#HLMBB Power Rankings – Week 3

There were very few highlights for the Horizon League on the men’s side this week, so much so that you, the fan, will probably not be happy with who ended up on top of this week’s Power Rankings.

So, with that said, here’s the Horizon League men’s basketball Power Rankings after Week 3:

Rank	Team	Last Week
1.	Toledo	4
2.	Northern Kentucky	9
3.	Youngstown State	1
4.	Robert Morris	2
5.	Wright State	5
6.	Milwaukee	3
7.	Green Bay	8
8.	Oakland	10
9.	Purdue Fort Wayne	8
10.	IU Indy	6
11.	Cleveland State	7
12	Detroit Mercy	12

It brings us no pleasure to announce that Toledo, by virtue of continuing to play and beat Horizon League teams in its non-conference schedule, sits atop this week’s Power Rankings. The irony across all three Rocket victories is that they share a common thread in that a former HL player is the one who has led the charge for Toledo. That’s Sean Craig, who, if not for the dismissal of Paul Corsaro, would have remained with IU Indy, likely doing the same thing he’s do to league teams with the Rockets.

Even though Northern Kentucky only had one game this week, the Norse’s win on the road against Central Michigan was a bright spot that peeked through the dark clouds of league competition. More importantly, though, NKU’s convincing victory may very well be an indicator of how quickly the nearly-new lineup has acclimated to Darrin Horn’s style of play and team dynamic. Another key game at home against in-state rival Eastern Kentucky looms and, like CMU, will serve as yet another early-season test for the Norse’s ongoing development.

Toledo’s most recent victim in non-conference play was the team that sits in this spot in the Power Rankings, Youngstown State. The Jacksonville Classic looked to be a chance for the Penguins to rebound, but UNC-Greensboro foiled those plans as well. The are some positive developments, at least, as Tyler Robinett, hurt for the last couple of games, returned to the rotation in Jacksonville. And he’ll be needed if YSU hopes to split the pair of games in this MTE.

Robert Morris was expected to have a good showing when it headed up to St. Bonaventure. But that was not to be, as the Bonnies dropped the Colonials by double digits. Sunday’s match-up at Monmouth also looked to be a tilt that RMU could emerge victorious. But a five-point lead in overtime evaporated, and thank to some untimely fouls, the Colonials found themselves on the short end of the stick again.

Normally, a dominant win over a non-D1 foe isn’t all that significant. But in the case of Wright State, while the contest over Ohio Wesleyan itself may not have meant much as far as a wins are concerned, it does seem to continue the upward trend the Raiders have been heading, which began at the Greenbrier Classic. Wright State heads to Florida this week to face off against Stetson, and how the Raiders perform should be another indicator of their overall progress as league competition inches closer.

In what can only be described as déjà vu, Milwaukee had a chance to pull an upset at Wichita State, with the Panthers performing better than their previous upset bid against Texas Tech. But like the game against the Red Raider, Milwaukee fell short, as the Shockers enforced their authority in the paint while the Panthers couldn’t answer any second-half onslaught. They make a quick stop at home to play non-D1 Dominican, then travel to Akron to play the Zips before heading into conference play.

Was the near-miss against Minnesota the spark that Green Bay needed? It’s entirely possible, as the Phoenix have had a good showing so far at the Paradise Jam. That includes keeping Yale, a team poised to take the Ivy League, within their sights until ultimately coming up short, and a win over UMass. The win over the Minutemen, which happened without Marcus Hall, who was out with an ankle injury, provided Green Bay with an opportunity to test itself under the pressure of holding the lead throughout. Iona will be the Phoenix’s last opponent in the U.S. Virgin Islands before coming home and facing non-D1 Haskell Indian Nations University.

By all indications, Oakland should find itself higher in the Power Rankings. The Golden Grizzlies, after all, were knocking on the door of yet another upset in Orlando against UCF. But for some reason, Oakland was unable to best Eastern Michigan this week, allowing 97 Eagle points in the loss. The good news for the Grizz is that Michael Houge is now a part of the rotation after sitting out due to injury. Plus, Oakland’s journey to Montana’s MTE, where they’ll play the “other” Griz and Lamar may provide some opportunities to come out with a couple of wins before conference play starts.

Purdue Fort Wayne, as it has in the Jon Coffman era, lives by the three-pointer and dies by the three-pointer. When the shots don’t fall, it makes it hard for the Mastodons to pull through. And that was the case this week, both against Utah, when an upset bid was foiled by the Utes, and St. Louis, which kept Purdue Fort Wayne at bay from beyond the arc while also pounding the Mastodons on the glass. Up next for Purdue Fort Wayne is a short home stretch against Chicago State and Holy Cross, two contests that may give the Mastodons a boost before the conference schedule begins.

The System giveth, and The System taketh away for IU Indy. It’s true that the Jaguars’ new style of play makes it possible for them to score triple digits when everything is firing on all cylinders. But it’s also true that opponents can also drop that kind of scoring on IU Indy. And that was true in two of the games the Jags played this week, and in the third, Air Force came within a hair of the century mark. In all three contests, IU Indy found itself on the wrong end of double digit losses.

For Cleveland State, playing in front of the home crowd against Valpo should have allowed the Vikings to expound on their comeback win against Radford. Instead, the Beacons outplayed CSU and overpowered the Vikings with their larger lineup. Cleveland State’s second game against Kent State didn’t fare any better, as the Golden Flashes dominated the contest from start to finish. CSU also played without Tre Beard and, later in the game, Josiah Harris. A non-D1 match-up against Waynesburg kicks off the week, before traveling to Columbia to face ex-CSU coach Dennis Gates and Missouri.

Detroit Mercy’s journey this week was a bumpy one. The Michigan State and DePaul tilts were tough enough for the Titans, but to start the week, there was at least some hope that they could come away with a win at home against Eastern Michigan. That hope faded away as the time slipped off the clock, and a 1-for-19 showing from beyond the arc certainly contributed to Detroit Mercy dropping this decision to EMU.