Complete game notes (.pdf)

GAME 17
Valparaiso (9-6, 2-1 HL) at Detroit (7-9, 1-3 HL)
Date:  Fri., Jan. 6, 2012
Tip Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Arena: Calihan Hall (8,295)
Live Stats: detroittitans.com
Live Video: ESPN3.com
All-time Series: Valpo leads, 9-7

ON TAP
The Titans return home to host Valparaiso on Friday, Jan. 6 at 8:00 p.m. then the Butler Bulldogs on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 4:00 p.m.  Both games are set to be broadcast live on ESPN3.com.  Detroit is looking to even up its Horizon League record this week after dropping its first three and return to the mix of a wide-open race at the top of the standings.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Valpo sits at 9-6 overall and 2-1 in the Horizon League to sit a half-game back of first-place along with three other schools in the conference race.  Valpo's lone league loss came in a two-point home loss to co-leader Milwaukee last Thursday.  Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk carry the scoring load for the Crusaders, averaging 15.2 and 15.0 points per game, respectively.  Broekhoff's 9.2 rebounds per game paces the Horizon League.

THE SERIES WITH VALPO
Valpo owns a 9-7 edge in the all-time series, including all three meetings last season.  The Crusaders downed Detroit in both regular season meetings before ending its season with an 88-78 win in the Horizon League Quarterfinals on Mar. 4. The last Detroit win in the series came in the 2010 HL First Round, an 89-82 road victory for the Titans.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Titans host Butler Sunday before embarking on a Wisconsin road swing with Green Bay on Jan. 12 and Milwaukee on Jan. 14.  Detroit then has three straight at home with Wright State (Jan. 21), Loyola (Jan. 25) and UIC (Jan. 27) on the docket.

LAST TIME OUT
Four Titans scored in double figures to lead Detroit to a 65-54 win at Loyola Saturday afternoon in Horizon League play at Gentile Arena.  A stiff defense keyed the win as Loyola mustered just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and had eight shots blocked.  Detroit was led by senior Chase Simon's 17 points while Doug Anderson had 14, Ray McCallum 13 and Eli Holman 12 for the balanced attack.  The Titans took care of the basketball as well, turning it over just eight times while forcing 13 Rambler miscues and converting them into 18 points.

RIGHT TO THE POINT
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. announced Wednesday the 20 finalists for the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, including Detroit sophomore Ray McCallum. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in college basketball. An original list of 60-plus candidates was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally-based committee to the below list of 20 student-athletes.  The current listing of 20 finalists for the 2012 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed down to 10 players in early February and then down to five players by early March. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.

LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD
Friday's game will feature the top two scoring teams in the Horizon League.  Valparaiso is averaging a league-best 74.7 points per game while Detroit is just behind with 73.0 points per contest.  No other team in the league is above 70 points and two teams fail to meet the 60-point barrier.

REJECTION ROW
A pair of current Titans are in the top six all-time in career blocked shots: with Eli Holman sitting third with 141 and LaMarcus Lowe swatting 122 career shots.  Holman needs 14 to pass Brian Humes for second-most all-time while Lowe is one behind Ryvon Covile for fifth place.  The career leader is Terry Tyler, who threw aside a whopping 359 shots in his career from 1976-78.

Career Block Leaders at Detroit
  1. Terry Tyler, 1976-78            359
  2. Brian Humes, 1984-87         154
  3. Eli Holman, '09-pre               141
  4. Greg Grant, 1990-94           131
  5. Ryvon Covile, 2003-06        123
  6. LaMarcus Lowe, '10-pres.  122

SHOTS FROM THE HEART
Head Coach Ray McCallum is perfect through two rounds of the CollegeInsider.com "Shots from the Heart" head coach's bracket to benefit the Skip Prosser Foundation.  Coach made all 25 shots in each of the first two rounds and has advanced to the "Sweet 16", where he will match-up against Mark Gottfried of North Carolina State.  Future potential opponents include last season's champion Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State in the Elite Eight and Valparaiso Head Coach Bryce Drew is still alive and looms as a possible Final Four foe.  The tournament will be pared down to eight by month's end with the semis and finals in February.  The Free Throw Champions of both the head and assistant coach's brackets will be recognized as part of the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet in New Orleans, site of the 2012 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship.  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.

DOUG'S DUNKS
Junior Doug Anderson has a knack for finding the rim and rattling it with force.  Anderson has 58 field goals this season, 31 of those coming via dunk.  He has at least one slam in every game this season except one (at Akron).  He had a season-high five dunks against Alabama State (Dec. 22), part of ten Titan throwdowns in the win.