Men's Basketball Release #15

Feb. 11, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

A.J. Graves, Butler
Senior * Guard * Switz City, Ind. (White River Valley)
Graves led the Bulldogs to back-to-back road victories at Valparaiso and Green Bay, averaging 18 points and five rebounds per game. He scored a game-high 20 points (his highest total in a month) while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds and handing out four assists---including setting up Pete Campbell's game-winning trey---Tuesday at Valpo as Butler rallied from a 12-point deficit. Graves tallied a game-high 16 points with three steals at Green Bay, capping a week in which he played 77 minutes and dished out six assists without a turnover. The weekly award is the fourth of his career.

Previous Players of the Week:
Josh Mayo, UIC (Nov. 12); Cedric Jackson, CSU (Nov. 19); Mike Green, BU (Nov. 26); Matt Howard, BU (Dec. 3); Josh Mayo, UIC (Dec. 10); Samuel Haanpää, Valpo (Dec. 17); Ryan Tillema, GB (Dec. 24), Todd Brown, WSU (Dec. 31); John Barber, YSU (Jan. 7); Matt Howard, BU (Jan. 14); Jon Goode, UDM (Jan. 21); Marcus Skinner, UWM (Jan. 28); Tracy Robinson, LU (Feb. 4).

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending February 10

Jon Goode, Detroit
Sr. * G * Detroit, Mich.
Goode averaged 20 points in two games, including a game-high 26 in Detroit's 55-48 loss at Youngstown State on Thursday. He also had four steals in that contest before scoring a team-high 14 points at Cleveland State on Saturday.

J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State
Jr. * F * Flint, Mich.
Bullock scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Vikings past Detroit, 60-56, on Saturday. He hit 10 of 11 free-throw attempts and five field goals. Bullock had seven points and six rebounds on Thursday against Wright State.

Terry Evans, Green Bay
Jr. * F * St. Louis, Mo.
Evans posted a pair of double-doubles, averaging 15 points and 13.5 rebounds. He matched his career-high with 16 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's victory over Valpo after a 14-point, 15-board night against Butler on Tuesday.

Leon Young, Loyola
Jr. * F * Long Beach, Calif.
Young came off the bench to score 12 points in 19 minutes Saturday against UIC. Young was 4-of-7 from the floor and perfect in four tries at the free-throw line in his first action since Jan. 19. He had missed LU's previous four games.

Josh Mayo, UIC
Jr. * G * Merrillville, Ind.
Mayo scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to lead UIC past cross-town rival Loyola 60-55 on Saturday. His four free throws in the closing seconds helped secure the victory and a sweep of the season series.

Brandon McPherson, Valparaiso
Jr. * G * Indianapolis, Ind.
McPherson scored a game-high 20 points at Green Bay on Thursday, matching his season-high. He also grabbed five rebounds in that game, following a 14-point effort versus Butler on Tuesday.

Todd Brown, Wright State
So. * G * Canton, Ohio
Brown averaged 12.7 points in three Raider victories. His 14-point effort Saturday included the game-winning three-pointer with 32 seconds left to defeat Youngstown State, and he added 12 points against Cleveland State on Saturday.

John Barber, Youngstown State
Sr. * F * Detroit, Mich.
Barber posted his fifth double-double of the season with ten points and ten rebounds in Thursday's victory over Detroit. He scored a career-high 25 points in Saturday's loss to Wright state, hitting 9 of 15 shots from the field.

Horizon League At a Glance:

Butler, Milwaukee renew rivalry on national television
Butler and Milwaukee carry the Horizon League banner in front of a national television (ESPNU) audience on Tuesday night. The teams' battle from the U.S. Cellular Arena is set for a 7 p.m. (ET) broadcast on the network.

Raiders extend winning streak to eight
Wright State has won eight games in a row, including a 55-49 victory at Cleveland State on Thursday. Todd Brown's three-pointer with 32 seconds gave the Raiders a 50-47 victory at Youngstown State on Saturday, lifting WSU to 10-3 in games decided by five or fewer points this season.

Bulldogs win first two on critical three-game road swing
Butler has reached the 20-win plateau for the tenth time in the last 12 years, standing at 21-2 overall and 10-2 in League play after victories at Valparaiso and Green Bay. Wright State is second in the standings at 9-4, with three other teams only one game behind in the loss column. Cleveland State is 8-5, with UIC and Milwaukee each at 7-5.

Track the Bracket to determine seeds for Horizon League Championship
The ninth-ranked Bulldogs can take several steps this week toward securing the regular-season League title and homecourt advantage for the Horizon League Championship, which begins March 4. The top seed has won each of the last three League Championships. You can "Track the Bracket" on pages 17-18 of this week's release.

Fine line between winning and losing
Saturday's four games were decided by a total of 17 points, with Wright State winning on its final shot and Detroit missing a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds. Of the first 63 League games this season, 24 have had final margins of five points or less, with 23 others decided by 6-10 points. Home teams are 40-23 (.635) in League play this season.

News From Around the League

Bulldogs hit 20-win mark and keep rolling
Butler improved to 21-2 overall and remains atop the League standings at 10-2 after two road victories last week. BU opened a critical three-game road swing with a 71-68 victory at Valparaiso on Tuesday and defeated Green Bay 62-57 on Saturday.

The Bulldogs reached the 20-win mark for the tenth time in the last 12 years. Butler is ranked ninth in the Associated Press national poll and tenth according to the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches' canvass. The AP standing is the highest-ever for a Horizon League team.

Senior guard A.J. Graves scored 20 points at Valparaiso, his highest total in more than a month. Graves also set up junior forward Pete Campbell's game-winning jumper---Campbell's fifth trey of the game---with 15 seconds left to give Butler its first and only lead of the night.

Senior guard Mike Green ranks fifth in the League in scoring at 15 points per game while also averaging six rebounds and a League-best 4.83 assists per game. Freshman forward Matt Howard adds 13.5 points per outing and leads the circuit in field-goal percentage at .602 for the season.

Butler closes the road swing Tuesday at Milwaukee in a game airing nationally on ESPNU. The Bulldogs return home to face Youngstown State on Thursday and Cleveland State on Saturday.

Raider games not for the faint of heart
Wright State has won eight games in a row, moving to 17-6 overall and 9-4 in League play. The streak features five victories by four points or less, including Saturday's 50-47 triumph at Youngstown State. WSU also defeated Presbyterian 58-42 on Monday and handed Cleveland State a 55-49 setback on Thursday.

Eighteen of the Raiders' 23 games have finished with single-digit margins, with Wright State winning 14 of those contests. The Raiders have held six of their last seven opponents to 37 percent or worse from the field and lead the League in field-goal defense, limiting the opposition to a .412 clip or the season.

Wright State's current streak is one game short of the school's longest since moving to Division I in 1987. Last year's team won nine in a row on the way to a 23-10 record and its first Horizon League title.

Sophomore guard Todd Brown's three-pointer with 32 seconds left was the difference Saturday, capping a 14-point performance. Brown averages 13.8 points per game for the season to rank 12th in the League---three spots behind fellow sophomore Vaughn Duggins' 14.0 rate.

Junior guard Will Graham scored a season-high ten points against the Penguins for his first double-digit effort of the season.

Wright State hosts Loyola on Thursday before UIC comes to the Nutter Center on Saturday.

Vikings have work to do on the road
Cleveland State moved to 15-10 overall and 8-5 in the League. The Vikings fell 55-49 to Wright State on Thursday but bounced back with a 50-46 victory over Detroit on Saturday to improve to 9-3 at home this year.

Junior forward J'Nathan Bullock led the way with 21 points Saturday, including a 10-for-11 effort at the free-throw line. Bullock has made 108 free throws this season and joins junior guard Cedric Jackson (101) as the fourth pair of teammates in school history---and the first since 2003-04---to each make 100 charity tosses in the same season.

Jackson, who also leads the League in steals (2.56 per game) and ranks second with 4.64 assists per outing, ranks eighth on the loop scoring charts at 14.2 points per game. Bullock adds 13.4 points and 6.1 a team-best rebounds per appearance.

Sophomore guard Joe Davis came off the bench to score a career-high 27 points at UIC. Davis leads a group of Viking reserves who have outscored the opposition's bench in 17 of the last 24 games. CSU averages 24.3 bench points per game this season

Cleveland State wraps up a quick three-game homestand Monday night against Green Bay. CSU plays three of its final four League games on the road, beginning Thursday at Valparaiso and continuing Saturday at Butler.

Flames claim city bragging rights
UIC starts the week at 13-10 overall and 7-5 in League play following its third consecutive victory, a 60-55 triumph at crosstown rival Loyola on Saturday.

Junior guard Josh Mayo led the way with 21 points, including 18 in the second half. He ranks second in the League in scoring at 18.5 points per game and leads the nation as a 54.5 percent shooter from three-point range.

Junior center Scott VanderMeer grabbed 14 rebounds against the Ramblers, his seventh double-digit-board game of the season. The seven-footer leads the League with a rate of 7.8 rebounds per game, including 9.4 in League play.

Senior guard Karl White Jr. has scored 11 points in each game during UIC's winning streak. He has ten double-digit outings in 21 appearances this season, compared to 12 in 70 career games prior to the 2007-08 campaign.

Sophomore guard Spencer Stewart dished out a career-high nine assists Saturday. Stewart, who missed six games with a broken bone in his left hand, averages 4.12 assists per outing. UIC has won eight consecutive games when Stewart has been in the starting lineup.

The Flames put a 10-1 home-court record on the line Monday when they host Valparaiso before a two-game road swing. UIC is at Detroit on Thursday and visits Wright State on Saturday.

Panthers get back to work
Milwaukee was idle last week and brings a 12-10 overall ledger into Tuesday's game versus Butler. The Panthers, 7-5 in League play, will have been off for ten days before hitting the hardwood before a national (ESPNU) television audience.

UWM's two-point (53-51) loss at Wright State on Feb. 2 featured 34.5 percent shooting from the floor. The Panthers have finished above 46 percent only once in their last 18 games.

Senior forward Paige Paulsen scored eight points, ending a run of 11 consecutive double-digit performances. He ranks sixth in the League in scoring (14.9 points per game) and rebounding (6.6 per outing).

Senior forward Marcus Skinner had provided a spark since joining the starting lineup. Skinner has reached double figures in scoring five times in his last seven games after accomplishing the feat only twice in his first 14. He is averaging 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds during that span.

Junior guard Ricky Franklin had a streak of four consecutive double-digit scoring efforts snapped with an eight-point total at Wright State. He had averaged 13.5 points in those previous four contests and is at 9.8 points per outing for the season.

UWM plays five of its last six League games at home, including Saturday's showdown with instate rival Green Bay.

Phoenix opens tough road swing
Green Bay stands at 13-10 overall and 7-6 in the League after splitting two home games last week. The Phoenix outlasted Valparaiso 76-71 in overtime on Thursday before losing 62-57 to Butler on Saturday.

Each of Green Bay's last ten games have been determined by ten points or less, including the last four in a row by a combined 16 points.

Junior forward Terry Evans logged back-to-back double-doubles, posting 16 points and 12 rebounds against Valpo before a 14-point, 15-rebound effort against Butler. Evans matched his career-high in points versus the Crusaders, the third consecutive time he had scored 16.

Evans, who has six 16-point outings this year, averages 9.7 per game for the season while ranking third in the League at seven rebounds per contest.

Freshman guard Rahmon Fletcher added 14 points and six rebounds Thursday, including the game-tying lay-up to force overtime. He averages an even ten points per outing.

Juniors Mike Schachtner (.890) and Ryan Tillema (.859) rank 1-2 on the League free-throw percentage charts. Schachtner is also third in the circuit in scoring at 16.9 points per game.

Green Bay begins a pivotal three-game road swing Monday at Cleveland State. The Phoenix visits Milwaukee on Saturday and Youngstown State next Wednesday.

Crusaders let two get away
Valparaiso dipped to 14-9 on the season and 5-6 in the League after a pair of losses last week. The Crusaders scored the game's first 12 points but lost 71-68 to #10/11 Butler on Tuesday, and built a 16-point lead in the second half before Green Bay escaped 76-71 in overtime on Thursday.

Valpo's three-game losing streak is the team's longest of the season.

Tuesday's game on ESPN2 set an attendance record for the Athletics-Recreation Center, as 5,432 fans witnessed Valpo's first home game on an ESPN network since 1997.

Junior guard Brandon McPherson scored 16 points in the first half Thursday, canning all five of his shots from three-point range. He finished with 20 points to match his season-high and moved back into double digits at 10.3 per game for the season.

McPherson is one of four Crusaders in twin figures, with senior guards Jarryd Loyd and Shawn Huff at 11.7 and 11.5. Sophomore guard Samuel Haanpää adds 10.5 points per outing.

Junior forward Urule Igbavboa tied his career high with 15 rebounds against the Phoenix. He ranks fourth in the League with an average of seven boards per game.

Valpo has a busy week, visiting UIC on Monday before hosting Cleveland State on Thursday and Youngstown State on Saturday.

Ramblers fall to city rival, hit the road
Loyola brings a 9-14 overall record into the week, falling to 5-8 in the League after a 60-55 home-court loss to UIC on Saturday. The setback ended a season-best three-game winning streak for the Ramblers.

Junior forward Leon Young came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points against the Flames. Young had missed the previous four games due to illness but hit four of seven shots from the field in 19 minutes. He also was perfect in four attempts at the free-throw line and has canned 35 of his last 38 shots at the charity stripe. Young averages 12.1 points and six rebounds per game for the season.

Loyola averages 72.6 points per game in its nine victories but only 55.6 in its 14 defeats. The Ramlbers committed a season-low six turnovers but could not overcome 35.4 percent shooting from the field. LU made only three of 17 three-point attempts.

Junior guard J.R. Blount finished with seven points Saturday, ending a streak of 11 double-digit efforts. He still ranks fourth in the League in scoring, averaging 15.3 per contest. Saturday marked Blount's 59th consecutive start in a Loyola uniform.

The Ramblers play four of their final five League games on the road, beginning this week with stops at Wright State on Thursday and at Detroit on Saturday.

Penguins end skid with defense
Youngstown State split a pair of games last week, moving to 8-16 overall and 4-10 in League play. The Penguins shut down Detroit 55-48 on Thursday before falling short 50-47 to Wright State on Saturday.

Thursday's game marked the first time YSU has held a Division I opponent under 50 points since a 63-48 victory over Buffalo on Dec. 7, 2002.

Senior forward John Barber scored a career-high 25 points against the Raiders, hitting nine of 15 shots from the floor with three triples. Barber moved into the League's top ten in scoring (tenth at 13.9 points per game) and is second on the loop charts with 7.3 rebounds per contest. He also notched his fifth double-double of the season Thursday and needs 58 points to reach the 1,000 plateau for his career,

Senior guard Byron Davis ranks seventh in the circuit with 14.3 points per outing.

In the last eight games, YSU has scored 210 points (26.3 per contest) in the first half, but 289 (36.2 per outing) after intermission. Thursday marked the first time this season that the Penguins overcame a halftime deficit for victory. Youngstown State had been 0-13 when trailing at the break.

YSU hits the road this week, traveling to Butler on Thursday and visiting Valparaiso on Saturday.

Titans fall just short on the road
Detroit fell to 5-18 overall and 1-12 in League play following two close losses on the road. The Titans dropped a 55-48 decision at Youngstown State on Thursday and suffered a 60-56 defeat at Cleveland State when a potential game-tying three-pointer bounced off the rim in the final seconds.

The Titans limited YSU and CSU to an average of 57.5 points and 37 percent shooting from the field but could manage only 34 percent accuracy themselves.

Detroit let an early 11-point lead get away at Youngstown State, marking the seventh time this year UDM has squandered a double-digit advantage. Five of those have come in League play.

Senior guard Zach Everingham grabbed a career-high ten rebounds at YSU. The total was four better than his previous season-best.

Senior guard Jon Goode pushed his streak to 17 consecutive games in double figures. He had 26 points at Youngstown State for his League-high 13th performance with 20 or more. Goode tops the circuit scoring charts with a season pace of 19.4 points per game, including 21.5 in League play

Detroit returns home this week, hosting UIC on Thursday and Loyola in the team's final League home game of the season on Saturday afternoon.

National honors continue to pour in both on and off the court
The Horizon League takes the national spotlight in two weeks (Feb. 22-24) during the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters event. Five teams are among the 28 entries selected for national television, matching the Missouri Valley Conference for the most television appearances in the event.

The League also features three-fifths of the College Sports Information Directors of America/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District 5 team, with Butler seniors A.J. Graves and Drew Streicher joining Green Bay senior Mike Schachtner on that list. Graves was a First-Team Academic All-America choice last winter, with all three players on the ballot for that honor in 2008. District 5 includes all Division I schools in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The national team will be announced Feb. 27.

Schachtner was the League's Scholar-Athlete for the month of November, with junior teammate Ryan Tillema receiving the award for January. The League's Faculty Athletics Representatives tabbed Tillema for that honor based on his performance on the court and in the classroom.

Graves is also one of ten finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, while backcourt teammate Mike Green is one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to the top point guard in the nation. He is also one of 30 finalists for the Naismith Trophy as college basketball's top player. The awards will be handed out at the Final Four.