#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – December 29
#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – Horizon League play is back this week as the non-conference portion of the season is in the books and #HLMBB play starts on Thursday.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis set the Horizon League record for career 3-pointers earlier this season and now has 365 triples for his career. He currently leads the Horizon League in scoring and is second in the country with 22.2 points per game. The two-time Preseason Player of the Year ranks sixth on the Horizon League’s all-time scoring list with 2,284 points and is 189 points away from breaking the HL’s all-time scoring record in League play of 1,481 set by Alfredrick Hughes at Loyola. The senior is the nation’s active career leader in scoring average (24.6), 3-pointers per game (3.92) and total points, while also second in total 3-pointers and third in free-throw percentage (89.2).
• Jamal Cain is leading the charge for the Golden Grizzlies as he is averaging 21.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and is only one of two players in the country averaging more than 21 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Cain is also tied for the League-lead in double-doubles with five and ranks third in steals with 2.1.
• Three #HLMBB teams are ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll with Oakland coming in at No. 16, while Cleveland State and Youngstown State are receiving votes in the poll.
• A total of four Horizon League men’s basketball players were tabbed to the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball. The list included Milwaukee’s Patrick Baldwin Jr., Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, Wright State’s Tanner Holden and Oakland’s Jalen Moore.
• Milwaukee’s Baldwin continues to impress during his freshman campaign as he is averaging 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game including a 26-point performance in his first Horizon League game of his career. In addition to being named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List, Baldwin was named to the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List and national watch lists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award. The Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection is the highest-ranked high school recruit to ever sign with a Horizon League program, was a consensus five-star recruit and was considered the No. 4 player nationally in the class of 2021.
• Two #HLMBB players find themselves top-20 in the country in assists per game led by Oakland’s Jalen Moore ranking fourth with 7.3 assists per game, while UIC’s Kevin Johnson is right behind him ranking 16th in the country with 6.0.
• The Horizon League boasts some of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country with dour tanked inside the top-25 nationally. Wright State leads the way at No. 10 at 79.1 percent, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 18 at 78.2 percent, Detroit Mercy No. 19 at 78.1 percent and Oakland at No. 24 at 77.4 percent.
• Northern Kentucky leads the Horizon League and is ninth in the country in steals with 10.5 per game led by Sam Vinson with 2.45 per game, good for 13th in the NCAA.
• Wright State features one of the best scoring duos in the HL with two players ranked in the top-5 in points per game with Tanner Holden scoring 19.1 per game and Grant Basile averaging 18.0. In addition, Basile is second in the Horizon League with 9.8 boards per game and Holden is second in field-goal percentage shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
• Green Bay’s Emmanuel leads the Horizon League shooting 56.7 percent from the floor and Lucas Stieber is second in the HL in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.32.
• Milwaukee holds the best defensive field-goal percentage of all #HLMBB teams at 39.1 percent thanks to defending the paint as the Panthers also lead the HL in blocks at 4.73 per game with Joey St. Pierre leading the block party at over two a game.
• Cleveland State will enter this week’s return of Horizon League play next week having won six out of its last seven games with its only loss coming in overtime on the road at Oklahoma State on Dec. 13. The Vikings continue to play well defensively as they rank in the top-3 in the HL in scoring defense, defensive field-goal percentage and steals. However, don’t sleep on the CSU offense as it is the No. 1 scoring offense in the League (74.9) with four 80-point games this season, while leading the HL in field-goal percentage (47.4) and assists (17.4). D’Moi Hodge leads the offensive charge for the Vikings with 14.9 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the floor including a 31-point effort against the Cowboys.
• Oakland has won five out of its last seven games as it heads into Horizon League play after dropping a tough game to Michigan State at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 22. Oakland is the top Horizon League team in the NCAA’s NET rankings, currently sitting at No. 69, after an impressive start to the season that has included a road victory at Oklahoma State and three victories over teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.
• Wright State will come into the return of Horizon League play having won its final two non-conference games including an impressive 84-70 victory over North Carolina State on Tuesday. It marks the second win over a Power 5 team for Scott Nagy at WSU after defeating Georgia Tech on Dec. 22, 2017. Four Raiders scored in double figures against the Wolfpack paced by Grant Basile with 23 points and 14 boards, followed by Trey Calvin with 19 and Tanner Holden with 17.
• Youngstown State has won six of its last seven games dating back to the start of #HLMBB play in early December and the ‘Guins have been getting it down on both ends of the floor. Offensively, YSU ranks second in the Horizon League in both scoring offense (74.3) and scoring defense (66.2) and number one in scoring margin (+8.2). YSU continues to dominate the boards as well ranking tops in the HL in rebounding margin at +5.4.
• RMU won its final non-conference game of the season with a 75-67 win over Saint Francis on Dec. 22. Rasheem Dunn paced the Colonials with 21 points, while Matt Mayers posted a double-double with 16 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting effort and 11 boards. RMU enters this weekend as the No. 1 3-point shooting team in the HL as it is hitting 37.0 percent of its shots from distance.
RECENT RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Wednesday, Dec. 15 |
Akron 66, Wright State 48 |
Box Score |
| Thursday, Dec. 16 |
Chicago State 61, IUPUI 55 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Dec. 18 |
Youngstown State 83, Westminster 54 |
Box Score |
|
Wright State 72, Tennessee Tech 63 |
Box Score |
|
Eastern Kentucky 81, Northern Kentucky 68 |
Box Score |
| Sunday, Dec. 19 |
Detroit Mercy 89, Central Michigan 75 |
Box Score |
|
Bowling Green 100, RMU 74 |
Box Score |
|
UIC 61, Northern Illinois 60 |
Box Score |
| Tuesday, Dec. 21 |
Wright State 84, North Carolina State 70 |
Box Score |
|
Morehead State 80, IUPUI 52 |
Box Score |
|
Michigan State 90, Oakland 78 |
Box Score |
| Wednesday, Dec. 22 |
RMU 75, Saint Francis |
Box Score |
|
Minnesota 72, Green Bay 56 |
Box Score |
|
West Virginia 82, Youngstown State 52 |
Box Score |
|
Indiana 79, Northern Kentucky 61 |
Box Score |
| Thursday, Dec. 23 |
Milwaukee 74, Saint Xavier 52 |
Box Score |
| Wednesday, Dec. 29 |
Youngstown State 96, Defiance 56 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All times ET)
Thursday, Dec. 30
Milwaukee at Wright State, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
RMU at Oakland, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Green Bay at Northern Kentucky, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Purdue Fort Wayne at Cleveland State, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Saturday, Jan. 1
Milwaukee at Northern Kentucky, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)
Green Bay at Wright State, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)
Youngstown State at Oakland, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)