**Each week, the TSR team will file the Mitten Report, an in-depth look at college basketball around the great state of Michigan.**
MICHIGAN STATE (7-3, 1-3 B1G)
LW: Wisconsin (L 76-85), Minnesota (L 56-81), Nebraska (W 84-77)
TW: Rutgers (1/5), Purdue (1/8)
The Spartans had a tough week, as they started 0-3 in B1G play. On Christmas Day, they put up a valiant fight against the Badgers before falling short. Joey Hauser had a career day with 27, while Aaron Henry added 12. (TSR Recap) Three days later, they went to Minneapolis and played one of the worst games that any Tom Izzo team has ever had. They were absolutely dominated by the Gophers, shooting a dismal 18/70 from the field. Aaron Henry led the team with 11. This past Saturday, they got their first B1G win when they took down Nebraska. In the beginning of the second half, they started to blow the game open, taking a seventeen point lead. Nebraska clawed their way back in and made it interesting late. Aaron Henry led the way with 27, while Josh Langford (15) and Gabe Brown (10) got into double figures.
Despite losing 3 of 4, they are still ranked #23 nationally. This is a big week for Michigan State, as they have a pair of B1G home games. They need to take care of business, especially on Friday against Purdue, if they have any hopes of fighting for a fourth-straight B1G title.
MICHIGAN (9-0, 4-0 B1G)
LW: Nebraska (W 80-69), Maryland (W 84-73), Northwestern (W 85-66)
TW: Minnesota (1/6), at Penn State (1/9)
The Wolverines have continued to play tremendous basketball. Hunter Dickinson is one of the biggest surprises in terms of the amount of consistent production he has given this team. Even those who believed in him as a true freshman couldn’t have possibly expected this great of a start to the season. Five Wolverines scored in double figures against Nebraska, with Franz Wagner (21) leading the way. The hot-and-cold Chaundee Brown added 13, a scoring effort sandwiched between two 0-point games. Hunter Dickinson had fifteen boards to go with his ten points, a remarkable game. It was more of the same against Maryland, as four Wolverines got to double digits. Dickinson led the way with 26 points and 11 boards, while Mike Smith scored 16 to get in on the fun. This past Sunday, they faced a Northwestern team that has given everyone a challenge. Michigan made it look easy, as they were in command for most of the night. Five Michigan players got to double figures, including Chaundee Brown (14), Dickinson (19) and Isaiah Livers (10).
This week is another challenging week, as most are in the B1G. Minnesota has been playing great basketball as of late, and Liam Robbins will push Dickinson down low. Penn State should be a victory, but the trip to State College could be an upset special.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (2-6, 1-2 MAC)
LW: Ball State (L 68-76), Toledo (L 59-70),
TW: at Kent State (1/9)
The Broncos have lost two straight in league play after their impressive conference opening win over the Chippewas. B.Artis White led the way in their loss to Ball State with 20 points, while Rafael Cruz Jr. added 18. In defeat against Toledo, the Broncos got in a twelve point first-half hole before battling back in the final twenty minutes. They outscored the Rockets by one in the second half, but that wasn’t enough. Once again, B.Artis led the way with 17 points, while Titus Wright (15) and Greg Lee (11) joined in double digits.
Kent State is always a tough foe, and playing the game away from home doesn’t help. The Golden Flashes have only played five games, going 3-2. They beat Detroit by 14 at Detroit, while WMU lost to the Titans by ten at home.
EASTERN MICHIGAN (2-3, 0-2 MAC)
LW: Olivet (W 94-65), Central Michigan (L 60-87)
TW: Akron (12/9)
The Eagles are 2-0 against the MIAA this fall, but 0-3 against Division I opponents. In their win over the Comets, Yeikson Montero had 25 points to lead all scorers. He was joined by four other Eagles in double figures. Two days later, scoring came at a premium against CMU. Seventeen turnovers doomed EMU, as both Bryce McBride and Ty Groce finished the game with fifteen points.
This week’s foe will be tough. The Zips are 4-1 (2-0 MAC), and they have won three straight. Their lone loss came 81-74 against St. Bonaventure on a neutral floor.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (5-4, 1-1 MAC)
LW: Eastern Michigan (W 87-60)
TW: at Bowling Green (1/5), Bowling Green (1/9)
The Chippewas played just one game, a convincing win over EMU. After leading by only five at halftime, they outscored the Eagles 54-32 in the second half. The team shot 50% from deep in the second half. Travon Broadway Jr. had 21 points, Meikkel Murray added 18 and Matt Beachler tossed in 13 points while leading the team with four triples.
Bowling Green is one of the MAC’s best teams, as they could have won the league a year ago. Justin Turner is an explosive scorer, and he will pose a major challenge for the defensive style that Keno Davis tends to use.
DETROIT MERCY (1-7, 0-4 HL)
LW: Oakland (L 77-75, OT), Oakland (L 83-80)
TW: at Milwaukee (1/8), at Milwaukee (1/9)
The Titans have had an interesting last two weeks on the hardwood. After their original series was cancelled due to COVID, they rescheduled for a two-game set with rival Oakland. Those games were classics, with the teams going back and forth all night long. The Grizzlies won the first game in overtime, despite 28 points from Bul Kuol and 18 from Antoine Davis. In the second game, the Titans again had a shot to win it, but they lost by three. Noah Waterman, in his debut series as a Titan, led the way with 19, while Davis (18) and Kuol (14) finished in double digits once again.
This week’s series against Milwaukee takes place across the lake. The Panthers are 3-2 and 2-1 in the Horizon League. This entire series will be covered on TSR by our Milwaukee Hoops writer Nick.
OAKLAND (3-10, 3-3 HL)
LW: Detroit (W 77-75), Detroit (W 83-80), Wright State (L 51-90), Wright State (W 81-71)
TW: at Green Bay (1/8), at Green Bay (1/9)
Conference play has been a blessing for the Golden Grizzlies. After an exhaustive road trip in the non-conference, they have returned to a state of normalcy for a Greg Kampe team this time of year with a 3-3 Horizon League record. They swept crosstown rival Detroit in two games at Calihan Hall. Micah Parrish led the way in game one with 18, while Daniel Oladapo added a double-double (16 points/13 rebounds). Jalen Moore had a remarkable 12 assists to go alongside 8 points. In game 2, Jalen Moore paced the team with 23. Zion Young (19) and Rashad Williams (18) got to double figures. The following weekend, Oakland shot 18/67 in an embarrassing 39-point blowout at the hands of the Raiders. Jalen Moore (14) nearly scored a third of the team’s points. The next day, Oakland came to play, and they delivered a stunning ten-point victory. After falling behind at half, they outscored Wright State 44-31 in the final twenty minutes. Jalen Moore led the way with 24 points, but four Golden Grizzlies topped ten points.
This week, the Grizzlies also visit the Dairy State for a showdown with Green Bay. With the Packers on bye, these are the biggest games in town this weekend. The Phoenix have struggled early, losing their first nine games before earning their first win in 2OT on Saturday against Youngstown State. This should be another opportunity for Kampe’s bunch to tack on some Horizon League wins.
FERRIS STATE (1-2)
LW: Olivet (W 105-55)
TW: Ashland (1/8), Ashland (1/9)
The Bulldogs got their first win of 2020-21 with a dominating performance against the Comets. They won the first half by twenty-seven before winning the second half by twenty-three. Ferris State shot 49.4% from the field, as they were led by Walt Kelser (38 points on 12/15 shooting). Vejas Grazulis (11), Ben Davidson (10) and Mason Pline (10) also reached double figures.
GLIAC WEEKLY PREVIEW
GLIAC play gets underway, with everyone but Ferris State and Purdue NW also making their season debuts.
Wayne State at Lake State (F/ST); Purdue NW at Michigan Tech (F/ST); Northwood at Davenport (F/ST); Ashland at Ferris State (F/ST); Parkside at Northern Michigan (ST/SN); SVSU at GVSU (ST/SN)
The best series appears to be SVSU/GVSU, as they are projected to be the top two teams in the South. North #4 Northern Michigan hosts North #5 Parkside in what should also be a competitive series. Other than that, there are gaps in the projections between the two schools. We have seen, however, that these doubleheader’s have created some interesting results at the D1 level. I would expect the same at the D2 level. That being said, Ferris State, Michigan Tech, Lake State, and Davenport should be expected to win both this weekend.
HILLSDALE (4-1, 4-1 G-MAC)
LW: Findlay (L 65-68), Lake Erie (W 59-51)
TW: Walsh (1/8), Malone (1/10)
The Chargers suffered their first defeat on January 2, as they were on the road at Hillsdale. Four players finished that game in double figures for Hillsdale: Davis Larson (18), Patrick Cartier (11), Austen Yarian (10) and Connor Hill (10). Two days later, they got back on the winning track against Lake Erie. The Storm put up a good second half comeback attempt, but they fell eight points shy. The same four players finished in double figures, with Cartier and Hill each leading the team with 13.
Walsh will be a good challenge for Hillsdale as they are 2-0. Malone comes in with a last-place league standing and an 0-2 mark.
OLIVET (0-3)
LW: Eastern Michigan (L 65-94), Ferris State (L 55-105)
The Comets lost two more games over the Holiday week, both against larger division schools. Against Division 1 EMU, they were dominated in the first half, falling behind 52-27. They played a closer second half (42-38) as the Eagles used their bench. Eddie Thigpen and Britton Angell each led Olivet with thirteen points. Coach Sam Hargraves had to be happy they were 8/9 from the line in the EMU game, but frustrated they only attempted nine free-throws. The Ferris State game was a nightmare from the start, as the Bulldogs took an early lead and never looked back. Angell led the way once again with 11, and he was joined in double digits by Drew Moore (10) and Tishaun Cooper (10)
MIAA WEEKLY PREVIEW
The Adrian Bulldogs will travel to Lourdes on Sunday (1/10) for a contest. The rest of the league begins no earlier than the 16th, with others starting on the 19th and 23rd. Calvin College has not formally posted a schedule, but they have contests on other team’s sites.
The only D3 team in Michigan outside of the MIAA (Finlandia) still has not released a schedule for the upcoming season.
WHAC UPDATE
The last WHAC game involving a Michigan school took place back in November. They are aiming to change that with a few contests this week. Concordia is set to travel to Indiana Tech on Wednesday, and UM-Dearborn is supposed to travel to Lawrence Tech. On Saturday, Madonna will host Indiana Tech. Lourdes will host Adrian College on the 10th, and there are currently four games set for the 11th.
The only NAIA team in Michigan not in the WHAC (Spring Arbor) has not played since December 5. The Cougars (2-5, 0-3 Crossroads) are hoping to be back in action on Saturday the 9th against #20 St. Francis (IN).
GRACE CHRISTIAN (2-2)
LW: Campbellsville-Somerset (L 94-102)
TW: at Asbury (1/5), at C-Harrodsburg (1/6), at C-Somerset (1/7, 1/8)
On Monday night, the Tigers got into a shootout with the Tigers of Somerset. Grace led 53-46 at halftime before cooling off in the second half. Jason Shumpert led the team with 21, while Chandler Rivers (20), Kierson Watts (19), Kellum Bridgeforth (12) and Nathan Lauer (10) joined him in double figures.
The Tigers have four more games this week, all on the road. They return back to their home arena on January 15.
GREAT LAKES CHRISTIAN (2-8)
LW: Grace IN (L 74-97), at Huntington (L 77-113)
TW: at Keiser (1/5), at Southeastern (1/6), at Trinity Baptist (1/8)
The Crusaders suffered two tough defeats over the Holidays. A fifteen-point halftime deficit doomed GLCC in their loss to Grace (IN). Trent Temple hit 12/23 from the floor to lead the team with 29 points. Isiah Reed joined him in double figures with 13. Against Huntington on Saturday, GLCC trailed by 22 points at halftime. Temple was the leader once more with 18 points, while Whitney Harris added 14.
It’s a busy week for GLCC with three more road contests on the Gulf Coast.
MCCAA BASKETBALL UPDATE
On January 21st, the MCCAA basketball slate will resume.
Tuori Sports Report 