Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Jan. 26

Jan. 26, 2005

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The Horizon League men's basketball season reaches its halfway point this week with defending regular-season champion UW-Milwaukee (14-4, 8-1) riding a seven-game winning streak and holding a two-game lead over the rest of the League.


The Panthers, who play a non-conference game at Purdue on Wednesday, Jan. 26, will face second-place UW-Green Bay (12-5, 5-2) on Saturday, Jan. 29 at Green Bay in one of this week's key matchups. UW-Milwaukee beat the Phoenix 86-56 in their first matchup just two weeks ago.


Among the three Horizon League games on Wednesday, two will pair top-five teams against each other as UIC (9-8, 4-3) plays at Wright State (9-9, 4-3) in a battle of two of the three teams that enter the week tied for third place and fellow third-place Detroit (7-10, 4-3) hosts UW-Green Bay.


This week's Horizon League FSN Game of the Week is an intra-state battle as Wright State plays at Cleveland State (5-10, 2-5) on Saturday, Jan. 29, on FSN Ohio, Chicago and North. Tip-off is 6 p.m. ET.


In other action, Butler (7-9, 2-4) begins a three-game road trip with games at Cleve-land State on Thursday, Jan. 27, and UIC on Saturday, while Loyola (5-13, 3-5) hosts Youngstown State (3-15, 1-7) on Wednesday and travels to Detroit on Saturday.




UW-Milwaukee Extends Win Streak to Seven, League Lead to Two: With three wins last week, preseason Horizon League favorite UW-Milwaukee (14-4, 8-1) extended its winning streak to seven games and its League lead to two with only seven games to play. The Panthers' string of victories is their fourth of seven games or more in Bruce Pearl's four seasons as head coach. UWM won nine in a row early in the League season a year ago and had a pair of eight-game streaks during the 2002-03 season. The Panthers are aiming for their second consecutive regular-season crown.


Westley Attempting Rare Scoring, Rebounding Double: Cleveland State senior forward Omari Westley currently leads the Horizon League in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) and could become only the second player to earn both individual titles in a single season in the League's 26-year history. The only player to top both categories was Parrish Casebier of former member Evansville, who averaged 25.4 points and 9.5 rebounds as a sophomore in the 1991-92 season. Westley, who is one of only seven players among 31 Division I conferences to rank atop both leaderboards in their respective leagues, also averages League-bests of 20.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in League games only.


Schilb Among Box Score Fillers: According to research by the Big South Conference, Loyola sophomore Blake Schilb is one of only eight players in NCAA Division I to rank among the top 10 in their respective conferences in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Schilb, a 6-foot-7 forward, ranks second in the Horizon League in scoring (16.7 ppg), 10th in rebounding (5.6 rpg), sixth in assists (3.7 apg) and tied for fourth in steals (1.6 spg).


Cleveland State Ends Another Losing Streak: With its 78-77 victory at Youngs-town State Jan. 22, Cleveland State ended a 24-game road losing streak to Horizon League opponents. The Vikings had not beaten a League foe on the road since besting Youngstown State 58-48 on Feb. 14, 2002. Earlier this season, Cleveland State snapped a 23-game losing streak with a victory over Hillsdale in the opener and halted a 25-game losing streak to League opponents with a victory over YSU at home on Jan. 8.


UIC Boasts Nation's Second-Toughest Non-Conference Schedule: UIC (9-8), the defending Horizon League Tournament champion, owns the nation's second-toughest non-conference schedule this season, according to rpiratings.com. The Flames' seven Division I non-League opponents enter the week with a combined record of 78-31 (.716). They have defeated Illinois State (13-5), UNC Wilmington (10-6) and Pennsylvania (6-7) while losing to Georgia Tech (11-5), Bowling Green (11-4), Duke (15-0) and DePaul (12-4). The toughest non-conference schedule belongs to Temple (8-7). As a conference, the Horizon League boasts the third-toughest out-of-conference schedule among the 31 Division I conferences.


McCants, Tucker Power Panthers: Senior guard Ed McCants and junior forward Joah Tucker of UW-Milwaukee, a pair of preseason Horizon League first-team picks, are averaging a combined 30.6 points per game in leading the Panthers to the top spot in the League. That average is the highest among teammates in a League that features three sets of teammates among its top 10 scorers and six in the top 13.


Raiders' Wood Knocking on Success' Door: Sophomore guard DaShaun Wood, a Preseason Second-Team All-League pick, has been a one-man wrecking crew for Wright State this season. He ranks fifth in the Horizon League in scoring with 14.7 points per game, including 16 or more points in nine of the Raiders' 18 games. Wood also ranks 11th in rebounding (5.5 rpg), tied for fourth in assists (3.78 apg), second in steals (1.89 spg) and 10th in field-goal percentage (.482). The 6-foot sophomore has posted career highs this season of 13 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) and 29 points versus Akron.


Detroit's Cotton Isn't Soft: Since becoming eligible at the semester break, Detroit sophomore guard Brandon Cotton is averaging a team-best 17.7 points per game, which would lead the Horizon League if he met the games minimum to be ranked. Cotton, a transfer from Michigan State and a former McDonald's All-American, has scored at least 11 points in every game, including a season-high 27 against Eastern Michigan Dec. 20 in his debut. More importantly, the Titans are 5-4 with Cotton after starting the season 2-6.


Banks Cashing in for UIC: UIC senior guard Cedrick Banks, the Preseason Horizon League Player of the Year has lived up to his early-season hype by ranking fourth in the League with 16.3 points per game. The League's active leading career scorer, he has 1,833 points and needs just 193 more to break Kenny Williams' (1990-94) school record of 2,025. Banks, who has started 106 of 109 career games for the Flames, has scored 20 or more points in a single half 11 times in his career.


Panthers Avenging 2004 Road Pitfalls: Included in UW-Milwaukee's 8-1 Horizon League start are wins at UIC (75-67),Butler (71-68, ot) and Youngstown State (65-42), which were the sites of the Panthers' three losses during their 13-3 run to the League regular-season title a year ago. UWM's only loss this season was to Detroit (68-76) Jan. 3, but the Panthers have reeled off seven straight Horizon League wins since then.


Balanced Scoring Drives Phoenix: Balanced scoring has been a key to UW-Green Bay's 12-5 start as four players are averaging double figures in points and rank among the top 16 in the Horizon League statistics. Leading the way is sophomore forward Josh Lawrence, who ranks eighth in the HL with 12.6 points per game, followed by junior reserve Benito Flores (11th, 11.8 ppg), senior guard Javier Mendiburu (14th, 11.1) and senior guard Matt Rhode (16th, 10.9).


Butler's Sheets Shines after Surgery: Despite having an emergency appendectomy Nov. 4, Butler junior guard Avery Sheets missed only one exhibition game and has averaged 32 minutes per game this season for the 7-9 Bulldogs. A Preseason Second-Team All-League selection, he is averaging 9.8 points per game and boasts a League-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.59 with 70 assists (4.38 apg) and only 27 turnovers.


Green Bay's Mendiburu Triples His Pleasure: After becoming the first UW-Green Bay player in school history to register a triple-double last season, senior guard Javier Mendiburu may accomplish the feat again this season. He already has had a point-rebound double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds vs. IUPUI) and three point-assist double-doubles (including a season-high 14 assists vs. Weber State). For the season, the Badalona, Spain, native is averaging 11.1 points, a League-leading 7.27 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.


Williams Returns for Flames: UIC senior forward Armond Williams, a Preseason First-Team All-League honoree, missed the first four games while finishing coursework for his degree in movement studies but has come back strong, averaging 10.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He recently became the first player in UIC history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 150 steals in a career.


Road Trippin': Cleveland State recently concluded a stretch in which the Vikings played 9-of-10 games on the road, spanning six states, three time zones and 35 days with a total driving distance of 8,866 miles. But the Vikings will now end the regular season with 7-of-9 games at home at the newly renamed Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Convocation Center, where they are 4-1 this season and are outscoring their opponents by more than 14 points per game.


Gouard Back in Action for Ramblers: Loyola senior guard DaJuan Gouard, who missed seven games due to injury, is averaging 14.7 points per game since his return while helping the Ramblers to a 2-1 record. His season scoring average is 13.4 points per game, giving Loyola another 11-point plus scorer to go along with sophomores Blake Schilb (16.7 ppg) and Majak Kou (11.2 ppg).


Collins Breaks UIC Wins Record: UIC's 76-67 victory at UNC Wilmington Dec. 12 was the 134th of Flames head coach Jimmy Collins' career, making him the winningest coach in the school's history (140-117) in his ninth year at the school. He surpassed his immediate predecessor Bob Hallberg, who posted a record of 133-129 from 1987-96.


UWM's Pearl Notches 300th Career Win: UW-Milwaukee head coach Bruce Pearl recorded his 300th career win in the Panthers' 73-56 victory over Loyola Jan. 8 at U.S. Cellular Arena. With the win, he becomes the second-fastest current Division I head coach to reach the mark, doing so in just his 382nd career game. Among active coaches, only Roy Williams of Kansas and North Carolina was quicker to 300 wins. Pearl is 74-36 in his fourth season at UWM after going 231-46 in nine years at the University of Southern Indiana with one Division II national title to his credit.


NBA Brother Connections: Loyola freshman guard Pierre Parker of Lisle, Ill., is the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs all-star Tony Parker Jr. and Northwestern University sophomore point guard T.J. Parker. Detroit sophomore forward Muhammad Abdur-Rahim of Marietta, Ga., is the younger brother of eight-year NBA veteran Sharif Abdur-Rahim of the Portland Trail Blazers.


Youngstown State Game Goes Four Overtimes: Youngstown State played four overtimes against Siena Dec. 15 before succumbing to the Saints 79-78. It was the longest game at home in the Penguins' history and the second-longest overall to a six-overtime loss at Gannon (71-69) on Feb. 28, 1966. Both Jon Mends and Derrick Harris played more than 50 minutes against Siena.


NIT Pickin': Wright State's 72-66 overtime victory at Tulsa in the first round of the Preseason NIT Nov. 19 marked the first win by a Horizon League team in the tournament since former member Xavier defeated Louisville 85-83 in 1988. Following the Tulsa game, the Raiders faced #10/11 Arizona on the road, losing 83-66.

Horizon League Player of the Week - Jan. 24

Blake Schilb
Loyola
Forward
Sophomore
Rantoul, Ill.



Blake Schilb of Loyola has been named the Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 24.


Schilb, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, averaged 22 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting a sizzling 67 percent (16-of-24) from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range.


He erupted for a career-high 32 points, hitting his first 12 shots, and added six rebounds in the Ramblers' 80-61 upset victory at UW-Green Bay Jan. 20. He had 12 points, three rebounds and five assists in a 70-53 loss to Detroit Jan. 17.For the season, Schilb is averaging 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game for Loyola (5-13, 3-5 Horizon League).

Other Top Horizon League Performers - Jan. 24

Cedrick Banks
UIC, Senior, Guard, Chicago, Ill.


Banks averaged 25.5 points, five rebounds and four assists per game in leading UIC to a 1-1 record last week. He had 28 points and five rebounds in a 63-57 victory over Detroit Jan. 20 and backed that up with 23 points, a career high-tying six assists and five rebounds in a 76-72 loss at UW-Green Bay Jan. 22. For the week, he shot 53 percent (17-of-32) from the field and 50 percent (7-of-14) from three-point range.

Brandon Cotton
Detroit, Sophomore, Guard, Detroit, Mich.


Cotton averaged 19 points per game as Detroit went 1-2 during the week. He scored 22 points in a 70-53 victory at Loyola Jan. 17 and followed with 21 points and a career-high three steals in the Titans' 63-57 loss at UIC Jan. 20. He then extended his double-figure scoring streak to nine games with 14 points in a 61-48 loss to UW-Milwaukee Jan. 22.

Benito Flores
UW-Green Bay, Junior, Forward, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic


Flores averaged 13 points and four rebounds per game while shooting 77 percent (10-of-13) from the floor, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point land, in a 1-1 week for UW-Green Bay. He had 15 points and five rebounds in the Phoenix's 80-61 loss to Loyola Jan. 20, followed by 11 points and three rebounds in a 76-72 victory over UIC Jan. 22.

Quin Humphrey
Youngstown State, Sophomore, Guard, Ellenwood, Ga.


Humphrey averaged 16 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals for Youngstown State which went 0-2. He scored a game-high 15 points in the Penguins' 50-37 loss at Butler Jan. 19 and then had 17 in a 78-77 defeat to Cleveland State Jan. 22. For the week, he shot 54 percent from the field (13-of-24), including 50 percent (4-of-8) from beyond the arc.

Brandon Polk
Butler, Junior, Forward, Wichita, Kan.


Polk averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in a 1-1 week for Butler. In a 50-37 victory over Youngstown State Jan. 19, he recorded 14 points, six rebounds and a career-high four assists. He then finished the week with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in a 59-54 loss to Wright State Jan. 22.

Joah Tucker
UW-Milwaukee, Junior, Forward, Milwaukee, Wis.


Tucker averaged 17 points and 7.7 rebounds as UW-Milwaukee extended its winning streak to seven games and its League lead to two games with a perfect 3-0 week. He scored a game-high 22 points to go with seven rebounds in a 85-65 win over Cleveland State Jan. 20, following a nine-point, five-rebounds outing in a 71-66 win over Wright State Jan. 17. His best effort of the week was 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Panthers avenged their lone League loss to date with a 61-48 win at Detroit.

Omari Westley
Cleveland State, Senior, Forward, Cleveland, Ohio


Westley averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 54 percent (13-of-24) in a 1-1 week for Cleveland State. He had 28 points and eight rebounds in a 78-77 victory at Youngstown State Jan. 22, following a nine-point, seven-rebound performance in the Vikings' 85-65 loss at UW-Milwaukee Jan. 20

Zach Williams
Wright State, Senior, Forward, New York, N.Y.


Williams averaged 14 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists in a 1-1 week. He had 11 points and eight rebounds in a 71-66 loss at UW-Milwaukee Jan. 17 and then 17 points and six rebounds in a 59-54 victory at Butler Jan. 22. For the week, he shot 62 percent (13-of-21) from the floor.