On The Horizon

Heat reserve James Jones joked after the game with Norris Cole that McLemore was stuck “between a rock and a hard place” once he committed to take the charge.

Cleveland State and Akron take to the road after success at home - Local colleges this morning--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State, Kent State hoops face road challenges; MAC bowl games start - local colleges this morning--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State comes close but falls at Toledo, 71-67--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Updated: Cleveland State (6-5) vs. Toledo (10-0)--Vikings Ball
Cleveland State Slips with Loss to Toledo 71-67--Vikings Ball
Getting to know CSU MBB...Trey Lewis--csuvikings.com
Vikings Travel to Toledo on Saturday--csuvikings.com
CSU Falls at Toledo, 71-67--csuvikings.com

Vikings Host Undefeated Indiana Saturday At 2:00 p.m.--csuvikings.com
WBB vs Indiana Promo--csuvikings.com
Women's Basketball Falls To Undefeated Indiana--csuvikings.com

On this day 12 years ago - Dec 19, 2001--Titans Update
Detroit (5-7) Goes Up against Bowling Green (5-5)--Titans Update
Titans Conclude Road Trip at BGSU on Sunday--detroittitans.com

Take A Break From Holiday Shopping As Titans Host IPFW On Saturday At Noon--detroittitans.com
Hot Shooting From IPFW Downs Titans On Saturday--detroittitans.com

Late Night Snacks: Grambling snaps a 32-game losing streak--CollegeBasketballTalk

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES
...
2) Oakland 90, Illinois State 75 52

The Golden Grizzlies moved to 3-9 on the year as Oakland bounces back from a tough loss to Michigan State. Travis Bader had 21 points and 11 rebounds to pace Oakland as the senior had four three-pointers.

Eastern Michigan 81, Oakland 79 (OT): Darell Combs hits go-ahead 3-pointer to down Golden Grizzlies--The Detroit Free Press
Oakland falls in overtime to Eastern Michigan at O’rena--The Oakland Press
PHOTOS: Oakland picks up another good mid-major victory over Illinois State--Grizzlies Den
VIDEO: Tommie McCune's dunk against Illinois State--Grizzlies Den
Oakland coach Greg Kampe criticizes fans for poor attendance--Grizzlies Den
Oakland vs. Eastern Michigan pregame notes--Grizzlies Den
Postgame video: Oakland loses to Eastern Michigan--Grizzlies Den
Videos from Oakland vs. Eastern Michigan: Dec. 21, 2013--Grizzlies Den
Oakland (3-9) and Eastern Michigan (6-3) Square Off--Grizz Gang
Oakland Drops Close One to Eastern Michigan 81-79 in OT--Grizz Gang
GRIZZLIES CONTINUE HOMESTAND AGAINST EMU, RMU--Grizz Gang
EASTERN MICHIGAN WORKS EXTRA TO BEAT OAKLAND, 81-79 (OT)--ougrizzlies.com

OU women double up UM-Dearborn, 100-49--The Oakland Press
Grizzlies fall to Spartans 80-62--Oakland Post
OAKLAND'S BALANCED SCORING DOWNS UM-DEARBORN 100-49--ougrizzlies.com

Layup with 2.6 seconds left sinks UIC--The Chicago Tribune
UIC Narrowly Beaten by UC Riverside 57-56--Flame Fanatic
UIC (5-7) and Colorado State (7-4) Square Off--Flame Fanatic
Flames Comeback Falls Short Against UC-Riverside, 57-56--uicflames.com

Flames Look for Eight Straight Wins Saturday at Wisconsin--uicflames.com

Men's basketball: McKinnie to finally make UWGB debut--Green Bay Press Gazette
Men's basketball: Brown dominates as UWGB tops Fairfield--Green Bay Press Gazette
Green Bay Punishes Fairfield 74-58--Phoenix Fever
Phoenix Announces Horizon League 3-Pack, Feb. 1 Time Change--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Alec Brown's 40-Point Game Leads Phoenix Win--GreenBayPhoenix.com

No. 18 Purdue holds off Green Bay 49-45--MICentralSports.com

Panthers will participate in Westin Holiday Classic--PantherU
Video: Panthers Look To Extend Impressive Start In New Orleans--uwmpanthers.com

O26 Weekly Awards: Princeton, Augustine Rubit, Joe Scott & NDSU…--Rush The Court

O26 Player of the Week
...
Honorable Mentions: Larry Nance Jr. – Wyoming (38 pts, 12 rebs @Denver), T.J. Bray – Princeton (23 pts, 8 assts @Rutgers, 11 pts, 13 assts @Penn State), Alec Peters – Valparaiso (30 pts, 8 rebs v. LMU)

Valparaiso signs head coach Bryce Drew to 10-year contract extension--CollegeBasketballTalk
GORCHES: Adding Keith Carter boosts Valpo’s rotation options--The Post-Tribune
Carter's return makes Valparaiso finally at full-strength--The NWI Times
Valparaiso (7-5) and Southeastern University Face Off--Valpo Daily
Valpo PPS – pre Keith Carter--College Basketball PPS

Video: Wright State’s Jerran Young With the Sick Finish Off Inbounds Alley-Oop--Los The Sports Blog
POSTERIZED: Wright State’s Jerran Young with a monstrous alley-oop (VIDEO)--CollegeBasketballTalk
Preview: Missouri-Kansas City at Wright State--Dayton Daily News
Raiders don’t get much time to prepare for Missouri-Kansas City--Dayton Daily News
Streak broken – Raiders (6-7) crush Panthers (3-7)--RaiderRoundball.com
Wright State (6-7) Takes On Missouri-Kansas City (3-7)--Rowdy Review

Women’s Basketball: Raiders, Braves open WSU Invite with victories--The Guardian
Women Defeat Gardner-Webb in Wright State Invitational--wsuraiders.com

Preview: St. John's welcomes Youngstown State as Harrison seeks three-point record--Rumble In The Garden
Game Preview: St. John's vs. Youngstown State and thousands of ugly sweaters--Big East Coast Bias
Youngstown State (8-5) Goes Up against St. John's (7-3)--Guin Report
Youngstown State Falls to St. John's 96-87--Guin Report
Men’s Basketball Visits St. John’s Saturday at Carnesecca Arena--ysusports.com
Six Players Reach Double Figures in 96-87 Loss to St. John’s--ysusports.com

The best and worst of YSU in 2013--Youngstown Vindicator

YSU women fall to Delaware--Youngstown Vindicator
Delaware Pulls Away in Second Half to Beat YSU 69-48--ysusports.com
Penguins Look to Enter Christmas Break with Win Over Vermont--ysusports.com
Strong First Half Leads Penguins to 74-67 Win Over Vermont--ysusports.com

Oakland and Wright State Win on Friday Night--Horizon League Network

Jim Squire

Late run lifts Heat past Pacers 97-94 in showdown--Miami Herald

But Norris Cole's 3-pointer, Miami's first in 10 tries to that point, started what became a 13-4 Heat run and made it a 76-71 game entering the fourth. Nonetheless, Indiana remained in control, and when West connected with 3:21 left, the Pacers were up 92-85 and seemed well on their way to closing things out.

Heat quiet Pacers 97-94, as LeBron, Wade, Bosh step up--South Florida Sun Sentinel

After falling behind by those 15 points in the third quarter, the Heat went into the fourth within 76-71, thanks to a booming dunk and ensuing free throw for a 3-point play by James that was preceded by 3-pointers by teammates Norris Cole and Rashard Lewis.

Cleveland State, Akron and Kent State back in action - Local college hoops this week--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Sebastian Douglas leads Cleveland State over Western Carolina 66-55 in men's basketball--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State gets defensive in 66-55 win over Western Carolina--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Akron, Cleveland State hoops play to their strengths; and pick five - local colleges this morning--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cleveland State and Akron in action tonight - Local college hoops this morning--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Preview: Western Carolina-Cleveland State--Cleveland State Hoops
Cleveland State 66, Western Carolina 55--Cleveland State Hoops
Cleveland State Gets Win over Western Carolina 66-55--Vikings Ball
On this day 7 years ago - Dec 17, 2006--Vikings Ball
Cleveland State (5-5) Squares Off with Notre Dame, Ohio--Vikings Ball
Vikings Top Western Carolina, 66-55--csuvikings.com
Vikings Conclude Homestand vs. Notre Dame (OH)--csuvikings.com
Cleveland State MBB vs Notre Dame (Ohio) Promo--csuvikings.com
Vikings Race Past Notre Dame (OH), 97-72--csuvikings.com

Women's Basketball Set To Take On New Hampshire--csuvikings.com
Women's Basketball Picks Up 65-50 Victory At New Hampshire--csuvikings.com

Colorado transfer Jenkins will land at Detroit--Eye On College Basketball
Colorado's Chris Jenkins to Transfer to Detroit--Mid-Major Madness
Zips Use Huge Second Half to take down Detroit--Hustle Belt
Ducks pick apart Irvine--The Register-Guard

Moser made three three-pointers and also had three steals to go with 15 points and six rebounds. Damyean Dotson had 14 points and Jason Calliste added 10.

Oregon took its first lead when Moser made a layup and a three-pointer to put the Ducks ahead 7-6. Elgin Cook, Calliste, Moser, and Dotson each made a three-pointer and Carter followed with a jumper to give Oregon a 23-10 lead.

Akron uses second-half surge to beat Detroit, 79-60--The Detroit Free Press
Updated: Detroit (5-6) Goes Up against Akron (4-2)--Titans Update
Detroit Loses Big against Akron 79-60--Titans Update
Titans Continue Three-Game Road Trip at Akron--detroittitans.com
Second Half Run Lifts Akron Past Detroit, 79-60--detroittitans.com

Women's Basketball Notebook: Dec. 18, 2013--detroittitans.com

All Offense, All Defense: Which Teams Rely On One Side?--Big Apple Buckets

Because made up stats are fun. Here are the Top 5 in both categories since 2009:

Offense Heavy:

2012 Missouri
2013 Michigan
2010 Cornell
2011 Notre Dame
2011 Oakland

Monday’s Pregame Shootaround: Can Grambling finally break their 32 game losing streak?--CollegeBasketballTalk

FIVE THING TO WATCH FOR
...
5) Illinois State is coming off of a win over Dayton. Can the Redbirds string together two wins and take out Oakland and Travis Bader tonight?

Oakland 90, Illinois State 75: Second-half run lifts Golden Grizzlies--The Detroit Free Press
Monday's college basketball roundup: Oakland gets hot in second half, beats Illinois State--The Detroit News
Big second half lifts Oakland past Illinois State--The Oakland Press
Oakland vs. Illinois State pregame notes--Grizzlies Den
Oakland Pounds Illinois State 90-75--Grizz Gang
On this day 2 years ago - Dec 17, 2011--Grizz Gang
GOLDEN GRIZZLIES UPEND REDBIRDS, 90-75--ougrizzlies.com

College basketball roundup: Michigan State women outrun Oakland--The Detroit Free Press
OAKLAND RETURNS HOME ON FRIDAY TO FACE UM-DEARBORN--ougrizzlies.com

Preview: Purdue Calumet at UIC--The Chicago Tribune
UIC pounds Purdue-Calumet 88-61--The Chicago Tribune
Friday's matchup: Illinois-Chicago at UC-Riverside--The Chicago Tribune
Flames score win on road against Southeast Missouri--UIC News
Flames score doubles against Purdue Calumet--UIC News
Flames lead from start to finish--Whoosh!Net
Barlow honored by Horizon League--Whoosh!Net
A fresh approach--Whoosh!Net
UIC (4-6) and Purdue Calumet Square Off--Flame Fanatic
UIC Wins Big over Purdue Calumet 88-61--Flame Fanatic
On this day 3 years ago - Dec 18, 2010--Flame Fanatic
UIC (5-6) vs. UC Riverside (3-6)--Flame Fanatic
Kelsey Barlow Named Horizon League Player of the Week--uicflames.com
Flames Eye Second Consecutive Win on Tuesday Night--uicflames.com
Flames Triumph at Home, 88-61, for Second Straight Win--uicflames.com
Flames Eye Third Straight Win at UC-Riverside--uicflames.com

Women’s basketball team eyes win No. 7--UIC News
Women’s basketball on a roll with seventh straight win--UIC News
Flames Look for Seven Straight Wins Wednesday in Michigan--uicflames.com
UIC News Features Women's Basketball's Strong Start--uicflames.com
Flames Defeat Western Michigan, 71-61, For Seventh Straight Win--uicflames.com

Men's basketball: Love provides spark for UWGB off bench--Green Bay Press Gazette
Men's basketball: UWGB overcomes slow start to rout Tennessee Tech--Green Bay Press Gazette
Updated: Green Bay (6-3) Battles Tennessee Tech (6-6)--Phoenix Fever
Green Bay Crushes Tennessee Tech 76-49--Phoenix Fever
Green Bay (7-3) vs. Fairfield (2-8)--Phoenix Fever
Green Bay Opens 5-Game Homestand Tuesday Night--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Defense Propels Green Bay's 38-3 Run, Dominant Home Win--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Green Bay Hosts Fairfield for Festival Foods Family Game--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Women's basketball: UWGB looks to extend Big Ten win streak against Purdue--Green Bay Press Gazette
Women's basketball: UWGB rally falls short against No. 18 Purdue--Green Bay Press Gazette
Tesha Buck Selected Horizon League Freshman of the Week--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Women's Basketball Entertains No. 18/21 Purdue on Wednesday--GreenBayPhoenix.com
Late Comeback Falls Short as Phoenix Falls to No. 18/21 Purdue, 49-45--GreenBayPhoenix.com

Kyle Kelm finds his way back to basketball--PantherU
On this day 8 years ago - Dec 17, 2005--UWM Update
Milwaukee (9-3) Squares Off with Northeastern (2-8)--UWM Update
What A Difference A Year Makes--Panther Blog Zone
Panthers Off To New Orleans For Matchups With Northeastern, Alabama State--uwmpanthers.com

Women's Basketball: Marquette 71, Milwaukee 52--Anonymous Eagle
Panthers Wrap Up December Home Slate Against Illinois State--uwmpanthers.com
Video: Young Making Big Strides In Second Season On Court--uwmpanthers.com

Valpo signs Bryce Drew to 10-year contract--Eye On College Basketball
Bryce Drew Gets 10 Year Contract Extension--Mid-Major Madness
Valparaiso’s Alec Peters earns multiple honors for 30-point effort--The Post-Tribune
Valparaiso University, Bryce Drew agree to 10-year contract extension--The Post-Tribune
Gallery: The Lutheran Miracle--The NWI Times
Remembering Valpo's big win--The NWI Times
Another decade of Drew--The NWI Times
The Making of "Miracle on Union Street"--Inside VU Sports
On this day 8 years ago - Dec 18, 2005--Valpo Daily
Awards For Peters Following 30-Point Performance--valpoathletics.com
Valpo Men's Basketball Weekly Preview Show--valpoathletics.com
Valparaiso Signs Drew to Long-Term Contract Extension--valpoathletics.com
Crusaders Head to Florida For Pair of Games--valpoathletics.com

Preview: Eastern Illinois at Wright State--Dayton Daily News
Raiders return home hoping to end four-game losing streak--Dayton Daily News
Raiders snap four-game losing streak--Dayton Daily News
Miami extends Wright State’s losing streak to four straight--RaiderRoundball.com
On this day 9 years ago - Dec 18, 2004--Rowdy Review
Updated: Wright State (5-7) Faces Eastern Illinois (3-6)--Rowdy Review
Wright State Wins Big against Eastern Illinois 70-43--Rowdy Review
Raiders break losing streak in big way over Panthers--The Guardian
Balanced Attack Leads Men to Win Over Eastern Illinois--wsuraiders.com

Wright State women off to best start since moving to Division I--Dayton Daily News
Women’s Basketball: Mingo’s big day helps Raiders knock off Musketeers in bounce back win--The Guardian
Mingo named HL Player of the Week--The Guardian
Mingo Named Horizon League Player of the Week--wsuraiders.com

Perry lifts YSU past Bethune-Cookman--Youngstown Vindicator
On this day 8 years ago - Dec 17, 2005--Guin Report
Youngstown State Gets Win against Bethune-Cookman 71-59--Guin Report
Key Run Spurs Penguins to Win Over Bethune Cookman--ysusports.com

Penguins Forge Ahead in Second OT to Beat Malone--ysusports.com
YSU Plays Delaware Friday at Lehigh’s ‘Christmas City Classic’--ysusports.com

Jim Squire

Night Court: Wichita State, Oregon, Notre Dame earn huge Ws--Eye On College Basketball

Players with impact
...
Not going to be many better freshman performances on Saturday than Valparaiso's Alec Peters. Thirty points, eight boards, becoming the fifth Valpo player in 15 years to have at least two 30-point games.
Despite Youngstown State's struggles, Kendrick Perry is going to find himself in this category a bunch. On Saturday, he went for 28 points, four assists, four steals.
...
Other outcomes of note:
...
Michigan State looked as sluggish as it could look while still earning a victory, winning 67-63 over a 2-9 Oakland team that is better than its record shows. MSU is dealing with injuries still. Many maintain this team is still a Final Four hopeful -- of course it is.
...
Pittsburgh moved to 10-0 after beating Youngstown State. Tuesday brings a tough test against Cincinnati at Madison Square Garden.

Big 3 combines for 71 points as Miami Heat escapes Cavaliers’ rally--Miami Herald

The Cavs called timeout, but the game had swung for a final time. The teams traded three-point misses, with the difference being Bosh getting the offensive rebound at the Heat’s end. From the three-point line, James lasered a pass to Norris Cole for a layup. Another Bosh rebound at the defensive end and two Ray Allen free throws pushed the lead to 106-100.

Former Cleveland State guard Gravelle Craig looks ahead; The Akron Zips do the same--Cleveland Plain Dealer
Vikings Look to Get Back on Track Against Western Carolina--Cleveland Leader

Vikings Fall To VCU In Final Seconds, 76-75--csuvikings.com

Sunday's college basketball roundup: Eastern Michigan women hit for triple digits against Detroit--The Detroit News
UDM Falls In High Scoring Affair--detroittitans.com

Michigan State survives a scare from Oakland--CollegeBasketballTalk
No. 5 Michigan State beats Oakland 67-63--Sports Illustrated
Michigan State holds off Oakland--FOX Sports Detroit
MSU Basketball: Spartans survive scare from Oakland--isportsweb
A Saturday full of thrillers--College Basketball Nation Blog

Most Interesting Battle: Raise your hand if you had a two-win Oakland squad leading Michigan State 31-30 at halftime. Anyone? Oakland kept things close as Duke Mondy (24 points, seven steals) and Travis Bader (18 points, 5-for-20) tried to lead their squad to a major upset, though the Spartans ultimately won 67-63.

I think this game should be a warning to every high major. With players headed home for the holidays soon and enjoying some rare downtime after fall classes, teams can be vulnerable.

I don't think Michigan State realized it was in a game until the second half. And it nearly cost the Spartans. But Gary Harris missed the contest, and that clearly made a difference.

But the bigger point is that December can be dangerous. Not many easy games at this level. Saturday's battle between Michigan State and Oakland in Auburn Hills proved as much.