Complete game notes (.pdf)

GAME 9
Cleveland State (7-1, 1-0 HL) at Detroit (3-5, 0-1 HL)
Date:  Sat., Dec. 3, 2011
Tip Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Arena: Calihan Hall (8,295)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/udmercy/mbball
Live Video: http://horizonleague.org/live/4556

ON TAP
The Titans continue their four-game homestand at Calihan Hall with a Saturday matinee against Cleveland State.  The highly-anticipated "Dick Vitale Court Dedication" is on Monday against the St. John's Red Storm on ESPN2.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
CSU is off to a 7-1 start on the season with some impressive wins in the mix early in the schedule.  The Vikes opened with a 71-58 victory at then-No. 7 Vanderbilt on Nov. 13.  Five of the seven wins have come away from their home arena, including a grinding 45-43 win at Wright State Thursday night to open league play.  CSU is led by senior D'Aundary Brown's 14.0 points per game average.

THE SERIES WITH CSU
Detroit has the advantage, winning 35 of the 50 all-time meetings.  The Titans ousted then-first place CSU with an 81-78 win at Calihan Hall in the last meeting between the teams (Feb. 7, 2011).  The teams split the series last year.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Following this stretch of three games in five nights, the Titans host long-standing rival Western Michigan on Thursday.  The game is part of a doubleheader with the Titan women battling Michigan at 5:00 p.m.  Detroit will then play at nationally-ranked Alabama before closing out the bulk of its non-conference schedule, hosting Mississippi State and Alabama State before Christmas.

LAST TIME OUT
A pair of clutch three-pointers helped Youngstown State pull-out a 64-61 win over Detroit in the Horizon League opener for both teams Thursday night at Calihan Hall.  Ray McCallum registered his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.  Chase Simon also scored 21 for the Titans.

LOWE DOWN
Senior LaMarcus Lowe ranks 14th in the NCAA in blocked shots per game, averaging 3.13 per contest coming into Saturday's game.  Lowe has swatted at least two shots in each game this season and registered block No. 100 in a Detroit uniform with his second rejection at Akron.

MAC DOUBLE
Sophomore Ray McCallum posted his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds Thursday against Youngstown State.  It was the first of the season for the Titans' point guard and the fourth of his career.

OVERTAKING THE TOP SPOT
Chase Simon, with his 21-point performance Thursday, moved into the top spot (17.4 ppg) in the Horizon League.  Kendrick Perry, who was the leader, scored just 13 points against the Titans and Simon moved ahead by a tenth of a point.

20-20-20 VISION
Simon has now strung together three straight 20-point games for Detroit and has 17 in his career.  During the stretch Simon is shooting 23-of-52 (.442) with a 7-of-17 (.412) clip form downtown.  Simon has averaged 22.7 points over the three games and has a 6.0 rebounds per contest average as well. 

EXTENDED TICKET HOURS
In anticipation of one of the biggest nights at Calihan Hall in some time, the Detroit Titan Athletic Department has announced an extra window of opportunity to secure your tickets for a historic night.  This Sunday, the Ticket Ticket Office will be open from Noon to 5 p.m. for one of your final chances to purchase a ticket for Detroit vs. St. John's and the Dick Vitale Court Dedication on Mon. Dec. 5.  Call 313-993-1700 anytime for more information.

ROSTER UPDATES
Junior Brandon Romain will be in uniform Saturday for the first time this season.  He has been cleared to play after transfer eligibility requirements were confirmed.  Senior Eli Holman has returned to team activities and will be on the Titan bench, but will not dress.

TITANS TO WEAR THROWBACKS DEC. 5
The nationally-televised game against St. John's will feature commemorative “throwback” jerseys for the current Titan players that reflect the uniform likeness from the 70s teams that Vitale coached.

The jerseys will be worn for that game only and then will be sold at auction.  A portion of the proceeds from the auction and the evening's ticket sales will benefit the “V Foundation”, in support of Dick Vitale's long-time friend and colleague, Jim Valvano, who lost his battle with cancer in 1993.  The V Foundation has awarded more than $90 million to more than 100 facilities nationwide and proudly awards 100% of direct donations and net event proceeds to cancer research.

TOYS FOR TOTS PROMOTION
The Titan Athletic Department will participate in the well-known “Toys for Tots” program during men's basketball games against Youngstown State on Dec. 1 and Cleveland State on Dec. 3.  Fans bringing an unwrapped toy are eligible to receive a buy one, get one FREE ticket to either game.  Fans attending the Cleveland State game on Sat., December 3 will also be treated to the Canine Express Flyball Dogs at halftime-- which is always a family-friendly show!  

NIT FINAL FOUR TEAM RECOGNIZED SATURDAY
Members of the 2000-01 Detroit Titan team will return to Calihan Hall for a special recognition.  The athletic department will honor that team that advanced all the way to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) Final Four in New York.

NICK MINNERATH SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURY
Senior Nick Minnerath was injured in the fifth game of the year-- at Bowling Green State Tuesday.  Minnerath suffered the knee injury very early in the BGSU game and will not compete again this season, Coach McCallum confirmed last week.

GRAND CLOSING
Senior Chase Simon closed-out the CBE Classic in style, knocking down a pair of free throws in the final seconds of overtime to ice a win over Austin Peay Wednesday.  Impressive enough in its significance, the points gave him exactly 1,000 in a Titan uniform becoming just the 35th Detroit player to reach that plateau at the school.  

SHOTS FROM THE HEART
Head Coach Ray McCallum will participate in the second annual Shots From the Heart Tournament, benefitting the Skip Prosser Foundation. McCallum is competing in a 64-person, bracket-style single elimination free-throw shooting tournament with 63 other NCAA Division I head coaches. His first round opponent is John Groce of Ohio University. Each coach will shoot 25 free-throws at their convenience and report the results. Coach knocked down all 25 of his shots in the first round and looks to be a force with which to be reckoned in the bracket.  Iowa State's Fred Hoiberg took home the title last season.  First round competition will be complete at the end of November.  Follow detroittitans.com for updates on Coach Ray's progress in the tourney.  For more on the "Shots from the Heart", got to http://collegeinsider.com/shots.

QUITE A CENTURY MARK
Coach McCallum was on the sidelines for his 100th career game as the Titan head man Nov. 18 vs. Concordia.  Some highlights from the win:
*First 100-point game since 1998 (85th in UDM history)
*Highest point output (113) in 22 years
*Six players in double figures
*65 second-half points
*Eight players with at least nine points
*Chase Simon flirted with a triple-double (12 pts, 9 rbs, 8 assts)
*Doug Anderson had a double-double (12 pts, 13 rbs)
*Evan Bruinsma was one point shy of a double-double (9 pts, 10 rbs)

DICK VITALE COURT AT CALIHAN HALL TO BE DEDICATED DEC. 5
Dick Vitale, ESPN broadcaster, college basketball ambassador and former Titan head coach and athletic director, will be honored in December when the University of Detroit Mercy athletics department names its basketball court at Calihan Hall in his honor.  Dick Vitale Court at Calihan Hall will be dedicated in conjunction with a nationally-televised event against Big EAST foe St. John's on December 5, 2011 with tip at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

Vitale will be celebrating his 32nd anniversary of calling games for ESPN at the event.  Vitale sat courtside for ESPN's first-ever NCAA basketball game – Wisconsin at DePaul on Dec. 5, 1979 (a 90-77 DePaul win).  Since then, he's called close to a thousand games, including NBA contests for ESPN during the 1983 and '84 seasons.