#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – February 15

#HLMBB Weekly Notebook – February 15

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#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – There are just two weeks left in the #HLMBB regular season with two teams tied at the top of the standings and the top six teams within three games of each other. This week’s games feature the two teams sharing first place, Milwaukee and Youngstown State, facing off in a battle for the top spot on Thursday, while on Friday the final #HLMBBonESPN regular season matchup will take place between the last two HL tournament champions as Cleveland State hosts Wright State on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU with Jordan Bernfield and Dave Padgett on the call.

#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES

  • Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis is looking to become the most prolific scorer in NCAA history. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year sits second all-time with 3,482 points, 185 away from Pete Maravich’s NCAA record of 3,667. He is the NCAA record holder with 138 consecutive games in double figures and on Jan. 14 broke the NCAA’s all-time 3-point record with a school-record 11 triples and sits at 558 3-pointers in his career. He is also just the second player in NCAA history to amass 3,000 points and 500 assists. On Dec. 1 he became the Horizon League’s all-time leading scoring, surpassing the previous record of 2,914 points set by Loyola’s Alfredrick Hughes (1981-85) and then on Dec. 10 became the 11th player in NCAA history to surpass 3,000 career points.

  • Davis currently leads the nation in scoring (27.7), total points (748), total 3-pointers (129), 3-pointers per game (4.78) and total field goals (245). His 27.7 points on the year would be a Horizon League record, breaking the 27.6 by Loyola's Alfredrick Hughes in 1983-84. This year, he has a League-best 22, 20-point games, 10, 30-point outings and four 40-point outbursts, with the four 40-point games the most since Campbell's Chris Clemons had four in 2018-19. If he gets one more, it would be the most since Gonzaga's Adam Morrison's had five during 2005-06.

  • Davis has been named to eight national awards including the John R. Wooden Award® Late Season Watch List comprised of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor. Other lists this season include: John R. Wooden Award Midseason and Preseason Top 50 Watch List, Naismith Award for the Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason, the Bob Cousy Award for the nation’s top point guard and the Lou Henson National Player of the Year.

  • Youngstown State is the Horizon League’s highest ranked team in the NET with a 20-7 record, setting the school’s Division I regular-season wins mark and also tying the program’s record with 12 conference wins. The Penguins have one of the top offenses in the country ranking top-10 in the nation in points per possession (6th - 1.130), points per game (7th - 83.3), free throw percentage (9th - 77.7) and field goal percentage (9th - 49.2).

  • The ‘Guins are one of the most balanced scoring attacks in the HL as four players are ranked inside the top-15 in scoring led by Dwayne Cohill with 18.1, followed by Brandon Rush with 14.4, Malek Green at 13.8 and Adrian Nelson at 12.9. All four are also ranked inside the top-10 in field goal percentage, while Nelson is tops in the League with 9.9 rebounds per game and 12 double-doubles.

  • MKE pulled its way back to a share of first place in the standings after a pair of hard-fought victories at home over Detroit Mercy and Oakland. Milwaukee is third in the League in scoring at 78.7 points per game as it is seventh in the country in bench points per game at 32.4. The Panthers are also tops in the HL in defensive field goal percentage as they rank third in the nation in blocks per game with 5.8 led by Ahmad Rand who is 18th in blocks per game with 2.2.

  • The Panthers are 9-3 since the calendar turned to 2023 in large part to the rise of BJ Freeman. Over his last 12 games, the Selma, N.C. native is averaging 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game including a 30-point, 11-assist performance against Youngstown State in their first meeting.

  • NKU is the No. 1 scoring defense through the first eight weeks of HL play at 62.4 points per game. The Norse are also tops during League play in steals (9.9) and turnover margin (+6.4). Northern Kentucky is fifth in the country with under 10 steals per contest led by the reigning Freshman of the Year Sam Vinson who is 11nth in the nation with 2.4 swipes per game.

  • Northern Kentucky’s Marques Warrick is the third-leading scorer in the Horizon League with 18.7 points per game and is top-10 during HL play at 18.3 points per game hitting over 2.6 3-pointers per game. Chris Brandon is grabbing 9.4 boards per game against HL opponents including eight double-digit rebound efforts and four double-doubles.
  • The Vikings sit in a tie for third place in the HL, just one game out of first place, after a 2-0 week at home including knocking off Youngstown State and ending its five-game winning streak. CSU is one of the top defenses during Horizon League play ranking top-3 in scoring (70.6), defensive field-goal percentage (43.6), 3-point percentage defense (32.1), steals (7.3) and blocks (3.4).

  • Tristan Enaruna leads the Cleveland State offense that is shooting 46.9 percent from the floor during League play with 17.2 points per game and a 52.6 shooting percentage. CSU is also second in turnover margin as Deshon Parker hold a nearly 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio with over three assists per game.

  • Wright State may be one of the hottest teams in the Horizon League right now having won five out of its last six games, including three in a row, heading into this weekend’s road trip that includes its third #HLMBBonESPN game of the season. WSU is 2-0 this season in nationally televised games but will play its first on the road this season.

  • The Raiders are the No. 2 scoring offense in the Horizon League and 15th nationally at 81.4 points per game led by Trey Calvin who is the No. 2 scorer in the HL at 20.1 points per game, including averaging 20.9 against HL opponents. WSU is one of the most efficient offenses in the country as it is one of only four teams in the country shooting over 50 percent as a team led by four-time Freshman of the Week honoree Brandon Noel who is tops in the League at 61.3 percent shooting and also grabbing a League-best 10.5 rebounds during League play.

  • Oakland’s Jalen Moore is the third-leading scorer during Horizon League play at 20.6 points per game with a League-best 117 made free throws and is also tops in assists per game at 5.8. Moore has nine 20-point games against HL opponents including a 32-point performance at Detroit Mercy in their first meeting. Trey Townsend fills up the stat sheet for the Golden Grizzlies as he is top-10 in the League in points (16.6), field goal percentage (51.7), rebounds (8.0) and blocks (1.1).

  • Earlier this season, Oakland head coach Greg Kampe became the fourth coach in League history to earn 100 Horizon League victories and sits third all-time in HL wins. He is in his 39th season at the helm of the Oakland men’s basketball program. Kampe is the second-longest tenured active coach in Division I, only behind Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 45 seasons) who faced one another on Dec. 6. Kampe’s 673 career wins ranks 13th among active Division I coaches.

  • Purdue Fort Wayne’s Jarred Godfrey has set a pair of program records this season as he is now the all-time leading scorer with 2,068 points and is the career leader in games played with 148. He is the only active player in Division I with 2,000 points, 600 rebounds, 400 assists, 200 3-pointers and 200 steals. This season he is averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in League play, all top-15 in the Horizon League, while shooting a League-high 90 percent from the foul line.

  • RMU’s Kahliel Spear is tied for the League lead with six double-doubles this year as he is averaging 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game during League play and is also No. 2 in field-goal percentage shooting 55.9 percent from the floor vs. HL opponents

  • There have been 29 40-point performances in Division I this season and the Horizon League boasts seven of them. No other conference has more than two. Detroit Mercy’s Davis leads the way with four, posting a season-high 42 twice this season. NKU’s Warrick is tied for the fifth-highest scoring mark this season with 45 against Tennessee Tech followed by Wright State’s Calvin with 44 at Youngstown State and YSU’s Cohill registered 41 on the road at Wright State.
RESULTS
DATE GAME RECAP
Wednesday, Feb. 8 Wright State 103, IUPUI 71 Box Score
Thursday, Feb. 9 Oakland 59, Green Bay 47 Box Score
Milwaukee 94, Detroit Mercy 89 Box Score
Friday, Feb. 10 Youngstown State 81, Purdue Fort Wayne 72 Box Score
Cleveland State 57, RMU 55 Box Score
Wright State 83, Northern Kentucky 65 Box Score
Saturday, Feb. 11 Milwaukee 80, Oakland 77 (OT) Box Score
Detroit Mercy 76, Green Bay 71 Box Score
Sunday, Feb. 12 Northern Kentucky 86, IUPUI 47 Box Score
RMU 71, Purdue Fort Wayne 64 Box Score
Cleveland State 81, Youngstown State 78 Box Score

NIKE #HLMBB PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Wednesday, Feb. 15
IUPUI at Oakland, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)

Thursday, Feb. 16
Green Bay at RMU, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)
Milwaukee at Youngstown State, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)

Friday, Feb. 17
Wright State at Cleveland State, 7:00 P.M. (ESPNU)
Detroit Mercy at Oakland, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)
Northern Kentucky at Purdue Fort Wayne, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)

Saturday, Feb. 18
Green Bay at Youngstown State, 2:00 P.M. (ESPN+)
Milwaukee at RMU, 7:00 P.M. (ESPN+)

Sunday, Feb. 19
IUPUI at Detroit Mercy, 1:00 P.M. (ESPN+)
Wright State at Purdue Fort Wayne, 2:00 P.M. (ESPN+)
Northern Kentucky at Cleveland State, 3:00 P.M. (ESPN+)