Before the season started the Cleveland State men's basketball team set out a team goal to be 12-0 heading into their Dec. 18 road game against West Virginia.

According to CSU men's basketball coach Gary Waters, that goal was made before D'Aundray Brown (right index finger) got hurt in the preseason.

Even without CSU's best defensive player, the Vikes accomplished that goal Saturday afternoon defeating Sam Houston State, 74-62, at SHSU's Johnson Coliseum.

The Vikes (12-0) finished their Mid-Major part of their non-conference schedule undefeated with quality wins against Iona, Kent State, Akron, St. Bonaventure, Robert Morris and SHSU.

Now CSU will take a week off for final exams. Then they will face their only two high-majors that are on their non-conference schedule.

Next Saturday, CSU will travel to Morgantown, WV to face West Virginia (6-2). CSU then will host South Florida (5-4) on Dec. 22 at the Wolstein Center. Both schools are from the Big East Conference.

There are two things Waters is looking forward to finding out about his team in the final two non-conference games.

"How well we can rebound the basketball," he said. "(And,) how strong our defense is."

12-0: The Vikes are one of 14 teams in the country that are still undefeated. The others are Baylor (6-0), BYU (10-0), Central Florida (8-0), Cincinnati (8-0), Duke (10-0), Kansas (9-0), Louisville (8-0), Northwestern (5-0), Ohio State (7-0), San Diego State (10-0), Syracuse (10-0),Tennessee (7-0), and UConn (8-0).

2-0 in Wisconsin: CSU are 2-0 to start the Horizon League season after sweeping both Wisconsin road games last week for the first time since 1999-00.

CSU defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay, 83-75, on Dec. 2 and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 82-59, two days later.

"It told me we can compete on the road and we could compete against some pretty good teams," Waters said.

We're talking about practice: Waters is a firm believer that if you practice hard it will pay off during game day.

"The game is easy for us because when we get to the game it's a formality for us," he said. "We are killing each other in practice. What happens when we play the game it's not as hard as we play in practice."

Read more...

There's a basketball team in Cleveland that cares, plays hard, and is actually good. And none of their players will leave via free agency in the off-season or joke around with the most hated rival on the sideline. They won't quit and they won't leave you disappointed in their play.

They're the CSU Vikings and they're 10-0.

Just as the Cavaliers were ripping out the hearts of Clevelanders, again, the hot-shooting Vikings were sweeping the first round of Horizon League games this weekend in Wisconsin by hammering both Green Bay (83-75) and Milwaukee (82-59). The Vikings had not won in Wisconsin under Gary Waters, having last won in Green Bay in 2005-06 and Milwaukee all the way back in 1999-00.

Waters called this week "Revenge Week" as the Vikes took on four teams that defeated them last year and CSU made it a perfect sweep taking down St. Bonaventure, Robert Morris and the two Wisconsin foes.

This year's version of the Vikings are as determined and focused as ever. Senior leader Norris Cole is a man on a mission and is the early favorite to claim the Horizon League Player of the Year Award. Cole leads the league in scoring, by far, at 21.2 per game. He also pulls down 4.9 rebounds, dishes out 4.3 assists and gets his hands on league-leading 2.3 steals per game.

The Dayton Dunbar product is the same type of play-maker that Cedric Jackson was for the Vikings, but he shoots it better than the former Cavalier. Cole is shooting 45-percent from the floor, 35-percent from three and 85-percent from the line. Cole is so adept at getting to the line, he leads the league in free throws made and attempted, and he has 34 more attempts than the next closest player.

On top of all the stats, Cole leads the nation in left handed dunks over seven-foot centers.

To put it short, Cole, and the rest of his Vikings teammates, are good. And it's time for Cleveland to take notice.

Read more...

For the Cleveland State men's basketball team the Wisconsin trip has been a nightmare in recent years.

The Vikings have lost nine of their past 10 games at Wisconsin-Green Bay and 10 in a roll at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

CSU (8-0) will try to end the losing streak this week as the Vikes open Horizon League play tonight at Green Bay (8 p.m.) and are at Milwaukee on Saturday (8 p.m).

"We are going to break that curse and go in there and get some wins in Wisconsin," said Norris Cole, who leads the Horizon League in scoring at 21.5 points per game.

In order to change CSU's luck, Vikings head coach Gary Waters has changed the way CSU travels to Wisconsin. Instead of flying into Milwaukee then taking a 2 ½-hour bus trip to Green Bay, CSU will take a charter plane directly to Green Bay.

"I thought we came closer (to winning a game) last year," said Waters, who has never beaten either Wisconsin school on the road in his five seasons at CSU. "I think one of the reasons why we came so close (to winning a game last year) was because we chartered there and were well rested when we went there to play."

So what makes it so tough to get a win there?

"It's a hostile environment," said Trevon Harmon.

Cole added, "It's cold (in Cleveland), but it's a different kind of cold (in Wisconsin). Everything is uncomfortable. It's like an ice rink in there. The floor level is freezing."

Waters thinks winning on the road at Louisiana and Akron earlier this season should help the Vikes deal with the tough atmosphere in Wisconsin.

"The team knows they can go on the road and win now," said Waters. "Louisiana fans called us every name in the book and we fought through it and Akron is a tough place to play. The next two games they'll have to play even harder (if they want to get a win)."

Read more...

One of the biggest reasons why the Cleveland State men's basketball team is off to its best start in school history (6-0) is because of their much improved defense.

A year ago, teams were scoring at will against CSU's defense - 14 teams shot 50 percent or better from the field against the Vikings.

This season, CSU has kept five of their six opponents to 40 percent or less from the field.

CSU also leads the Horizon League in every defensive category - field goal percentage (36.9 percent), 3-point shooting percentage (24 percent) and scoring defense (57.7 points per game).

"I remember two years ago I made a comment (that) if we can shoot 40 percent (from the field) we can beat anyone in the country," CSU men's basketball coach Gary Waters said after CSU's 64-51 victory at Akron on Wednesday. "This team is on a similar line if they can shoot a certain percentage offensively their defense holds people at bay.

"That's what we have been working towards for a whole year to get to this point."

CSU's defense held UA's high-scoring offense, which came into Wednesday's game averaging 82.7 points per game, to season lows in points (51), field goal percentage (36 percent) and 3-point percentage (18.8 percent). The Zips also had a season-high in turnovers (16).

Waters said there are a couple of reasons why CSU's defense is much improved from a year ago.

"We are rebounding the ball better, and I think our guys know our defense now," he said. "You got to remember a year ago that we only returned one starter, Norris Cole, and everybody else was brand new to hitting the floor. So it took them awhile to adjust and understand how we play our defense. So I think its now starting to come (along)."

Waters gets 250: CSU's victory at UA was Waters' 250th career victory as a head coach. Waters has compiled a career record of 250-197 in 15 seasons as a head coach of Kent State, Rutgers and CSU.

Waters surprised: A reporter asked Waters if he was surprised that CSU is 6-0 to start the season.

"At this point I am," said Waters. "Now with D'Aundray Brown (in the line-up), I wouldn't be surprised at all."

Trey for three: During the preseason, Waters called junior guard Trevon Harmon one of the most improved players on the team.

Against the Zips, Harmon showcased his much improved shooting stroke, going 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point distance, finishing with 18 points.

As a freshman, Waters said Harmon needed to work on a hitch in his shot.

"It's coming along," said Harmon about if he has corrected the hitch in his shot. "We work on it everyday. Coaches tell me that I need to get a lot of arc on my shots. So I've been going to the gym taking extra shots."

Harmon's shooting percentage has been an improvement from last season. He's shooting a better percentage from the field (41.2 percent, this season; 34.8 percent, last season), and from 3-point distance (35.3 percent, this season; 29 percent, last season). However, his free throw percentage has dropped from a year ago (73.3 percent, this season; 84.7 percent, last season).

Read more...