Vikings sit in middle of jumbled Horizon League, look for lineup and rotation fluidity

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Photo credit: csuvikings.com

While issues on the road have been a theme all season long, the Cleveland State Vikings were able to come away with a pivotal 2-1 stretch away from The Wolstein Center, to improve their record in the Horizon League standings to 8-6. With the Vikings currently sitting in fifth place in a jumbled conference, Cleveland State will look to build off of an overall successful trip as they return to Cleveland for a pair of rematches in which the Vikings will be looking for a dose of revenge in both.

Lineup and rotation consistency has been a work in progress for the Vikings as of late, as Daniyal Robinson has been juggling the point guard duties in recent games. Robinson turned to his opening night backcourt of Drew Lowder and Tevin Smith in the Vikings most recent win over Purdue Fort Wayne, after Lowder had spent the last three games coming off the bench. While Robinson has the luxury of having a plethora of guards who can play starters minutes, finding a potent connection to begin games has been a struggle at times. Lowder responded to his reinsertion into the starting lineup with a 20 point second half in Cleveland State’s comeback victory over the Mastodons.

Despite the recent uncertainty in the starting lineup, one constant for the Vikings this season has been Tristan Enaruna, who has been other worldly over the course of the last few weeks. The big man has showcased an improved overall game from a season ago, as he leads the Vikings in points, rebounds, and assists. However, finding consistent production alongside Enaruna has been challenging on the offensive end, as opposing defenses have been forcing others to make plays at critical junctures.
While the results have been up and down, the reinsertion of Drew Lowder into the starting lineup will allow for the Vikings to reach their full potential on offense, and create faster starts to games, as Lowder’s playmaking for others and scoring was missed early in recent first halves. Lowder is a player who thrives off of confidence and maintaining a rhythm, and keeping him on the bench to begins games led to scuffling offense as in the half court teams were able to key in on Enaruna in an easier fashion.

Players like Lowder and fellow sharpshooter Jayson Woodrich are integral to future Cleveland State successes due to the spacing they provide Tristan Enaruna and slasher Tae Williams offensively. While the Vikings identity over the last few years has been one of defense and constant pressure, this years iteration of Cleveland State has taken a small step back defensively as they sit at fifth in the conference in points allowed per game.

With Coach Robinson going back to his opening night starting lineup in the backcourt, he will get the best of both worlds offensively and defensibly. Tevin Smith has been a do it all guard off the bench for a majority of conference play, but his experience in big games combined with the ability to guard opposing big men on switches should serve the Vikings well in upcoming home matchups versus Milwaukee and Youngstown State, two of the four highest scoring teams in the Horizon League.

Cleveland State will be looking for two doses of revenge this week as they look to upend both Milwaukee and Youngstown State at home following two disappointing losses on the road to both squads earlier in the year. Tip-off on Wednesday is scheduled for 7pm, while Saturday will be a matinee at 3pm.

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