Horizon League Championship Score: Detroit Headed To Big Dance After 70-50 Victory Over Valparaiso

Led by 19 points from Ray McCallum (the son of the head coach by the same name), Detroit blew out Valparaiso in the 2012 Horizon League tournament championship game. Despite being played on Valparaiso's campus, the Titans won 70-50 to clinch their first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1999 and their sixth in program history.

Trailing by three at halftime, Detroit needed a spark to change the tone of the game. That spark came from McCallum, who had a monster second half en route to his 19-point game. He also had six rebounds, three assists and four steals and helped Detroit pull away from Valparaiso in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Jason Calliste and LaMarcus Lowe also played a big part in Detroit's victory. Calliste scored 17 points, while Lowe had 14 points and 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive end of the floor.

The Titans' return to the NCAA tournament means the state of Michigan will have at least three teams in the Big Dance for the second year in a row. In 2011, Michigan State, Michigan and Oakland made the Big Dance, and this year the Titans will join the Wolverines and Spartans in the field of 68.

If you want to celebrate Detroit's Horizon League tournament title and trip to the NCAA tournament, a welcome reception is being planned for when the team returns from Indiana.

A welcome reception is planned for the Titans when they return to Detroit. Around 4am EST. Go to Calihan. Skip work tomorrow. DANCING!

— Detroit Titans (@detroittitans) March 7, 2012

Dancing is right. The Titans will keep March Madness going with an appearance in the NCAA tournament, and hey, who knows how far they might go. Fellow Horizon League member Butler made it to the NCAA championship game in 2010 and 2011, so you never know what surprises March Madness might produce.

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Detroit Vs. Valparaiso, Horizon League 2012 Championship Game Time, TV Schedule And More

An NCAA Tournament bid will be on the line Tuesday when Detroit takes on Valparaiso in the Horizon League championship.

The game tips at 9 ET and will air on ESPN.

The Titans are coming off a 63-58 win over Cleveland State in the semifinals. Detroit led by six at halftime and by as many as 11 in the second half but had to hold on down the stretch. CSU tied it at 49 with three minutes to play before Detroit regained the lead and salted away the win.

Valpo, meanwhile, is coming off a 19-point win over two-time defending Horizon champion Butler. Valpo led by seven at halftime and extended its lead in the second half.

Detroit is 0-2 this season against Valparaiso, which won the Horizon League regular season crown with a 14-4 conference record. Detroit dropped the first meeting 73-71. The second time around, at Valpo on Feb. 2, Detroit again led at halftime but was outscored by 14 in the second half en route to a 78-73 loss.

For more college hoops news, check out SB Nation’s college basketball hub.

Horizon League Tournament 2012 Results: Detroit Earns Shot At NCAA Tournament, Will Play Valparaiso In Championship Game

The Detroit Titans marched toward a date with destiny by holding on to beat Cleveland State 63-58 in the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament on Saturday night. The win advances the Titans to the tournament final against Valparaiso, 40 minutes from a possible NCAA Tournament bid.

Detroit took down the No. 2 seed Vikings behind another strong game from sophomore guard Ray McCallum. McCallum backed up his 22-point effort in Detroit's quarterfinal win over Youngstown State with 26 points, five assists and six rebounds against Cleveland State. McCallum did most of his damage on the move, drawing fouls and then making 11 of 13 free throws in the game.

If the Titans want win the conference tournament and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament they will have to earn it. After winning nine of their last ten games including three Horizon tournament games, they will have to beat the No. 1 seed Valparaiso Crusaders on Valpo's hostile home court. The Crusaders made the final by dispatching of the league nemesis Butler Bulldogs 65-46 in the other semifinal.

The championship game is scheduled for Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m ET.

For more, check out SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Horizon League Tournament 2012 Results: Detroit Wins Again, Will Play Cleveland State On Saturday

The Detroit Titans won their second game of the Horizon League Tournament on Friday night. The Titans beat Youngstown State by a final score of 93-76. The win advances Detroit to the semifinals and a game against Cleveland State on Saturday night at Valparaiso.

Ray McCallum led the Titans with 22 points. He also had seven assists and four rebounds in the game. McCallum was one of five Detroit players to score in double figures. Eli Holman had 10 rebounds on the night.

The Penguins could not overcome a lopsided first half, despite 25 points in the game from Damian Eargle. He also had seven rebounds to lead Youngstown State.

Detroit outpaced their opponents, shooting 60 percent from the field versus 54.7 percent for the Penguins. Detroit also sunk 76 percent of their free throws in the effort.

Milwaukee and Butler play the second game of the day at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

For a look at the full Horizon League tournament bracket, go here.

For more, check out SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Horizon League Tournament 2012: 2 Games On Friday's Schedule

The 2012 Horizon League tournament continues on Friday and shifts to the campus of Valparaiso. The four games that took place on Tuesday were played on the campuses of the higher seeds. For Friday and Saturday, all of the games will be played at Valparaiso. (The championship game next Tuesday will be on the campus of the highest remaining seed.)

Here's a look at the schedule for the two games set to be played on Friday:

Game 5: Detroit vs. Youngstown State (6 p.m., Horizon League Network, ESPN3)

Game 6: Milwaukee vs. Butler (8:30 p.m., Horizon League Network, ESPN3)

On Saturday, the winner of Game 5 will advance to play Cleveland State, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, at 6 p.m. on ESPN3. The winner of Game 6 will advance to play Valparaiso, the top seed and host of the quarterfinals and semifinals. That game is set for 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

The winners of the two games on Saturday will advance to Tuesday's championship game.

For a look at the full Horizon League tournament bracket, go here.

For more, check out SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Horizon League Tournament 2012 Results: Detroit, 3 Other Teams Advance

Day one of the 2012 Horizon League tournament is in the books. Four games were completed on Tuesday night, and four teams are moving on to the second round of the tournament, which is set to take place on Friday at Valparaiso.

One of the four teams that advanced on Tuesday was Detroit. The Titans took down Loyola 80-71 thanks to five players scoring in double digits. Eli Holman led the way with 20 points, and Chase Simon and Doug Anderson were right behind him with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Ray McCallum and Jason Calliste each scored 10 points for Detroit.

Here are the scores for the other three games that were held on Tuesday: Milwaukee beat UIC 68-55, Butler took down Wright State 70-52 and Youngstown State defeated Green Bay 77-60.

The four teams that won on Tuesday will play on Friday as two spots in the semifinals are determined. Here's the updated schedule for the rest of the tournament:

Friday, March 2 (at Valparaiso)

Game 5: Detroit vs. Youngstown State (6 p.m., Horizon League Network, ESPN3)
Game 6: Milwaukee vs. Butler (8:30 p.m., Horizon League Network, ESPN3)

Saturday, March 3 (at Valparaiso)

Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 Cleveland State (6 p.m., ESPN3)
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. No. 1 Valparaiso (8:30 p.m., ESPNU)

Tuesday, March 6 (at highest remaining seed)

Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (TBD)

Go here for a look at the updated bracket.

For more, check out SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Detroit Vs. Loyola: No. 3-Seed Titans Start Horizon Tourney Tuesday

Having won nine of its last 11, Detroit takes on Loyola in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Tuesday.

Horizon League Tournament 2012: Complete Schedule And Bracket

The 2012 Horizon League tournament begins on Tuesday and includes a first-round matchup between Detroit and Loyola.