-
Final HLT
10 MKE
4 NKU53
59 -
Final HLT
10 MKE
6 UIC74
68 -
Final HLT
10 MKE
2 VALPO43
41 -
Final HLT
10 MKE
7 DET85
60 -
Final
OAK
MKE86
75 -
Final
UDM
MKE81
74 -
Final
MKE
VALPO61
67 -
Final
GB
MKE80
56 -
Final
MKE
WSU63
69 -
Final
MKE
WSU65
76 -
Final/OT
UIC
MKE105
100 -
-
Final/OT
MKE
OAK70
79 -
Final/OT
MKE
UDM73
69 -
Final/OT
YSU
MKE85
94 -
Final
CSU
MKE62
63 -
Final
MKE
UIC57
71 -
Final
WSU
MKE70
67 -
Final
NKU
MKE58
68 -
Final
MKE
GB74
80 -
Final
MKE
CSU53
62 -
Final/2OT
MKE
YSU87
88 -
Final
BELM
MKE62
56 -
Final
WIU
MKE75
59 -
Final
MKE
OHIO69
71 -
Final
MKE
LUC56
72 -
Final
MKE
MSU83
78 -
Final
MKE
MONT69
75 -
Final
JAX
MKE67
72 -
Final
MKE
SDSU58
81 -
Final
MKE
UCI54
37 -
Final
MKE
ETSU62
86 -
Final
MKE
MEM54
68 -
Final
MSOE
MKE58
88 -
Final/Exh.
CUW
MKE62
77 -
Final HLT
5 MKE X
4 GB61
70 -
Final HLT
8 NKU X
5 MKE69
86 -
Final
UIC
MKE85
98 -
Final
VALPO
MKE80
76 -
Final
YSU
MKE51
87 -
Final
CSU
MKE54
88 -
Final
MKE
GB68
70 -
Final
MKE
DET66
80 -
Final
MKE
OAK93
85 -
Final
MKE
NKU71
75 -
Final
MKE
WSU83
84 -
Final
GB
MKE94
95 -
Final
OAK
MKE82
79 -
Final
DET
MKE80
83 -
Final
MKE
UIC87
62 -
Final
MKE
VALPO56
68 -
Final
MKE
CSU65
62 -
Final
MKE
YSU81
65 -
Final
NKU
MKE67
76 -
Final/OT
WSU
MKE84
82 -
Final
MKE
UM74
65 -
Final/2OT
USD
MKE92
91 -
Final
JUD
MKE74
125 -
Final
MKE
UW68
67 -
Final
SIUe
MKE51
64 -
Final
CMU
MKE78
84 -
Final/OT
DUQ
MKE96
92 -
Final
MKE
MSU63
66 -
Final
TIU
MKE61
85 -
Final
MKE
#18 ND78
86 -
Final
MKE
SC71
65 -
Final
MKE
LIPS71
65 -
Final
MKE
DEN71
58 -
Thurs 7:00pm
PARK
MKE0
0 -
Final/EXH
UWP
MKE54
68 -
Final
MKE
VILLA53
73 -
Final/HLT
MKE
WSU69
63 -
Final/OT/HLT
MKE
GB73
66 -
Final/HLT
MKE
VU74
57 -
Final/HLT
DET
MKE73
83 -
Final
MKE
DET68
62 -
Final
UIC
MKE80
58 -
Final
MKE
CSU50
74 -
Final/OT
MKE
YSU83
88 -
Final
VU
MKE77
62 -
Final
MKE
GB73
63 -
Final
OAK
MKE64
86 -
Final
WSU
MKE64
68 -
Final
DET
MKE73
54 -
Final
MKE
WSU57
73 -
Final
MKE
VU62
75 -
Final
MKE
UIC67
63 -
Final/OT
GB
MKE93
86 -
Final
MKE
OAK84
75 -
Final
CSU
MKE77
49 -
Final
YSU
MKE76
82 -
Final
ASU
MKE54
67 -
Final
NU
MKE62
59 -
Final
MKE
WIS52
78 -
Final
BRAD
MKE67
72 -
Final
UNI
MKE72
83 -
Final
MKE
UMKC84
79 -
Final
JUD
MKE56
89 -
Final
MKE
TTU72
63 -
Final
DEP
MKE80
71 -
Final
MKE
NIU82
69 -
Final
MKE
JMU77
66 -
Final
MKE
SJSU64
61 -
Final
MKE
DAV81
77 -
Final
MKE
LUC72
76 -
Final
MKE
GB46
62 -
Final
MKE
GB61
78 -
Final/OT
MKE
IUPUI95
88 -
Final
UIC
MKE53
64 -
Final
MKE
CSU67
88 -
Final
MKE
YSU80
94 -
Final
LUC
MKE53
71 -
Final
WSU
MKE64
49 -
Final
DET
MKE82
74 -
Final
MKE
VU40
71 -
Final
MKE
LUC65
76
Early, Early, Early Horizon League Predictions
- Updated: July 19, 2010
Over at the Valpo message board, fans of three schools (Valpo, Butler, Milwaukee) have begun discussing the Horizon League’s status from top to bottom. Instead of just diving into the fray myself, why not drive up traffic to PantherU. Unabashed self-promotion!
The general consensus, with few dissenters around the conference, is that Butler is the class of the Horizon League. Losing Gordon Hayward is no small subtraction, but I tend to agree that Khyle Marshall and the rest of the recruiting class will at least partly recover the talent of Hayward and graduates Avery Jukes and Willie Veasley.
So, let’s change things up a bit. Here’s my predictions, bottom to top.

Things aren't looking so hot for Slocum and the Penguins, who sit in the cellar on our early rankings
10. Youngstown State – On the day that Butler wrapped up the Horizon League season by drubbing Wright State, I had YSU pegged as the eighth place team in 2010-11, before the Chicago schools. But the departure of multiple players, including Vance Cooksey, puts them firmly in the conference basement, a place the Penguins are getting far too familiar with.
9. UIC – Easily the most dysfunctional program this side of YSU, Tracy Dildy (head coach-in-waiting) and current head Jimmy Collins went out and took advantage of Paul Carter’s situation. The former Minnesota standout needed to play close to home, and the Flames were willing to oblige. UIC could climb as high as seventh based on the talent of Carter, so long as Zavion Neely matures and gains consistency from the floor and Robo Kreps takes the leadership role that he, by default, owns.
8. Loyola – The Ramblers seem to be a team that, at least from my place, has decent talent and a sub-par game coach. Jim Whitesell took Loyola to a 20-victory season just a couple years ago, but since Blake Schilb graduated has only had marginal success. Last season’s hot start proved to be a red herring, as soft competition padded the Ramblers’ record while other teams got better taking on stiffer competition. Loyola does have a trio of returning guards that are decent (Geoff McCammon, Terrance Hill, Courtney Stanley) but they added no significant pieces. Flavien Davis, the one touted commit the Ramblers had, was a no-show when the Ramblers released their 2010-11 roster last week.
7. Green Bay – As much as I’d like to rate them higher, I just don’t see a team that plans to start Clayton Heuer finishing higher than this in the Horizon League. Much like Wright State, their post presence is unproven. Unlike Wright State, they have legitimate size, led by seven-footer Alec Brown. I’m a Horizon League fan that has been around for some time, so I have memories of 6’11” and taller players in the conference. Apart from Scott Vandermeer from UIC, there’s not a whole lot of talent historically in the Horizon League. Teams seem to get by with shorter, stronger post players that maybe didn’t get into big conferences because of height or other reasons. Green Bay is ahead of the bottom three for the obvious fact that they have proven returning talent that is better than those in Chicago or Youngstown. The pmck may have been exaggerating when he said that Rahmon Fletcher was the best point guard in mid-major basketball, but the Phoenix general is at the very least the third-best returning point guard in the conference. Add in Bryquis Perine and some other talent, and this may be the greatest seventh place team in Horizon League history. The departure of pmck may be a detriment or a boon, but we won’t know until Brian Wardle gets into game action. If he is as good a head coach as he is a community recruiter, they might be even higher on the list.
6. Wright State – Believe me, it just feels weird to call the 2nd-place team from a year ago no better than sixth, but I don’t feel the Raiders are there at this point. Having just added a wing forward, they might be still in the market, but as they stand there just isn’t enough size to justify a higher finish. Every team ahead of WSU has the big bodies to dominate the glass. Vaughan Duggins should be all-conference in what seems like his 19th season in uniform, and N’Gai Evans is pure talent that few teams have. But Evans can be erratic. Until the Raiders emerge with a post presence, I won’t budge on moving them up, same with a rookie head coach.

Brandon Wood led the Crusaders in 2009-10. Can Valpo get to the promised land?
5. Valparaiso – There’s no doubt about it, Cory Johnson and Brandon Wood are the real deal. Homer Drew’s staff did a wonderful job recruiting those guys to take over the team right away, and they benefitted greatly. Their post situation is stronger than WSU and GB, but it’s not a very strong point as the players they are touting are complete question marks. The addition of Jay Harris as a freshman guard will ensure they have pieces in the future, but we don’t know what they can do yet. Wood and Johnson will need a legitimate third heat to move higher. That player could be on the roster now, I do not know. But none of us will until the season starts.

Norris Cole looks to power the Vikings toward a second Horizon League Title
4. Cleveland State – I’ve seen all the recruiting rankings and I hear all about the talent that the Vikings have, but like Valpo and other teams, I just can’t be sold on them until the season starts. Cleveland State happens to be this year’s wild card; the Vikings are predicted by a wide variety of people to be as good as 2nd or as bad as 7th. That’s a wide difference, people. And let’s not forget, this year the top 7 teams in the Horizon League are as strong as they have ever been, so seventh-place isn’t exactly a death sentence. So, I cut the middle-man and figured I’d put CSU here based on returning talent and a little bit of the incoming team. Norris Cole is the best returning guard and can kill a team (as Milwaukee fans learned last season). Jeremy Montgomery doesn’t wow anyone, but he’s at least steady in his skill. Gary Waters is one of the best coaches in the conference, so we can bet that he will have them ready to play.
3. Milwaukee – I didn’t want to seem a homer, but I really do feel the Panthers are this good. Coaching? Every year since his second, Rob Jeter’s team gets better. People around the conference don’t realize the job Jeter did in his 14-16 season of 2007-08. In the post? Anthony Hill is a dominant inside presence, and the Panthers are collectively the tallest team in the conference. Until you get to the end of the bench, there doesn’t seem to be a player Panther fans cringe when they see the sub coming in. And that’s the real strength of the Panthers; undeniable depth. Where teams around the conference have a couple returning guards that were contributors, Milwaukee has Lonnie Boga, Tone Boyle, and Ja’Rob McCallum as solid returning players. On last year’s fourth-place team, Milwaukee did have the now-graduated Ricky Franklin, but they also missed Boyle to injury all season and started junior Jerard Ajami for the majority of the season. This year, between those players, Ajami, and newcomers Kaylon Williams and Ryan Allen, Ajami figures to have a serious uphill battle to get minutes on the court. Williams, who led the Missouri Valley Conference in assists as a freshman for the Evansville Purple Aces, took a year in community college and assumes the role of starting point guard for a Panther team with a plethora of scoring options. Kyle Kelm and Evan Richard are a pair of the most decorated incoming freshmen that Milwaukee has ever recruited, and Kelm is highly rated as a prospect as well. Kelm had interest from dozens of high-major programs and offers from schools such as Marquette before breaking his foot his junior year. Kelm returned to lead Randolph to the Division 4 state title in Wisconsin. The fact of the matter is that while other teams may have more talented players, no team, including Butler, can reach to the end of the bench like Milwaukee can to come up with serious players. In February and March, when the season really gets going, the Panthers will benefit from a conditioned, rested team. Boyle will not need to play 35 minutes a game as he did as a junior in 2008-09. Don’t take my word for it, look at the Panthers’ 9-2 finish last year, when they were a far tougher opponent for Butler in the Horizon League tournament than Wright State was. Make no mistake, spoken by a homer or not, the Milwaukee Panthers are going to be a very tough team in 2010-11.

Ray McCallum Jr. will be the young floor general for his dad's Titans this season
2. Detroit – Where Milwaukee has depth, Detroit has talent. Amazing talent. Ray McCallum Jr. is just one recruiting coup that papa Ray pulled off for the Titans. Eli Holman may be the strongest post player in the Horizon League with the biggest pro upside. Chase Simon is, plainly said, a scorer. This season, Chase Simon will return as the Titans leading scorer, and then you give him a parent-coached point guard that was 11th-best overall recruit in the country? Yikes. Simons might average 20 this season. Still, they’re not quite over the top; Woody Payne is far less a loss than is Xavier Keeling. Keeling would have been the perfect third guard in this year’s Titan lineup, but left when it came out that Ray Jr. was coming. Keeling does like playing with the ball in his hands, but is a decent spot-up shooter and would have put Detroit near the top. Coach McCallum has a very talented team, but they’re not terribly deep and historically are very streaky. They were robbed at Calihan Hall last year against Butler, but the fact of the matter is that while they can play with anyone, they are too inconsistent to put over the top. Which brings us to…
1. Butler – The Bulldogs are the definition of consistency. Coach Brad Stevens pulled off a seamless transition from Todd Lickliter’s departure, and it wasn’t just because he was Lickliter’s assistant. Stevens is a proven winner in his own right, and has a way with young players in recruiting and coaching because he is young himself. Stevens’ success at Butler certainly played a part in the hirings of Brian Wardle at Green Bay and Billy Donlon at Wright State. The cultivation of the Butler Way has a similar albeit contrasting effect to that of Hoya Paranoia in the 1980’s. It’s a cultural phenomenon, something that has taken hold of the city of Indianapolis and the campus of Butler University. Mid-majors around the country, including us in Milwaukee, weep at the sight of the campus community buying into the basketball team wholesale. The fact that I have written a full paragraph without mentioning a single player is a real testament to the Bulldogs’ team first mantra.
The departure of Gordon Hayward is no joke; he was a legitimate lottery pick and went in the Top 10 in this year’s draft. But like Detroit, Milwaukee, and Cleveland State, the Bulldogs had a strong recruiting class. Khyle Marshall figures to step into the starting lineup immediately, and a year of learning will only help Andrew Smith become a dominant force in the post for the Dawgs.
I will put out these early, early rankings with the disclaimer that I feel like from 1-7, any team can win on any given night. Green Bay very well may finish 4th, and Detroit very well may finish 6th. This is just one man’s opinion of where we stand on July 6th.