Damon Lewis, a reporter and play-by-play announcer for the Horizon League Network, is RTC’s Horizon League correspondent.

1. Milwaukee  (3-0,  7-5)
2. Butler  (2-0, 11-1)
3. Green Bay  (2-0, 9-4)
4. UIC  ( 1-1,  8-4)
5. Valparaiso  (1-1,  4-9)
6. Cleveland State  (1-2, 10-5)
7. Wright State (1-2, 7-7)
8. Youngstown State  (1-2, 4-8)
9. Loyola  (0-1, 8-5)
10. Detroit  (0-3, 4-8)

I’m feeling a little prophetic since the last time we checked in on the Horizon League.  All I’ll say is that the developments don’t bode well for the Horizon League’s two-bid aspirations.  But, it does speak to the level of competition that teams face night in and night out in the Horizon League.  Before we get into some team-by-team breakdowns, lets take a quick look at the league as a whole, which has enjoyed a successful non-conference season.

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Bad Santas. Portland St. 77, Gonzaga 70. Santa Claus made an early visit to the environs of Cincinnati, OH, and Spokane, WA, tonight, but instead of leaving toys and treats for the tots of Xavier and Gonzaga Universities, respectively, he left a couple of lumps of coal and another undisclosed brownish substance in their stockings.  AP #7 Gonzaga and AP # 14 Xavier, both coming off of devastating Saturday losses (in different ways), were unable to shake off their hangovers from losses to UConn and Duke and instead dropped home games tonight that sent shocks throughout mid-major America.   The more surprising upset of the two took place out west, where Gonzaga was thoroughly outplayed by the scrappier, guttier Portland St. Vikings.  PSU was led by 5’6 Jeremiah Dominguez, who hit seven threes for a sick line of 25/6/5 assts.  Yes, a guy shorter than you outrebounded all but Gonzaga’s 6’11 Austin Daye (9 boards) and 6’10 Josh Heytvelt (8) in this game.  Portland St., who has losses to Hampton and Cal Poly on its resume, never wavered in the face of the superior athleticism and size of Gonzaga.  GU, should have come out ready to eat glass in this one, but instead they allowed their heartbreaking loss to UConn over the weekend to mentally affect their play tonight.  Would that have happened to UNC?  Pitt?  Duke?  UCLA?  Gonzaga needs to get tougher mentally.  Butler 74, Xavier 65. Wasn’t Butler supposed to be rebuilding this year?  Amazingly, eight of Brad Stevens’ top nine Bulldogs are freshmen and sophomores, whereas XU starts two juniors and one senior.  So how is it that Butler was able to come into the Cintas Center and earn a victory in a location where Xavier had won its last fifteen games?  Standard Butler-issue hardnosed defense and poise.  Butler was able to keep Xavier under control from three (7-24) while also winning the battle of ball control (-7 turnovers) in a tough game that Xavier will regret losing come March.  Matt Howard (19/14) and Gordon Hayward (19/10) both provided double-doubles, but the key stat of the game may have been Xavier’s 12-22 from the line.  The 198th best FT-shooting team in America didn’t help their cause tonight, several times failing to convert both FT opportunities down the stretch.  If Gonzaga and Xavier want to be taken seriously as “high mids” vying for the Final Four, they cannot afford to lose home games like these.

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Damon Lewis, a reporter and play-by-play announcer for the Horizon League Network, is RTC’s Horizon League correspondent.

ROLL THE VIDEO!

Oh hell, why not…ROLL THE 2nd VIDEO…

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A10 Weekend. The A10 used three televised games on Saturday to announce its presence to America, knocking off an SEC, Big East and Big 12 team in the process (two of which were effectively road games).  With the relative weakness of the Pac-10 and SEC this year, the A10 could make a run at a legitimate four NCAA bids this season.  Today’s results could go a long way in the Tourney Committee’s minds toward that end.   Great weekend for the Atlantic 10.

• Temple 88, Tennessee 72. Every outlet in America is making the “Merry Christmas” joke, so we’ll refrain here, but suffice it to say that Temple’s Dionte Christmas stole Bruce Pearl’s cookies and blew up his sled with an explosive game where it seemed as if every shot he threw at the rim was flushing straight through.  More importantly, Temple exposed Tennessee’s defense for what it is – simply not good enough to sustain any kind of legitimate run in March.  The Owls shot a blistering 55%, led by Xmas’ 35 on seven threes, and it often appeared as if the Vol players had little interest in covering him.  The roof nearly came off the place when he hit three trifectas in a row during a personal 1:30 run to blow open the game.  Temple, who had not defeated a top 10 team since John Chaney was still on campus, celebrated with a spirited RTC, to which, we say – deserved.

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Damon Lewis, a reporter and play-by-play announcer for the Horizon League Network, is RTC’s Horizon League correspondent.

LET US EAT TURKEY, STUFFING, AND ALL THOSE OTHER THANKSGIVING-Y DELIGHTS

Can you smell it?  I can.  I could smell it a month ago.  No, no…not college basketball season.  I was inhaling that scent back in September after my rooting interest in college football decided to figuratively sit this season out.

The smell permeating my brain is, and has been, Thanksgiving dinner.  For me, it’s tough to top a holiday where I can catch a course of college basketball to help my ease my indigestion.  I suppose I bring it upon myself though, as eating my way into a state of near-coma has become less of a task brought on by my Grandmother…and more of a conscious decision that I warmly embrace (see also: making a “food baby”).

That being said, there are several correlations between what I can expect to see at my family’s dinner table on Thanksgiving and what I have already seen from my beloved Horizon League basketball squads.  Yeah, it’s early, but let’s eat.

MIXED NUTS:  MILWAUKEE  (3-1)
It’s what you eat while you’re waiting for the feast to be served.  Milwaukee’s wins against Loyola-Marymount, UC Davis, and Upper Iowa were to be expected… beating Iowa State in Ames would have been like finding a cashew.  For now, Milwaukee fans should be thankful for newcomers Tone Boyle and Tony Meier to the starting lineup.  Avery Smith is also back in Panther black after a year in exile, which isn’t hurting anything.  How they perform on Saturday against city rival Marquette should tell us a little more.

HOUSE SALAD: WRIGHT STATE  (0-1)
Most dinner tables feature some type of leafy green salad.  You know what you’re getting with this dish… few surprises here.  Wright State’s home loss to Illinois State has me wondering if some of the romaine has gone bad, but I’ll dig in anyway.  Winning Saturday at Central Michigan is key for the Raiders.

TURKEY AND STUFFING:  CLEVELAND STATE  (1-1)
Unfortunately, this time around, the bird appears overdone and tastes a little dry.  Just about everyone sees Cleveland State as the team to beat in the Horizon League this year, but their early performances have me asking for more Kool-aid.  The Vikings barely got past Oakland at home in their season opener… then lost at Washington by 15.  Yes, the same Washington Huskies that lost at Portland just three days earlier.  J’Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson are shooting a combined 26% (15 of 57) from the field thus far.  That needs to change on Saturday when they host Kansas State.

MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY:  BUTLER  (2-0)
Done right, they can easily steal the show at any Thanksgiving meal.  Butler, at this point, is on the verge of proving that this batch of Bulldogs is more than just a bag of spuds.  Butler opened the season by leading 39 of 40 minutes in a 10-point victory at defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake, and handled a much improved Ball State squad by 9 in their home opener.  Of the three freshmen in Butler’s starting lineup, Gordon Hayward has been the most offensive-minded (10ppg), while Ronald Nored is giving opposing guards fits defensively.  Teams are focusing on how to shut down All-Horizon League forward Matt Howard, but he continues to be a force in the middle (13.5ppg, 6.5rpg).  Head coach Brad Stevens definitely has something cooking with his new rotation of players.

CRANBERRY RELISH:  LOYOLA  (1-2)
Despite how pristine they may look, one taste of the cranberries is a swift reminder that they are little more than a bitter fruit.  J.R. Blount had a beautiful point total (42) in the Ramblers’ season opener against Division II Rockhurst, but Loyola lost by 7.  Determined, Loyola strolled into their NIT Season Tip-off matchup with Georgia and promptly dispatched the Bulldogs by 21.  One day later, the Ramblers were run out of Mackey Arena at the hands of Purdue, by 32.  The berries are upsetting my stomach.

ASSORTED PIES:  VALPO  (2-0), UIC  (1-1), GREEN BAY  (0-1)
It’s really hard to go wrong here.  Whether it’s pumpkin or apple, most pies generally live up to expectations.  Valparaiso has done so by winning its first two games against lesser competition (Marian College and Central Florida).  UIC has done so by faltering on the road against one Missouri Valley opponent (Bradley), then turning around and beating another on their home floor (Northern Iowa).  Green Bay, thus far, is more like a lemon meringue pie.  I once had a bad experience with lemon meringue pie, and that’s why I’m concerned for the Phoenix.  Their loss at Utah doesn’t bother me, but the fact that injuries are already taking a toll on this veteran squad isn’t the way head coach Tod Kowalczyk wanted to start a season with what he calls his “most talented” and “deepest team.”

LEFTOVERS:  DETROIT (0-2), YOUNGSTOWN STATE (0-2)
We love them, but we know the food isn’t quite as tasty after a night in the refrigerator.  Anything noteworthy that Detroit and Youngstown State provide this year will likely pale in comparison to what the rest of the teams in the Horizon League provide.

Now for some Horizon League games to look forward to over the next couple weeks:

11.22.08

• Cleveland State vs. Kansas State
• UIC vs. Depaul  (HLN – 8pm ET)
• Milwaukee @ Marquette

11.24.08

• Wright State vs. Miami (OH)  (HLN – 7pm ET)

11.26.08

• Butler vs. Northwestern (HLN – 7pm ET)

11.29.08

• Milwaukee @ Wisconsin
• Green Bay vs. UMass  (HLN – 8pm ET)

12.03.08

• UIC @ Vanderbilt

12.04.08

• Butler @ Cleveland State (ESPNU – 8pm ET)

*HLN refers to the Horizon League Network, the Horizon League’s broadband initiative, which is set to webcast 130 men’s basketball games this season, including out-of-conference “home” contests and ALL in-league matchups.  The Horizon League offers the service for FREE, and signing up takes about 30 seconds.  The site also offers on-demand content, team-specific features, and a weekly update featuring the “goings-on” around the league.  Cool site – check it out.

I’m stuffed…time for a nap.