Vindy and Trib writers - if you are reading - something like this would be great. DDN can do it while covering WSU, UD and I believe MU on a regular basis.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wrightstatesports/entries/2011/12/12/week_5_horizon_league_power_ra.htmlWeek 5 Horizon League Power Rankings: Holman’s return gives Detroit life at No. 4
By Kyle Nagel | Monday, December 12, 2011, 01:05 PM
The week’s biggest personnel development in the Horizon League was center Eli Holman’s return to the roster in Detroit, giving the Titans their three preseason all-league first team players at the same time for the first time this season. Holman missed the first part of the season on a leave of absence, and he made an immediate impact in his return.
But, that didn’t save Detroit from a loss against nationally ranked Alabama on Sunday during a week that saw Horizon League teams go 10-10. Detroit moved up to No. 4 in the rankings this week, and Milwaukee jumped past Valparaiso into the No. 2 spot despite a loss to an impressive Northern Iowa team. Butler and Green Bay have seen slow starts with difficult schedules, which could help them when league play starts full-time later this month.
DAYTON DAILY NEWS HL POWER RANKINGS
1) Cleveland State (10-1, 2-0): The Vikings will take an eight-day break between games after beating Robert Morris (62-58) and Akron (69-66) before facing South Florida (6-4) on Dec. 19. CSU earned the break, streaking to 10 wins with a loss only to Hofstra (not a good one, as the Pride are 3-7) and wins in its past five games by 18, 2, 5, 4 and 3 points. Trey Harmon, a 6-1 senior (Pasadena, Calif.), led the Vikings in scoring in both games last week, with a career best-tying 24 points against Robert Morris and 16 points against Akron. Before those two performances, the preseason all-league first team guard had averaged 6.7 points in the previous six games, although he still averages 11.4 points for the season. That ranks second on the team to 6-4 senior D’Aundray Brown (Youngstown), who averages 12.7 points per game. The Vikings have reached this mini break ranked first in the league in scoring defense (57.3 ppg) but seven in scoring offense (64.2 ppg), meaning CSU will likely continue to see close games with the experience to finish them with wins.
Guard Ray McCallum and Detroit got a big lift last week with the return of center Eli Holman to the lineup (Associated Press photo)
2) Milwaukee (8-2, 2-0): After scoring an 87-76 victory against DePaul last Monday, the Panthers dropped a 67-51 road decision to Northern Iowa, a game that featured two one-loss teams. Kaylon Williams, a Milwaukee 6-3 senior (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), led the Panthers with 16 points, but the team also shot 5-of-19 from 3-point range, while Northern Iowa made 9-of-19 from long range. Also, a game after scoring 20 points while recovering from a calf injury, 6-8 senior Tony Meier (Wildwood, Mo.), a preseason all-league second teamer, had 2 points in 22 minutes against UNI. The Panthers now prepare to face visiting Wisconsin on Tuesday and Marquette next week, games that will test their strong start. Milwaukee has been without third-leading scorer Ja’Rob McCallum, a 6-0 junior (Marion, Ind.) who averaged 10 points per game while starting the first six games. McCallum has a wrist injury that has caused him to miss the past four games, but the Panthers remain the league’s second-best defensive team (58.6 ppg).
3) Valparaiso (7-3, 1-0): Even in the Crusaders’ midweek loss to IPFW (85-76), 6-7 junior Ryan Broekhoff (Frankston, Victoria, Australia) had 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. He followed that with 20 points (6-of-8), nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in a victory against Bowling Green (82-79) that helped Valpo reach seven wins. Broekhoff is the league’s top rebounder (9.0) and ranks third in scoring (15.3) while teammate Kevin Van Wijk (6-8 junior from Hoofddorp, Netherlands) is also top 10 in both categories, fifth in scoring (14.4) and tied for fifth in rebounding (6.
. With multiple scoring options, including 6-2 sophomore Jay Harris (Aurora, Ill., 20 points against Bowling Green), the Crusaders have the league’s best scoring offense (74.9 points per game), but they also allow 68.2 points per game, second-worst in the league. Valparaiso’s first two losses came against Arizona and Ohio State, but the Crusaders then dropped their third road defeat against a 5-3 IPFW team that lost to 6-5 Missouri-Kansas City by 15 points.
4) Detroit (5-7, 0-2): The return of Eli Holman overshadows everything else in Detroit. The 6-10, 260-pound senior (Richmond, Calif.) missed the first 10 games while on an indefinite leave of absence from the team. He was on the bench for a Monday night game against St. John’s, which the Titans won 69-63 to stop a three-game losing streak. He then returned to the court against Western Michigan (92-81 win on Thursday) with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks … in 19 minutes. In a 62-54 loss to Alabama on Sunday, Holman again came off the bench with 9 points and 9 rebounds in 27 minutes while 6-2 sophomore Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, Mich.) led Detroit with 13 points. The Titans have the league’s second-best scoring offense (74.1 ppg) with an exciting brand of play on that end, but they also are last in the league in scoring defense (70.6 ppg). Even stranger, in Detroit wins, opponents have scored 72.4 ppg. In losses, they have scored 69.3 ppg. Next up is a home game against Mississippi State (9-1) on Saturday.
5) Butler (4-6, 0-1): The Bulldogs are on a three-game losing skid after defeats against Xavier (73-61) and Ball State (58-55) last week. With newfound prestige following back-to-back national runner-up finishes, Butler beefed up its schedule, and the record reflects that difficulty. The Bulldogs have played nine Division I opponents (excluding Oakland City) with a record of 54-29. Their three wins have come against teams 11-20, and they have lost to six teams that are a combined 43-9. It gets no easier. The final three nonconference games this year are against Purdue (9-2) on Saturday, Gonzaga (5-2) on Dec. 20 and Stanford (8-1) on Dec. 22. No one was good offensively against Xavier, as 6-4 freshman Roosevelt Jones (O’Fallon, Ill.) led Butler with 10 points, and 6-6 sophomore Khyle Marshall (Davie, Fla.) exploded for 21 points and 16 rebounds against Ball State. Marshall is the team’s leading scorer, at 10.5 points per game, while 6-1 sophomore Chrishawn Hopkins (Indianapolis) adds 10.4 points per game. The Bulldogs are the second-worst shooting team in the league (38.4 percent), ahead of only Wright State.
6) Youngstown State (6-3, 1-1): The Penguins’ story is behind the 3-point line. In two games last week, a win against Division III Fredonia State (69-35) and loss to Buffalo (80-72), YSU went a combined 21-of-59 from long range, attempting 35 3-pointers against Buffalo. The Penguins are the league’s best at making 3-pointers (39.3 percent from that range) and have attempted 20, 29, 19, 27, 15, 28, 27, 24 and 35 3-pointers in their nine games (an average of 24.9 per game). When they’re falling, it looks great. When not, YSU struggles. Blake Allen, a 6-1 junior (Tampa, Fla.), leads the league with 3.4 3-pointers made per game, and he averages 13.6 points per game, behind 6-0 sophomore Kendrick Perry (Ocoee, Fla.), who scores 15.9 points per game. YSU continues to rely heavily on its starters, as those five play 80.5 percent of the minutes. Four of the five starters are in for more than 30 minutes per game, and the fifth, 6-6 senior DuShawn Brooks (Harvey, Ill.), plays 29.8 minutes per game.
Alec Brown, Green Bay’s 7-1 sophomore seen here earlier this season, had a monster game Saturday as the Phoenix again tangled with a power conference opponent (Associated Press photo)
7) Green Bay (4-6, 2-0): The Phoenix went through a Wisconsin gauntlet last week, dropping road games to Wisconsin (which is 8-2) and Marquette (9-0). Alex Brown, a 7-1 sophomore (Winona, Minn.) delivered one of the league’s statement performances of the week with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks against Marquette, but the Golden Eagles used 32 fast-break points and 46 points in the paint to overpower the Phoenix. Like Butler, they have played a brutal schedule, with opponents a combined 45-11. Green Bay claims the only victory against 9-1 Wyoming and two Horizon League wins, so there’s a bright side to the power conference school defeats. Both 6-0 sophomore Terry Johnson (Chicago) and 6-9 junior Brennan Cougill (Sioux City, Iowa) entered the starting lineup for the first time last week, and the pair has combined to average 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The Phoenix have been solid rebounders (No. 2 in the Horizon League) despite the strong opponents, but they are shooting just 28.4 percent from 3-point range.
Wright State (4-6, 1-1): The Raiders responded to setting a program record for fewest points in a game in a 55-34 loss at Air Force with a 51-49 victory at Miami University on Saturday. Offense continues to be an issue, as the Raiders rank ninth in the league in scoring (55.2 ppg), last in field goal percentage (36.9) and last in rebounding (30.4). However, the Raiders have made enough 3-pointers (32 percent this season, 7-of-18 against Miami) to score three wins against Division I opponents (with a combined record of 9-16). Julius Mays, a 6-2 junior (Marion, Ind.), continues to lead the Raiders in scoring, but at just 10.2 points per game, while points are spread out through a variety of players. Reggie Arceneaux, a 5-8 freshman (Charlotte, N.C.), is second on the team in scoring at 8.1 points per game. WSU has seen four of its last five games come down to the final minute with a defense that has allowed 45, 62, 55 and 49 points in the past four games.
9) Loyola (2-7, 0-2): In two games last week, a loss to DePaul and victory against Toledo, the Ramblers showed they have two major scorers on their roster. Walt Gibler, a 6-7 senior (Cincinnati), and Ben Averkamp, a 6-8 junior (Germantown, Wis.), produced the top two individual scoring games in the league this season. Against DePaul, Gibler had 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 8 rebounds, and then against Toledo, Averkamp scored 31 points (the league’s first 30-point game this season) on 13-of-26 shooting with seven rebounds. Loyola dropped Toledo to 6-3 on Averkamp’s baseline jumper as time expired, even more important because Gibler (back spasms) and 6-4 freshman Joe Crisman (Munster, Ind.), who injured his non-shooting hand, were not with the team against the Rockets. In fact, the Ramblers played Toledo with just six healthy scholarship players, as they were already missing starting point guard Courtney Stanley (out for the season with a knee injury) and senior Jordan Hicks, a high-potential guard/forward who has been haunted by injuries his entire career.
10) UIC (3-5, 0-2): The Flames stopped a three-game losing skid with a 62-55 defeat of (albeit winless) Northern Illinois on Saturday. Marc Brown, a 6-4 freshman from Dallas, once again showed he can be a solid scoring option with 15 points on Saturday, four games after scoring 24 points in the Flames’ other victory against a Division I opponent, Evansville. He has started six times in playing all eight games this season, averaging 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. Gary Talton, a 6-1 junior also from Dallas, has become more of a scoring threat in recent games, as the junior college transfer has scored 10, 14, 18 and 11 points in the past four games to lead the team in scoring at 9.9 points per game. So how is UIC winning? The Flames outrebounded Northern Illinois 42-34 and remain the league’s best on the boards, averaging 41.9 rebounds per game. That helped them reach 19 second-chance points.
Week 4 rankings
1) Cleveland State
2) Valparaiso
3) Milwaukee
4) Butler
5) Youngstown State
6) Detroit
7) Green Bay
Wright State
9) UIC
10) Loyola
This week’s schedule
Tuesday
Michigan Tech at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
UIC at Oregon State, 10 p.m.
Wednesday
Cincinnati at Wright State, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Friday
UIC at Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Mississippi State at Detroit, Noon
Butler vs. Purdue, Conseco Fieldhouse, 2 p.m., CBS
Chicago State at Loyola, 4 p.m.
Ohio University at Wright State, 7 p.m.
Youngstown State at Toledo, 7 p.m.
Nebraska-Omaha at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Oakland at Valparaiso, 8:05 p.m.