1. Valparaiso 7-2
Cleveland State 7-2
3. Butler 6-3
Youngstown State 6-3
Milwaukee 6-3
6. Detroit 4-5
Wright State 4-5
8. Green Bay 3-6
9. UIC 2-7
10. Loyola 0-9

The Cleveland State Vikings once again looked liked the front-runner for the Horizon League championship as they dominated in nearly every facet of the game in their 78-68 victory over Green Bay tonight at the Wolstein Center. The win moves CSU's record to 16-4 on the year and 6-2 in the conference. They are now tied with Valparaiso and Milwaukee in the standings with the Panthers visiting Cleveland in a key league match-up on Sunday afternoon.

CSU's hot shooting (51%) and edge on the glass(43-23) helped offset a disparity at the free line that saw the Phoenix go to the line 30 times and an uncharastic 21 turnovers committed by CSU. Leading the way in the offensive attack was senior shooting guard Trey Harmon who scored 19 points. Freshman Anton Grady collected his first career double-double in the win posting 10 points while grabbing 13 balls of the glass. Junior Tim Kamczyc continued his solid play connecting on all four shots he attempted and finished off with 12 points.

The Vikings now turn their attention to Milwaukee who comes into town on a low note losing a tough contest to Youngstown earlier this evening. The winner will have a share of first place and CSU knows the importance of protecting its home floor as it will have to travel to Wisconsin next month on a return trip. Tip-off for the first-place showdown is 2:00 pm on Sunday.

The Cleveland State athletic department is putting forth its best effort to have a nice crowd come out for their clash with Green Bay on Friday. The college will be giving away free pizza to the first 200 students in hopes to spur a nice crowd to cheer on the Vikings in a game that will be televised by ESPNU. @accesscsuhoops Tweeted earlier:

Hey students, don’t miss the free pizza party for the first 200 students @ the game this Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU....

Students also get free admission to every home game.

The CSU Alumni Association is also getting in on the act in trying to get a nice gate for the game. Graduates of CSU will be eligible to claim a free ticket and hot dog in a pregame networking event at CSU Hoopy Hour that also features bargain basement $2 draft beers. You can RSVP to the Alumni Association's Viking Night Out by calling 216-687-2078.

CSU Basketball News and Notes

Cleveland sports teams have a list of miscues that have legendary nicknames like The Drive, Fumble, and The Shot. The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee may soon have their own mistake that will live in infamy called the Disney on Ice Debacle. The Panthers administration, who have to rent the US Cellular Arena off campus for home games, will lose the right to host the Horizon League Conference Tournament's quarterfinal and semifinals even if their team wins the regular season title because the arena booked Disney on Ice for the dates the tournament will be played on.

The Milwaukee miscue now gives an even greater chance for CSU to host the Horizon League tournament in March. The Vikings can either win the Horizon League regular season or finish in second place to the Panthers and host a large portion of the event at the Wolstein Center giving the Vikes a much better chance at playing in the "Big Dance" later that month. Mickey Mouse is probably just another hated rodent in many Milwaukee households right now.

Any sensible Cleveland State basketball fan knew that the Vikings road trip to Indiana was a tough row to hoe. No team in Horizon League basketball history has been able to defeat both Butler and Valparaiso on a single road swing and the amazing statistic is still true today as Valpo knocked off the Vikings 72-66 in Valparaiso, Indiana.

The undoing for the Vikings stemmed from the hot shooting by the Crusaders who shot an eye popping 60% from the field against a normally stingy defense. The shooting success propelled Valpo to a tie for second place in the conference.

"We were able to get a split on this trip and that's not a bad thing. If we were able to sweep these two games, that would have been special. Now, we get to go home where we have to take care of business next weekend," CSU head coach Gary Waters said following the loss that would have given his team the inside track to the conference title.

The Vikings return home for a set of big home games this weekend. On Friday, CSU hosts Wisconsin Green Bay. The game against the Phoenix tips off at 8 pm and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Sunday afternoon features a matinee match-up with first place Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Join fellow Vikings at the Wolstein Center on Friday, January 20 for the monthly happy hour celebration, TGIF Viking Night Out. Cheer on the men's basketball team against Green Bay, and enjoy an evening of fun, friends, and giveaways. This month, the TGIF event will be held at Hoopy Hour, located near section 125 in the Wolstein Center. All attendees will receive one free game ticket and hot dog voucher.

COST: Free to attend.*

Hungry? All young alumni will receive a voucher for one free hot dog. Discounted drinks and additional food will be available at Hoopy Hour.

* What's a party without gifts? Don't forget to bring business cards to enter to win CSU door prizes.

*** Count Me In! RSVP by contacting 216-687-2078 or emailing alumassoc@csuohio.edu.***

*Game ticket and one free hot dog voucher included for all young alumni (graduates of 2001-2011). All other alumni and guests can attend at a cost of $5, which includes game ticket and hot dog voucher.

**To receive free game ticket and hot dog voucher, you must RSVP by Thursday, January 19.

Cleveland State (15-3, 5-1 HL) at Valparaiso (11-7, 4-2 HL)
Date: Sunday, January 15, 2012
Time: 2:35 p.m. EST
Location: Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000)- Valparaiso, Ind.
Radio: WHK 1420 AM (Cleveland) & WHKZ, 1440 AM (Warren) (Al Pawlowski)
TV: None Live. Video stream available on Horizon League Network
Series: CSU leads, 28-9
Last Mt'g: @CSU 76, Valpo 65 (2/3/11)
Line: Vikings -1

The Cleveland State Vikings will look to continue their road success bringing their nation leading 8 road wins to Valparaiso in a Horizon League showdown. CSU is coming off a huge road win against Butler in Indianapolis on Friday night and if they are able to prevail against the Crusaders on Sunday afternoon it will be the first time a team in the conference has managed to sweep teams in Indiana since Valpo joined the league last decade.

The Crusaders sit in a third place tie in the conference and are coming off a double digit home win against Youngstown State. The Penguins are the only team to defeat CSU in the Horizon this season and did so at home on New Year's Eve.

Australian import Ryan Broekhoff stars for Valpo and is currently second in the conference in scoring at 15.2 ppg and also leads the league in rebounding bring down 9.3 boards a contest. The Crusaders also boast the leading scorer in the conference as Kevin Van Wijk tallies 15.5 points per game. How the home team will handle CSU's pressure defense will be the deciding factor in the game.

Tipoff is set for 2:35 pm and can be seen online for free on the Horizon League's website.