Horizon League Semifinals

Semifinals Game 1:
Valpo 73
Cleveland State 78

Valpo was very inconsistent throughout the game. They scored most of their points in runs. These runs prevented Cleveland State from pulling away. Cleveland State looked very good throughout the entire game. Their players hit several NBA treys.

It was great to see the large contingent of Valpo fans in the building. The weather in Ohio must have kept Cleveland State fans away.

One final note, for being the first year in the Horizon League Valpo made a statement they belong in the league. Valpo finessed the season 21-13 (9-9). They have the potential to do really well in this league in the future.

Semifinals Game 2:
UIC 50
Butler 66

Just like previous games that Butler has played after a long break between games (7 days in this case). The Bulldogs started off extremely slow. This forced Stevens to use a timeout at the 18:36 mark. In the next 5:16 Graves hit 3 treys and Green had a 2 point layup. This set the stage for the rest of the game.

The one problem the Bulldogs had during the game is rebounding. The Bulldogs were out rebounded 20-12 in the first half. The dawgs caught up during the second half and only trailed in the final talley by 5, 37-32. UIC definitely took advantage of the extra opportunities by scoring 26 second chance points. Butler only scored 4 second chance points.

One a bright note, the Dawgs were 12-27 (44.4%) for trey. Observers have noted that if the Dawgs make 8 or more treys in the game, they win.

During the game Stevens substituted more than he usually does. Veasley got 23 minutes and Campbell got 25 minutes of action. Betko only got 14 minutes of playing time and Howard only got 20 minutes of playing time. Betko was injured near the end of the season. This leads me to ask has the injury come back?

Once the Dawgs built up a big lead, Stevens put in 4 bench players and 1 starter. During this time some of the lead was surrendered. Stevens made the correct response by putting more starters in the game.

My key to the game was not allowing Josh Mayo to score. The Dawgs held him to 5 points (one 2 point basket and 1 trey).

Next up": Cleveland State plays Butler on Tuesday 9:00 at Hinkle for the Horizon League Tournament Championship. The game will be televised on ESPN.