May 21, 2013

Opportunity Lost: Cleveland State’s Big Dance Dreams Shattered in Indiana

March 5, 2012 by 2 Comments

It wasn’t supposed to end that way. A season that started with a shocking 71-58 road win at #7 Vanderbilt, rode a 12-2 start to a 20-4 Horizon League lead, crashed and burned on a Valparaiso Saturday night.

In the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament, the second-seeded Cleveland State Vikings faced the Detroit Titans, who finished tied for third in the league and earned the  third seed thanks to a sweep of Butler. UDM came into Saturday’s tilt needing two victories just to get the opportunity to face the Vikings, the recipient of a double-bye. The draw look auspicious for CSU, considering that nemesis Butler and top seeded Valparaiso were on the other half of the draw. The Vikings had already beaten Detroit both times they played in the regular season, including a 77-64 win just a week ago. Gary Waters’s club was also welcoming back Senior leader SF D’Aundray Brown, their second leading scorer and best defensive player.

It all looked so good on paper. The Vikings had floundered down the stretch, but seemed to gotten their acts together with back to back home wins to close out the regular season. With Brown back and four seniors ready to take their last shot at the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings looked like they were ready to roll. [Read more...]

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Vikings Handle Their Business, Now Just Two Wins Away From the Big Dance

February 27, 2012 by 5 Comments

When we last left our Cleveland State Vikings, they were losers of five straight. This reeling bunch, which once stared down the Horizon League title and then fell completely off the table, had two games left to make things somewhat right. On Thursday night, they faced a pseudo-double bye chance elimination game with Detroit (sporting the same 10-6 conference mark as CSU). The Titans came to Cleveland on a five-game winning streak. Still without their Senior leader and defensive stopper D’Aundray Brown, it was put up or shut up time for the Vikes.

Like they have so many times in the Gary Waters era, Cleveland State rose to the occasion and leaned on their defense in the second half, erasing a six point halftime deficit on its way to a 77-64 win over the talented Titans. CSU held Detroit to just five second half field goals (on 23 shots) and 29% shooting for the game. The duo of Anton Grady and Aaron Pogue did a great job holding UDM Center Eli Holman to just six points on 3-10 shooting, which was key during the second half surge. Offensively Senior Tre Harmon’s 16 led four Vikings in double figures.

The Freshman duo of Marlin Mason and Charles Lee came up huge in a time when their team needed it the most.  Mason, who had played more than 18 minutes just once and never scored more than six points in a game, exploded for 15 points in 32 minutes.  ”That’s the best I’ve ever played, defensively and offensively,” he said.  Lee came off the bench to add 12 points and five assists, and was subsequently moved into the starting lineup for the next game. They really were the difference makers in this one. [Read more...]

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CSU Weekend Wrapup: Vikes Sweep Wisconsin Schools and Stay Atop Horizon League

January 23, 2012 by 1 Comment

It was a huge weekend for the Cleveland State Vikings basketball team. They entered Friday night’s home tilt with Green Bay in a three-way tie for the Horizon League lead with Valparaiso and the team they would be facing Sunday, Milwaukee. A sweep of the Wisconsin schools would be of the utmost importance, especially at home, considering the Vikings have already lost an in-conference home game against the upstart Youngstown State Penguins.

Before the first place showdown with the Panthers, CSU had to make sure they didn’t overlook Green Bay on Friday.

They didn’t.

In front of a National TV audience on ESPNU for the second straight week, the Vikings controlled the game and took down the fighting Phoenix 78-68. The first six minutes were a back and forth struggle, but after back to back threes by Senior Tre Harmon, the Vikings never looked back. They led by six at the half. [Read more...]

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Killer Loss Puts CSU Vikings Behind Eight-Ball

February 25, 2011 by 2 Comments

If Gary Waters was told that Norris Cole and Tre Harmon would combine for 49 points, he’d ask, “where do I sign up?” If Gary Waters was told that he would get 13 unexpected points off the bench from SG Josh McCoy, he’d be beyond thrilled.

Waters would assume that with those contributions, his team would end up on the winning side of the coin. Instead, his front court was completely worked over and the team once again was killed on the glass, causing a devastating 87-83 home loss to Milwaukee. Its just the second time the Vikings have lost at the Wolstein Center this season.

And they couldn’t have had worse timing.

The loss sends CSU into a tailspin, which could ultimately result in the Vikings going from hosting and grabbing the top seed in the Horizon League tournament to third place. I [Read more...]

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Cleveland State Takes Two: Keeps Pace in Horizon League

January 24, 2011 by 2 Comments

As we’ve said before, the Horizon League in 2011 is a minefield. Seemingly on any night, any team can jump up and bite you for an unexpected loss. That is why this past weekend was so important for the Cleveland State Vikings. They returned home after a three-game road trip for two games against teams jockeying for upper tier position in the standings. First was Detroit, followed by Wright State.

The UDM Titans boast one of the best starting fives in the league and have a ton of talent. They landed the league’s first McDonald’s All-American straight out of High School, Ray McCallum Jr, along with a couple of high major transfers that have turned them into a tough out. The Vikings knew how pivotal this game was and turned up the heat defensively. [Read more...]

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Cleveland State Weekend Update

January 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Ten days, ago, the Cleveland State Men’s Basketball team was riding high at 15-1, on the cusp of the Top-25 and heading to Butler for their big showdown with the league’s star attraction. They left Indianapolis battered, bruised, and shaken badly after being smoked 79-56.

“We may have thought a little bit too much of ourselves. This was out of our character,” Head Coach Gary Waters said after the stunning blowout in Indy. But two days later, they had to regroup and hit the second stop on the Indiana trip – Valparaiso.

On this night, the Vikings jumped out to an early 11-point lead and then flat out stopped hitting shots. A 14-4 Valpo second half run started the second half and the Crusaders never looked back, beating the Vikings 64-58.

A tired and weary Norris Cole did not have a good night, hitting just three of his 12 shots from the floor. The problem was outside of Tre Harmon (20 points), the Vikings couldn’t seem to put the ball in the basket when they needed to in the second half. Another issue was foul trouble. Harmon was their hottest weapon, yet he could only play 23 minutes because of foul problems. The same goes for Center Aaron Pogue, who had 12 points and seven boards, but only played 20 minutes. [Read more...]

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WFNY Exclusive: Cleveland State’s Gary Waters Discusses Brown’s Status, Cole’s Future and the NCAA Tourney

January 7, 2011 by 3 Comments

There is a lot of losing going on around Cleveland lately, and we – as sports fans in this town - could all do ourselves a collective favor by turning some attention towards Gary Waters and his CSU Vikings Hoop Squad.

To say they’re on a tear would be putting it lightly.  Through sixteen games, the Vikings’ record reads 15-1 (4-0 within the Horizon League), and they are heading to Hinkle Field House for a game against the team who lost to Duke in the NCAA finals last season.

Whether they win that one at Butler or not, the national attention on the Vikings has been generated across the college basketball landscape.  Recent (January 2nd) RPI rankings had the Vikings at No. 27 overall, and they have been ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Major Polls for several weeks. Both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Polls have noticed as well, placing the Vikes at Nos. 37 and 38, respectively.

A win on Friday could vault Cleveland State into the Top 25, but the winning hasn’t been an accident, per head coach Gary Waters, who was kind enough to take some time with WFNY this week. Per Waters, it is a result of a commitment to be better, made by his team this past summer. [Read more...]

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CSU Vikings Continue To Roll Opponents

January 3, 2011 by 3 Comments

While the Browns were being disgraced by the Steelers and the Cavs were being rolled by the Bulls and the Mavericks, the Cleveland State Vikings spent their days leading up to the New Year by pounding two different conference opponents into submission. Both Horizon League Chicago schools, Loyola and Illinois-Chicago left the Wolstein Center battered, bruised, and impressed by CSU’s overall game.

Last Thursday, Loyola was overwhelmed by a balanced Vikings attack. Four CSU starters were in double figures, led by Center Aaron Pogue, who is rising into one of the best big men in the Horizon League. Point Guard Norris Cole, who took a season low nine shots (hit four of them), kept feeding the beast in the post all game long and the Ramblers couldn’t stop him. Pogue finished with a double-double – 16 points and 12 rebounds. After the 73-55 win, he was brimming with confidence. [Read more...]

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