Mastodons Host Vikings on ESPNU in Highly Anticipated #HLMBB Contest
Tom Davis
There is no need for hyperbole in selling the degree of excitement that will descend into Fort Wayne on Thursday when Cleveland State visits Purdue Fort Wayne in men’s basketball action for a nationally televised Horizon League battle.
The league-leading Vikings (16-6, 10-1 Horizon League) are one of the hottest teams in the country and will be facing the Mastodons (15-7, 8-3), who are tied for second place in the league and just happen to be one of the smartest and most efficient offensive teams nationally.
Oh, and don’t forget, Purdue Fort Wayne junior guard Jalen Jackson is making his case to be the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year, so college hoop fans can also catch a glimpse of one of the most talented players in the country, as well.
The two teams will square off on ESPNU at 9 p.m. from Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
“It’s great that the Horizon League has a relationship with ESPN where they are identifying five different league games each year (to air nationally),” 11th-year Purdue Fort Wayne coach Jon Coffman said of the opportunity to showcase his program and players. “We’ve gotten one of those games each of the last three years.”
That exposure has been a reward for Purdue Fort Wayne being one of the most successful NCAA Division I programs in the country for the past decade.
The Mastodons have won more games over the past decade than any of the seven mid-major programs in Indiana.
“It’s going to be a really good college basketball game,” Coffman continued. “We’re two good teams playing to be at the top of the league. But more than that, we get a (televised) game at the Coliseum, in our historic arena.”
Cleveland State has won 12 consecutive games, which is one behind national leader, Duke (13 straight wins), but it will have its hands full getting past the Mastodons, particularly, in Fort Wayne.
The Mastodons have opened this season with nine consecutive home victories, the most in program history at the NCAA Division I level.
“We have, historically, played really well at home,” Coffman said.
What this series has shown in the recent past is that Thursday’s battle will be just that, a battle.
Of the past eight games between these two programs, seven of those have been decided by single digits, with two of the contests extending into triple overtime.
“It’s a special rivalry,” Coffman said of competing with the Vikings.
Coffman said the Mastodons’ 102-98 triple-overtime victory at the Coliseum on Valentine’s Day 2022 was “maybe the most dramatic game in the history of our program.”
.@John_G_Nolan asked and @notthefakeSVP delivered!
— Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Basketball (@MastodonMBB) February 15, 2022
'Dons opened @SportsCenter tonight!#HLMBB #FeelTheRumble pic.twitter.com/JNAzD4b948
Not only will the national audience be entertained for 40 minutes (and possibly even longer), but the Mastodons will exhibit an incredibly efficient, skilled, and intellectual brand of offensive basketball, which has reached an elite level nationally.
Purdue Fort Wayne ranks among the top 20 teams nationally in seven different offensive categories including turnovers (second fewest per game), turnover margin (fifth), 3-pointers made per game (seventh), 3-point percentage (eighth), assist/turnover ratio (13th), effective field goal percentage (15th), and points per game (20th).
“I’m just excited that we can keep showing our product,” Coffman said, “and growing our fan base. I love how we have grown it through the years, but this is a situation where the people of Fort Wayne can come out to see it live as well as show off a great product (and those fans in the stands) on national TV.”
For Jackson, it is an opportunity to not only demonstrate his skill level to the nation but also to show off his hometown.
The Northrop High School graduate scored a career-high 38 points in a Mastodon win at IU Indy on Saturday. That total, which is the most by a Horizon League player this season, was done in a shockingly efficient manner.
The 6-foot-2 athlete connected on 11 of his 16 shots while hitting 14 of 18 free throws.
Jackson is not only the Horizon League’s leader in scoring and steals but is its reigning Under Armour Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week in each of the past two weeks, as well.
He was recently named as the mid-season recipient of the Lou Henson Award by collegeinsider.com., which goes to the top player nationally among mid-major programs.
Jackson ranks eighth nationally in offensive rating compiled by Kenpom.com and is the 12th-leading scorer (20.4 points per game) in the country.
“Jalen Jackson was the difference,” IU Indy coach Paul Corsaro said following his team’s loss to Purdue Fort Wayne. “He's my vote for (Horizon League) Player of the Year in the league if it were today.
“He's a great player and a great kid, too. And it wasn't just the points, he also had seven rebounds and six assists, and I thought he played great defense.”
Purdue Fort Wayne is far from a one-man show, however.
Earlier this month, Mastodon senior guard Rasheed Bello earned his second Horizon League Player of the Week honor of this season, and third in his career after helping Purdue Fort Wayne to victories over Horizon League co-preseason favorite Milwaukee and Detroit Mercy.
Purdue Fort Wayne sophomore guard Corey Hadnot II is putting his name in the race for Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year with a superb follow-up to his making the Horizon League All-Freshman Team a year ago.
Hadnot II is averaging 23 minutes per game off the bench and is scoring nearly 11 points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard is making 50 percent of his shots overall and a tremendous 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
“We really have four guys on our roster who don’t need a ball screen to get into the paint,” Coffman said. “That is unique and makes for great inside outside basketball.”
Students in the 12th grade and under will be admitted free on Thursday, with the tickets redeemable at the Coliseum Box Office.
Also, all area first responders may show their identification and receive a free ticket for themselves, as well as three guests.