2009 Horizon League Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/02/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 30th-annual Horizon League Tournament will begin Tuesday, March 3rd and will come to a conclusion on Tuesday, March 10th. The Butler Bulldogs earned the regular season title and the top seed in the tournament with a regular-season ending victory over Cleveland State, 58-56. It was the third consecutive regular-season title for the Bulldogs, who will try to repeat as tournament champions.

The second seed belongs to the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix, who will also enjoy a bye to the semifinals along with Butler. The Phoenix finished 22-9 overall and 13-5 in league play, which is the team's best regular-season showing since the 2004-05 campaign. However, the Phoenix have not captured a tournament title since 1995, which was UW-Green Bay's first season in the Horizon League.

The remainder of the teams will square off in first-round action, which will begin Tuesday. The first game will pit the 10th-seeded Detroit Titans on the road against the third-seeded Cleveland State Vikings, and that matchup will be followed by the sixth-seeded Youngstown State Penguins, who will host the seventh-seeded Illinois-Chicago Flames. The other two contests will have the forth-seeded Wright State Raiders hosting the ninth-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders and the Eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers traveling to Milwaukee to take on the fifth-seeded Panthers.

Postseason play will begin with the Vikings and Titans, as the two schools will collide Tuesday night at Wolstein Center. The Vikings swept the Titans in the season series for just the second time in school history, and that includes a convincing, 66-49 decision over Detroit at the Wolstein Center.

For the second straight season the Vikings have eclipsed the 20-win plateau, as the squad posted a 21-10 ledger this season, and that included a 12-6 mark in conference play. However, the team stumbled down the stretch, losing two of its last three games, including a 58-56 setback to 24th-ranked Butler in the regular-season finale. The Vikings have relied on tenacious defensive play all year, and come into this matchup third in the conference, allowing just 59.2 ppg. Offensively the team has leaned on the inside presence of J'Nathan Bullock, as the forward is leading the Vikings with 15.6 ppg, and 6.8 rpg. Norris Cole is contributing 12.5 ppg, while Cedric Jackson has done a little of everything, posting 9.9 ppg, to go along with 5.5 rpg and a team- high 169 assists.

The Titans have been one of the worst teams in the Horizon this season, and stumble into this matchup with CSU on a six-game losing skid. Detroit is at the bottom of the conference in scoring, netting just 56.9 ppg, which would explain the team's 7-22 overall mark and 2-16 conference ledger. The only real option on the floor this season for the Titans has been Thomas Kennedy, who is leading the team with 11.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg.

The next matchup will pit the seventh-seeded Illinois Chicago Flames against the sixth-seeded Youngstown State Penguins. The Penguins have been up and down throughout the season, but the team enter's the postseason on a low note, losing three of its last four games, including two in a row. YSU only finished 7-11 in league play but two of those victories came against the Flames. The Penguins are only producing 66.0 ppg on the year, and will lean on Kelvin Bright and DeAndre Mays. Bright is pacing the team with 11.6 ppg, while Mays is contributing 10.9 ppg, to go along with a team-high 99 assists.

UIC closed out the regular season with four wins in a row, finishing with a 7-11 mark against conference foes. The Flames possess one of the top scorers in the Horizon League in Josh Mayo, as the guard is averaging 16.9 ppg. Robo Kreps is contributing 12.1 ppg on the season, while Scott VanderMeer has been one of the top big man in the conference, posting 10.7 ppg, to go along with a conference-best 8.9 rpg.

The Raiders come into this tournament as one of the dark horses. Wright State finished with a respectable 12-6 mark in league action, and close out the regular season with four wins in its last six games. However, what makes this squad a dangerous team is its ability to play tenacious defense. Wright State is the top defensive squad in the HL, holding opponents to a meager 57.0 ppg on the year, and that is also good for fourth in the nation. All the attention paid to the defensive end of the floor, has left a void at the other end, as Wright State is netting just 59.7 ppg. Todd Brown is the only player posting double on the year, as the big man is netting 11.8 ppg, to go along with 5.0 rpg.

As for Valparaiso, it did not enjoy similar success this season, as the team finished with just nine overall victories, along with a pathetic 5-13 mark in league play. The poor showing against conference foes left the Crusaders with the ninth seed in the tournament and a date with Wright State, which earned two wins over Valpo this season. Valparaiso does not have much to rely on offensively, as the team is bringing just one double-figure performer to the postseason. Urule Igbavboa has been the only legitimate threat, as the forward is posting 12.1 ppg, to go along with a team-high 5.9 rpg.

The final first-round matchup will have the eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers tangle with the fifth-seeded UW-Milwaukee Panthers. The Panthers have won three of the last six conference tournaments, but if UWM wants its fourth, the team will have to win three games. Milwaukee collected 16 victories this season, and finished with a respectable 11-7 mark in league action, and that includes two wins over Loyola.

As for the Ramblers, they head into the postseason with eight losses in their last 10 games, including two in a row. The team finished 14-17 on the year, and that included a poor 6-12 mark against Horizon foes. Loyola's poor play offensively can be attributed to the lackluster season, as the team finished its regular-season schedule averaging a meager 63.2 ppg, behind a weak 40.9 percent shooting effort. obviously if Loyola plans on winning its first Horizon title since 1984-85, the team will need to improve in a hurry.

The defending Horizon League champion Butler Bulldogs will be a handful in this tournament, as the team will play out of the top-seed, while also enjoying a bye into the semifinals. Butler will host the tournament as well, which should be trouble for opponents, considering the Bulldogs finished 14-1 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. Last season Butler collected its fifth league title, and barring an upset in the near future the Bulldogs are well on their way to their sixth Horizon League championship. Butler however, was not just dominant in conference play, but the team also finished with a 25-4 overall record and was ranked for much of the season.

The Bulldogs have been a terror at both ends of the floor, but what makes this team run is its stingy defensive play. Butler currently ranks fifth in the nation, allowing just 57.4 ppg, and is holding opponents to a weak 37.9 percent shooting effort from the field. At the other end, the team has relied on the play of Matt Howard, who is leading the way with 14.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 45 blocks. Gordon Hayward has also contributed, netting 13.8 ppg, while grabbing 6.3 rpg. Running the show on the floor has been Shelvin Mack, who is leading the team with 103 assists, while also chipping in 11.7 ppg.

The Phoenix did not close out their season on the right foot, falling to Wright State, 65-64. It was only the third loss in the last 11 games for Wisconsin-Green Bay, but the setback did snap a three-game winning streak, and also sent the team into the postseason on a down note. The Phoenix took a huge step forward this season, grabbing 22 victories, while finishing with a conference record above .500 for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. The 13-5 mark earned UW-Green Bay the second seed in the tournament, and like Butler, the Phoenix will enjoy a bye into the semifinals.

Butler might be the favorite coming into this tournament, but the Phoenix have already defeated the Bulldogs once this season, and are definitely dangerous enough to pull off another victory over the defending champs. Green Bay, which is producing a conference best 72.9 ppg, comes into the postseason with four different players posting double figures, beginning with Ryan Tillema, who is netting 17.4 ppg, while shooting a very strong 45.4 percent from long range. Troy Cotton is contributing 12.7 ppg on the year, while Mike Schachtner is registering 11.4 ppg. Running the show on the court for the Phoenix has been Rahmon Fletcher, who has distributed a team-best 131 assists, while also showing his ability to score (10.6 ppg).