SB Nation - Ill.-Chicago Flames

BtB 2009-10 Horizon League Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:00:20 -0000

In 2009, a Horizon League team won an NCAA game for the fifth season in a row. However, it didn't come from the expected source, as regular season champ Butler lost their first round outing to LSU. Instead, tournament champion Cleveland State shocked the hoops world by sending one-time number one Wake Forest home after their opening game. The Vikings actually beat the Bulldogs home and away, before losing a tense third meeting in the Horizon League final by a mere bucket.

The Bulldogs were allegedly entering a rebuilding year, but ended up in the tournament comfortably. With an extra year of experience under their belt, Brad Stevens' squad could reach new heights in 2009-10. This year's season could very well shape up like 2007, where Butler and Wright State tied atop the league standings after splitting their two regular season meetings. The Raiders then won the rubber match on their homecourt to claim the auto bid. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, used a great run through the non-conference portion of their schedule to gain an at-large bid and, eventually, a spot in the Sweet 16, where they gave eventual National Champion Florida a fright.

The Bulldogs are capable of great things, maybe even a trip to the Final Four that they'll co-host with their conference. However, as they can attest to, the Horizon League season is never an easy proposition. The big question is, can any potential challenger do what the Vikings and Raiders have done in the very recent past, sneak the auto bid and place a second Horizon team in the Dance. More after the jump.

Let's start with a look at last year's final Horizon League standings.

Horizon League Standings

(updated 3.22.2009 at 7:30 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Butler Bulldogs	15	3	26	6
Wis.-Green Bay Phoenix	13	5	22	11
Cleveland St. Vikings	12	6	26	11
Wright St. Raiders	12	6	20	13
Wis.-Milwaukee Panthers	11	7	17	14
Ill.-Chicago Flames	7	11	16	15
Youngstown St. Penguins	7	11	11	19
Loyola of Chicago Rambers	6	12	14	18
Valparaiso Crusaders	5	13	9	22
Detroit Titans	2	16	7	23

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order.

Youngstown State (last NCAA: None) Jerry Slocum returns four starters and four players who averaged more than 9.5 ppg last season. However, the Penguins finished last in the Horizon in scoring defense last year, so that statistic will have to improve. In a league with so many returning stars at the top, defensive difficulties will make it difficult for YSU to repeat their modest 7 league wins of a year ago. The backcourt of Kelvin Bright (11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and DeAndre Mays (10.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) has a lot of promise, while 6-7 Sirlester Martin (9.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Vytas Sulkis (10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg--off the bench) are two dynamic inside performers.

Detroit (last NCAA: 1999) Ray McCallum has a team that should improve on its league victory total of last season (2), but that still may not be ready to return to the Tournament for the first time in over a decade. The Titans return five players who started more than 10 games last year, and number doesn't include Xavier Keeling who averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in the seven games he did appear in before injuring his foot. 6-7 F Thomas Kennedy (11.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg), 6-5 G Eulis Stephens (8.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg), and 5-11 G Woody Payne (8.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) lead the returnees, who will be bolstered by the eligibility of 6-9 Indiana transfer Eli Holman and 605 G Chase Simon, who arrives from Central Michigan.

Loyola of Chicago (last NCAA: 1985) The Ramblers actually won at Hinkle Fieldhouse last year, but the chances of this team repeating that performance will depend on how well Jim Whitesell can replace the three starters he lost. The backcourt will especially miss J.R Blount (14.3 ppg) and Justin Cerasoli (11.2 ppg), and Loyola is relying on junior college transfer Terrance Hill (11 ppg) and freshman Charles Winborne to be adequate replacements. If 6-7 forward Andy Polka can stay healthy, he should be another source of offense. He only averaged 7.5 ppg last season, but was hampered by an ankle injury that kept him out of 21 of 22 games at the end of the season.

Valparaiso (last NCAA: 2004) Homer Drew lost a half-dozen players during the offseason, including 7-0 C Beas Hamga, who left school one semester after transferring from UNLV. Of those who left, forward Urule Igbavboa (12 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and guard Jake Diebler (7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg) will be the most sorely missed. Drew has potentially an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt, as Michael Rogers (9.9 ppg), Howard Little (9.6 ppg), and Eric Buggs (4.9 ppg) are all returning starters, and Brandon McPherson returns from a knee injury. He averaged over 10 points a game in the 2007-08 campaign. Even with the departure of the Cameroonian Hamga, it wouldn't be a Drew-coached Crusader side without a few international players. This year, Drew welcomes 6-7 F Milos Milosevic, a JC transfer who hails from Montenegro and 6-6 guard Ryan Broekhoff from Australia.

Illinois-Chicago (last NCAA: 2004) Like their crosstown rivals, the Flames lost some key performers after last season, which ended on a high. UIC won five in a row before losing to Cleveland State in the Horizon League tournament. Guard Josh Mayo's 17 points per contest and center Scott VanderMeer's 10 points and nearly 9 boards a game will be sorely missed. Jimmy Collins does have two key juniors back, however, 6-foot guard and All-Name team selection Robo Kreps (12.3 ppg, 41.3% on 3-pointers) and forward Tori Boyd (9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Point guard Spencer Stewart averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 assists a game last year, but missed time with bone bruise in his foot. His assist total ranked second in the conference. Texas Tech transfer Jeremy Buttell is back for his senior year looking to build on his last campaign where he averaged 5.6 boards a contest. 6-7 junior college transfer Brad Birton will have to contribute immediately.

Green Bay (last NCAA: 1996) Tod Kowalczyk's team actually finished second in the conference last season and had a taste of the postseason, where they lost to Vermont in the College Basketball Invitational. Kowalczyk lost two key starters from that team, forwards Mike Schactner (11.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Terry Evans (9.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg), and key bench player Ryan Tillema, who was a 1,000 point scorer, like the two graduated forwards. Cordero Barkley's return from injury should help fill the void left by the departure of Schactner and Evans, as should the arrival of 6-8 junior college transfer Greg LeSage. The backcourt is solid thanks to the return of junior Rahmon Fletcher (10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and senior Troy Cotton (12.6 ppg, 3 rpg) and the arrival of 6-5 freshman swingman Troy Snyder.

Cleveland State (last NCAA: 2009) Gary Waters needs to replace some key pieces from last season's auto bid winners. Guards J'Nathan Bullock (15.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and Cedrick Jackson (10.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) will be sorely missed and Chris Moore's (5.2 ppg, 3 rpg) graduation leaves a hole at center. The good news is that Waters still has two key pieces of his guard-oriented attack in place, Norris Cole (13.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and D'Aundray Brown (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg). Trevon Harmon (5.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg) should be even better in his second year at CSU. Among the newcomers, 6-9 F Lance Cunningham will replace Moore inside, while much is expected of 5-11 guard Lance James, who was a Junior College All-American last year. The Vikings face a major test in Kentucky, then either Stanford or Virginia, in a hotel ballroom in Cancun over Thanksgiving.

Milwaukee (last NCAA: 2006) After a couple of disappointing seasons, Rob Jeter's Panthers should be back to their contending ways this year. While UWM lost forward Avery Smith (11.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), they bring back nearly everyone else, potentially even 6-1 F Ricky Franklin, who could gain an extra year of eligibility if he made the adequate amount of academic progress during the offseason. His 9 points and nearly 5 boards a game will help out a frontcourt that will definitely return 6-7 James Eayrs, a budding star who averaged over 11 points and 5 rebounds a contest last year, 6-8 Tony Meier (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and 6-7 Anthony Hill (5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg). Most importantly for the Panthers, 6-1 All-Horizon Second Teamer Tone Boyle (13.2 ppg) returns to serve as the primary threat in the backcourt.

Wright State (last NCAA: 2007) Brad Brownell has built a nice little program since he arrived in Dayton from UNC-Wilmington. The Raiders will look to make this their fourth consecutive 20-win season. While Wright State lost one starter from a year ago, guard William Graham, they get two guards back off injuries who should fill that void rather easily. Vaughn Duggins missed all but four games last season with a broken finger. He also underwent ankle surgery during the offseason. In 2007-08, Duggins averaged nearly 13 points and 3 rebounds per game. John David Gardner (8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg) should also be healthy after missing the final third of last year with a hip injury. Add in returning starters Todd Brown (11.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and N'Gai Evans (6.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and Brownell has a considerable amount of backcourt depth. Cory Cooperwood can be a force in the frontcourt (9.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg), but he'll need more support from 6-9 C Ronnie Thomas, who only managed a little less than 4 points and 3 boards a contest last year. The Raiders seem to have the personnel to challenge the Bulldogs in the Horizon season. They'll start the season in a tournament at Washington, where they'll also face Portland State, and also visit Mississippi State and Northeastern in a BracketBusters return game.

Butler (last NCAA: 2009) There are few conferences in the country where the favorite is as obvious as this one. Brad Stevens brings back last year's Horizon League player of the year, Matt Howard (14.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg); his successor as Horizon Newcomer of the Year, sophomore Gordon Hayward (13.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2 apg, 44.8% from 3); and Hayward's teammate on the World Champion US U-19 team, PG Shelvin Mack (11.9 ppg, 5.5 apg). Willie Veasley is another key contributor for the Bulldogs (8.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg). The one weakness could be the bench, Alabama transfer Avery Jukes will have to be better in his second season and Ronald Nored will have to improve his long-distance shooting to match his passing prowess. The Bulldogs will be tested by a schedule that is postseason-focused, featuring Georgetown in New York, Ohio State, UAB, a BracketBuster return against Davidson at Hinkle, and the 76 Classic in Anaheim (opening with Minnesota). It's the type of slate that could move Butler to a higher seed line and may provide a bid to a second Horizon team if the Bulldogs stumble in the conference tournament.

You'll see the Bulldogs holding the Horizon's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. However, it may take a Bulldog loss in the conference tournament for a second Horizon team to sneak in the field of 65.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Horizon team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Horizon Team

Player of the Year: Gordon Hayward, 6-8 G/F, So. (Butler)

Remainder of the Team
Tone Boyle, 6-2 G, Sr. (Milwaukee)
Norris Cole, 6-2 G, Jr. (Cleveland State)
Vaughn Duggins, 6-5 G, Sr. (Wright State)
Matt Howard, 6-8 F, Jr. (Butler)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Horizon League this season?

Butler

32 votes

Cleveland State

3 votes

Detroit

3 votes

Green Bay

1 votes

Illinois-Chicago

1 votes

Loyola of Chicago

1 votes

Milwaukee

3 votes

Valparaiso

1 votes

Wright State

19 votes

Youngstown State

1 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

A Game a Night: January 2010

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

JaJuan Johnson and the Purdue Boilermakers have a few crucial January matchups on their schedule. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Browse more photos »

January once meant a clean transition from college football to college basketball. However, as the BCS refusing to go away and more non-BCS bowls have moved to post-New Year's day slots, there's increasing competition between hoops and football for TV exposure in the first week of the month.

And that's a shame, as the first week in January ends the bulk of non-conference play that we'll see until March Madness. The rest of the month is the time when conference play really starts to ramp up. In selecting games for January and February, I tried to balance my picks between conferences, as there are simply too many interesting league matchups at midweek and during the weekend. I'll feature all of these in my nightly preview posts.

You can see my picks for the opening month of the year after the jump. If you want to see what else is on TV to start 2010, visit MattSarzSports.com.

Friday, January 1
West Virginia at Purdue (ESPN, 2:30 ET)
If you need a break from football, tune into this matchup between two teams that should be right at the top of their league and in the discussion for a high NCAA seed.

Saturday, January 2
Louisville at Kentucky (CBS, 3:30 ET)
Even though there are some other titanic matchups on the slate (Gonzaga vs. Illinois in Chicago, Arizona at UCLA, Villanova at Marquette), John Calipari's first taste of this huge rivalry is my pick. It will also be interesting to see how the fans at Rupp Arena treat Rick Pitino after a tumultuous offseason for the Cards' coach.

Sunday, January 3
Xavier at Wake Forest (FSN, 5:30 ET)
It will be a solemn, special moment in Winston-Salem as these two schools meet in the inaugural Skip Prosser Classic.

Monday, January 4
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (ESPN, 7 ET)
It's not technically Big Monday yet, as there won't be a Big 12 game until the next Monday. The Panthers, who lost a lot after last season, will be battling with teams like the Bearcats to stay in the NCAA picture this season.

Tuesday, January 5
Minnesota at Purdue (ESPN or ESPN2, 7 ET)
These two are picked to be near the top of the Big Ten. The Boilermakers won the only meeting of last season by 8, in Minneapolis.

Wednesday, January 6
UCLA at California (FSN, 10:30 ET)
While the Golden Bears are a trendy pick to win the Pac-10 this year, the Bruins want to reclaim a crown lost to Washington last season.

Thursday, January 7
Xavier at La Salle (CBS CS, 7 ET)
If you really don't want to watch the BCS National Championship Game, check out this battle between a perennial A-10 power and a team trying to reach the top of that conference.

Friday, January 8
Valparaiso at Detroit (ESPNU, 7 ET)
Fridays in January and February are generally pretty quiet, so they're good nights to spend doing other things. If you're snow or icebound, you can check out this Horizon League matchup. North Florida at Florida Gulf Coast from the A-Sun is your other potential TV option.

Saturday, January 9
Florida at Vanderbilt (ESPN2, 12 ET)
Both of these teams are looking to get back to the NCAAs, the Gators after a two-year absence and the Commodores after a one-year gap. UF won by 25 in Nashville last year, but shouldn't expect a similar result against a much improved Vandy.

Sunday, January 10
Kansas at Tennessee (CBS, 1:30 ET)
The Jayhawks beat the Vols by 7 on January 3rd last year. This should be an excellent final test for both teams as they get ready for conference play.

Monday, January 11
Villanova vs.Louisville (ESPN, 7 ET)
The favorite in the Big East (as much as you can call one team a favorite) faces a difficult road test against a Cards team that should be kicking into gear.

Tuesday, January 12
Ohio State at Purdue (ESPN, 7 ET)
This is another battle at the top of the Big Ten that earns a slim nod over Kentucky at Florida and Maryland at Wake Forest, as the Gators and Deacons have a little bit to prove at this point.

Wednesday, January 13
San Diego State at UNLV (CBS CS, 10 ET)
Last year, the Aztecs took three from the Rebels, including two in six days in March that buried UNLV's hopes, yet didn't provide enough of a boost for the Aztecs' chances.

Thursday, January 14
Gonzaga at St. Mary's (ESPN2, 11 ET)
The Gaels had a good chance of winning this matchup last season, until Patty Mills broke his right hand. Now, they'll have to try this without Mills, who is in Portland, where he's broken his foot.

Friday, January 15
Loyola Chicago at Illinois-Chicago (ESPNU, 9 ET)
It's the Horizon League's version of the Crosstown rivalry.

Saturday, January 16
California at Washington (FSN, 2:30 ET)
Like the Bruins 10 days earlier, the defending champion Huskies seek to keep the rising Golden Bears from the top of the Pac-10.

Sunday, January 17
Connecticut at Michigan (CBS, 4:30 ET)
The Huskies won by 8 in Hartford last season, but it was a game that the Wolverines led for a time and weren't out of until the end.

Monday, January 18
Syracuse at Notre Dame (ESPN, 7 ET)
The Orange won easily at the Dome last year, but fell victim to a lot of Kyle McAlarney threes when they met in South Bend in 2008. The good news for SU is that McAlarney graduated.

Tuesday, January 19
Clemson at Georgia Tech (ESPN2, 7 ET)
The Tigers visit Atlanta to take on a Yellow Jacket team that could challenge in the ACC thanks to the presence of Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, and Iman Shumpert.

Wednesday, January 20
Michigan at Wisconsin (Big Ten, 8:30 ET)
The Wolverines surprisingly swept the Badgers last season, which is a big reason why UW slipped onto the bubble.

Thursday, January 21
Washington at UCLA (FSN, 10:30 ET)
This matchup completes the early season round-robin between the projected top three in the Pac-10.

Friday, January 22
UW-Milwaukee at Youngstown State (ESPNU, 7 ET)
As the other option is Mercer at Stetson, I'm going with my graduate alma mater, UWM.

Saturday, January 23
South Carolina at Florida (ESPN, 6 ET)
I went to this game in Gainesville last year. What looked like an easy Gator win turned into a close one at the end. Both of these teams should be fighting for a bid at this point.

Sunday, January 24
Georgia Tech at Florida State (Raycom, 12 ET)
I know I posted the Atlanta matchup in December, but this one should be more entertaining than the other games on the limited Sunday slate.

Monday, January 25
Georgetown at Syracuse (ESPN, 7 ET)
I'm a bit biased, so I had to put this one slightly ahead of Missouri at Kansas, though I'll be watching both myself.

Tuesday, January 26
Clemson at Boston College (ESPN2, 7 ET)
These two should be in the second tier of the ACC, so this matchup is a good chance for one to jump over the other in terms of the postseason pecking order.

Wednesday, January 27
Vanderbilt at Tennessee (ESPNU, 7 ET)
If these two play to potential, ESPN may wish they didn't stick this one on the U.

Thursday, January 28
Duquesne at Xavier (CBS CS, 7 ET)
If the Dukes are really going to show they're A-10 contenders, they need to at least play well in Cincy.

Friday, January 29
Butler at UW-Green Bay (ESPNU, 9 ET)
The Bulldogs have to spend their Friday night at a tough place to play, the Resch Center. The A-Sun's Jacksonville derby, Jacksonville at North Florida is the other TV option.

Saturday, January 30
Utah at BYU (the mtn., 9 ET)
These two earned the MWC's only two bids last year. Plus, the (non-Philly) Holy War is such a great rivalry, you really should expand your horizons and check it out.

Sunday, January 31
Maryland at Clemson (FSN, 5:30 ET)
The Terps lost 93-64 in Littlejohn last year, which really damaged their tournament hopes. Another good option during the Sunday before the Super Bowl is Florida at Tennessee.

My games for February and early March will follow tomorrow evening.