Horizon League Notebook
by Cory Eve
Ramblers Ramble Out, Raiders and Bulldogs Running Away
The Loyola, Ill. Ramblers may have missed their opportunity to make another run at the regular season Horizon League championship. Last Thursday, the Ramblers were only a game and a half out of first place when they took on the number one team in the conference, Butler, at home. Despite a fantastic performance by Blake Schilb, who finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, the Ramblers lost to the Bulldogs 70-66 in overtime. The key in the overtime was Loyola’s inability to find Butler guard A.J. Graves behind the three-point line. Graves, who finished the game with 26 points, hit three of his five threes in overtime, including the one that put the Bulldogs up for good with 55 seconds left to play.
The loss to Butler seemed even more devastating to the Ramblers because they followed it up with another home loss to the second place team in the league, Wright State. Schilb had another stat sheet-stuffing game on Saturday in scoring 14 points, grabbing ten rebounds, and dishing out four assists. Loyola just could not get it done down the stretch, missing their final five shots and allowing Wright State to score the game’s final eight points. The Ramblers have fallen to 5-5 in the conference and are three and a half games behind the first place Bulldogs. The news does not get any better for Loyola, Ill. Either, because four of their final six conference games are on the road. It appears their will be a new regular season champ in the Horizon League.
Just who that new champ will be is up for grabs. Everyone knows about the #11 ranked Butler Bulldogs (20-2, 8-1) playing well, but the Wright State Raiders are nipping at their heels. The Raiders have won three straight conference games and stand only a half game behind the Bulldogs. Wright State will get another chance at the first place Bulldogs at home on February 10th. They’ll be looking to avenge the 73-42 beat down Butler put on them at Hinkle Fieldhouse earlier this season. With their senior and leader DeShaun Wood playing as well, if not better, than anyone in the conference, the Raiders could be ready to make an upset run at the title. Hey, nobody thought the Hulkster could body slam Andre The Giant.
Keep an Eye on This Game
Butler Bulldogs (20-2, 8-1) v. Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (8-16, 5-6)
Now if you were looking only at the records, then this game may look like a potential slaughter, but keep your shirt on because there is more than meets the eye. Yes, the game is at Hinkle Fieldhouse, and yes, Butler looks unbeatable now, however, the Panthers are playing better basketball, going 6-5 after a 2-11 start. They only lost to Butler by five earlier this season, and they already beat the 8-2 Raiders. If the Bulldogs look past the Panthers on Saturday, then they may be upset.
