December 5, 2007
Men's basketball: Butler remains class of Horizon League By Rob Demovsky
Here's a look at the 10 teams in the predicted order of finish as selected by the Green Bay Press-Gazette based on the first month of the season.
1. Butler (7-0 this season)Coach: Brad Stevens (first season)
2006-07 record: 29-7 overall, 13-3 Horizon League (tied for first)
Key players: G, A.J. Graves (6-1, sr.) 17.9 ppg, 46.5 percent 3-pt FG; G, Mike Green (6-1, sr.) 15.4 ppg, 58.8 percent 3-pt FG; G, Pete Campbell (6-7, sr.) 14.1 ppg, 50 percent 3-pt FG; F, Matt Howard (6-8, fr.) 10.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg.
Outlook: The 31-year-old Stevens is the second-youngest coach in Division I, but he's well schooled in the Butler system, having served as an assistant under Todd Lickliter (now at Iowa) and Thad Matta (Ohio State). Ranked 13th in the latest AP Poll, the Bulldogs are almost assured of an NCAA Tournament bid thanks to winning the Great Alaska Shootout (with wins over Michigan, Virginia Tech and Texas Tech) and a home victory over Ohio State. The sharp-shooting Campbell, who already has made 28 3-pointers, sprained his right knee against OSU and is doubtful for this week's games, but Graves and Green make up one of the best backcourts in the country.
2. UWGB (5-2)Coach: Tod Kowalczyk (82-75, sixth season)
2006-07 record: 18-15, 7-9 (tied for fourth)
Key players: F, Mike Schachtner (6-9, jr.) 19.7 ppg, 57.8 percent FG; G Rahmon Fletcher (5-10, fr.) 13.1 ppg, 53.7 percent FG; G, Terry Evans (6-5, jr.) 8.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg; G, Ryan Tillema (6-8, jr.) 8.4 ppg, 42.9 percent 3-pt FG.
Outlook: The Phoenix has found a point guard in Fletcher, who can score off the dribble and from 3-point range. If he can defend better and distribute the ball a little more, he could be even more dangerous. Schachtner is off to another great start, scoring between 17 and 24 points in every game. Chemistry seems to be much better than last year, but this team still needs to make significant strides defensively to have any chance of catching Butler.
3. Wright State (2-1)Coach: Brad Brownell (108-51, sixth season; 25-11, second season at WSU)
2006-07 record: 23-10, 13-3 (tied for first)
Key players: G, Todd Brown (6-5, so.) 18.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg; G, Vaughn Duggins (6-3, so.) 14.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg; F, Scottie Wilson (6-6, sr.) 11.3 ppg, 68.8 percent FG; F, Jordan Pleiman (6-8, sr.) 7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg.
Outlook: The Raiders have a young nucleus with Brown, Duggins and junior guard Will Graham. Brownell was one of the hot coaching names after leading the Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in his first season, but this season will test his abilities because he has to replace reigning conference MVP DeShaun Wood. No conference team has played fewer games so far, so it's tough to get a gauge on them after wins over Coastal Carolina and Marshall at home and a loss at Marist.
4. Valparaiso (6-1)Coach: Homer Drew (577-363, 31st season overall; 307-241, 19th season at Valpo)
2006-07 record: 16-15, 9-5 (third) in the Mid-Continent Conference
Key players: G, Shawn Huff (6-6, sr.) 12.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg; F, Urule Igbavboa (6-8, jr.) 11.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg; G, Jarryd Loyd (6-0, sr.) 10.1 ppg, 3.6 apg; G, Samuel Haanpaa (6-8, so.) 9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg.
Outlook: The Crusaders have their usual contingent of foreign players – five of their 12 players are from outside the United States – and bring a ton of experience. Their top-seven scorers from last season all returned. The last team to join the league from the Mid-Con, Youngstown State in 2001, has never finished better than a tie for fourth.
5. Loyola (2-5)Coach: Jim Whitesell (333-237, 21st season overall; 55-43, fourth season at Loyola)
2006-07 record: 21-11, 10-6 (third)
Key players: G, J.R. Blount (6-1, jr.) 17.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg; F, Leon Young (6-6, jr.) 10.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg; F, Tracy Robinson (6-7, sr.) 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg; F, Andy Polka (6-7, so.) 6.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg.
Outlook: The Ramblers have struggled to find the right combination to replace departed senior guards Blake Schilb and Majak Kou. They should get a boost on Dec. 19 when Mississippi transfer Justin Cerasoli (6-5, jr.) becomes eligible. Polka, the former Oshkosh West standout, is off to a slow start. Loyola has played some decent competition but has lost four straight to Western Michigan and Bradley at home and on the road to Purdue and Northern Iowa. Its only Division I win came at Eastern Illinois by five points.
6. Cleveland State (5-3)Coach: Gary Waters (186-159, 12th season overall; 15-24, second season at CSU)
2006-07 record: 10-21, 3-13 (ninth)
Key players: G, Cedric Jackson (6-1, jr.) 19.0 ppg, 50 percent 3-pt FG; F, J'Nathan Bullock (6-5, jr.) 15.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg; G, Joe Davis (6-0, so.) 9.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg; C, Chris Moore (6-9, jr.) 6.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Outlook: Waters has the Vikings poised for a quick turnaround. Picked last in the preseason poll, they already have wins over South Florida and Florida State. Transfers Jackson (from St. John's) and Moore (from UC Santa Barbara) have made a big impact after sitting out last season, and Bullock has been a tough matchup during his first two years. CSU could sneak into the top half of the standings.
7. Illinois-Chicago (3-4)Coach: Jimmy Collins (179-160, 12th season)
2006-07 record: 14-18, 7-9 (tied for fourth)
Key players: G, Josh Mayo (5-10, jr.) 15.6 ppg, 56.7 percent 3-pt FG; C, Scott VanderMeer (6-11, jr.) 10.6 ppg, 3.7 blocked shots per game; Karl White (6-2, sr.) 8.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg; G, Spencer Stewart (6-4, so.) 6.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg.
Outlook: Collins is back after missing most of last season due to internal problems in the program and later health issues. The Flames have a solid win over Bradley, a Missouri Valley favorite, but have lost three of their last four, including a 74-47 loss at Illinois State. Mayo has been shooting lights out and had 34 points in the win over Bradley. Still, the Flames are going to miss Othyus Jeffers, a first-team all-league pick last season as a junior who did not return for his senior season.
8. Detroit (4-3)Coach: Perry Watson 258-178 (15th season)
2006-07 record: 11-19, 6-10 (tied for seventh)
Key players: G, Jon Goode (5-10, sr.) 15.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg; G, Josh Samarco (6-2, so.) 11.9 ppg, 49.2 percent FG; F, Chris Hayes (6-9, jr.) 11.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg; G, Zach Everingham (6-4, sr.) 6.0 ppg, 50 percent 3-pt FG.
Outlook: First-team, all-league guard Brandon Cotton never returned from a preseason suspension and won't play for the Titans anymore. He was third in the league in scoring (18.1 ppg) last season and scored 33 against UWGB last season. Still, the Titans have a quality win over Mid-American Conference favorite Kent State. Without Cotton, the Titans aren't deep and don't have much scoring punch. Detroit hasn't had a winning season since 2003-04.
9. UW-Milwaukee (3-4)Coach: Rob Jeter (34-35, third season)
2006-07 record: 9-22, 6-10 (tied for seventh)
Key players: F, Torre Johnson (6-6, sr.) 17.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg; F, Paige Paulsen (6-7, sr.) 14.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg; G, Ricky Franklin (6-1, jr.) 8.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg; F, Tim Flowers (6-5, fr.) 7.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg.
Outlook: Like Detroit, the Panthers lost a potential first-team all-conference player when Avery Smith got kicked off the team three weeks after practice started. Johnson is a one-year player after sitting out last season following his transfer from Oklahoma State. Flowers, a true freshman, has been impressive. This team was picked fourth in the preseason poll but doesn't look as strong as anticipated, especially after losing three straight, including blowout losses to Drake and Marquette and a home loss to Sam Houston State. Jeter is 12-26 since going 22-9 in his first season.
10. Youngstown St. (3-3)Coach: Jerry Slocum (604-365, 32nd season overall; 24-41, third season at YSU)
2006-07 record: 14-17, 7-9 (tied for fourth)
Key players: G, Byron Davis (6-2, sr.) 15.3 ppg, 3.8 apg; F, Jon Barber (6-6, sr.) 13.5 ppg, 50 percent FG; C, Jack Liles (6-7, jr.) 11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg; G, Vance Cooksey (5-11, so.) 9.0 ppg, 4.7 apg.
Outlook: The Penguins lost 53 percent of their scoring from last season when Quin Humphrey and Keston Roberts ran out of eligibility. They've played only one home game so far — a non-Division I game against Lock Haven — and have road losses at UCLA, Notre Dame and Eastern Kentucky, so it's tough to tell whether they'll be competitive in the Horizon League. It's been a tough transition from the Mid-Con for YSU, which has finished ninth, tied for sixth, tied for seventh, ninth, ninth and tied for fourth since joining the conference.
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