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College Basketball Preview - Horizon League

Thu 3rd, November 2011

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

OUTLOOK: The Butler Bulldogs have played in the last two National Championship Games and their success has shined a light on the Horizon League.

Sure, the team fell in both matchups, but the Bulldogs proved they could play with the best in the business for two straight seasons. They were heavy favorites both years and open this season as the favorite to win the Horizon League.

Times may be changing in the league however, and this season the Bulldogs will have a fight on their hands. Butler lost some key performers from its 28-win campaign a year ago, and will now have to deal with a surging Detroit squad.

The Titans were just 10-8 in-conference last season, but had five players average double figures. All five return for the new season, including Ray McCallum, who is the preseason favorite to claim the Player of the Year award.

Two other schools with the ability to challenge at the top of the standings are the Cleveland State Vikings and the Milwaukee Panthers. The Vikings and Panthers tied Butler last year in the conference standings with 13-5 records and have enough talent to be considered legitimate threats to Butler's reign in the Horizon League.

CHAMPION: Detroit

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Detroit, 2. Butler, 3. Milwaukee, 4. Cleveland State, 5. Green Bay, 6. Youngstown State, 7. Valparaiso, 8. Wright State, 9. Loyola-Chicago, 10. Illinois-Chicago.

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

DETROIT: It is tough to think a team that has played in the last two National Title games is not the best program in its own conference, but that is the case because Detroit has a fully loaded roster of talented scorers, beginning with McCallum. McCallum was the best freshman in the conference a year ago, posting 13.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 4.9 apg. Now a sophomore, the guard should only get better as an unstoppable triple-threat that should cause matchup issues for every team in the Horizon League. Chase Simon also posted 13.5 ppg a year ago for Detroit, and now as a senior, he joins McCallum as the best backcourt tandem in the league. Chris Blake should also be thrown into the mix, after averaging 10.9 ppg as a reserve last year. Detroit also has a strong pairing in the paint in Eli Holman and Nick Minnerath. Holman is more defensive-minded, but he does have some scoring ability. Last year Holman averaged 11.8 ppg, but his 9.6 rpg and 51 blocks is what this team needs more. As for Minnerath, he is a solid entity down low and should continue to be a consistent player for the Titans.

BUTLER: Stars Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack are gone, but the Bulldogs still have enough talent to vie for another league title. Usually Butler has a productive backcourt, but this year's squad will rely more on the talent in the frontcourt. Andrew Smith came on late last season and proved very tough during March, and should continue to improve this season. Expect to see his 8.5 ppg average from last season balloon, and the hope is that he also increases his rebounding production (5.6 rpg). Coach Brad Stevens is also hoping for sophomore Khyle Marshall to come into his own, especially now that he will have a more defined role. As a freshman, Marshall played in all 38 games, but started only three. He posted 5.8 ppg in only 15.2 minutes per matchup, and since his time on the court will increase, so should his numbers. Coach Stevens can rest easy knowing he has a confident guard in Ronald Nored. The veteran does not have much scoring prowess, but his court vision is outstanding and he should be able to lead the show on the floor. While a third Final Four appearance is unlikely, Butler will step on the floor with tons of confidence each and every game.

MILWAUKEE: Just like Butler, the Panthers had to part ways with their top two scorers from last year. Even with the departure of Anthony Hill and Tone Boyle, the Panthers are still stacked and ready for another run at league greatness. Tony Meier will be the team's go-to option down low after posting 12.0 ppg last year. The forward has a nice scoring touch, but the coaching staff would like to see him improve his 4.3 rpg average. Hopefully Kyle Kelm can build off his freshman campaign and give Meier some help in the paint. The true strength of this year's squad will once again be in the backcourt, as taking over for Hill and Boyle will be Kaylon Williams and Ja'Rob McCallum. Both players earned valuable starting experience last year, but took a backseat to Hill and Boyle. However, it is now their turn to run the show and they are eager to get to work. Williams did a little bit of everything last season, posting 8.3 ppg, to go along with 5.6 rpg and 5.4 apg. Williams should improve in each area now that he is more of a leader on the floor. As for McCallum, he is a solid defender, but will need to improve offensively because 7.9 ppg is just not enough if Milwaukee wants to take down the Bulldogs and Titans.

CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings are coming off one of their best seasons in program history, but reaching 27 victories this year might be too much to ask for. The Vikings are talented enough to compete for the Horizon title, but the loss of Norris Cole leaves a huge hole. The guard led the team with 21.7 ppg and 191 assists and there is no one on the roster that can put up those numbers. There might not be a Cole on the roster, but there are a trio of guards that should give the Vikings a great chance to win. First there is Trevon Harmon, who was second last year on the team with 13.2 ppg. Harmon is a solid offensive player and should continue to blossom now that he will likely be the main scoring option. Jeremy Montgomery will likely be the floor general for CSU this year and has the court vision to be a deadly passer, and that was proven by his 63 assists a year ago. However, the biggest player could be someone that did not touch the floor last year in D'Aundray Brown. The guard missed all of last year with a knee injury, but the season prior he was a defensive menace, something Cleveland State will definitely need this year.

GREEN BAY: Brian Wardle has a tough task ahead of him in his first year at Green Bay, as the new head coach will need to rebuild a program that lost its top two players. Alec Brown does return for the new coach, so it is likely the offense will revolve around him. As a true freshman, the center posted 10.2 ppg and 5.6 rpg, and those numbers should only improve this season. The team will need to figure out who will man the guard positions, because right now the team is lacking experience. Steve Baker is a senior, but he started only 14 games last year and is not overly athletic. He does not provide the scoring punch that is needed from the guard position. The hope is that freshman Aaron Armstead can instantly contribute in that regard.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE: There is a lot of work to be done at Youngstown State before this team can even think about competing for a conference title. The team's top scorer from last year is gone. That should only make things tougher for YSU, which totaled just two wins in league play. Damian Eargle is back though, and he should be joined by DuShawn Brooks in the paint. Eargle led the team last year with 6.0 rpg and also contributed 11.3 ppg, which makes him the top returning scorer for the Penguins. As for Brooks, he played a key role off the bench, playing just over 17 minutes a game. His time on the floor will likely increase, as should his production. Stability in the backcourt will likely have to come from one of the younger players, such as Kendrick Perry, who posted nine points per matchup last year as a freshman.

VALPARAISO: The Crusaders put forth a solid effort last year, racking up 12 league wins, but reaching that total this season will be a challenge. Valpo only returns one of its top four scorers from last year and that is Ryan Broekhoff. The swingman tallied 10.3 ppg a year ago and also pulled down a team-best 5.2 rpg. Those numbers should definitely increase this season with him becoming more of a focal point offensively. Broekhoff has the height to battle inside, but he is also a dangerous sharp-shooter, netting 44.8 percent of his three-point attempts. He will not be able to do it all however, so players such as Erik Buggs and Kevin Van Wijk will need to step up their individual efforts.

WRIGHT STATE: The Raiders finished with 10 wins in league play last year, but reaching that total in Billy Donlon's second year as the head coach isn't likely. The top four scorers from last year are gone and the team enters this season with only one senior on the roster, Johann Mpondo, who posted only 3.2 ppg a year ago. There are eight freshmen on the roster and some will have to be thrown into the fire. Look for Tavares Sledge and Reggie Arceneaux to be two of those youngsters to see plenty of minutes, but consistency will be the biggest problem for a young and developing team.

LOYOLA-CHICAGO: The Ramblers were roughed up last year, racking up just seven league wins, and it could be even worse for Loyola-Chicago this time around. There is not much experience on the roster and only two of the four players that posted double figures last season are back for the Ramblers, in Ben Averkamp and Jordan Hicks. Averkamp averaged 12.0 ppg last season and was the team's best rebounder, pulling down 5.3 per matchup. Averkamp will have to handle the load in the paint for Loyola, while Hicks will be the top option in the backcourt. Hicks only played nine games last year, so having him back for a full season will definitely give this team a boost, but not enough to carry them above .500.

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO: The Flames grabbed just two league wins, and finished with only seven total victories, and it is unlikely this year's squad will see a vast improvement. The top two players from a year ago are gone and this year's roster has seven freshman. The coaching staff is hoping for big things from Darrin Williams. The center averaged less than five points per game a year ago, but he is big and strong and should show improvement now that the offense will likely go through him.