Drive to Detroit: Horizon League Stories Gaining National Attention
Lance Rinker
Drive to Detroit is a series that prepares fans for Motor City Madness. Each article will take fans behind the scenes of a team’s journey or preview what fans can expect when they arrive in Detroit.
In this installment of Drive to Detroit, Horizon League Contributor Joey Yashinsky reviews a handful of the Horizon League's men's and women's basketball storylines leading up to Motor City Madness.
Kendrick Nunn is on quite a run
Flip over to SportsCenter on any particular night and you’re likely to see highlights of Oklahoma’s Trae Young. After all, he is leading the nation in scoring at a whopping 29.1 points per game. But take a peek just one spot below and you’ll find Oakland’s Kendrick Nunn putting up some eye-popping numbers of his own.
The senior guard, playing in his first year for Oakland after transferring from Illinois, has scorched the nets to the tune of 25.8 points per contest. Nunn has poured in over 30 points on nine different occasions, including an electric 32-point performance against Michigan State, a club many consider to be the very best in the country.
The lefty Nunn is especially lethal from beyond the arc. He averages 4.58 made 3-point baskets per game, by far the top mark in the nation. Just one other player, Fletcher Magee of Wofford (4.19), boasts an average of better than four triples per contest.
Greg Kampe’s squad has had an unfortunate rash of injuries down the stretch, with starting guards Martez Walker and Brailen Neely both experiencing season-ending injuries. But if there is any player up to the task of replacing that lost production and transforming the Little Caesars Arena scoreboard into a pinball machine during Motor City Madness, it is Kendrick Nunn of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
Can’t stop, won’t stop — Green Bay just keeps on rolling
At the height of Tim Duncan’s hall of fame playing career, TNT broadcaster Charles Barkley began referring to the Spurs’ great as “Groundhog Day.” That movie famously portrayed Bill Murray living the same day over and over again. Time stood still and nothing ever changed. Barkley viewed Duncan’s legendary consistency the same way. Years went by, other players regressed, and Duncan just kept on doing his thing.
Kevin Borseth and the Green Bay Phoenix women can make that very same claim. The more things change around them, the more they stay the same for Green Bay. Currently sitting in first place in the Horizon League with a 12-2 record, the Phoenix are in prime position to capture their 20th-consecutive conference championship.
The rest of the country has taken notice, too. In the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll, Green Bay and its 22-3 overall mark earned a No. 15 national ranking. The Associated Press lists Green Bay at No. 19. The College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Top 25 ranks Green Bay first by a wide margin. Borseth’s bunch grabbed 30 of 31 first-place votes in this week’s poll.
There are a number of highly-talented individuals up and down the Phoenix roster: Jessica Lindstrom, Allie LeClaire, and Karly Murphy — just to name a few. But it is the unyielding defensive tenacity that has made this particular Green Bay group so very difficult to take down. Of 349 Division-I teams, you will find just one that allows less than 50 points per game — Green Bay, permitting a near-unfathomable average of just 46.6 points per game.
It is shaping up as a season to remember for these determined Phoenix hoopers from eastern Wisconsin.
Macee Williams (almost) never misses a shot
Very often in college sports, there is an adjustment period on the court or field for incoming freshmen. The dominance easily displayed in high school becomes a giant mountain to climb at the next level. The speed of the game increases, the athleticism of the opponent doubles, and overall intensity can simply be too much to handle.
Then there is Macee Williams of IUPUI. She decided very early on in her college career that none of those typical hurdles would hinder or slow her down even the slightest bit.
The standout freshman for Austin Parkinson’s Jaguars ranks second in the entire country in field goal percentage, a feat generally reserved for seasoned upperclassmen. Williams has converted an astonishing 66.8 percent of her shot attempts, trailing only Kalani Brown of Baylor (67.0%). There are few shots more reliable in college basketball than Macee Williams in the painted area for IUPUI.
The individual accolades for Williams have also translated to magnificent team success. IUPUI’s record stands at a sparkling 19-6 and 11-3 in the Horizon League. That’s good for second place in the 10-team conference. The Jags’ longest losing streak this year? One. In not a single instance has Williams and outstanding senior guard Danielle Lawrence allowed their team to drop consecutive ballgames.
Such consistency mirrors the glowing field goal percentage of Williams. She might miss a shot here and there, but chances are, the next one is going in.
And probably the one after that, too.
Northern Kentucky looking for a repeat performance
Last March, the Northern Kentucky Norse found a groove at Joe Louis Arena and took home the Horizon League tournament championship. Lavone Holland II was voted MVP, Drew McDonald rained a bunch of 3s, and a vocal traveling fan base pushed the Norse to the apex of Horizon League hoops.
The question now: Can they do it again?
History suggests that going back-to-back in the Horizon League is anything but a picnic. Over the last 15 tournaments, just twice has the returning champion successfully defended its crown — Milwaukee in 2006 and Butler in 2011. Other than that, the squad that’s entered the dance holding the hardware has been forced to leave empty-handed.
Fortunately for Norse head coach John Brannen, this year’s team looks to be hitting its stride at precisely the right time. Entering tonight’s showdown at second-place Wright State, the conference-leading Norse are riding a five-game winning streak and have dropped just two Horizon League games in 14 contests. NKU also showed during the non-conference slate that it can play with any school in the country, leading then No. 8 Texas A&M on the road late in the second half before ultimately coming up just short.
The competition for the men’s title at Motor City Madness will be undoubtedly fierce. A number of teams will invade the city of Detroit with a genuine belief that they are kings of the Horizon League jungle. But in order to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.
For now, the Norse still have those championship belts wrapped firmly around their waists.
And they hope to keep wearing them for another 12 months.
MOTOR CITY MADNESS
The 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship will take place March 2-6 at state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased now at campus box offices or at HorizonLeague.com.
Drive to Detroit series
1: The District Detroit
2: College Hoops Invades Little Caesars Arena
3: #HLWBB Garners National Acclaim as League Play Tips Off
4: A Visitor's Overview
5: Five Awesome Spots to Eat During Motor City Madness
6: Horizon League Schools Making an Impact in the Detroit Community
7: Metro Detroit Talent Takes the Stage at Motor City Madness
8: A Midpoint Look Ahead to Motor City Madness
9: Motor City Madness Esports Championship
10: Horizon League Stories Gaining National Attention