Following the first full week of college basketball action, it seems like a good time to begin the weekly Horizon League Power Rankings. After about a week and a half of play, the Horizon League comes in at 19-12, which doesn’t include the Non-Division I opponents because, well, those wins just don’t tell us a whole lot.
You’ll find that after the first week and a half some surprise teams occupy spots near the top and bottom of the league.
In descending order…
10. Valparaiso (2-1)
Recent Results: Beat Indiana-Northwest 111-64, Lost to Kansas 79-44, Beat Purdue-North Central 98-44
One of two teams in the league without a Division I win, the Crusaders have shown that they have an explosive offense. Holding Kansas under 80 is, at worst, a moral victory. The question is: do the Crusaders have the capable bigs to keep up with the Eli Holmans of the Horizon League? Giving up 34 points to Kansas’ Morris twins isn’t a good sign. Coach Homer Drew is hoping that F Cory Johnson can come back quickly from plantar fasciitis in his foot and be a factor on the offensive AND defensive end come conference play. Don’t expect to see Valpo in this spot as early as next week.
Up Next: Tuesday at Ohio
9. Detroit (1-2)
Recent Results: Lost to New Mexico 63-54, Lost to Syracuse 66-55, Beat Indiana Tech 93-62
The Titans are the other team without a Division I victory. Though they lost their first two games of the season, they showed signs of being a very good defensive team. Eli Holman has been an absolute beast early on with averages of 17.7 PPG, 10 RPG and shooting 59% from the field. I don’t expect Detroit to toil in the bottom half of the league for long as their schedule becomes far less difficult following their game in Starksville tonight.
Up Next: Monday at Mississippi State
8. Wright State (Record: 2-1)
Recent Results: Lost 67-44 to Indiana, Beat Northwood 75-55, Beat Southern 66-43
The Raiders have experience at the guard position, which is the main reason it would be no surprise to see them finish in the top 6 of the league. However, since they’ve only played three games, they only have one win against a Division I opponent, and were destroyed on the boards by Indiana. Their achilles all season will be their lack of depth and size up front, but as long as Vaughn Duggins is in the game, the Raiders have a chance.
Up Next: Tuesday vs. Oakland
7. Green Bay (2-2)
Recent Results: Beat Minnesota-Duluth 75-36, Lost to Marquette 89-69, Lost to San Diego State 79-70, Beat Miami (OH)
The Phoenix showed their potential in the first 10 minutes against San Diego State, but completely imploded in the final 30. A lack of depth on the roster could come to haunt them as it did in a grueling battle against the Aztecs, but the talent is there. Troy Snyder has been a pleasant surprise, and senior guards Bryquis Perine and Rahmon Fletcher will give the Phoenix an chance in every game, evidenced by their victory over the Redhawks of Miami.
Up Next: Monday vs. IUPUI
6. Youngstown State (2-1)
Recent Results: Beat Samford 64-61, Beat Buffalo 64-53, Lost to Akron 91-84
The Penguins have probably peaked in our power rankings, but their victories over Samford and Buffalo are solid wins. There are so many unknowns with the Penguins, but one thing is for sure, the new group of guys are not quitters. Devonte Maymon has been a pleasant surprise so far, and Vytas Sulskis has been the veteran presence they need. The news isn’t all good. The Penguins are not well suited to sustain the success over a grueling conference schedule.
Up Next: Wednesday vs. Toledo
5. UIC (3-2)
Recent Results: Lost to Pitt 97-54, Beat Roosevelt 94-54, Beat Toledo 57-51, Lost to Charleston 78-66, Beat Rhode Island 74-68
After an uninspiring first four games of the year, the Flames posted a very impressive victory over the Rams of Rhode Island. Expect an up and down first season for Coach Howard Moore as he tries to figure out who will stick around next year. Forming rotations with a bunch of guys who you’ve only known for a couple months has to be incredibly difficult, but fortunately for Coach Moore, he has veterans Robo Kreps, Zavion Neely, and Paul Carter at his disposal. The Flames will be a tough opponent for any Horizon League team.
Up Next: Wednesday vs. Central Michigan
4. Milwaukee (3-2)
Recent Results: Lost to Portland 80-60, Lost to Florida Atlantic 85-76, Beat UC-Davis 73-62, Beat Niagara 90-73, Beat Northern Iowa 65-63
A lackluster start to the year could have put the Panthers at or near the bottom of these power rankings. But after a couple of really solid wins, things are looking up in Milwaukee. Tone Boyle has found his stroke, and the Panthers have gotten a ton of energy from sophomore G Lonnie Boga and newcomer Ryan Allen. Milwaukee has a tough week ahead, but against an extremely athletic Marquette team, their depth COULD be the key to a monumental upset.
Up Next: Tuesday vs. Western Michigan
3. Butler (2-1)
Recent Results: Beat Marian (Ind.) 83-54, Lost to Louisville 88-73, Beat Ball State 88-55

Bulldog fans are hoping Shelvin Mack doesn't have to shoulder all the burden in their march towards madness.
This might be the lowest you’ll see Butler all year, but there are some legitimate concerns with this team. Their loss at Louisville should absolutely not be considered a bad loss, but it revealed that this team might struggle to find scoring at times. If Matt Howard can’t stay out of trouble, Butler is essentially putting all their hopes on Shelvin Mack to score. My bet is that someone (Shawn Vanzant?) will emerge to be a consistent threat on the wing opposite Mack, so no need to panic…yet.
Up Next: Tuesday at Siena
2. Cleveland State (5-0)
Recent Results: Beat Bryant 71-57, Beat Iona 78-68, Beat Kent State 69-66, Beat Urbana 83-49, Beat Louisiana-Lafayette 60-55
The first of two undefeated teams in the Horizon League, the Vikings are fully capable of continuing that trend through the first 12 games of their season. Behind spectacular point guard play from senior Norris Cole, Cleveland State hopes to pile up non-conference wins in a fairly weak non-conference schedule. The Vikings have gotten quality minutes from junior F Aaron Pogue and have all the potential to be the last time standing come conference tournament time.
Up Next: Tuesday at Akron
1. Loyola (5-0)
Recent Results: Beat Eastern Kentucky 73-57, Beat Indiana State 86-74, Beat UT-Pan Am 79-57, Beat Eastern Illinois 73-62, Beat Western Michigan 82-64
The Ramblers’ schedule is littered with weaker non-conference opponents, but you simply cannot dismiss Loyola’s average margin of victory so far. On average, the Ramblers have beaten their opponent by 15.8 points per game. That is remarkable against any 5 opponents, and when looking further into what’s behind their success…why is everyone so surprised? Returning their entire starting lineup from a year ago has been key to their success early as Jordan Hicks has been a man among boys with a true shooting percentage of 71.5%.
Up Next: Monday vs. Alcorn State
Filed under: Horizon League | Tagged: Aaron Pogue, Bryquis Perine, Butler Bulldogs, Cleveland State Vikings, Cory Johnson, Detroit Titans, Devonte Maymon, Eli Holman, Green Bay Phoenix, Homer Drew, Howard Moore, Lonnie Boga, Loyola Ramblers, Matt Howard, Milwaukee Panthers, Norris Cole, Paul Carter, Rahmon Fletcher, Robo Kreps, Ryan Allen, Shawn Vanzant, Shelvin Mack, Tone Boyle, Troy Snyder, UIC Flames, Valparaiso Crusaders, Vaughn Duggins, Vytas Sulskis, Wright State Raiders, Youngstown State Penguins, Zavion Neely | Leave a comment »
Milwaukee Pro-Am cures withdrawal
D
etractors call it unorganized, pick-up nonsense. It’s not basketball so much as it’s the And One Mixtape Tour. Is it true? Partially. The dunks are frequent, the pace is frantic at times, and the defense is a little lax. But the fact of the matter is this: if you are a college basketball fan of Marquette, Milwaukee, Green Bay or in general, there is no reason you should be sitting at home on your couch instead of attending the Milwaukee Pro-Am.
Jim Ganzer’s inaugural smash is better than advertised. I came in expecting to see a lackluster all-star game with no one putting forth the effort. Of the four games I saw today, not one lacked the heart of a college basketball game. The best part about the Pro-Am, for the fan, is that this isn’t the Bradley Center, the Resch Center or the Cell. This is Homestead High School, where the two gyms provide extremely close proximity for the price of admission (a whopping free). Fans are on top of the action, and the action is excellent.
Meier is working on conditioning and defense this off-season
There are three days left, August 4th and 6th at Homestead lead up to the culmination, a tournament on Sunday August 8th at the Al McGuire Center. I would recommend making it on Wednesday the 4th and Sunday, because even I won’t be there on Friday the 6th; there’s no way I’m missing the Joah Tucker Charity Game (details coming soon). Now, some notes on Panthers and other players at the Pro-Am on Saturday:
– James Haarsma, for lack of a better word, is a beast. 6’7” he is not; I would hazard a guess and say he’s much closer to 6’4”. But he’s wide in the shoulders, extremely strong, and fights for everything on the court. His hustle in the Pro-Am, where you wouldn’t expect the effort, gives me good feelings about the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons with Haarsma at the power forward slot. He has a nice, quick jumper that he can hit from the mid-range. I didn’t see him take a three, but there’s more Pro-Am to come!
– Tony Meier is stronger than he was last year, when he struggled in his sophomore season after a stellar freshman campaign. He still has the sweet outside shooting touch, canning a wide-open three that broke the back of the opposing team, led by Jarvis Williams of Green Bay. Meier definitely improved on his conditioning, as he played the full game without coming out. A funny moment came in garbage time when several dunks in succession by both teams were followed by a lay-up by Meier, who was chided by Lonnie Boga from the stands that he was “Breaking the flow.” The next time down the court, Meier threw down an excellent jam that got a standing ovation from the Panther section.
– Ricky Franklin played most of the summer with NBA players and prospects, and it shows. Rick played the point flawlessly for the Athletico team, dishing out several assists and feeding the monster that Darius Johnson-Odom has become. His play is more crisp, and he looks the part of a pro point guard. A long pro career awaits him, most likely overseas.
– Jarvis Williams, the Junior College transfer from Green Bay, will be their best player this season not named Bryquis Perine or Rahmon Fletcher. He is extremely athletic, although he does not have much size to him and may have difficulty banging in the block with big Horizon League opponents. Should the Phoenix find a decent post player to take eyes away from Williams, watch out – he can jump out the gym, has an all right shot and hustles as much as Haarsma.
No Milwaukee Pro-Am next weekend, as it’s an off week. The final two days at Homestead will be Wednesday the 4th and Friday the 6th. The championship tournament will be Sunday the 8th at the Al McGuire Center.
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Filed under: Commentary, Green Bay, Milwaukee | Tagged: Al McGuire, Darius Johnson-Odom, Green Bay Phoenix, James Haarsma, Jamil Wilson, Jarvis Williams, Jim Ganzer, Joah Tucker, Larry House, Lonnie Boga, Loyola Ramblers, Marquette, Marquette Golden Eagles, Milwaukee Panthers, Milwaukee Pro-Am, Quemont Greer, Ricky Franklin, Tony Meier, Vander Blue | Leave a comment »