#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – January 26
#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – Week 6 of the #HLMBB season features a marquee matchup with two of the League’s top teams facing off this Friday as Wright State welcomes Cleveland State in a nationally televised game on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• This Friday features the third #HLMBBonESPN game of the season and it’s a marquee matchup in the Horizon League as Wright State welcomes Cleveland State to the Nutter Center on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET. The two teams were the co-regular season champions a season ago and both are vying for another title this year as the Vikings sit on top of the HL standings at 9-1, while the Raiders are close behind at 8-3. Last year, these two teams also met on ESPNU in an instant classic with CSU getting the winning on a game-winning dunk as time expired.
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis currently leads the all of Division I men’s basketball in scoring 24.4 points per game, while also leading the country in 3-pointers per game with 4.3. The senior is the nation’s active career leader in scoring average (24.8), 3-pointers per game (3.93) and total points (2,430), while also second in total 3-pointers (385) and third in free-throw percentage (89.1).
• Davis became the program’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season and has moved into third place on the HL’s all-time scoring list with 2,430 points. He also set the Horizon League record for career 3-pointers and now has 385 triples for his career. The two-time Preseason Player of the Year is 43 points away from breaking the HL’s all-time scoring record in League play of 1,481 set by Alfredrick Hughes at Loyola.
• Oakland’s Jalen Moore is back to leading the country in assists after finishing last season as the No. 1 assist man in Division I. Currently, Moore is averaging 8.3 assists per game and has totaled 149 dimes this season, both tops in the nation. He has eight double-digit assist games this season and is tied with his teammate Jamal Cain for the League-lead with eight double-doubles.
• Since returning to Horizon League play on Dec. 30, Wright State’s Tanner Holden has been on a scoring spree averaging 22.6 points over his last nine games as the Raiders are 7-2 over that stretch. Holden is second in the HL in scoring at 20.6 points per game, good for 14th nationally, thanks to leading the country in free throws made with 122. In addition, he ranks third in the League in field-goal percentage at 50.4 percent and adds 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
• Jamal Cain is leading the charge for the Golden Grizzlies as he is averaging 19.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, both ranked inside the top-25 nationally. In addition, Cain is also 20th in the country double-doubles with eight and ranks fifth in the HL in field-goal percentage at 51.0 percent and third in steals with 1.9.
• Three #HLMBB teams are ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll with Oakland leading the way at No. 15, Cleveland State right behind at No. 16, while Wright State is receiving votes.
• A total of three Horizon League men’s basketball players were tabbed to the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball. The list included Oakland’s Jamal Cain and Jalen Moore and also Wright State’s Tanner Holden.
• Cleveland State sits on top of the Horizon League standings at 9-1 and is riding a three-game winning streak heading into its nationally televised contest at Wright State on Friday. The CSU offense as really taken a step forward this season as it is a top-three scoring offense during League play at 75.2, while leading in assists at 17.3 and second in field-goal percentage shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. D’Moi Hodge leads the offensive charge for the Vikings with 15.7 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the floor, while Preseason All-League First Team selection Torrey Patton is averaging 13.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The Vikings defense is also getting it down as it is holding HL opponents to just 41.8 percent shooting from the floor, good for second in the League, while averaging 3.7 blocks and 8.2 steals per game.
• Oakland suffered its first loss in Horizon League play last week but still remains just a half game behind Cleveland State in the standings at 8-1. During Horizon League play, the Golden Grizzlies are second in scoring offense (78.1) thanks to hitting more free throws than any other team and shooting at a League-best 82.1 percent clip from the line. Oakland is also third in scoring defense (66.9) during HL play as it leads all teams in steals with 8.8 and is holding teams to just 26.5 percent shooting from long range. During the non-conference season, the Golden Grizzlies picked up a road victory at Oklahoma State and three victories over teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Top-25 Mid-Major poll.
• Wright State had its seven-game winning streak snapped on a last-second shot but remain 6-2 in Horizon League play after playing short-handed last weekend. The Raiders continue to play well offensively as they are the top scoring offense during Horizon League play at 79.6 points per game. Along with Holden averaging 20.3 points per game in League play, Grant Basile is third in the League with 19.4 points per game and is also fourth in rebounds with 8.4.
• The Horizon League boasts some of the best free-throw shooting teams in the country with five ranked inside the top-25 nationally. Oakland leads the way at No. 6 at 79.9 percent, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 12 at 78.5, Detroit Mercy at No. 15 at 77.8 percent, Wright State at No. 18 at 77.3 percent and RMU at No. 24 at 76.9 percent.
• Purdue Fort Wayne sits at 6-4 in the Horizon League standings thanks to having won five out of its last six League contests. In Horizon League play, the Mastodons are hitting a League-best 9.8 3-pointers per game, rank second in steals with 8.1 and third in assists at 15.4.
• Northern Kentucky comes into the weekend riding a three-game winning streak after defeating its rival Wright State in a makeup game on Tuesday, 73-63. The Norse are now 5-4 in League play with the second-best scoring defense in the League at 67.4 points allowed as they rank 15th in the country in steals at 9.4 per game.
• Milwaukee holds the best defensive field-goal percentage of all #HLMBB teams at 39.5 percent thanks to defending the paint as the Panthers also lead the HL in blocks at 3.9 per game.
RECENT RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Thursday, Jan. 20 |
Wright State 73, IUPUI 45 |
Box Score |
|
Green Bay 70, Detroit Mercy 63 |
Box Score |
|
Milwaukee 88, Oakland 78 |
Box Score |
|
Northern Kentucky 74, UIC 70 (OT) |
Box Score |
| Friday, Jan. 21 |
Purdue Fort Wayne 86, RMU 62 |
Box Score |
|
Cleveland State 64, Youngstown State 61 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Jan. 22 |
Northern Kentucky 60, IUPUI 41 |
Box Score |
|
Oakland 68, Green Bay 61 |
Box Score |
|
Detroit Mercy 71, Milwaukee 58 |
Box Score |
|
Wright State 97, UIC 81 |
Box Score |
| Sunday, Jan. 23 |
Purdue Fort Wayne 82, Youngstown State 71 |
Box Score |
|
Cleveland State 75, RMU 68 |
Box Score |
| Monday, Jan. 24 |
Oakland 104, UM-Dearborn 61 |
Box Score |
| Tuesday, Jan. 25 |
Northern Kentucky 73, Wright State 63 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
UPCOMING SCHEDULE (All times ET)
Thursday, Jan. 27
UIC at Detroit Mercy, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Green Bay at Youngstown State, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Milwaukee at RMU, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Friday, Jan. 28
Purdue Fort Wayne at Northern Kentucky, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Cleveland State at Wright State, 9:00 PM (ESPNU)
Saturday, Jan. 29
IUPUI at Detroit Mercy, 1:00 PM (ESPN+)
Milwaukee at Youngstown State, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)
UIC at Oakland, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)
Green Bay at RMU, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Sunday, Jan. 30
Cleveland State at Northern Kentucky, 12:00 PM (ESPN+)
Purdue Fort Wayne at Wright State, 12:00 PM (ESPN+)