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#HLMBB Power Rankings – Week 4

John Parker
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#HLMBB Power Rankings – Week 4

Hey, this week was actually helpful!

A week after things looked so bleak I couldn’t bring myself to separate teams in the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Power Rankings beyond the top team, we got a set of results that did a lot to clear things up. Cleveland State got instantly thrown into the fire and came out unscathed, Robert Morris had a pair of potentially winnable road games but was put away late in both, and the alarm bells might start ringing soon at Northern Kentucky.

Here’s a look at this week’s rankings:

TeamRankPreviousChange
Oakland11–
Cleveland State212+10
Wright State312+9
Detroit Mercy412+8
Purdue Fort Wayne 512+7
UIC612+6
Youngstown State712+5
Milwaukee 812+4
Northern Kentucky912+3
Green Bay1012+2
Robert Morris1112+1
IUPUI1212–

Oakland held serve at the top of the league with a pair of wins over UIC and IUPUI. Unlike the rest of the league, the Golden Grizzlies had a bit of wiggle room thanks to having the type of start we were all hoping several schools would pull off. On Thursday, Oakland got off to a hot start before UIC battled back for a final score of 88-77. Saturday, OU clobbered IUPUI 78-45. If not for Antoine Davis, the Golden Grizzlies likely would’ve had the top two contenders for Horizon League Player of the Week in early Player of the Year favorite Jamal Cain and forward Trey Townsend. Cain averaged 16.5 points and 9 rebounds in the two contests, while Townsend averaged 18 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Cleveland State opened Horizon League play against the other two teams projected for the top three in the league’s official poll, Northern Kentucky and Wright State. The Vikings came away 2-0 with a pair of comfortable victories. First, CSU cruised past NKU 72-58 behind 20 points and 6 rebounds from Torrey Patton. On Saturday, the Vikings shut down Tanner Holden en route to an 85-75 win. Patton’s scoring wasn’t as potent against the Raiders and he scored just four points, but he nearly posted a unique double-double with 8 rebounds and 10 assists. Cleveland State’s big weekend clearly separated it from a jumble of Horizon League schools that got off to rough starts.

Wright State split its weekend series, but returns to the high end of the rankings because the Raiders’ two opponents both appear to be stronger than some of the teams faced by schools that went 2-0. Before being manhandled by CSU on Saturday, the Raiders cruised to an 86-73 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday. A major difference in the two contests was that Cleveland State clearly wanted to force someone other than Tanner Holden to beat them. Holden is averaging 19.8 points per game for the Raiders this year and led the team with an efficient 22-point outing on Thursday, but scored just five points on 1-for-7 shooting against CSU.

See? All it took for Detroit Mercy to get in the win column was a pair of Horizon League opponents! The Titans crushed IUPUI 69-45 on Thursday, then overcame a second half deficit that grew as large as nine to beat UIC 64-56 on Sunday. Antoine Davis scored 19 point and dished out 10 assists for the first double-double of his career. He added 19 points and 5 assists on Sunday to take home Horizon League Player of the Week. In the process, Davis broke the Horizon League career record for 3-pointers.

Purdue Fort Wayne beat Northern Kentucky 71-57 on Saturday, and in the process created a little bit of a paradox in this week’s rankings. The win over a top 5 team in 2021 that returned everyone at the top of its rotation while adding several strong pieces simultaneously legitimized Purdue Fort Wayne while causing Northern Kentucky to go into panic mode. Last year’s star Jarred Godfrey hasn’t been leaned on as heavily to start this season as he was last year, but he led the way by averaging 19 points and 6 assists for the Mastodons to open Horizon League play.

Youngstown State finds itself tied with the Michigan schools and Cleveland State at 2-0 in Horizon League play after a weekend sweep of Milwaukee and Green Bay. The Penguins escaped with a 70-68 win over the Pat Baldwin Jr.-less Panthers on Thursday, then cruised to an 82-58 win over the Phoenix on Saturday. NAIA transfer Tevin Ollison led the team in scoring in both games, with 18 on Thursday and 20 on Saturday.

Despite its 0-2 start, ranking UIC here was a little tough for me. From what we’ve seen, I’m not sure when a Horizon League team will stay within five points of Oakland the way that the Flames did on Thursday. But at the end of the day the Flames are winless in league play while Youngstown State is undefeated, so I gave the Penugins the edge. While Damaria Franklin has shown himself to be UIC’s go-to-guy, Zion Griffin may be the team’s x-factor this year. Franklin had a pair of performances as strong as we’ve come to expect from him this weekend, but it was Griffin’s 24 points and 9 rebounds against Oakland that helped UIC nearly pull off the comeback. Griffin had just 9 points on 2-for-8 shooting in the Sunday loss to Detroit Mercy.

Milwaukee is still struggling to get all of its top talent on the court at once, one of several contributing factors to the team’s rough start to the season. Thursday without Pat Baldwin Jr., the Panthers lost at home to Youngstown State. Baldwin was back on Saturday but DeAndre Gholston was out, but Milwaukee was able to put away the Colonials late to come away with a 77-69 win. Baldwin was able to secure Horizon League Freshman of the Week in just one game after scoring 26 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. He shot 9-for-14 from the field and 6-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc in the win.

Northern Kentucky‘s season certainly hasn’t gone the way any of us predicted. NKU is now 1-5 against Division I competition, with that lone win coming at the buzzer against Eastern Michigan. A big part of the struggles seems to be related to Marcus Warrick having difficulty finding his shot. The 2021 Horizon League Freshman of the Year has seen his scoring plummet, currently averaging just 9.1 points per game on 26.4 percent shooting from the field. Warrick did lead the team with 14 points against Cleveland State on Thursday, but did it on a 5-for-15 shooting performance. Obviously the season is young, Warrick’s shooting should improve and it’s not time to throw in the towel for NKU but the start to the season is far from what most could’ve predicted given that three newcomers have jumped returning players in the rotation.

Green Bay secured its first Division I win of the season with a 70-58 victory over Robert Morris on Thursday before falling to YSU on Saturday. Green Bay and RMU went back and forth until the Phoenix pulled away in the final seven minutes for the victory. Manny Ansong led the team in scoring for the third and fourth consecutive games, averaging 18 points per game on the weekend.

Robert Morris went 0-2 against two of the bottom five teams in this week’s rankings, and as a result finds itself in eleventh place. Both results were similar to RMU’s other chance at a win this year, where the Colonials started off strong and faded as the game went on. This week, that mean a pair of losses that were more lopsided than the games that preceded them seemed. Rasheem Dunn led the way for RMU in both games, averaging 19 points and five assists for the weekend.

It’s going to be a rough year for IUPUI. The Jaguars took on Oakland and Detroit Mercy this weekend, losing by 33 and 24 points. A trio of freshmen look like they could be solid long term pieces, but they’re not ready to carry the load right now. In the meantime BJ Maxwell has been the go-to-guy, leading the Jaguars in scoring in every game against a Division I opponent this year. This week, he averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.

#HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 4

Kyle Rossi
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#HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 4

With four conference games now in the bank for each team (of 22 total, of course) before diving into the last couple weeks of non-league play, and with each of the top two teams pulling off gritty wins against tough competition, something resembling a hierarchy is starting to solidify.

SchoolRankLWChange
Youngstown State11–
Cleveland State22–
IUPUI34+1
Milwaukee46+2
Northern Kentucky53-2
Green Bay65-1
Oakland77–
Purdue Fort Wayne89+1
Robert Morris98-1
UIC1010–
Detroit Mercy1111–
Wright State1212–

Last week may have been when Youngstown State went from “solid team off to a hot start” to “hey, they’re actually a contender to win the league.” With Lilly Ritz unavailable, YSU faced probably the toughest pair of conference games in the league this week (tied with travel partner Robert Morris, of course) and came away with decisive home wins against Milwaukee and Green Bay to climb to 7-0 (4-0 Horizon League). Lindsey Linard and Jen Wendler did an admirable job filling in for Ritz but really, the story was the Penguins’ three-point shooting. After a slow start to the first game, against the Panthers (the score was 15-14 YSU at halftime), the Guins started bombing. It was largely Paige Shy and Megan Callahan in that contest, followed by Callahan (who has a strong darkhorse Player of the Week case) and Malia Magestro two days later.

While Cleveland State has had the look of a very good team in a lot of ways, before Friday night, that look was largely “beat a bunch of teams they were supposed to beat at home by comfortable margins” with a pair of forfeit wins sprinkled in. That all changed when the Vikings traveled to BB&T Arena for their first road game of the season and beat a very solid Northern Kentucky team, one that is 129th in the RPI rankings even after dropping the game to CSU. The stories of the game, once again, were Destiny Leo, who set yet another new career high with 31 points (on 11-for-15 shooting) and the Vikings’ defense, which stifled Lindsey Duvall (3-for-14 from the floor) and held the Norse to only a garbage time free throw over the last 4:52 of the game.

Choo choo, here comes IUPUI. Ever since the COVID pause that handed the Jaguars an 0-2 conference record, Macee Williams and company have been racing F1 cars against Toyota Camrys over at the speedway. They were +33 versus Butler in their first game back (covered in last week’s power rankings), then +35 against Detroit Mercy and +25 against Oakland in a road conference week. Sure, none of those squads will be confused for South Carolina, but this team definitely has that “on a mission” feel to it, like it finally found a bit of off-script adversity and a shoulder chip after being told how great they are all offseason. We’ll find out more when the Jags battle Ball State (which boasts wins over Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne this year) and Eastern Michigan this week.

Milwaukee, as least as far as these power rankings go, was the beneficiary of being the least bad of the middle-of-the-pack teams last week. They found themselves in an absolute rock fight with Youngstown State through 20 minutes on Thursday, as mentioned, before the Guins came alive during the second half. Still, the fact that they were blow for blow with a torrid YSU team on the road for a significant part of the game proves…something, probably. Milwaukee’s experienced guards have struggled for a lot of the season, so it might be a good sign that Miquela Santoro shot the ball well against Robert Morris on Saturday in a rout. If she and McKaela Schmelzer can develop some outside consistency for Megan Walstad to facilitate, the Panthers will become a very dangerous team.

Northern Kentucky very nearly had a disastrous week, first dropping its conference home opener to CSU, then barely surviving a strong upset bit from Purdue Fort Wayne two days later. Nevertheless, there was a lot of good news to come from the two games. Duvall finally shot her way out of a bit of a slump against the Mastodons, pouring in 26 points, including a couple a late daggers. Ivy Turner remained good in both games, while freshman Kailee Davis scored her first eight career points against PFW, and the 5-2 Detroit native even grabbed four boards as well. The loss against the unbeaten Vikings was tied deep into the fourth quarter, until CSU made the winning plays in the big moments – plays NKU subsequently made on Sunday.

Like their downstate rivals, Green Bay lost to Youngstown State and blew out Robert Morris, and I swear that one of these weeks, I’m just going to copy/paste the same paragraph for both teams. Against YSU the Phoenix, now 4-4 overall (2-2 HL) saw a storyline from a couple weeks ago re-emerge when Meghan Pingel and Sydney Levy were held to a combined 0-for-14 from the floor, a similar bagel to the one NKU hung on them. Kevin Borseth’s teams have typically been devoid of stars, and it seems unfair to focus on any one player’s lack of production considering that but nevertheless, a machine missing a couple of gears doesn’t usually work very well. The good news? One member of Green Bay’s great freshman class is starting to take over: Bailey Butler, whose 14 points led the way against YSU. The Black Hawk High School graduate also popped home ten against RMU.

Battle-tested Oakland (remember, the Golden Grizzlies played both Michigan and Michigan State two weeks ago) returned to conference play with a game against UIC that Kahlaijah Dean and company were leading by 20 with 3:58 left in the third quarter, before the Flames pulled back to within eight by the final buzzer. That game is a bit of a microcosm of OU’s season so far; the team can turn opponents over and play very fast, but is also prone to long droughts against teams that protect the ball and prevent runouts. Though Oakland, as expected, was clobbered by IUPUI on Saturday, one positive storyline of late has been the re-emergence of Alona Blackwell. The streaky shooter had been buried in the rotation through the early part of the season, but she clocked 22 minutes in each of the Grizzlies’ games last week, and put up 11 points against UIC.

Admittedly, I hadn’t had the chance to watch a full Purdue Fort Wayne game until Sunday, and while their dropped a tight road matchup to Northern Kentucky, I couldn’t help but come away impressed. They’re an extremely well-coached offensive team that creates plenty of space for Shayla Sellers, Riley Ott, and Sylare Starks, and each of those three knocked down some big shots during the game while taking turns facilitating things – the trio combined for 45 points, including a 9-for-19 effort behind the arc. Aubrey Stupp, Jazzlyn Linbo, and Ryin Ott more than held their own against a Norse team that had a massive inside advantage on paper, though the price was foul trouble. The Dons, who also picked up a forfeit win over Wright State and lost a late schedule addition game to Ball State during the week, have the feel of a team that’s well on its way, but isn’t quite there just yet.

It was a rough week for Robert Morris, which spent its pair of conference games being battered by the Wisconsin teams while continuing to struggle on the offensive end, netting only 44 and 47 points in the two games (which, to be fair, were both against outstanding defensive groups). Esther Castedo has continued to play well in a bigger role, but she and Sol Castro putting up between ten and 15 each with minimal contribution elsewhere just isn’t enough to win a ton of games even with an above-average defense. Things won’t get any easier – in the basketball sense anyway – for Bobby Mo, as their only game this week is a trip to play Miami of Florida on Sunday.

After dropping a Monday night game to Omaha (meh) and an eight-point decision to Oakland on Thursday (that one’s not terrible), UIC almost became The Team That Lost to the Team That Wiped Out Its Entire Program Over the Summer on Saturday, surviving a late Detroit Mercy rally to win in overtime. In the Flames’ first conference victory of the season, Jaida McCloud went off for a career-best 30 points, including a 14-for-17 effort from the line. Notably, McCloud (41 minutes), Justice Gee (all 45), and Bailey Lutes (43) played more than a regulation game against UDM, while Kristian Young logged 38 minutes. The Flames’ bench is virtually non-existent right now.  

Detroit Mercy very, very nearly got their first win of the LaTanya Collins era on Saturday, forcing overtime against UIC after trailing 54-45 with 6:32 to play, calling timeout, then scoring the next nine points of the game. Timeouts for the Titans appear to have the same effect as any trainer yelling something during a fight in a Rocky movie, with UDM landing haymakers coming out of the stoppage every single time. There was also one second quarter stretch at Akron on Tuesday where the Zips led by 14 and, after a timeout, the Titans scored on three consecutive possessions while stealing the ball both times UA had it to keep the game within reach at the half.

Wright State became the second team in the conference to be hit with a pair of COVID shutdown forfeits this season, taking automatic losses against Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State to drop to 0-7 (0-4 HL). Additionally, Constance Chaplin left the program late last week, bringing Kari Hoffman’s roster count down to 11. The Raiders, pending clearance, will jump back into action with a trip to Abilene Christian on Sunday.

Two Conference Games That Might Have Cleared Some Things Up

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The first weekend of the Horizon League conference schedule is the the books, and Bob and John talk about how the first two games impacted each team in the league. The discussion includes Oakland’s continued success, Cleveland State showing why they were picked first in the preseason, and question marks surrounding multiple teams, including Wright State and Northern Kentucky.

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#HLMBB Staff Picks: December 2, 2021

John Parker
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#HLMBB Staff Picks: December 2, 2021

We had so much fun posting our Horizon League Tournament picks last year that we’re back for more! This year, HoriZone Roundtable writers and podcast staff will be making picks and providing insight on each of the league’s games. I can’t speak for everyone else, but the rough start to non-league play made today’s picks…difficult.

Joining me in making selections today are Bob McDonald, Matt Dudek, Alec Kwait, Blake Schumaker, and Horizon Boy. We even dragged Kyle Craven out of sabbatical for a paragraph!

Detroit Mercy vs. IUPUI

Detroit Mercy and IUPUI open up Horizon League play in a battle of teams that are winless against Division I competition, but they got there in very different ways. The Titans have played a strong non-league schedule so far, with its lowest ranked opponent on KenPom being a Northeastern team that checks in at 160. On the other end of things, IUPUI played in the 210 San Antonio Shootout that featured three of the bottom 20 teams on KenPom at the time and came away 0-3. With all that in mind, it shouldn’t be a surprise that our staff overwhelmingly picked the team that technically has the worse record to come away with a road win.

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
Boy
Detroit Mercy✓✓✓✓✓✓
IUPUI

How does Detroit Mercy win?

The easiest way for Detroit Mercy to win, as it has been for the last 3+ years, is for Antoine Davis to shine while supporting cast members put forth solid production. IUPUI has struggled massively in non-league play so far

How does IUPUI win?

Honestly? It’s going to be tough for the Jaguars. A big part of the recipe would typically be to slow down Antoine Davis, but the same recipe can be used (likely more effectively) to slow down Jaguars’ guard B.J. Maxwell, the team’s only double-digit per game scorer who formerly deferred to Davis in Detroit Mercy’s lineup. For IUPUI to pull off the win, it’ll likely need to force Davis into a poor shooting night while also exploiting Detroit Mercy’s defense that caused it to lose to Hofstra while the offense put up an effective field goal percentage of 65.7.

Northern Kentucky vs. Cleveland State

The Horizon League decided to throw what we all hoped would be a heavyweight matchup at us on the first night of Horizon League play. Unfortunately, both Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State have a lot to sort out right now and the game is arguably going completely under the radar. Despite both teams having some disappointing results to date, our staff is overwhelmingly taking the home team and defending Horizon League champion to win tonight.

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
Boy
Northern Kentucky✓
Cleveland State✓✓✓✓✓

How does Cleveland State win?

The Vikings come into Thursday’s tilt having won four straight non conference affairs following an 0-2 start to their season. As was the case for most in the Horizon League, the non conference schedule was a mixed bag of results for the Norse as NKU comes into the conference opener with a 2-3 record, despite three of their games coming down to the final seconds. Northern Kentucky will look to take advantage of their three point shooting, as they currently have four players shooting at least 40% from behind the arc. Cleveland State has yet to find their shooting groove this year, so the Vikings will need to keep this one lower scoring in order to have the best odds at prevailing.

– Alec Kwait

How does Northern Kentucky win?

For the Norse to be successful, it’ll all come down to execution of the little things. Anyone who watches Darrin Horn’s NKU teams is familiar with the very complex matchup zone that the Norse have run. In this zone, the emphasis has always been aggressive guard play, and disciplined post play. Guards need to be extended, causing problems in the passing lanes, and making CSU guards as uncomfortable as possible. On the flip side, the interior needs to “stay home” and rotate properly. On offense, the Norse have to get more continuity. Plain and simple, they ran a lot of ISO ball last year between Faulkner and Warrick, and some dribble-drive/dribble-handoff as their continuity offense, and this set goes through periods where it’s stagnant and stale. Hopefully there has been an emphasis on MEANINGFUL off-ball movement this week. Finally, the Norse are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference – something that is becoming a staple for Darrin Horn’s teams. They will need to continue this effort and force Cleveland State to make them pay in transition.

– Kyle Craven of Norse Report

Wright State vs. Purdue Fort Wayne

Wright State’s season took a brutal turn for the worse last week when one of the Horizon League preseason favorites went 0-3 at the Naples Invitational, closing things out with a loss to a Long Beach State team that’s hovering around 300 on KenPom. Purdue Fort Wayne has slipped from KenPom preseason predictions, but its expectations weren’t nearly as high to begin with. In a development that I’m not sure anyone could’ve predicted, we’ve actually got a little variety in the picks for this game.

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
Boy
Wright State✓✓✓✓
Purdue Fort Wayne✓✓

How does Wright State win?

Wright State vs PFW is closer now than anyone could’ve guessed before the season started. While PFW has actually had some wins in their non-conference schedule due to contributions throughout the lineup, Wright State is still playing with a full deck of cards in their starters from last year. The week that Wright State has had to recoup will be exactly what they needed and they will charge into victory against the Mastodons in a transitional Gem City Jam.

– Blake Schumaker

How does Purdue Fort Wayne win?

I know what you’re thinking: Wright State should be favored here. But after going winless at the Naples Invitational, coupled with a shortened rotation due to injuries, it does give me some pause. Add to that Purdue Fort Wayne showing that it isn’t afraid to open fire from the arc on anyone. Also, Ra Kpedi has been sneaky good through the non-conference slate, notching 13.2 points and 7.7 boards a game. He alone is capable of giving the Raiders headaches on the glass. It also pretty clear that the Mastodon backcourt of Jarred Godfrey, Damian Chong Qui and Jalon Pipkins (as well as Deonte Billups) is doing much better so far than Wright State’s.

– Bob McDonald

Robert Morris vs. Green Bay

Robert Morris takes on Green Bay in a matchup between a winless team and one that hasn’t secured a Division I win yet. Unlike with Detroit Mercy and IUPUI, this one looks to be a slightly more even matchup and there’s a little more variety in the picks. That’s likely because although RMU has played four KenPom Top 100 teams in its first five games, the other result was a loss to Mount Saint Mary’s. The Colonials’ former NEC rival ranks 308 on KenPom, worst of any opponent either school in this matchup has lost to.

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
Boy
Robert Morris✓✓✓✓
Green Bay✓✓

How does Robert Morris win?

In the loss to Mount Saint Mary’s, RMU jumped out to a huge lead before bad shots and a 13-for-24 night from the free throw line allowed the Mountaineers to get back into the game. The free throw shooting should correct itself, as it was a fluke night where every player shot under their season and/or career percentages from the line. The key change will likely need to be taking better shots.

How does Green Bay win?

Green Bay’s leading scorer Donovan Ivory is a 6-foot-6 win who could be in for a big day going up against an RMU team that has had a tendency to start three undersized guards in its time in the Horizon League. Ivory’s size combined with his shooting ability (36.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc this season) could make him a nightmare matchup for the colonials. Beyond that, attacking inside and drawing fouls gave Mount Saint Mary’s the win over RMU. Defensively, Green Bay would do well to push the Colonials’ guards to take low-efficiency shots.

Youngstown State vs. Milwaukee

Milwaukee hosts Youngstown State in a game that may or may not be Patrick Baldwin Jr.’s Horizon League debut. The highly touted freshman hasn’t played in the team’s last two games after suffering an injury against Bowling Green last week. On the other side, Youngstown State got hit hard by the injury but when Garrett Covington suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Beyond injuries, Milwaukee will also likely be without Josh Thomas, who missed the Panthers’ last game due to suspension. It seems some of our staff feels the raw talent that Milwaukee could have at its disposal will win out, while others either think Baldwin Jr. will still be out or that the Panthers’ coaching will cost them.

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
Boy
Youngstown State✓✓✓
Milwaukee✓✓✓

How does Youngstown State win?

Youngstown State’s performance against Southeast Missouri State was easily the most impressive showing for either of these teams this year. In that game (and several others) the Penguins effectively used the press to cause problems for opponents. Milwaukee has been abysmal against the press whether Patrick Baldwin Jr. has been in the lineup or not. I’d be stunned if YSU hasn’t been preparing to employ traps and pressure constantly in its recent time off.

How does Milwaukee win?

Is Patrick Baldwin Jr. back? If so, the answer to that question becomes a lot easier. The Penguins are allowing opponents to shoot 39.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, and although he hasn’t had a chance to show it yet Baldwin Jr.’s shooting is a major draw for pro scouts. If PBJ is still out, DeAndre Gholston will need to have a big game for Milwaukee.

Oakland vs. UIC

TeamBobMattJohnAlecBlakeHorizon
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Oakland✓✓✓✓✓✓
UIC

How does Oakland win?

Fresh off their Gulf Coast Showcase tournament victory, Oakland is flying high and looking to prove their 5-2 start to the season isn’t a fluke. Look for Jamal Cain and Jalen Moore to really settle into the season against conference opponents. Until a team proves they have an answer for the Oakland zone or for Jamal Cain, both of which better teams have struggled with, there is no reason to not go with Oakland. I don’t see UIC being able to keep up with OU on either end.

– Matt Dudek

How does UIC win?

Clearly from our picks, what we’ve seen makes it difficult to figure out how UIC will beat Oakland. The best bet will likely be to control the pace of the game and hope that newcomer DeMaria Franklin can have the best game of his already impressive career. Oakland’s Jamal Cain has become the early runaway favorite for Horizon League Player of the Year, so stopping him is going to be key. With that said, even Power Conference schools have struggled to completely stop him.

A Trip to Florida, A trip around the B10, and #1 in the Country

Matt Dudek
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A Trip to Florida, A trip around the B10, and #1 in the Country

As the Oakland men look to begin Horizon League play this week and the Oakland Women go for their second week in league, it seems like a good time to recap the week that was for both teams.

The Oakland women spent the last week playing the two in state Big 10 teams. They started on the road at the Crisler Center against the University of Michigan. OU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and then proceeded to let the game slip throughout the remainder of the 1st half. They were able to keep themselves around ending the first half down 12. In the second half, they battled back and kept Michigan from every pulling away. Oakland go the lead down to 1 late in the 4th quarter on a Briana Breedy jumper, but that was close as they could get it in what ended up a 58-69 loss. In the game, the Grizzlies were lead by 3 players in double digit scoring including freshman Olivia Sims who had 10, Breedy with 11 and Kahlaijah Dean leading all scorers with 15. In the game OU was out rebounded 24-40, a big factor in the outcome.

In their second game of the week, the day after Thanksgiving seemed like the best time to have Michigan State over for an afternoon of basketball. While the Spartan men would never have the… guts… to come into the O’rena, the MSU women did. They left with an 84-71 victory of the host Golden Grizzlies. Oakland again kept it pretty close the whole game, including tying it up halfway through the 3rd quarter but the Spartans gradually extended their lead to the end of the game. Oakland had the same 3 players in double figure scoring. They lost the rebound battle but only by 3 in the game. The biggest difference in the game came at the free throw line. While Oakland was 5-6 from the stripe, MSU found their way to the line 17 times in the game, making 12 of them.

Things were a bit better on the men’s side for the week. After their loss to Alabama to close out the previous week, they travelled to Estero, Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase. They knew they would be playing 3 games in 3 days, a tournament format head coach Greg Kampe felt was important in preparing his team for the season. The first and only known game of the tournament was also one that Kampe had circled as an important measuring stick as they would square off with perennial NCAA tournament team out of the American East, Vermont. Despite leading most of the game and all of the second half, OU found themselves trailing by one with less than 2 minutes left in the game. However, Jalen Moore came up big and hit a game winning 3 with 10 seconds left and the OU defense held on to get the victory. Oakland was lead in scoring by Jamal Cain who had 22 with 16 rebounds, while Moore chipped in 21 points including the game winner. Oakland only got 5 points from their bench in the game however, which only consisted of Blake Lampman and Osei Price for this game.

With the win, Oakland moved into the winner’s bracket and drew Rice out of Conference USA, who needed 3 overtimes the day before to slip past Evansville. The game saw Oakland leading pretty handedly the whole game, but having to hang on down the stretch and get out with the 3 point victory 76-73. While both Cain and Moore reach double figures and scoring again, the Grizzlies were lead by Trey Townsend (A side note from Matt: Trey is from Oxford, Michigan, and his sister was in the building when the shooting happened this week but is safe. Sending good thoughts and love to the entire Townsend family in which is surely a difficult time for them) who had 25 points. This was not by accident that he had this output either. The Oakland staff planned for him to have the mismatch and a defender that while bigger, would not be able to keep up with him when he had the ball and it worked out well. The win put them into the championship game against Delaware.

If Oakland was tired playing their 3rd game in 3 days, you wouldn’t have known it against the Blue Hens. They never trailed in the game and coasted their way to the title. They made a living at the free throw line in the game going 23-27 compared to Delaware’s 4-5. Oakland does not usually see a 22 free throw margin go in their favor, but they made the most of it in this game making 85% from the line. Jamal Cain would take tournament MVP honors as he finished the tournament pouring in 28 points and coming up one rebound short of the double-double. Yet again, Moore contributed with double digit scoring, as did Townsend. The biggest surprise for OU fans was a 4th player who reached double figures in scoring, which was Zion Young off his knee injury who got it going from 3 point land as well as the free throw line. Kampe had not planned to play Young but he begged his was onto the floor after only having practiced twice with the team all season. He made the most of his time not only scoring the ball and providing a needed bench spark, but showing Kampe he was ready by knowing sets he had never even practiced. At this stage in his career it takes a lot to impress the long time coach, so barring any setbacks OU fans can expect to see Zion getting regular minutes off the bench and providing a spark.

A close loss against a Big 12 opponent, a win over another Big 12 opponent, a handful of good Mid-Major wins and a good loss to an SEC team on their home floor. What does it equal? Well, at this point, it equals the number one spot in the entire country for Oakland in the RPI rankings.

What does that mean in the long run? Nothing.

It will go down this week no matter the outcome as they get into conference play at UIC and IUPUI and RPI is an antiquated metric that is not fully used by the NCAA the way it used to be. It is however, part of the NET rankings that the NCAA uses when looking at NCAA Tournament seedings and At-Large bids. Is OU looking at an At-Large? Not likely. But if they continue to play like this all season and dominate the league including winning the tournament, it could help provide a solid seed and a chance to make a little noise in March. For now, it’s the beginning of December and if they don’t handle their business in conference, this strong start will be nothing but a history lesson for Oakland fans to remember fondly.

Naples Invitational: Wrapping up the Raiders’ performance player by player

Blake Schumaker
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Naples Invitational: Wrapping up the Raiders’ performance player by player

The Wright State Raiders recently took a trip down to Florida to play in the Naples Invitational, an event that featured a good number of mid majors looking to claim a tournament title and some fame from onlookers. The building was the Community School of Naples, a college prep academy whose gym did not look or play the part of a college basketball gym for the purposes of the event. As the tournament went on, errors with the shot clock and running clock were continuous and play had to be stopped a number of times. The tournament was a chance to meet a lot of new programs for the Raiders, as each opponent they faced was the program’s first.

This tournament was perhaps the best chance to see how the Raiders would fair against equal competition before Horizon League play began. Each team in the tournament had a fair shake of beating each other with no real standouts, and rankings indicated equal footing as well. Wright State went into each of their matchups favored by Vegas as well, based solely on the fact that Wright State operated a league-best defense last year and hadn’t had a chance to showcase it, returning 4 of 5 starters from that lineup.

The Raiders started play against George Washington, an Atlantic 10 team that had been getting run around in its non-conference schedule and had lost its last four games. After spending the first four minutes of the half scoreless, the Raiders caught back up to GW and fought for the lead until an 11-0 run proved completely insurmountable by the offense. George Washington would not let the Raiders back into the contest, even though a long scoreless run by the Colonials in the second half was an opportunity awarded to Wright State that they matched with their own lull. The Colonials marched on to the winner’s bracket with a score of 74-63.

Next up in the loser’s bracket of the tournament was James Madison, a Colonial Athletic team that was poised to cause some noise this season after earning a share of the regular season title last year seemingly out of nowhere. Wright State owned the first half of the contest, methodically taking the lead off of good rebounding and passing. However, the ten point lead that the Raiders had built over that half disappeared in ninety seconds of play, as my exasperated tweet at the start of the half indicates. From then on, Wright State struggled to contain anything defensively and James Madison owned the show, taking the lead for good with seven minutes to go and narrowly winning the contest 78-76.

The final contest to avoid last place in Naples took place against Long Beach State University, a team out of California’s Big West league. While Wright State had done a decent job off of the bench, with performances from Braun and Welage being the highlight of the game, the game was back and forth. Long Beach State was having a problem with penalties to all of their players, but Wright State also could not get any defense going to stop the charges through the paint. After being out-rebounded in the contest by 11, the highest I’ve seen from a Nagy squad in quite some time, Long Beach went up late in the second half to finish the contest 85-76, throwing Wright State the participation trophy for going 0-3 in the Invitational.

Wright State, picked second in the preseason Horizon League poll, remains fully winless in Division 1 play. Horizon League play is the Raider’s next chance to rectify this problem.

With the background to the games complete, I want to go over individual players and their performance in Naples and talk about what I feel could be improved for the upcoming league competitions. To kick things off, let’s start with the starters for all three contests.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
14-331-1042.4%8.617
Grant Basile’s Stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – Grant Basile is a bit of enigma to me right now. On the one hand, he’s still a phenomenal player who is the most solid in rebounding and from the paint. He’s making free throws and is the threat you always have to keep an eye on or he will absolutely catch you lacking. On the other hand, I’m confused by his decision making. In the game against George Washington, Basile went 1-8 from the field and 0-4 from three. I understand that Grant can make three point shots, but why is he trying to do so? From what I could tell, his three’s were all open looks, so why didn’t he drive the lane instead of taking the chance?

Suggestions – What the stats I made won’t tell you is that the points per game for Basile are buoyed by a stellar and consistent time at the free throw line, making 20 of 25 shots. So what I’m going to say go hand-in-hand: Stay in the paint and make shots or get fouled. Basile’s three point shots are currently not landing, and if he’s the one making them from deep no one is collecting the ball if he misses. It’s a lose-lose to have your big man who collects your rebounds shoot from outside, even if he is able to do so. I’d change my tune on this if freshman acquisition AJ Braun takes up Basile’s current space underneath the rim and Basile became a driving forward that can choose his shots, but right now AJ Braun is still a bench member.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
26-473-455.3%523.3
Tanner Holden’s stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – If anyone deserves an MVP medal right now, it would be Tanner Holden. Holden consistently put up more than twenty points against all three opponents, all while playing the same defensive style that can frustrate opponents into giving up the ball. In addition, he has led the team in assists and steals in two of the three games. Holden is easily the candidate for Player of the Year on the Raiders right now.

Suggestions – Sloppy passing play was a common theme in a couple of the games and Holden was behind a couple of the passes that went back the other direction. Anything else would be nitpicking.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
7-302-1523.3%3.37
Trey Calvin’s stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – Trey Calvin is in a slump and he knows it. Throughout Naples he was shaking his head on plays and mistakes that he made that didn’t go his way. Against James Madison, the selections he made on passing often led to JMU getting past him with the ball and in for an easy two. While his three pointer shots were open, none of them were falling into the rim so opposing teams dared him to score by essentially leaving him unguarded, opting to tighten their grip on Holden and Basile. His decent scoring game against Long Beach was overshadowed by a defensive effort that was less than stellar. When in tune with his game, he’s electrifying and nearly impossible to guard as he drives the rim. That was missing in Naples.

Suggestions – I don’t want to harp on Trey Calvin; he recognizes his current state and he will be the only one to drag himself out of it. Telling Calvin to play against his style would be against his best interests. The only thing that is going to help him is if he can find his groove again, the same one he had in that second half against national powerhouse Purdue. In particular, I hope to see his three point game improve to what it was before the matches against PFW and Cleveland State, Wright State is going to need his presence behind the arc.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
11-334-1633.3%5.310.3
Tim Finke’s stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – Speaking of performance behind the arc, the once-grand sniper behind the line is in something of a funk as well. With the exception of his performance against DIII Lake Erie at home, Tim Finke is a grand total of 21% from behind the arc. While he has been making up for it with shots further inside and a rebounding game to back up Basile, it doesn’t help the fact that Wright State is in desperate need of someone behind the arc as an actual threat. Teams have already clued in to Wright State’s weakness in this regard and I won’t be surprised to see Horizon teams clamp down on the offense if it can’t find a way to clue in to shots from three.

Suggestions – Just like with Calvin, Finke needs to take this time to get back in touch with his previously godlike shooting behind the arc. He will be what the offense needs to keep up if opposing defenses decide to cut off all routes to the rim. What is also concerning for the team as a whole is the lack of presence on the defensive side underneath the rim, which should be one of the spots Finke shines.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
1-100-810%1.61
Keaton Norris’ stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – Keaton Norris, a freshman acquisition out of Hilliard Ohio, is Nagy’s replacement for Cole Gentry as the floor general of the Raiders. In this regard, I feel that Norris is a wonderful fit: an undersized guard that is able to nimbly move across the floor and get the ball around to open zones. Where I think Norris fails in this regard is his shooting at the moment. Cole Gentry was never really seen as the fifth option for the Raiders while he was here, he was seen more as the threat no one saw coming as he would dump double digit points on defenses that left him open. Right now, Norris lacks that power as he has trouble getting his shots to fall.

Suggestions – I make it a point to never be too hard on freshman since the transition to D1 can always be daunting. I personally think Keaton Norris has a very high ceiling for the Raiders and I can’t wait to see him in the future, I’m just not sure he’s what’s needed now. Norris benefited from two of the bench squad being knocked out with injuries and saw starter time in Naples. If he can improve his shooting from behind the arc, he could find a spot on a squad that is desperately lacking a marksman, but my personal opinion is that he needs a year as bench support first.

Up next is the bench support for the Raiders. As a brief disclaimer, this article will be missing two of the bench members: Riley Voss and Alex Huibregtse. Both of these members were knocked out of the Naples competitions with injuries. Additionally, CJ Wilbourn did not receive significant minutes to be analyzed for this contest, and neither did Andy Neff or James Manns. That leaves two people: AJ Braun and Andrew Welage.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
9-13N/A69.2%47.3
AJ Braun’s stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – I fully believe that it was Nagy’s intent to never let us see Braun’s potential because it would’ve put the league on alert. Coach Nagy has once again snagged another lumberjack of a player to play center and make everyone who thinks they’re getting into the paint face his wrath. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for us, two of the bench got injured and Braun got to see some minutes in Naples. During that time, he made his presence known and felt, providing a defensive presence that seemed to be mostly missing from the squad while he was out on the field. In addition to this, he consistently saw opportunities under the rim that his teammates were more than happy to allow him a chance at.

Suggestions – I almost don’t want to put anything here because I’m even more certain that may be the last time we see Braun for a while. The announcers for the Raiders said as much over the broadcast; Braun was seeing minutes because there was really no other choice. I’ll have to brush up on my redshirt rules, but if Nagy has his way, I’m sure he wants to see this freshman take a year off so he can terrorize the Horizon next year. All I can say is if that is the last we see of Braun, I’m going to miss him, but if he’s here this year, I hope Nagy seriously considers putting him in the starting rotation.

FG3PTFG%RebPGPPG
6-123-850%1.61
Andrew Welage’s stats through the Naples Invitational

Performance – After a quiet time in the games against George Washington and James Madison, Andrew Welage came off the bench and sunk three after three against Long Beach, leading all players in three point shooting in that game. Unfortunately, the high point for Welage came during the final game against Long Beach instead of the earlier two, so while I would’ve liked to see some of that three point magic appear in those games there was only so much that could be done.

Suggestions – I’d like to see Welage fight for a spot to make regular appearances after only showing up for an average of 7 minutes last year. He had the game of his career against Long Beach and he could be a valuable threat off the bench if he can shoot as consistently as he had in that game.

Wright State takes on Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday and Cleveland State on Saturday as part of yet another road trip. The Raiders will finally get a chance to play a Division 1 game at home on December 15th against the Akron Zips, which comes after a lengthy eleven day break from play. I look forward to seeing what the Raiders will do against their first Horizon competition.

Improved start, same ending for Colonials

Scott Meier
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Improved start, same ending for Colonials

The best 20 minutes of the young season, only to be followed by maybe the worst? Saturday, Robert Morris dropped its fifth straight game, losing to Davidson 88-70.

The Colonials, coming off an embarrassing overtime loss to Mount St. Mary’s, opened their contest Saturday shooting 52% from the field, forcing many contested shots on defense with Enoch Cheeks leading the way on that end. RMU forced Davidson to miss their first 8 attempts from beyond the three point line, holding them to 2/10 from three in the first 20 minutes of the contest.

Offensively, the Colonials were lead by Kahliel Spear in the first 20 minutes, scoring 9 points and grabbing 6 defensive rebounds while seeing 17 minutes of action. The Colonials saw the return of Kam Farris and Brandon Stone to their lineup, scoring 11 and 7 points respectively. The first half ended with Robert Morris heading to the locker room facing a 4 point deficit, 35-31; all in all a pretty solid first 20 minutes. That was the good part of the story, the second half quickly turned into a nightmare.

For some reason, the Colonials just were not getting back on defense in transition, they simply just weren’t. The mainstay of an Andy Toole team has been toughness and fight, which the Colonials showed very little of the latter part of the game, allowing 53 points and letting the deficit grow to 25 at one point. The Wildcats, shooting 66% in the second half, going 6/11 from three point land, simply took it to RMU with absolutely no pushback from the Colonials.

It’s time. It is time to figure out who wants to fight, who wants to be here and who does not. RMU, fortunately, faces a few days of rest before jumping into Horizon League play, facing Green Bay Thursday at 8pm followed by Milwaukee on Saturday, both contests on the road.

Who wants it? Who is going to fight through this stretch of adversity and find a way? It is time to find out who wants to still pull the the rope and who is going to let go; there is no place for the folks letting go. It’s time.

Green Bay Phoenix non conference report card

Dillon Graff
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Green Bay Phoenix non conference report card

Will Ryan and the Phoenix (1-5) began the year a disappointing 0-5, and if that sounds familiar – it’s because Green Bay started out 0-5 last season. Green Bay did manage to claim their first win of the season 77-48 over DIII opponent UW-Superior on Saturday. And while it’s understandable to be disappointed with the way the season has started, context is important. 

Three of Green Bay’s losses have come by 4 points or less. The most disappointing aspect of these losses is that GB has led a large portion of these games, only to lose it in heartbreaking fashion in the end.

The Phoenix still haven’t learned how to close out close games (hint: it’s on the defensive end), but that’ll come in time. Unfortunately, Green Bay is still struggling mightily on defense (302nd in ADJ Defensive efficiency), and it’s ultimately been the reason they can’t win these one or two possession games.

In 2020, after beginning the season 0-9, GB would go on to play (.500) ball the remainder of the season – showing noticeable growth along the way. GB was a tough draw night in and night out. Then came the mass exodus, forcing Will Ryan to essentially overhaul his entire roster. 

In doing so, he brought in a handful of players that better fit the system he runs – thus helping speed up the programs re-tooling process. The downside however, is that this was going to be a vastly inexperienced team that developmentally was going to be more of a slow burn (357th nationally in terms of experience – only ahead of Dayton). 

Thankfully, with the benefit of watching Will Ryan coach a roster that in no way fit his style of play last season – we know he can coach and adapt to his personnel. But, to build a program with any kind of success – GB will need to “get old, and stay old” – which of course is going to take some time. 

There are few players with established roles at this point, so they’re still searching for their identity on offense.

It may be an uphill climb this season due to a large portion of the rotation getting their first real action at the collegiate level. Experience can only be gained one way, and that’s on the job. Even though GB is probably a year away from truly competing in the Horizon league – I still think we’ve learned a lot about this team. 

So, without further ado, here are my non conference player grades. 






Starters





Lucas Stieber: B





Pass-first Stieber fitting in at Green Bay - The Press





5.3 points, 2.3rebounds, 5 assists. 





(.344 FG% | 57.1 FT% | .316 3P%)





Lucas Stieber has been a terrific facilitator for GB this season. There’s no doubt that the Horizon League all freshman team member has improved in his second season under Will Ryan. His shooting splits are nothing to write home about, but his court vision and play-making have been invaluable to GB this season. 





As it stands, Stieber currently owns a 3.75:1 assist to turnover ratio, good for 25th in the country. At the end of the day, you know what you’re getting with Stieber: good defense, takes care of the basketball, true pass-first PG that creates for his teammates. He’s far more valuable to this team than the stat sheet will ever reflect. 















Donovan Ivory: A-





Donovan Ivory (@D_ono_van) / Twitter





13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. 





(.400 FG% | .952 FT% | .367 3P%)





Donovan Ivory has been Green Bay’s most pleasant surprise this season. The Boise State transfer has the makings of a future (or present if things break the right way) All Horizon League team level player. 





Donovan Ivory was named to the Jersey Mikes Classic All-Tournament Team, averaging 17.6 points and 5 rebounds per game. 





Ivory has an improved jumper, and can get to the basket with relative ease. The problem, if there is one, is that Ivory is just scratching the surface of his potential and learning how to be a program’s go-to scorer. I’d love to see Ivory be more aggressive and hunt his shot, because I believe it’ll ultimately help pull Green Bay out of some of their lengthy scoring droughts. 





He also has great defensive versatility and his wingspan makes it easy to disrupt passing lanes. I think GB found a good one. 










Emmanuel Ansong: B-





Emmanuel Ansong set for UWGB debut after NCAA grants waiver request





12.3 points, 6.5rebounds, 1.2 steals. 





(.519 FG% | 86.7 FT% | .357 3P%)





Emmanuel Ansong is undoubtedly one of Green Bay’s best/most important players. However, on a roster full of so many new faces, Ansong’s offensive role has been in flux. I believe it’ll sort itself out in time, but one thing is clear, he needs more manufactured touches – specifically in the post. 














He’s still limited with the ball in his hands, and I’m not totally convinced he’s as improved as a jump shooter as the numbers reflect. He is however a highly efficient forward that I believe is being forced to play slightly out of position. Ansong is just a special athlete, and the best is yet to come for the young forward. 










Cade Meyer: C-





Cade Meyer - Men's Basketball - University of Wisconsin Green Bay Athletics





5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.3assists. 





(.462 FG% | 44.4 FT% | .200 3P%)





Cade Meyer was a truly impressive recruiting win for Will Ryan and his staff. Even though he’s started all six games this season, he still looks like a true freshman. Physically Meyer is ready to be on the court, he just needs to play slightly more under control. He’s shown from time to time that he plays too aggressively and forces some bad shots. 





There have certainly been some encouraging flashes, and I have no doubt he’s going to be a strong contributor for the Phoenix moving forward – he’s just working to find his role like many of his teammates. 














Defense is where he has the most work to be done, but that can be said about most true freshmen. 










Japannah Kellogg: C+





Japannah Kellogg III (@jjk3llogg) / Twitter





5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists. 





(.424 FG% | .222 FT% | .000 3P%)





Kellogg might not have eye popping numbers, but he’s clearly improved from a season ago. Kellogg has better footwork in the post, and he’s proven to be a great passing big man within the structure of the offense. 





Defensively he does an adequate job defending ball screens, he just struggles a bit defending true big men from opposing teams because he’s not a “true big man”. He’ll often be undersized in match-ups, but he plays sound low post defense and works hard to deny post entries. 





Really solid player overall, you’d just like to see him try to expand his mid-range game a little bit because I think that’ll open up more offensive opportunities for him. 










Bench 





Kamari McGee: C+





Kamari McGee Stats, News, Bio | ESPN





6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists.





(.273 FG% | .833 FT% | .222 3P%)





Kamari McGee has all the makings of a terrific lead guard for this program. He’s shown great poise and command offensively, and plays good defense with active hands. 














The downside however, has been the shooting splits. In short, McGee just hasn’t shot the ball well at all. At times he’s forced the issue offensively, but really just out of necessity due to the team’s lack of scorers. All in all, I don’t really have a problem with most of the shots McGee has taken, they just haven’t been falling. 





He’ll need to learn to take better care of the basketball, already owning more turnovers (11) than assists (7). There has been far more to be excited about than discouraged. 










Ryan Claflin: C-





Will Ryan and the Green Bay Phoenix: Year in review | HoriZone Roundtable





3 points, 1.8 rebounds





(.313 FG% | .500 FT% | 26.7 3P%)





Ryan Claflin has been a tough one to peg, he’s a shooter that doesn’t shoot well. Now, this dates back to last season as well, where Claflin shot just 22% from beyond the arc. He’s got a nice looking jumper and takes smart shots, they just haven’t been falling.














Physically, I think he needs more time to mature if he’s going to play that tweener forward spot for Will Ryan off the bench. 





Defensively, Claflin is often in the correct positioning and has a good wingspan. There are definitely tools to work with here, but It might take some time. Either way, GB needs shooting, and he’s one of their better shots at improving from beyond the arc. 










Randy Tucker: C





Tucker, Randy





2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists. 





(.235 FG% | 1.00 FT% | .154 3P%)





The reason Tucker gets a C despite his shooting splits, is because he simply looks the part (passes the eye test). Tucker has great versatility and size – and has already proven to be a willing defender. 





On offense, he’s taken some good looks, but he, maybe more than anyone else needs to see a few shots go through. I believe he’ll be a core member of the rotation all year long as a 3&D option off the bench. 










Cem Kirciman: B+





Kirciman, Cem





4.4 points, 2 rebounds, 0.8 assists. 





(.615 FG% | .667 FT% | .571 3P%)





I owe Cem Kirciman an apology, because he’s taken quite the step in year two under Will Ryan. The player he’s become is a far cry from the one that played sparingly just a season ago. 





Kirciman hasn’t been all that good defensively, but he’s slimmed down and is moving his feet MUCH better. 





On offense, Kirciman can be a stretch four that can promote better floor spacing, and provide some much needed scoring off the bench. On the low block, he’s far from a presence, but he’s shown improved footwork around the basket – which is encouraging because just a year ago that wasn’t at all a thing. 














I’m just really pleased with Kirciman’s development, because I never would have guessed him to be a useful member of the rotation, and now he’s rightfully gaining more opportunities with each passing game. 










Mitch Listau: D+










1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists. 





(.182 FG% | 1.00 FT% | .143 3P%)





Mitch Listau has quickly fallen out of favor in the Phoenix rotation. This is one I didn’t see coming. I thought for sure Listau would play the “Ben Brust” role for GB, but after a slow start to the season, he’s largely been regulated to mop up duty or spot minutes here and there. 





I do believe LIstau is someone who can help this team, especially given GB’s inability to shoot. This will be an interesting one to monitor moving forward.










Nate Jenkins: C-





Nate Jenkins (@_natejenkins) / Twitter





1.6 points, 1 rebound, 0.4 assists. 





(.300 FG% | .500 FT% | .250 3P%)





Not much to unpack here, but Nate Jenkins is GB’s 3rd point guard. He comes in and just takes care of the basketball and makes sure they run their sets. He doesn’t offer a lot on either end of the floor at the moment, but he’s solid enough to not be a liability – which allows Will Ryan to keep certain players fresh. Jenkins has been useful, if nothing else. 










For more Green Bay basketball content follow @Phoenix_Notes on twitter to get the latest basketball news, recruiting and analysis.





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                        #HLMBB Power Rankings — Week 3                    
                


                

                    

                    

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                            #HLMBB Power Rankings — Week 3
                        
                    

                
                

                    

Are you sure I can’t just link to Matt’s Oakland recap?





After several teams anticipated to finish toward the top of the league offered up just a small sample size through the first two weeks of the season, Feast Week gave us a lot more information. Unfortunately, that information wasn’t good. While the first two weeks offered a number of near-misses against solid teams, the latest action took the wind out of the sails of everyone but Oakland. To date, the Golden Grizzlies are the only team with a KenPom Top 200 win, and they have five of those (with just a pair of Top-50 losses). Let’s not drag this out, it’s ugly.





I know ties technically shouldn’t be displayed this way, but here are the rankings: 





TeamRankPreviousChange
Oakland11–
Cleveland StateT-123-9
Detroit MercyT-125-7
Green BayT-1211-1
IUPUIT-1212–
MilwaukeeT-128-4
Northern KentuckyT-124-8
Purdue Fort WayneT-127-5
Robert MorrisT-1210-2
UICT-126-6
Wright StateT-122-10
Youngstown StateT-129-3





This week, I’m very thankful for Oakland. The early season surprise is suddenly the only school in the Horizon League doing anything during non-league play. The Golden Grizzlies have 5 wins, with the least impressive of those coming against a team just outside of KenPom’s Top 150. Jamal Cain once again shined on his way to winning another Horizon League Player of the Week award. Cain averaged 23 points and 10.7 rebounds in three games to lead the Golden Grizzlies to the Gulf Coast Showcase championship. 





The initial plan was to make the joke in the table, then list schools in the order I’d actually rank them. Cleveland State needed 39 minutes to put away Coppin State 65-62 and it seemed like they might take a dive if I chose to go the other route, but…at least they won? Regardless, after three or four teams it’s such a mess, I’m just going with alphabetical order. Torrey Patton put up 21 points and 10 rebounds to help CSU win its lone contest against Division I competition this week.  





Detroit Mercy looked like it was trending upward despite a winless record and Noah Waterman’s absence, but the team laid an egg defensively and got run out of the gym by a Hofstra team that looked to be more beatable than its last several opponents. The Titans rallied back somewhat from a 24-point halftime deficit, but fell 98-84. Antoine Davis did have one of the more impressive offensive outings of his stellar career. He scored an efficient 39 points to go along with seven rebounds, eight assists and just two turnovers. 





Not much has changed from last week’s assessment of Green Bay. The Phoenix beat Division III UW-Superior 77-48 in the team’s only game of the week, but Green Bay is still waiting for its first Division I win of the season. Manny Ansong led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds. 





Like Green Bay, IUPUI moved out of the winless ranks this week. Also like Green Bay, it took a Division III opponent to get them there. The Jaguars cruised past Spalding University 61-41. Bakari LaStrap tallied 10 points to lead the way for IUPUI in a game where getting all nine dressed players into the action was clearly a priority. 





With Pat Baldwin Jr. injured and Josh Thomas suspended, Milwaukee‘s disappointing season found a new way to take a turn for the worse. Losing to Yale and Bowling Green in the Fort Meyers Tip-Off wasn’t a surprise without Baldwin, but you’d hope the rest of the team had enough firepower to get past sub-300 opponent Alcorn State. DeAndre Gholston averaged 16.3 points and 4 rebounds for the Panthers, but obviously he’s going to need help if the team expects to compete with even below average opponents for the time being. 





Northern Kentucky is one of the few teams that might actually deserve to be out of the 11-way tie, but with its lone D-I win coming at the buzzer against KenPom number 275 Eastern Michigan that’s a reality I’m not ready to accept. This week the Norse fought hard against DePaul and realistically should’ve beaten a Western Illinois team that’s playing uncharacteristically well this year, but the team still came away 0-2. Sam Vinson took home another Freshman of the Week award after averaging 10.5 points, 5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. 





Purdue Fort Wayne came close to bringing home the first non-Oakland Top 200 win of the season before falling 85-78 at Florida Gulf Coast. That hurt to type. One serious bright spot for PFW in the early part of the season has been Ra Kpedi. The senior scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds against FGCU. He’s averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 rebonds per game for the Mastodons on the year. 





Robert Morris fell 88-70 on Saturday to a Davidson team expected to finish in the top half of the Atlantic 10. The result doesn’t really move the needle either way, but it means the Colonials will have to wait at least another week for a Division I win. Kahliel Spear put up 15 points and 9 rebounds for RMU in the loss. 





A recurring theme for this week’s Power Rankings is comparing losses and figuring out whose were the least awful. All things considered, UIC did alright on that front. The Flames were relatively competitive against a Top 200 San Diego team and Hawai’i ranked just outside of the Top 200. Nonetheless, they were 0-2 against two teams you’d like to see a Horizon League team beat in a year where things are going reasonably well for more than one team. Damaria Franklin continued to lead the way for UIC, averaging 17 points and 6.5 rebounds in the Las Vegas Classic.





After a decent performance against Marshall in Week 2 gave me some hope, the wheels fell off for Wright State last week. First, the Raiders dropped a contest against sub-250 opponent George Washington. Then came a 78-76 heartbreaker against a James Madison that is at least expected to contend for a CAA title. Finally the Raiders took a sub-300 loss to Long Beach State, falling 85-76. 





A part of me wanted to rank Youngstown State second for having the good sense to take this disaster of a week off, but the last time we saw them they were squeaking past a team of players recruited to play at the Division III level and losing to SIU-Edwardsville. Clearly this trainwreck has been in the works for more than one week. 

                

            


        

            

            

                

                    
                        #HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 3                    
                


                

                    

                    

                        Kyle Rossi
                        
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                            #HLWBB Power Rankings — Week 3
                        
                    

                
                

                    

With many teams only playing once during the holiday week, there wasn’t an obscene amount of movement in the power rankings this time around, but let’s dive in.





TeamRankLWChange
Youngstown State11–
Cleveland State22–
Northern Kentucky35+2
IUPUI43-1
Green Bay57+2
Milwaukee64-2
Oakland76-1
Robert Morris89+1
Purdue Fort Wayne98-1
UIC1010–
Detroit Mercy1111–
Wright State1212–





This ain’t the RPI, and I ain’t going to punish Youngstown State for doing what they were supposed to do against a winless LIU team on Friday. It wasn’t always pretty for the Penguins, especially early and late in the contest, but they did enough between then to show that they can be a very, very good team. Malia Magestro returned from injury against the Sharks and while she only played limited minutes, the sharpshooter from Hermitage, PA will restore some offensive balance. This upcoming week, when YSU hosts Milwaukee and Green Bay, will tell a lot of the story with this team.





Cleveland State followed the Penguins by sending LIU back to Brooklyn 0-2 on their swing through Ohio with a win on Sunday. The latter game saw the Sharks keep things close from behind the arc, though the match at the Wolstein Center ended with a larger margin (22 points versus 15) after the Vikings closed by scoring 17 of the game’s final 20 points. The real key for CSU was that they found a way to win fairly comfortably on a day when Destiny Leo didn’t have her best stuff (though she still scored 18 points). That way, largely, was a breakout game from Amele Ngwafang, though Barbara Zieniewska and Gabby Smith also played well.





Nobody in the conference has more impressive wins on their resume at this point than Northern Kentucky. We covered the Norse’s victory at Green Bay last week of course, but NKU followed up this time around with a thoroughly dominating win at Miami, followed by a come-from-behind effort at Central Arkansas that saw Ivy Turner take over in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Knocking off the RedHawks – and doing so while barely being threatened – really impressed me though, given that MU entered the game at 2-1 with wins over Xavier and Valparaiso, along with a seven-point loss at Illinois. That ain’t a bad team.





IUPUI, after two conference forfeits and one non-conference washout, finally returned to action on Sunday and battered crosstown rival Butler (also a former Horizon League school of course, though they were gone well before IUPUI entered) by an 80-47 count – and they did it without Rachel McLimore. Let’s be honest about something: I’m under-ranking the Jags. You know that, and I know that. There’s absolutely no reason to think of Austin Parkinson’s group as anything other than the conference favorites that everyone said they were in preseason. However, I’m not handing out spots on reputation, the appropriate game results are going to have to play out before I move them up.





Is there a tougher read in the conference right now than Green Bay? The Phoenix went out to the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving and delivered the Horizon League’s signature non-conference win (sorry Milwaukee, but Wisconsin is terrible) over Oklahoma State, then turned around and dropped a tough-but-winnable game to SMU. Kevin Borseth has to be a bit concerned about his team’s offense, given the 43-point output against the Mustangs, which comes a week after Meghan Pingel and Sydney Levy were skunked against NKU, and two weeks after Green Bay scored 12 points in the first half against South Dakota State.





Is there a tougher read in the conference right now than Milwaukee? After an 0-3 start, the Panthers rebounded nicely with two conference wins, including a high-quality victory over NKU, then grabbed a win against Wisconsin on Wednesday (and yes, I know what I just said, but the Badgers are still a brand at least…a brand that also lost to Chicago State just before playing the Panthers, but I digress). But, just when things were looking up, Milwaukee thudded to a 19-point loss at Northern Illinois on Sunday. Megan Walstad and company, as mentioned, will visit Youngstown on Thursday, one of many prove-it games across the league this week.





Oakland showed reasonably well in a week where they played a pair of in-state Big Ten opponents, particularly the contest against Michigan, as the Grizzlies opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run to pull within one of the 13th-ranked Wolverines before it was all undone in the last five minutes. A home game against Michigan State four days later didn’t offer the same level of “wow, almost,” though Olivia Sims has continued to show as one of the league’s better freshmen. She earned the start in both contests and hit double digit scoring totals in each to make a strong case for a league award.





It might not be enough to climb into the top half of the standings over the long haul unless they find some offensive consistency outside of Esther Castedo’s continued surprising start, but Robert Morris has emerged as one of the conference’s best defensive teams. Despite a 3-3 overall record, the Colonials have yet to allow more than 65 points in a game this year, that number coming in a loss to explosive Oakland. This past week, RMU was positively stifling in holding Morehead State and Canisius to 45 and 43 while picking up a pair of wins.





Purdue Fort Wayne came back to earth a bit, dropping a 13-point decision at home to Evansville, followed by a 12-point loss at SIUE. Neither of those defeats qualifies as absolutely brutal (though the Evansville one is a bit closer to that end of the spectrum), but they do reinforce the idea that, despite significant improvement, the Mastodons aren’t a finished product yet. PFW is still getting solid contributions from Detroit Mercy transfer Sylare Starks, Shayla Sellers, and Riley Ott, while Ryin Ott and her 13 points per game look like a sure bet for the league’s all-freshman team at this point.





UIC finally collected its first win of the season, knocking off Valparaiso 68-64 on Tuesday. Valpo was 340th in the RPI entering the game and is 352 now, so if that’s your headlining win you’re in a bit of trouble. Nevertheless, a Flames team that I think has a lot of untapped potential now has one on the board. Jaida McCloud clocked her typical 16 and 9 against the Crusa…err Beacons, while Kristian Young and Keona Schenck each played the entire game and delivered a strong effort to go with it. The Flames host Omaha on Monday before heading to Michigan for their league games.





On Tuesday, Detroit Mercy fell to that same Canisius squad that couldn’t get anything going against RMU, though the game was a pretty competitive one – the score was tied headed into the fourth quarter before (pattern alert) the Titans faded late. Most players and coaches hate the idea of moral victories, but the fact that UDM isn’t out there getting run by 30 every time out… I’m not sure anyone would’ve bet against that being the case back in July. LaTanya Collins’ squad jumps right back into action with a Monday evening contest at Akron, another chance to keep building things.





It’s sort of the same story at the bottom of the rankings as at the top: just like I’m not going to slide YSU or CSU down until they lose a game, I’m not going to change much down here until Wright State or UDM wins one. The Raiders, in their lone contest of the week, dropped their home opener to Xavier, though the game was probably more competitive than most would have assumed, with the Musketeers needing the full course of the game to build their 15-point margin. Jada Roberson and Destyne Jackson continue to be problems for most WSU opponents, which at least offers some optimism.

                

            


        

    
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