CLEVELAND -- Everything you need to know about Cleveland State basketball took place midway through the second half of the Horizon League tournament opener Tuesday.
The Vikings were laboring, having allowed a whopping 17-point halftime lead to dwindle to a measly five.
Then senior guard Norris Cole hit a 3-pointer. Then he followed with a steal at the other end. Then the Vikings were never really threatened again in a 73-61 victory over Illinois-Chicago at the Wolstein Center.
Of course, anyone who knows anything about Cole won't be surprised by this news. He was named both the overall league player of the year and defensive player of the year, and he showed why with game-highs of 26 points, four assists and two blocked shots.
Cole is also a potential NBA draft pick, as Cavaliers assistant general manager David Griffin was in attendance to evaluate.
So the kid is flat-out good, and the Vikings are now riding him to Milwaukee -- where they will face Wright State in the second round (Friday night at 6:30). And as long as Cole is on the team, it appears there is little these Vikings cannot overcome.
"That's my job as the leader of this team," Cole said of his opening-round heroics. " To make sure we don't get rattled."
None of this is to say this is a one-man show. After all, you don't compile a 25-7 record on the strength of one person alone.
Junior guard Jeremy Montgomery also played a major role, scoring 17 points and hitting a couple of big 3-pointers. And junior guard Trevon Harmon (13 points) and junior center Aaron Pogue (10 points, 6-for-7 from the line) also played underrated roles, particularly on defense.
"I thought Jeremy really came at it hard for a two-minute stretch," said Vikings coach Gary Waters." It really helped us take control of the game."
As for the Vikings' 22-for-28 free-throw shooting, Waters said, " One thing I know about this team is when you foul us, we're going to make our free throws. And when Aaron is making free throws, watch out."
Perhaps the best description of the game came from Illinois-Chicago coach Howard Moore. The defeat concluded Moore's first season with the program (he was an assistant under Wisconsin's Bo Ryan before taking the UIC job), and he already knows the Vikings very well. Especially since Moore's Flames lost all three meetings.
"It's Cleveland State being who they are," Moore said. " It's a whole lot of Norris Cole, as well as some of the supporting guys."
Later, Moore added a warning to the rest of the Horizon field.
" Watch out for Cleveland State," he said. " They are starting to get locked in."
That is particularly true of the Vikings' defense -- which held sharp-shooting Flames guard Robo Kreps to just 3-for-13 from the floor and 10 points. Kreps entered the night with an average of 16.0 ppg.
Next for Cleveland State comes a considerably more formidable Wright State team on a neutral floor.
"It should be a good game," Cole said." We played them strong here and then went down there and played a great game. We know they'll be ready but we'll be ready too."
Horizon League Tournament
Tuesday, March 1
Cleveland State 73, Illinois-Chicago 61
Wright State 60, Green Bay 50
Detroit 90, Loyola 69
Valparaiso 80, Youngstown State 71
Friday, March 4
(at Milwaukee)
Cleveland State vs. Wright State, 6 p.m.
Valparaiso vs. Detroit, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5
(at Milwaukee)
Cleveland State-Wright State winner vs. Butler, 6 p.m.
Valparaiso-Detroit winner vs. Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 7
(at top remaining seed)
Championship, 9 p.m.
