LIVE From Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (...or Park)

Ahhh...Chicago. Corrupt politics, deep dish pizza, and Ramblers basketball!

Horizon League Road Trip

Get your motor runnin'... Head out on the highway. 

THE Damon Lewis and myself will be leaving in a few hours for Chicago. We are heading to the Wright State-Loyola game. As always we are looking for you to give us things to talk about and keep us going. The live blog will start early in the afternoon so get in there and start telling us what you'd like to hear us discuss or questions you'd like to hear answered. We saw all of you Wright State fans show up on Saturday, now we'd like to see you guys show up for the blog! Look for the live blog to be posted in the next couple of hours. We look forward to hearing from you!

A Look Back...And a Look Ahead

Saturday

A full slate of games on Saturday produced some exciting results. I'll start with the last game first as Green Bay defended its home court in front of 7,980 Phoenix fans at the Resch Center. First off, a big salute to the Green Bay faithful getting out on a Saturday night in full force. The 72-68 win looked all too familiar to some other Horizon League teams as Green Bay used its veteran grit and a good amount of free throws to win at home. Milwaukee didn't exactly execute to perfection in the last 35 seconds as coach Jeter had to call a timeout with the clock winding down. Jeter drew up a pick and roll with backside action, trying to get Tone Boyle a good look off a screen at the top of the key. Boyle got some contact but didn't get the whistle and the Phoenix 'escaped' and got some breathing room in second place, now two games up on Milwaukee.

Coach Jeter started James "Big Lumber " Eayrs for the first time all season and he didn't disappoint as he went for 22 and 9 but fouled out in the waning moments trying to grab a rebound. Anthony Hill only getting 7 minutes is a head-scratcher as well because Green Bay can be bodied down low.

Road trip note: We (Damon and I) will get another good look at Milwaukee as they face Cleveland State on the road this Thursday. As always, we'll be live blogging so spread the word. Big Lumber vs. J'Nathan Bullock is a heavyweight bout I'd pay to see.

Cleveland State has now won four in a row and they're on a crash course with Milwaukee for the third-place spot in the HL tournament. That is important because it would mean you would avoid the home team, and number 1 seed, in the tournament until the championship game. The Vikings scored 51 points in the second half and 83 total at Loyola while only going 2-7 from the three-point line.

DEEE-TROIT BASKETBAAAALL

Coach McCallum and the Titans picked up their second league victory on Saturday with a 56-55 "W" over Valparaiso. Consider me on the Ray McCallum bandwagon. The Titans play a tough, smart style that I believe is really going to translate to more wins next season when the talent level increases. They're not a good perimeter shooting team, so instead of banging their heads against a wall they shot three 3-pt. FGs Saturday. Chris Hayes has been the guy that has stepped up the past couple of weeks. The 6-9 senior is averaging 14.8 pts. and 6.5 rebs. in his last four games. Perhaps the most encouraging statistic from Saturday's game is that the offensively challenged Titans found a way to win with their leading scorer, junior Thomas Kennedy, going 1-8 from the field.

Penguin Power...?!

Youngstown State is now 5-8 in conference and showing some life. If they can maintain their position in the league standings they would host a first round league game. The Penguins 8 wins, with 6 games to play, gives them a chance to have a double-digit win total for just the second time in the last 8 years.

Butler Flexing its Muscle

Butler walked into a sold-out Nutter Center and dominated from the tip. It was really a sight to see. At one point in the first half, I believe the score was 19-2, Damon and I just looked at each other in disbelief. We both predicted a Raider victory and thought the game was going to be a back-and-forth battle. We couldn't have been more wrong. Driving through New Castle, IN on our way back to Indianapolis I think Zach Hahn (New Castle native) hit four more threes. Troy Tabler, Will Graham, and N'Gai Evans made as many shots as THESE GUYS. Green Bay is going to need some help from Cleveland State or Milwaukee to make up that last game in the league standings. This game could haunt Green Bay for a long time.

Road Trip Note Pt. II

Look out Horizon League, here we come! Damon and myself will be hitting the road this week because we just can't get enough of the Horizon League.

Tuesday: We will be at Loyola for their home game against Wright State (8pm ET / 7pm CT).

Thursday: Traveling to Cleveland for the Milwaukee @ Cleveland State game (7pm ET / 6pm CT).

Friday: Back to Indianapolis for UIC-Butler, Part II (7pm ET / 6pm CT).

Sunday: UIC @ Valpo (4pm ET / 3pm CT), be there or be square. WE WILL.

That's it. Four games in six days. Live blogging the entire time.

*If you live in any of these cities please let us know what we need to do, where we need to eat, and where all of you will be in preparation for all this basketball.

The Beginning of an Exciting Journey

For starters...HLN Live-Blog, this Saturday LIVE from the Nutter Center for Wright State vs. Butler. Raiders fans...show up, be loud, and we'll show the rest of the HL how you support the green and gold. For those of you who can't make it to the Nutt (we're speaking to you, Butler fans...and anyone else around the HL for that matter), join us here throughout the afternoon and evening for HL analysis, pre-game features and interviews from both sides of the Wright State / Butler matchup, in-game commentary from myself and Adam (complete with YOUR thoughts and comments), and some post-game soundbytes as well. I've always enjoyed my experiences at the Nutter Center, and suspect that this trip will be no different.

It's also worth noting that next week's Horizon League men's basketball schedule is a little out of the ordinary, with games being played on Tuesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday. I'm happy to report that Adam and I will be traveling to games, at the very least, on 4 of those 5 nights. The final schedule is still coming together, but get ready Horizon League fans...next week we're coming to Y-O-U.

For now...we'll see you right here on Saturday!

Phoenix Rising

With roughly seven games to go for each team in league play there is a level of excitement back for the stretch run in the Horizon League. Green Bay's victory over league-leading Butler on Monday night changes everything. The senior-led Phoenix took advantage of all their opportunities and did an excellent job of not giving Butler anything to use as momentum. You can stare at the box score until you're blue in the face and watch the game several times over but the game was decided by turnovers. 16-4. The Phoenix 'out Butlered' Butler. They made almost all of their free throws, Troy Cotton hit a back-breaking jump shot toward the end of the game, and they were the more composed team in the second half when they made their run. Green Bay is now only 1/2 game back in the league standings.

What does this mean to the rest of the league?

Green Bay has given the rest of the league hope. No matter what anyone tells you, people around the league were getting worried about this Bulldog team being head and shoulders above everybody else. The thing is...they're not. It shouldn't have taken this loss, or a below-average effort against Valpo at home, or even a close call against Detroit. The league is deep this year. REALLY deep. There are no fewer than five teams in the Horizon League that I think could win a first round game in the NCAA tournament.

The Green Bay victory also gives Milwaukee and Wright State, and Cleveland State some hope. They all have one game with Butler left on their schedule and two of them, UWM, WSU, are at home. Milwaukee's schedule has five road games left but they are in control of their path for a top two seed in the HL tournament.

Cleveland State's victory over Wright State can't be overlooked either. The Vikings were in desperate need, and still are, of getting some league wins for a potential run in the tournament. Cedric Jackson's up and down play is really making it tough for them to string together some wins but the talent is there and Norris Cole is certainly stepping up his game.

Lastly, Ryan Tillema is in the lead in the clubhouse for player of the year. He's now leading the league in scoring and is coming off the bench! His ability to get to the free throw line on Monday really made the difference for the Phoenix.

It's a Saturday Night...Special!

Apologies to those of you feasting for Horizon League news as fast as you can get it. This week was a tough one, as I moved into a new pad, and Adam came down with a case of the "I'm sick" early in the week. Personally, I think he's just a little depressed about the outcome of last weekend's WWE Royal Rumble...but I digress.

To try and make it up to you, we're going BIG on Saturday night. 4 games, all evening tip-offs, and all on HLN. And yes, we'll be live-blogging for each one, watching the same video that you are on HLN.

"But Damon...how can you live-blog 4 games at once when it's normally just you and Adam live-blogging?"

Glad you asked, voice in my head.

We've enlisted the help of two more Horizon League experts, to cover each of the 4 games Saturday night. Nate Flannery, the Horizon League's Director of New Media and Technology, will taking care of one game...as well as Josh Rattray, the Horizon League's Assistant Director of Communications. Josh also helps out on a lot of the women's basketball content you see on HLN...and does a fantastic job, if I do say so myself.

So here's your lineup for Saturday night:

6:30 - Live Blog begins.
7:05 - Adam begins exclusively live-blogging Detroit @ Youngstown State game.
7:30 - Damon begins exclusively live-blogging Wright State @ Cleveland State game.
8:00 - Nate begins exclusively live-blogging Loyola @ Green Bay game.
8:00 - Josh begins exclusively live-blogging UIC @ Milwaukee game.

Come one, come all! It's sure to be a great night of not only watching great basketball on HLN, but also another chance for you to talk back with fans all across the Horizon League landscape.

Hope to see you HERE Saturday Night!

Questions Answered

First and foremost, a big THANK YOU to those that sent in questions for our man, Rob Demovsky, to answer.  We sorted through the virtual pile, and passed along the following queries to give fans a little more perspective heading into tonight's game between Green Bay and Butler.

Thanks again to the Green Bay Press-Gazette for letting us borrow Rob for this monumental HLN Blog event.  Alright, so maybe not "monumental," but you get the idea.

Q:  Is this the most talented team Coach Kowalczyk has had while at Green Bay?

Rob Demovsky:  I don't think there's any question this is his most talented team. However, I thought the 2004-05 team that had Benito Flores, Javier Mendiburu, Brandon Morris and Matt Rohde was close. That's the last UWGB group to beat Butler. This team has better athletes and therefore plays better defense and rebounds better. This team has more pieces as well. They have good shooters (Cotton, Tillema, Schachtner), good defenders (Evans, Fletcher, Berry, Nelson) and a ton of experience.

Q:  In your opinion, is there something specific that has made Butler so successful in the Horizon League year after year?

Rob Demovsky:  I asked a couple of Horizon League coaches that very question this week and no one had a specific answer other than to say they've got a great system and do a great job finding players who fit that system. That style certainly isn't for everyone, but if you find players who buy into it and believe in it, it obviously works. Some believe this Butler team is actually better than last year's 30-4 team. I'm not sure about that simply because I thought Mike Green was one of the toughest college basketball players I've seen, and guys like A.J. Graves and Pete Campbell just made big shots when it mattered. I've always respected the way Butler players and have enjoyed watching them.

Q:  Who do you think Terry Evans will guard in Thursday night's game?

 
Rob Demovsky:  My guess is Evans will guard either Mack or Hayward, but the Phoenix often switches on lot of screens so you might see him on different guys. However, there are times when they try not to switch. When they played at UWM, Evans almost never left Avery Smith.

Q:  Coach Kowalczyk seems to be a "target" on many Horizon League message boards and fan sites. Being Green Bay's beat writer, you're around him about as much as anybody...so what's he really like?

Rob Demovsky:  I've never really understood why Kowalczyk was so disliked. Early in his career, he may have made some comments that came off as arrogant or cocky, but what Division I coach isn't that way. They all have egos. But I think he's learned from those mistakes like any good coach would. I've covered three different Division I coaches at two different schools in my 15 years of covering college basketball, and I will say that Tod is by far the most media-friendly coach I've covered. He lets me watch as much practice as I want, gives me as much as access to players and assistants as I want and takes time to explain his philosophies. And it's not just with me. He's pretty much the same way with all the local TV and radio stations. Off the court, he's a regular guy -- he likes to play golf, drink a few beers and relax with his family. He has two young children, and they've mellowed him a little bit. Like most coach's wives, his wife Julie is a saint. You might recognize Julie from her maiden name -- Nordgaard. That's right, she's the sister of former UWGB star Jeff Nordgaard.

Q:  Since we're midway through the season, who's your All-Horizon League 1st Team?

Rob Demovsky: I won't have seen every team in person until after this weekend, but I do believe I've seen all the teams at some point or another if not in person then on the Horizon League Network.

So I'd probably say the first team would be: Matt Howard, Ryan Tillema, Avery Smith, J'Nathan Bullock and either Josh Mayo or Gordon Hayward.

Too soon to say on Player of the Year although I would think Howard is the leading candidate. Hayward probably has the Newcomer of the Year already locked up. Terry Evans should repeat as Defensive Player of the Year, and Tillema is probably the Sixth Man of the Year, but he's really a starter, so maybe James Eayrs of UWM.

SPEAKING OF JAMES EAYRS...

Bonus Question: I know you cover UWGB and the Packers, but who wins in a fight: Ditka or Big Lumber?

Rob Demovsky:  Well I am originally from Chicago, so I'd have to say Da Coach, but ...

Actually someone told me Eayrs' mom wouldn't let him play football because she was afraid he'd get hurt (my guess is he would have done the hurting), but I don't know if that's true. I'll say this, for a big guy, he's kind of a gentle giant. He's got soft hands and a great touch. The first time I saw him play, I thought no way can this guy play. I certainly don't think that now.


Thanks for all the questions. If anyone ever has a question about UWGB or the Horizon League feel free to contact me at rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com, and please read the Green Bay Press Gazette.