Men's Basketball Weekly Release #9

Jan. 13, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

Wright State and Detroit To Battle in Motor City in This Week's ESPNU Friday night tilt


Fresh off Green Bay's thrilling 77-75 overtime victory at Milwaukee, this week's Horizon League Friday Game of the Week on ESPNU features Wright State -- winner of seven of its last eight -- at Detroit. Game time is 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m.CT at Calihan Hall. Michael Reighi will call the play-by-play, with Jim Chones providing analysis.

And, UIC To Host Nationally Ranked Butler Saturday on ESPN2


UIC will entertain Butler Saturday in the Horizon League's first ESPN2 game of the season. Game time is 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT from the Pavilion. The last time the Flames hosted a nationally ranked Butler team two years ago, UIC upset the 20th-ranked Bulldogs, 73-67, in overtime also on ESPN2 behind 19 points from current senior and Preseason League Player of the Year Josh Mayo. Eric Collins will provide the play-by-play and Bucky Waters the color commentary.

Streaking Teams Aplenty


Entering this week's action, several Horizon League teams are riding hot streaks.


Butler is 14-1 and on a six-game winning streak. The Bulldogs' only loss of the season was at Ohio State by three points (54-51) on Dec. 13.


Cleveland State has won three straight and eight of its last nine since Dec. 13, with its only loss coming to Wright State, which has won seven of its last eight and nine of 11 since an 0-6 start.


Green Bay has won five of its last six since Dec. 20, suffering its only loss by two points (62-60) at Loyola in that stretch. The Ramblers have won six of their last eight since Dec. 13, losing only to Milwaukee and Cleveland State.

Top-25 Busters


Horizon League teams have knocked off a pair of top-25 teams this season, handing current #11/9 Syracuse (16-1) and #16/18 Xavier (13-2) two of those teams' three combined losses entering this week's action.


Cleveland State shocked Syracuse Dec. 15 at the Carrier Dome 72-69 on Cedric Jackson's 60-footer at the buzzer, which was the top play on "ESPN SportsCenter" that night.


Eight days later, Butler knocked off Xavier 74-65 on the road behind a combined 38 points from Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward. That victory propelled the Bulldogs into the national rankings the next week.

`Play of the Day' Three Times Over


Horizon League players have earned the number-one spot on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top Plays" three times already this season.


On Dec. 4, Butler's Zach Hahn hit a three-pointer from the left wing as time expired to lift the visiting Bulldogs over Cleveland State 50-48 on ESPNU.


On Dec. 23, Cleveland State's Cedric Jackson made a two-handed shot from 60-feet at the buzzer for a 72-69 upset of then-#11/11 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.


On Jan. 9, Green Bay's Terry Evans threw a behind-the-back pass from the sideline to Ryan Tillema for a two-handed fastbreak jam in the Phoenix' 77-75 overtime victory at Milwaukee on ESPNU.

Speaking RPI


According to "The RPI Report," the Horizon League is ranked 11th among the 31 Division I conferences in RPI entering this week's games, just behind Conference USA and ahead of Southern (12th), West Coast (13th), WAC (14th), Colonial (16th) and Mid-American (19th), among others.


Butler is fifth nationally in RPI behind only #1-ranked Pittsburgh, Duke, Clemson and Michigan State. Other League teams in the top 100 are Cleveland State (60) and Green Bay (83).

Defense Does It


The Horizon League boasts three of the top nine teams in the NCAA in scoring defense this season, with Cleveland State ranking third in the nation with only 55.6 points per game against. (Washington State leads the country allowing 51.4 ppg). Wright State is sixth (56.1), and Butler is ninth (56.6).Besides the Horizon League, only the Atlantic-10 has at many as two teams among the top 10 (Dayton-7th and Saint Louis-8th).