Horizon League's Wednesday Night Action a Key Plot Line in Season Script

HORIZON LEAGUE NETWORK

If the 2008-09 Horizon League basketball season were a movie script, right now would be about the time where the conflict is resolved. The main characters have had some ups and downs, and now is the final showdown to see who ultimately gets the girl.

Wednesday night's action features five duels that will go a long way to seeing who gets the girl (that is, a high seed in the upcoming Horizon League Championship). 

No. 22 Butler has a chance to clinch a share of the title, and Green Bay has a chance to keep pace while staking claim to second place. Cleveland State and Wright State are also in the mix.

Here is a look at each of the matchups.

Youngstown State (10-15, 7-8 HL) @ Cleveland State (19-8, 10-5 HL): 7 p.m. ET

YSU will win if: The Penguins can get CSU's key players in foul trouble and make some free throws. YSU is ninth in the Horizon League at the foul line and almost blew its games last weekend in the final seconds. Take a deep breath and bend the knees!

CSU will win if: It can get Youngstown State to play a slow, half-court game and then pick its spots in transition. The Vikings are better than YSU in the half-court and probably don't want to get into a track meet. Fortunately, the Vikings are shooting much better and can win games on offense now, something that wasn't happening four weeks ago.

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Valparaiso (7-19, 4-11 HL) @ Green Bay (19-8, 11-4 HL): 8 p.m. ET

Valpo will win if: The Crusaders' zone can slow down Green Bay's offensive attack. GB is the top scoring and shooting team in the Horizon League, and if Valpo's zone gives the Phoenix trouble, it should be a close battle. It also wouldn't help for Valpo to knock down some shots, which it was able to do against UIC on Sunday.

Green Bay will win if: The Phoenix can defend just a little. GB gave up 80.0 points per game last weekend to a pair of teams that have struggled offensively. If Green Bay can defend even a little bit, it should have a good shot at winning at home.

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No. 22 Butler (22-3, 13-2 HL) @ Milwaukee (14-11, 9-6 HL): 8 p.m. ET

Butler will win if: The Bulldogs can start fast. BU came out asleep in Sunday's loss to Loyola. Butler needs to start fast, get a lead, and then play their usual stout defense.

Milwaukee will win if: It can do a better job of defending the three-pointer. The Bulldogs bombed 15 three-balls in the previous meeting on Jan. 24. Since then, UWM opponents are shooting 43 percent from deep against the Panthers.

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Wright State (16-10, 10-5 HL) @ UIC (12-14, 5-11 HL): 8 p.m. ET

Wright State will win if: It can keep UIC from getting hot and building a big lead. UIC's Josh Mayo has been heating up, and if UIC builds a big lead, I'm not sure this Wright State team is built to come back from 20 down. If WSU defends and gets an early lead, the Raiders can win.

UIC will win if: Josh Mayo and Robo Kreps can get hot. Wright State is ridiculously tough on defense, holding UIC to 31 points in the last meeting. If the Flames can knock down a few jumpers, that will force the Raiders to overplay. Then the lane gets open for penetration and/or the inside game.

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Detroit (7-18, 2-13 HL) @ Loyola (13-15, 5-10 HL): 9 p.m. ET

Detroit will win if: It can defend as it has for most of the season. Loyola made No. 22 Butler look like the Washington Generals on Sunday, making every shot like it was a basketball montage from a movie. If the Titans defend and rebound, a win is a strong possibility.

Loyola will win if: The Ramblers continue to feed the hot hand. On Sunday, the hot hand was freshman Jordan Hicks. He's a good player. If he continues to develop, Loyola might have something brewing.

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