Game! Of! The! Night!

Valparaiso at Oakland
Athletics & Recreation Center - Rochester Hills, MI
7:30 EST

Not on your regular schedule, but an expected eventuality, is this intriguing little matchup between former Mid-Continent Conference pals. It's the championship game of the Lou Henson Award Tournament. What's the award? Here's a hint: it's like a long, sharp scoreboard. And both teams need wins. It's not as if the homestanding Golden Grizzlies (7-6, 2-0 Badlands) are going to get into the NCAA Tournament on the basis of their credentials, what with a 1-4 record against the RPI's top 50. But that single win was a December shocker against Tennessee, which alerted the nation at-large what we Other 25'ers have known for a while: Oakland's pretty good. Especially on the glass. Led by 6-foot-11 NBA scout magnet Keith Benson (18.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.4 bpg), the double-G's grab 56.4 percent of available rebounds (44th in Division I) and are 21st nationally in blocks per game at 5.5. And it's not just Benson: senior Will Hudson, at 6-foot-9, is chipping in 13.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg as well.

Valparaiso, a team whom last played Oakland back in 2007, are positioning themselves as potential sneaker-spoilers in a Horizon League that is developing a very solid midsection. There are no RLU's or accomplishments to match those of Cleveland State or Butler, but there was that 25-minute hang with Purdue a couple of weeks ago. And there's an 8-4 (2-0 HL) record against a top 100 schedule. It's a team with balanced scoring -- four average in double figures, led by point guard Brandon Wood (14.7 ppg, 2:1 ATO, 4.5 rpg). If there's anything wrong with the Crusaders, it's that they take too many threes and miss too many (Wood, for instance, is 15-for-53 on the year), and they top out at 6-foot-8, so they're going to get outrebounded a lot, especially by a team like Oakland. If they can somehow hold on to the ball tonight and get a few extra possessions, they might keep it close.

Previous Evening MAC Review: Misdirection--Hustle Belt

Valparaiso 74, Eastern Michigan 67 — The first game of the Lou Henson Award Holiday Tournament went basically like so many EMU affairs this year: Brandon Bowdry had a wonderful game (this time: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 13-of-15 FT) but few else were able to score freely. Darrell Lampley came the closest with 10 points and a couple of threes, but the team had 21 turnovers. Crusaders of any type, be they basketball or holy, are always gonna hop on you when 21 turnovers are present. They coulda had a crack at Oakland had they won this game, but the search for their first Division I victory trudges onward. Eastern Michigan's next game: Today vs. Rochester College (Division III/USCAA) in the Lou Henson consolation game

Around the region--The Post-Tribune
VU will face host Grizzlies in tonight's title game--The NWI Times
Valpo Ready For Two Games at Lou Henson Award Tournament--valpoathletics.com
Crusaders Defeat EMU, Advance to Lou Henson Award Tournament Final--valpoathletics.com

Bigger, stronger--The Post-Tribune
Crusaders deal with growing pains--The Post-Tribune
Marian Catholic grad Turner gaining confidence with experience--The NWI Times
Irish drill Valparaiso in Bruszewski's swan song--The NWI Times
Live from the ARC: No. 17 Notre Dame vs. Valparaiso (WBB)--Region Sports Extra
Valpo Closes Homestand Hosting #17/16 Notre Dame Monday--valpoathletics.com
Nationally-Ranked Notre Dame Downs Valpo Monday--valpoathletics.com

WSU better on the rebounds--Dayton Daily News
WSU proving steady at free-throw line--Wright State University Sports
Raiders Defeat Miami with Early Knock-Out Punch 66-51--RaiderRoundball.com
Eight men's, two women's games to be televised--wsuraiders.com
Five Questions: DJ Wyrick--wsuraiders.com

Lady Raiders tame Bearcats, finish road trip 4-1--The Guardian

YSU women fall in Holiday Classic--Youngstown Vindicator
Stetson's Late Run Carries it to 79-67 Victory over Youngstown State--ysusports.com
Women's Hoops Looks to Rebound vs. Winthrop--ysusports.com

YSU’s Slocum: ‘To me, this is Christmas’--Youngstown Vindicator
Men's Basketball Visits Kent State Prior to Christmas Break--ysusports.com

Detroit sophomore earns Horizon League Player of the Week Award--Horizon League Network

Butler's Howard Wraps Up Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week Accolade--Horizon League Network
Detroit Titans Mourn Loss of Former Student-Athlete Ben Green--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Previous Evening MAC Review, On The Lemmings Scale--Hustle Belt

TRICKY
...
Milwaukee 72, Bowling Green 69 — Ultimately disappointing, and here's why. BG was overmatched in this game, and yet they took a narrow halftime game and turned it into a 11-point lead halfway through the second. It seemed as if they were just trying to wear down nine minutes of clock, and UWM recognized the fear in this 2-8, then used it to their advantage. At least A'uston Calhoun had a fun night with a career-best 26 points and eight rebounds. Scott Thomas returned to action with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Bowling Green's next game: Wednesday, 12/22 vs. Manhattan

TAXING
...
Detroit 75, Central Michigan 49 — Probably not the nationally televised game the Chips had in mind to show off their shiny McGuirk Arena. The game was close for about 14 minutes, and then the Titans took off and refused to be stopped by mere maroon humans. Trey Zeigler led the way with 21 points for CMU, and Andre Coimbra had an odd night: 10 points, eight boards, five blocks, but he also fouled out. As a team, shooting 27 percent isn't gonna help much, and missed free throws only acted as a second shovel. But hey! The women beat up on Ole Miss earlier in the day! Central Michigan's next game: Monday, 12/20 vs. South Dakota State

Wright State 66, Miami 51 — If it's okay, I'm just gonna have Charlie Coles recap all the games. His summation of this 15-point loss? "That was a clear-cut Wright State knockout early second round." All Julian Mavunga could do was net 17 points, but the Raiders took a lead early and held it throughout the game. The 5-6 record speaks for itself, but Miami just does this sometimes — it's almost as if they take games off. I know they're trying every night, but occasionally it seems like they shrivel up in big games, and then they surprise you with a big win. (See: Xavier.) Miami's next game: Tuesday, 12/21 vs. Cincinnati

No games today. Monday's schedule:

5 p.m. — Valparaiso at Eastern Michigan

The Horizon League's coming out party--ChicagoNow.com