CSU (17-4 overall, 7-2 Horizon League) leads the Horizon League by a half-game over Valparaiso (14-8, 7-3 HL) and UW-Milwaukee (14-8, 7-3 HL).
The Vikings open the road swing tonight at Youngstown State. And next week CSU travels to Chicago to face the two worst teams in the league. They visit Loyola of Chicago on Feb. 3 and Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 5.
CSU Head Coach Gary Waters says the Vikings can't afford to lose any of these upcoming road games.
"If you lose in these three rounds you can't catch the other guys because they have been to these places and have won," said Waters. "So you put yourself out of the picture."
YSU (11-8, 6-3 HL) is fourth in the Horizon standings, but are only a game back of CSU.
The Vikings are looking to avenge a 73-67 loss to YSU at the Wolstein Center on New Year's Eve. The Penguins are looking for their first regular season sweep of CSU since the 2003-04 season.
"Next to Valpo, Youngstown State may be the best team in our league at running their offense," said Waters. "They have five offensive players that can all score the ball. On any given night any of the five can score 20 points."
YSU has been tough at home in Horizon play and are 4-0 at the Beeghly Center in conference games. They're coming off a 30-point home win over UW-Green Bay last Sunday.
"We're going on the road and make it ugly and fight," said Waters, whose team is 8-2 on the road and are tied for the most road wins in the country. "Our goal is to throw the first punch."
Waters says that YSU's starting backcourt of sophomore Kendrick Perry (14.4 points) and junior Blake Allen (13.6) are "the best (guard) tandem in the league."
He also says that Cleveland native Ashen Ward, a Villa Angela-St. Joseph product, has been a "nemesis" against the Vikings. Ward has been on a tear lately averaging 16.7 points per game over his last seven games.
So what are the keys to beating the Penguins?
"We got to defend," said Waters. "We got to stop their penetration and inside scoring."
Waters says he expects the Penguins to play a lot of zone.
Better team: Just like a year ago, CSU sits in the same spot in the standings (first-place) and has the same record in conference games (7-2) after the first half of Horizon play.
Last year, the Vikings struggled in the second half of the season and finished 13-5, sharing the regular season co-championship with Milwaukee and Butler.
This year CSU is hoping for better results in the second half of the season.
"This is a better team in regards to the team orientation," said Waters. "Everybody is on a similar page. Last year, we knew exactly where the ball was going and who was going shoot it. This year they don't care who gets the wealth."
The bench: Last year, CSU's bench was its Achilles Heel. This year the bench has been much improved.
"We have a better bench," said Waters. "Last year, when I went to the bench you didn't know what you were going to get. This year, you know what you are going to get from Anton (Grady), Charlie (Lee) and Luda (Ndaye)."
BracketBusters: The Vikings will find out who there BracketBusters opponent will be on Monday, Jan. 30.
With the sixth highest RPI (58) among home teams (as of Jan. 27), CSU is in the running for one of the 13 TV games.
ESPNU will host a half-hour BracketBusters show at 6:30 p.m. to announce the 13 TV games.
CSU women's update: For the first time in her nine years as CSU's women's basketball coach, Kate Peterson Abiad's squad has been hit with the injury bug that has lasted all season long.
The Vikings have struggled to a 8-11 record and are tied for sixth in the Horizon at 3-5. They have already used nine different starting line-ups.
CSU will host Detroit (9-11, 5-3 HL) on Saturday afternoon in its annual "Pack the House" game. All tickets for Saturday's game are $1.
A win Saturday, would give Peterson Abiad her 115th career victory at CSU, tying her for the most wins in program history with Alice Khol (1980-91).
News and notes:
* At 17-4, the Vikings are off to the second best start in school history through 21 games. The 1986-87 and 2010-11 teams both opened the season with identical 18-3 records.
* With 86 career wins at CSU, Jeremy Montgomery only needs six more wins to become the winningest player in school history, surpassing Ken "Mouse" McFadden's 91 (1985-89).
* Over his last three games, junior Tim Kamczyc is 15-of-16 (.938) from the field, including making all six three-pointers.
* Freshman Anton Grady has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and is averaging 9.2 points per game in League play.
* CSU recruit Gary Akbar is averaging 18.4 points and 13.2 rebounds for Dayton Dunbar High School, the top ranked Division II program in the state.
Photo: Cleveland State athletics
0 comments:
Post a Comment