UWGB vs. Cleveland State preview

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Series: The Phoenix leads 36-26 overall but lost both meetings last season.


UWGB update: The Phoenix snapped a four-game losing streak with Saturday's 57-56 comeback victory against Wright State at the Resch Center. It trailed by 17 points with 13 minutes to play. UWGB's last seven games have been decided by fewer than 10 points. ? Since turning 18 on Dec. 30, freshman guard Keifer Sykes has averaged 15.8 ppg over a four-game stretch. ? Alec Brown's 11 blocked shots against Wright State is the most by any player in college basketball this season. Brown ranks in the top-10 in the Horizon League in points (eighth, 13.6 ppg), rebounds (second, 7.9 per game), free throw percentage (sixth, 78.7) and blocked shots (second, 3.2 per game). ? UWGB is 0-9 on the road this season and has lost 11 straight away from home dating to last season. It plays at Youngstown State at 1 p.m. Sunday.




CSU update: The Vikings split a pair on the road last week, beating Butler and losing to Valparaiso. ? They lost Horizon League player of the year Norris Cole, who now plays for the Miami Heat, but got back guard D'Aundray Brown, who missed all of last season because of a hand injury. Brown is one of the top defensive players in the league. He leads the league in steals (2.6 per game). ? Guard Jeremy Montgomery is shooting 51.3 percent (20-of-39) on 3-pointers in Horizon League play. ? The Vikings are 6-1 at home with the loss coming against Youngstown State (73-67) on Dec. 31.

 

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Cleveland State home to face Green Bay and Milwaukee at Wolstein Center

The good news for the Cleveland State men's basketball team is it is home this weekend for a pair of Horizon League games.


The bad news for the Vikings, who host Green Bay at 8 p.m. Friday and entertain first place Milwaukee at 2 p.m. Sunday is the competition.
"This may be the toughest week of the season," said Vikigns head coach Gary Waters. "You always get up for Butler on the road," added Waters of a road win for his team last weekend that was coupled with a loss two days later at Valparaiso.


"But Green Bay is a good team that has size, good guard play, can score and plays defense. The only negative is it is a young team. And Milwaukee is playing with house money. If they lose, they are still in good position and if they win they are in control of the league with just one loss after the first half of the schedule." added Waters.


For Waters and the Vikings, its all about protecting home floor advantage against a Green Bay team that is 3-4 in the Horizon League but took Milwaukee to the buzzer. That is followed by a game with Milwaukee, which takes a league best 6-1 mark toYoungstown State on Friday before coming to the Wolstein Center on Sunday afternoon.
Cleveland State, winners of three in a row and five of six before stumbling to a 72-66 setback at Valparaiso, has four startes at or near the double digit mark in scoring with the surging efforts of Tim Kamczyc, who is now up tp 9.1 points a game after getting 17 in the win at Butler and 18 in the loss to Valpo, which is tied with CSU at 5-2 in HL play.
The others are seniors D'Aundray Brown at a team best 11.8 points a contest, Trey Harmon at 11.6 points a game and Jeremy Montgomery at 10.6.


What has been missing from the CSU attack is consistancy in scoring from start to finish with the Vikings going 6-7 minutes without a basket.
"Our defense has pulled us through, but we need the inside help on offense from Aaron Pogue to return," said Waters, of his senior center, who has been hampered by nagging injuries much of the season.


"We are stronger physically than we have been as a team in the past with the help of (freshman) Anton Grady but we need Aaron if we are going to win this league."

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