#HLMBB Weekly Notebook - January 15
#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Week four of the #HLMBB season is upon us and Detroit Mercy sits on top of the standings with a 5-1 record, followed by Northern Kentucky just a half game behind at 4-1 and Oakland at 4-2.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• Detroit Mercy won both of its home games last week against Green Bay and Milwaukee to be in first place and will host the Golden Grizzlies on Saturday who are 4-2 in League play and just one game behind in the standings in a Metro Series showdown.
• Northern Kentucky improved to 4-1 in #HLMBB play after a 68-64 victory win against Wright State and are just a half game behind the first-place Titans. Drew McDonald tallied his ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 boards, his 17th double-double in the last 25 games against League foes. The Norse are a perfect 11-0 at home this season with the win and are receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major top-25 poll.
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis has already set the program’s freshman scoring record with 498 points through just 18 games. He ranks third on the Horizon League’s freshman scoring list and is just four points away from passing UIC’s Mark Miller (1995-96) for second place. UIC’s Dikembe Dixson (2015-16) holds the HL freshman scoring mark at 594.
• UIC picked up a pair of wins last week to improve to 3-2 in League play thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers, including tying a program-record with 17 triples against Cleveland State. The Flames are averaging over 12 3-pointers per game in #HLMBB games.
• Detroit Mercy’s Davis is second in the country in scoring at 27.7 points per game as he leads all of Division I with 90 total 3-pointers. Oakland’s Xavier Hill-Mais is also top-25 in the country in scoring at 20.9 points and the only other HL player to average over 20 points per game.
• UIC’s Tarkus Ferguson and Green Bay’s Cohen are the only two players in the Horizon League that rank in the top-10 in points, rebounds and assists. Ferguson leads the League in assists at 5.4, while Cohen is second in steals with 2.1. In addition, Cohen and Ferguson are also top-10 in blocks and minutes played. The two will face off against each other on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in Green Bay.
• Detroit Mercy’s Davis, Wright State’s Loudon Love and Northern Kentucky’s McDonald were selected to the 2018-19 Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List, presented annually to the nation’s top mid-major player in Division I College Basketball.
• McDonald has also been selected to the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Karl Malone Award Watch List, presented to the nation’s top power-forward and one of 30 of candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. McDonald is one of only 14 active players to record 1,500 points and 600 rebounds and among active Division I players ranks fifth in double-doubles, 10th in rebounds and 20th in points. 26 players have scored 1800 points, sits at 1770.
• #HLMBB have been prolific from long range this season as eight out of 10 teams are ranked in the top-100 in total 3-point field goals made per game with Oakland pacing the HL with 10.7, good for eighth in the NCAA. The HL ranks third among all conferences in 3-point field goal percentage and fourth in 3-pointers made.
• Oakland has proved to be one of the best in the nation at holding on to the ball and also sharing it. The Golden Grizzlies are 18th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.47, 11th in assists per game at 17.9.
RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Thursday, Jan. 10 |
Milwaukee 67, Oakland 64 |
Box Score |
|
Detroit Mercy 101, Green Bay 83 |
Box Score |
|
IUPUI 90, Cleveland State 74 |
Box Score |
|
UIC 78, Youngstown State 63 |
Box Score |
| Friday, Jan. 11 |
Northern Kentucky 68, Wright State 64 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Jan. 12 |
Youngstown State 82, IUPUI 76 |
Box Score |
|
Detroit Mercy 93, Milwaukee 84 |
Box Score |
|
Oakland 90, Green Bay 78 |
Box Score |
|
UIC 73, Cleveland State 56 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
GAME OF THE WEEK
Oakland at Detroit Mercy, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Metro Series rivalry between Detroit Mercy and Oakland has even more on the line this time around as the Titans are in first place, but the Golden Grizzlies are just one game behind at 4-2 during League play. Freshman Antoine Davis leads the League in scoring at 27.7, but right behind him is Oakland’s Xavier Hill-Mais averaging 20.9 points per game and Jaevin Cumberland with 17.3. These are also two of the top 3-point shooting teams in the HL as they both average over 10 triples per contest with Oakland shooting 41.8 percent and Detroit Mercy shooting 38.0 percent from behind the arc.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live Stream |
| Thursday, Jan. 17 |
Northern Kentucky at Cleveland State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Wright State at Youngstown State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
UIC at Milwaukee |
8 p.m. |
Fox Sports Wisconsin |
|
IUPUI at Green Bay |
8 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Jan. 19 |
UIC at Green Bay |
1 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Oakland at Detroit Mercy |
2 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Northern Kentucky at Youngstown State |
6 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
Wright State at Cleveland State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
IUPUI at Milwaukee |
7 p.m. |
ESPN3 |