2010 Horizon League Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/01/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 31st annual Horizon League Tournament will tip off on Tuesday and once again the regular-season title belongs to the 15th-ranked Butler Bulldogs. Butler, which currently owns an 18-game winning streak, has either won or shared the last four regular-season titles. Butler was clearly the top team in the conference from start to finish and posted just the fourth-ever undefeated showing in the conference's history by going a flawless 18-0 against league foes.

Because of their success, the Bulldogs have earned a bye into the semifinals, and they will be joined by Wright State, which claimed the second seed in the tournament with a 19-11 overall mark, which includes a 12-6 ledger in league play. The Raiders hit their stride down the stretch, winning eight of their last 11 contests and they will try for their first league title since 2007.

The rest of the teams will have to duke it out in first round action on Tuesday. All four games in the first round will be hosted by the higher seeds, beginning with a matchup between Cleveland State and Loyola-Chicago.

The fifth-seeded Vikings claimed the tournament title a year ago, but took a couple steps back this season, finishing just 15-16 overall and 10-8 in Horizon action. The Vikings were unable to produce at a high level offensively this season, and finished just sixth in the conference in scoring (68.6 ppg). The Vikings are led by guard Norris Cole, who is pacing the team with 16.4 ppg and 130 assists. Jeremy Montgomery comes into the tournament helping out with 12.7 ppg, while Trevon Harmon is posting 11.0 ppg.

The Ramblers stumbled throughout most of the season and enter the tournament with a 14-15 overall ledger, which includes a meager 5-13 clip in league action. Loyola has not played its best basketball down the stretch either, as the team has suffered eight losses in its last 10 games, and that includes a four-game slide. Loyola lost both matchups against Cleveland State this season, and that includes a 62-57 setback to the Vikings at the Wolstein Center back in January. The Ramblers have been offensively challenged this season, finishing ninth in the league with 64.8 ppg. Terrance Hill has paced the team with 11.6 ppg on the season, while Geoff McCammon is posting 11.1 ppg.

Another of the first round matchups will pit the third-seeded Green Bay Phoenix against the 10th-seeded Youngstown State Penguins. The Phoenix got the better of YSU twice this season, and pounded the Penguins by 14 points in Youngstown.

The Phoenix closed out their regular season with an 87-71 victory over Loyola- Chicago. With the win over the Ramblers the Phoenix claimed their 20th victory, marking the second straight season the team has reached the 20-win plateau. Green Bay finished the year with five wins in its last seven games and was paced by Rahmon Fletcher throughout most of the season, as the guard comes into this tournament averaging 16.6 ppg. Bryquis Perine is contributing 13.2 ppg on the year, and is also leading the team with 120 assists.

The Penguins collected just two wins in league play and finished with just eight victories overall, which is why the team comes into this postseason tournament as a 10th-seed. YSU posted just two victories on the road this year, so claiming a victory in Green Bay could be a tough task for the Penguins. Youngstown State has lost its last nine games, and has claimed just one victory in its last 14 contests. Offensively the Penguins have been nothing special, netting just 66.7 ppg, while being led by DeAndre Mays, who is posting 14.3 ppg, to go along with a team-best 98 assists. Vytas Sulskis and Sirlester Martin are posting 11.4 and 10.1 ppg, respectively, on the season.

Tuesday night will also have the fourth-seeded Milwaukee Panthers hosting the ninth-seeded Illinois Chicago Flames. These two schools closed out the regular season against each other, as the Panthers defeated UIC for the second time with a 78-74 victory.

The win over the Flames in the season finale was the fifth win in the last six games for Milwaukee, which closed out the regular season with an 18-13 ledger that included a 10-8 showing in HL action. The Panthers have been nothing more than mediocre at the offensive end of the floor this season and head into this first round contest netting 69.5 ppg. Ricky Franklin has been the best player on the floor for Milwaukee, leading the team with 15.1 ppg and 3.9 apg, while also collecting 4.1 rpg. James Eayrs has given the team a solid option in the paint, as he is posting 12.7 ppg, to go along with a team-high 5.7 rpg.

It has been a rough year for the Flames, who have been ice cold throughout most of the campaign. Since the start of the new year, the team has lost 13 of its last 16 contests. The struggles throughout the season left UIC with the ninth-seed and a poor 8-21 ledger, that included a 3-15 clip in conference play. Illinois-Chicago finished last in the conference in scoring, netting a meager 62.4 ppg, behind a lackluster 38.9 percent shooting effort. Robo Kreps has been one of the few bright spots for UIC, as the guard is leading the team with 15.0 ppg. Zavion Neely and Jeremy Buttell are both contributing 12.2 ppg on the year, while Buttell is also averaging a team-best 7.5 rpg.

The final first round contest will place the sixth-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders against the seventh-seeded Detroit Titans. The season series between the two schools was split, with both teams winning on their respective home floors.

The Crusaders finished the regular season as the best scoring team in the conference with 73.0 ppg, but Valpo finished last in the league defensively, surrendering 73.8 ppg. Brandon Wood is pacing the Crusaders with 17.5 ppg, while Cory Johnson is posting 15.3 ppg, to go along with a team-best 5.8 rpg. Brandon McPherson has ran the show on the floor for Valpo, as the guard is netting 11.7 ppg, to go along with 3.1 apg. Valpo however, comes into this tournament on a down note, having lost its last two matchups during the regular season.

The Titans might be the seventh seed in the tournament, but Detroit had a successful season, collecting 18 victories. Detroit finished just 9-9 in conference play, but did close the regular season with a three-game winning streak, which should give this squad plenty of confidence heading into this matchup. The Titans are producing 69.6 ppg on the year, but they are not lacking options offensively, as four different players are posting double figures. Chase Simon is leading the team with 14.3 ppg, but he is also grabbing 5.2 rpg to go along with 75 assists. Xavier Keeling is posting 12.5 ppg, while Thomas Kennedy and Eli Holman are contributing 11.6 and 11.3 ppg, respectively. Holman has also done a strong job on the glass, grabbing 8.7 rpg.

The Bulldogs were once again the class of the Horizon League, winning all 18 of their league matchups. Butler is chock-full of offensive talent, but what propelled the Bulldogs over the rest of the conference was their play defensively. Butler is currently tops in the Horizon League in scoring defense, holding opponents to a mere 60.6 ppg. At the other end of the court the team has a slew of players that can rack up the points, beginning with Gordon Hayward, who is leading the team with 15.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Shelvin Mack, who has dished out 95 assists on the season, is netting 13.9 ppg, while Matt Howard and Willie Veasley are contributing 12.0 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. With the top seed, the Bulldogs have a bye to the semifinals, but more importantly the team will also enjoy home floor advantage, which is crucial for Butler considering the team won all 13 of its home games during the season.

Wright State closed out its regular season with two losses in the last three games, including a 68-63 setback to Cleveland State in the season finale. Despite the team's struggles down the stretch, WSU still earned the second seed in the tournament after going 12-6 in league play. Overall, the Raiders won 19 games and relied on their play defensively, holding opponents to just 61.0 ppg. Offensively the Raiders have been paced by Vaughn Duggins, who is posting 14.5 ppg. Todd Brown is contributing 13.1 ppg for Wright State, which as a whole is producing a mediocre 68.1 ppg.