[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nother week into the non-conference schedule and a bit closer to league play, the picture’s becoming a little bit clearer for most. We almost had another major upset, while some ranked teams easily disposed of their Horizon League opposition.
Our teams at the top remain unchanged largely thanks to being untested this week, while several teams below did well for themselves, including one team that knocked off another for the second time this season.
The Horizon League hierarchy:
1. Green Bay (7-2)
A fairly inactive week for the Phoenix following a tough one that included their heralded win over Miami. They returned to the Resch Center to easily handle a Drake team that had just one win coming in, 64-48. Keifer Sykes had a season-high 23 points and Jordan Fouse added 13 points and eight rebounds as Green Bay snuffed out the opposition with several strong stretches of defending. They’ve got Morehead State, currently on a four-game losing streak, up next, followed by a trip early next week to compete in the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Vegas. That’ll include a game against Arkansas-Little Rock and either UC-Irvine or Bradley.
Last Week: 1
2. Valparaiso (10-2)
The Crusaders played with fire this week. After a cupcake win against Trinity by 25 points mid-week, things got testy late against Ball State. Valpo nearly surrendered a six-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go, starting with Zavier Turner getting fouled, making the shot and converting the and-1 opportunity. Turner’s ensuing foul on Valpo forward Jubril Adekoya was ruled intentional, but Adekoya not only missed his first pair of free throws, but another two when he was fouled again on the sideline in-bounds play. Turner missed a 3 with several seconds to go that would have tied the game, and the Crusaders were lucky to escape their own gym against a merely average Cardinals squad.
Last Week: 2
3. Wright State (7-4)
The Raiders rattled off two more quality wins in the last week to move up again, with their resume looking a little more impressive than it did. The previous loss to Evansville is looking better — their only losses are to Green Bay and Murray State — and after beating Belmont at home earlier this season, they went on the road and defeated them again by eight. Like Valpo, the Raiders almost surrendered a steady lead to a MAC opposition when Miami (Ohio) closed the gap to four with less than half a minute left, but Wright State helped themselves by making five of six free throws to seal the victory.
Last Week: 4
4. Detroit (6-4)
Some unusually cold shooting was the culprit, but even so, give the Titans credit for even establishing a 10-point lead against No. 11 Wichita State. Juwan Howard Jr. (27 points) did all he could, but eventually the shots started falling just in time for the Shockers as full-court pressure helped as well at Calihan Hall. Still, it proved again that Detroit have the talent to play against other gifted teams, and it seems like there might be another gear for this team to find as Chris Jenkins and Patrick Onwenu are returning just at the right time. They’ll take to the road against Central Florida on Wednesday, followed by another one away against E.C. Matthews and Rhode Island.
Last Week: 3
5. Youngstown State (7-5)
Did the Penguins deserve to move up this week? No, not really, but there’s clearly a divide after the first four teams, as no team separated themselves to jump up this far. In their first ever meeting, Texas A&M glided past Youngstown State by 18 points, and Penguins coach Jerry Slocum was quoted as saying afterward, “I thought we didn’t guard anybody tonight.” They’ll get Kennasaw State next on Wednesday.
Last Week: 6
6. Oakland (4-7)
In less forgiving circumstances, the Golden Grizzlies may have slid right off the cliff. They showed spirit by trading punches with Michigan State for 10 minutes, but the Spartans shot the lights out in what’s usually a neck-and-neck affair between the in-state combatants. Oakland’s start to their drubbing by No. 3 Arizona on Tuesday night, opened by a 24-3 run by the Wildcats, was nothing short of embarrassing, and Greg Kampe was eventually tossed in the 37-point massacre. Who knows when their next win will arrive, but they’ll go to Pittsburgh this week, followed by Clemson.
Last Week: 5
7. Milwaukee (5-6)
There’s no sense in punishing the Panthers for a 39-point lashing to No. 5 Wisconsin. The Badgers’ frontcourt of Frank Kaminski and particularly Sam Dekker gave Rob Jeter’s team not a chance from the get-go. Matt Tiby was an aberration in an otherwise middling effort, providing 17 points and five rebounds. He played well enough in a victory over Montana during the weekend, also.
Last Week: 8
8. Cleveland State (5-5)
At some point, the Vikings have to prove they can beat a half-decent opponent. They had the chance, but fumbled away a 12-point lead to Bowling Green during a 10-minute stretch where they didn’t score a single point. They made just six of their 27 3-pointers attempted, which tells most of the story. Trey Lewis did score a career-high 32 points in a blowout against Mount Vernon Nazarene later in the week.
Last Week: 6
9. Illinois-Chicago (3-8)
The Flames had one of the better weeks of all the teams listed above. Beating UCF at home is a good step in the right direction, an effort aided by a career-high 32 points from guard Jay Harris, also the most points scored by a Horizon League player this season. They almost made it two in a row against UT Martin, but fell in overtime despite another surge off the bench from Paris Burns (24 points). They get a tough three-game run on the road up next, with SMU on deck first Wednesday night.
Last Week: 9
