#HLMBB Weekly Notebook - February 12
#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Release
INDIANAPOLIS – There are only three weeks left in the #HLMBB season and we are exactly one month away from crowning a new men’s basketball tournament champion at Little Caesars Arena.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• Northern Kentucky and Wright State will fight for the top spot in the HL standings on national television on Friday as they face off inside the Nutter Center starting at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. The Norse lead the Raiders by one game for first place and both come into the matchup with a pair of wins over the weekend. WSU is 11-2 at home this season, while NKU is just 3-3 away from home during League play. The Norse are ranked No. 24 in the College Insider Mid-Major top-25 poll, while the Raiders are receiving votes.
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis broke the Horizon League freshman scoring record last week, set by UIC’s Dikembe Dixson (2015-16), and now has 640 points this season. He also became the fastest freshman in NCAA history to reach 100 3-pointers, doing so in just 22 games, and is still working to break Stephen Curry’s NCAA freshman record of 122 3-pointers in 2006-07. Davis is second in the nation in both total 3-pointers made (108) and points per game (26.7).
• Northern Kentucky’s Drew McDonald recorded his 1,000th career rebound on Thursday in the game’s first possession. He's just the ninth active player in DI basketball and only the sixth in the 40-year history of the Horizon League to reach the milestone.
• Youngstown State is riding a four-game winning streak in HL play for the first time since 2012-13 after picking up a dramatic win at the buzzer over Milwaukee on Thursday and following that up with their best shooting performance of the season against Green Bay on Saturday. YSU is getting it done on the boards as well ranking tops during League play with 37.1 rebounds per game led by Naz Bohannon ranking second in the HL with 8.3 rebounds including 3.5 offensive rebounds per game.
• UIC is in third place in the #HLMBB standings and has won three games in a row heading into their road trip through Northeast Ohio. The Flames are first during HL games in defensive field-goal percentage at 39.1 and blocked shots at 4.5. UIC is also the only team to have three players rank inside the top-15 in scoring with Marcus Ottey (15.6), Tarkus Ferguson (15.0) and Godwin Boahen (14.1).
• Green Bay’s Sandy Cohen III and UIC’s Ferguson are the only players in the Horizon League that rank inside the top-10 in points, rebounds and assists. Ferguson leads the League in assists at 5.4, while Cohen is tied for steals with 1.9.
• #HLMBB teams 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 with Oakland pacing the HL with 252, good for 14th in the NCAA.
• Detroit Mercy’s Davis, Wright State’s Loudon Love and Northern Kentucky’s Drew 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 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. He has moved into 17th place all-time in Horizon League scoring with 1,926. McDonald is one of only nine active players to record 1,900 points and 1,000 rebounds and among active Division I players ranks seventh in double-doubles, ninth in rebounds and 16th in points.
RESULTS
| DATE |
GAME |
RECAP |
| Thursday, Feb. 7 |
Wright State 76, Oakland 62 |
Box Score |
|
Northern Kentucky 97, Detroit Mercy 65 |
Box Score |
|
Green Bay 82, Cleveland State 65 |
Box Score |
|
Youngstown State 72, Milwaukee 71 |
Box Score |
| Saturday, Feb. 9 |
UIC 76, IUPUI 75 |
Box Score |
|
Cleveland State 78, Milwaukee 68 |
Box Score |
|
Youngstown State 96, Green Bay 77 |
Box Score |
|
Northern Kentucky 79, Oakland 64 |
Box Score |
|
Wright State 83, Detroit Mercy 60 |
Box Score |
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
GAME OF THE WEEK
Northern Kentucky at Wright State, Friday, Feb. 15, 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
We have ourselves a clash of No. 1 vs. No. 2 as the Norse travel into Ohio to take on the Raiders on Friday on ESPNU. NKU holds a one-game lead over WSU in the standings and a victory in the previous matchup at BB&T Arena, 68-64, on Jan. 11. Wright State is the top-scoring defense during HL play at 68.5 points and is 11-2 inside the Nutter Center this season. Northern Kentucky is second in scoring defense at 69.5 and also second in scoring offense at 81.2 points, but is just 3-3 on the road during Horizon League play. It will be a battle of the big men as Drew McDonald leads the Norse with 19.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during #HLMBB play and is tops in the HL with 12 double-doubles, while Loudon Love averages 15.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for WSU during League play.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| DATE |
GAME |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live Stream |
| Thursday, Feb. 14 |
IUPUI at Youngstown State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
UIC at Cleveland State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Detroit Mercy at Milwaukee |
8 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Oakland at Green Bay |
8 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Friday, Feb. 15 |
Northern Kentucky at Wright State |
9 p.m. |
ESPNU |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 |
Detroit Mercy at Green Bay |
1 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
UIC at Youngstown State |
6 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
|
Oakland at Milwaukee |
7 p.m. |
ESPN3 |
|
IUPUI at Cleveland State |
7 p.m. |
ESPN3 |