Horizon League Notebook
Player of the Week: Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago. It is the second player of the week award for Mayo this season. He averaged 30.5 points in two games against UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay last week, including 32 against Green Bay.
Butler Bulldogs (8-1 overall, 1-1 Horizon League)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Detroit – W 53-46
Dec. 8 vs. Wright State – L 43-42
The Bulldogs had to go through last week with some injuries. Senior forward Pete Campbell did not play in either game against Detroit or Wright State. Campbell averages better than 14 points per game and hits 50 percent of his 3-point shots. Campbell sprained his right knee in the Bulldogs’ victory over Ohio State on Dec. 1.
Trying to fill the void was freshman Matt Howard, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Titans.
Against Wright State, the Bulldogs could not avenge last year’s league tournament title loss at Wright State, losing again to the Raiders in Dayton, Ohio. Senior Julian Betko scored 14 points in a rare off night from 3-point range for the Bulldogs.
It was also an off week for sharpshooter A.J. Graves. He scored just 14 points on 4-of-19 shooting in the two games combined.
The Bulldogs will play Florida State at Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, for their lone game this week. The game against the Seminoles is part of the John R. Wooden Tradition double-header. The other game will be nationally televised when Purdue plays Louisville.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 vs. Florida State at Indianapolis
Cleveland State Vikings (7-3, 1-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 4 vs. Chicago State – W 77-73
Dec. 8 vs. Youngstown State – W 77-54
The Vikings are already doing things they haven’t done in a while. They enter this week with a three-game win streak. CSU’s 7-3 start is the school’s best start since 1991-92.
Against Youngstown State, Cedric Jackson had a big game with 21 points. He ranks fourth in the league in points per game (17.9), and also leads the league in assists (5.4 per game) and steals (3.1 per game).
The Vikings have no games this week because of final exams. Their next game will be at Ohio State on Dec. 18. That game could feature the debut of freshman Eric Schiele, who averaged 39.6 points as a high school senior.
Upcoming games
No games scheduled
Detroit Titans (4-5, 0-2)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Butler – L 53-46
Dec. 8 vs. Valparaiso – L 81-68
The Titans opened the league portion of the schedule with two home losses to Butler and Valparaiso.
Jon Goode scored 21 points in each game, adding 10 assists and five steals in the two games. Goode has scored at least 20 points in a game five times this season, equaling the league lead with Green Bay’s Mike Schachtner and Cleveland State’s Cedric Jackson. Last season, Goode’s season high was 18 points.
Goode, along with senior Zach Everingham, played their 100th games for the Titans. Everingham hit the mark against Butler, while Goode accomplished the feat against Valparaiso.
Everingham is fifth in the nation with a 4.83 assists-to-turnover ratio.
The Titans, who have lost three straight, have no games this week. They return to the court Dec. 17 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, two days before facing Texas A&M.
Upcoming games
No games scheduled
Illinois-Chicago Flames (5-4, 2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. UW-Milwaukee – W 91-73
Dec. 8 – vs. UW-Green Bay – W 76-67
The Flames are quickly becoming a hard team to beat at home as they are 4-0 at the Pavilion so far this season.
Josh Mayo played brilliantly last week, averaging an astounding 30.5 points per game. He scored 32 points against UW-Green Bay on Saturday night for his second 30-point game of the season.
Also making a solid impact early in the season is freshman guard Robert Kreps, who is averaged 12.7 points per game in his past three games.
The Flames will head across town to play DePaul for their only game this week.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 at DePaul
Loyola Ramblers (3-5, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. UW-Green Bay – L 69-63
Dec. 8 – vs. UW-Milwaukee – W 73-68 (OT)
After a respectable start, the Ramblers were in the midst of a slump. But after splitting games with UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee last week, the Ramblers snapped a five-game losing streak. It was the Ramblers’ longest such streak since dropping eight straight in 2004.
Junior forward Leon Young posted his first double-double in nearly a year, scoring 21 points and grabbing a collegiate-high 14 rebounds in the victory over UWM.
Junior guard J.R. Blount, a Wisconsin product, scored 20 points against Green Bay. He has hit the 20-point mark three times this season.
Senior Tracy Robinson scored a collegiate-best 18 points against UWM, including hitting the game-tying basket to send the game to overtime.
On the docket this week is instate foe Northern Illinois. The Ramblers will honor 12 players from the 1960s in school history, including the starting five which won the national championship in 1963.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 vs. Northern Illinois
UW-Green Bay Phoenix (6-3, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Loyola – W 69-63
Dec. 8 vs. Illinois-Chicago – L 76-67
The Phoenix split a pair of opening league road games in two tough buildings to play in. The loss to Illinois-Chicago ended Green Bay’s four-game win streak.
Junior Mike Schachtner scored at least 20 points in each game, giving him five 20-point games on the season. He scored 24 points against the Flames to match a season-high. Schachtner leads the league in scoring at 20.2 per game and needs just six points to become the 20th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Against Illinois-Chicago, the Phoenix shot a season-low 36.5 percent from the field, including just 2-of-14 from 3-point range.
The Phoenix will travel to Madison, Wis., to play instate rival Wisconsin. The Phoenix will be gunning for their second 7-3 start since the 1996-97. Green Bay also started 7-3 in the 2004-05 season.
Upcoming games
Dec. 15 at Wisconsin
UW-Milwaukee Panthers (3-6, 0-2)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 6 vs. Illinois-Chicago – L 91-73
Dec. 8 vs. Loyola – L 73-68 (OT)
The struggles continued last week for the once powerful Panthers.
UWM has lost five straight games after a solid 3-1 start. Defense is the big struggle, allowing an average of 85 points per game during the streak, and allowing at least 73 in each of the past eight games.
Senior Torre Johnson scored a collegiate-best 30 points against Illinois-Chicago, and added a 19-point, 12-rebound effort at Loyola. Johnson leads the league in rebounding at 8.7 per game.
Senior Paige Paulsen scored 17 points against Loyola, and now averages 14 per game. Marcus Skinner picked up his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola.
UWM is starting two true freshmen (Tim Flowers, Deonte Roberts) for the first time since 1999-2000.
In their only game this week, the Panthers host instate foe Wisconsin for the first time since the 2001-02 season. For the past five years, UWM ventured west on I-94 to Madison. Milwaukee last beat Wisconsin in the 1992-93 season at the UW Fieldhouse – a span of 14 games.
Upcoming games
Dec. 12 vs. Wisconsin
Valparaiso Crusaders (8-1, 2-0)
Week record: 2-0
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. Wright State – W 71-66
Dec. 8 – vs. Detroit – W 81-68
The Crusaders are already making a big impact in their first season in the Horizon League. Valparaiso has won six straight games, their longest such streak since the 2005-06 season. The Crusaders lead the league in scoring at 74.3 points per game clip. The Crusaders will put a 10-game homecourt win streak on the line this week with a pair of home games against Evansville and former Summit League (then the Mid-Continent Conference) foe Chicago State. The Crusaders are also hoping to improve to 9-1 for the first time in coach Homer Drew’s 19-year tenure.
Upcoming games
Dec. 11 vs. Evansville
Dec. 15 vs. Chicago State
Wright State Raiders (3-2, 1-1)
Week record: 1-1
Recap
Dec. 6 – vs. Valparaiso – L 71-66
Dec. 8 – vs. Butler – W 43-42
The defending league tournament champions split two big league games to start the league portion of the schedule.
After a narrow loss to newcomer Valparaiso, the Raiders upset ranked Butler at home. The loss to the Crusaders snapped the Raiders’ 14-game win streak at home. The victory over Butler was an offensive struggle as both teams combined to score 30 points in the second half. Butler shot just 32 percent from the field in the game.
The 42 points allowed was Wright State’s best defensive performance since allowing 39 points to Butler in 2004. The Raiders have now won nine of the past 11 meetings against Butler, including last season’s league tournament championship game.
This week, the Raiders continue a five-game homestand, entertaining Bradley and Miami-Ohio.
Upcoming games
Dec. 11 vs. Bradley
Dec. 15 vs. Miami-Ohio
Youngstown State Penguins (3-5, 0-1)
Week record: 0-2
Recap
Dec. 5 – vs. Kent State – L 59-52
Dec. 8 – vs. Cleveland State – L 77-54
Two instate games meant two instate losses for the Penguins, including a 77-54 loss to Cleveland State to start the league season.
The Penguins, who have lost three straight, are 0-7 in Horizon League openers since joining the league in 2001.
Against Kent State, the Penguins shot just 32 percent, and was 36 percent against the Vikings. During their three-game slide, the Penguins are shooting just 35 percent from the field.
John Barber provided a slight bright spot against Cleveland State, scoring 18 points. He has finished in double figures in scoring in seven of eight games played this season.
The Penguins won’t play any games this week to concentrate on final exams. The Penguins will play again Dec. 17 at home against Robert Morris (Pa.).
Upcoming games
No games scheduled
