Ready or not, the Cleveland State men's basketball team will open its 2012-13 season Friday night at the Wolstein Center against the Grambling State Tigers.

The Vikings will have a very youthful presence this season as they start four sophomores.  There are a combined nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster and only one senior.

"This has got to be more of a team effort for us to be as good as we’ve got to be,"CSU head coach Gary Waters said. "And the positive thing with this group is they understand that, it’s not one guy trying to do it by himself."

The Vikings will have to find a way to replace the production of departed lettermenTrey Harmon, Jeremy Montgomery, D'Aundray Brown and Aaron Pogue, who combined for 40.0 points, 13.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game last season.

The lone returning starter is fifth-year senior Tim Kamczyc (9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds). The Strongsville native led the nation in field goal percentage (.585) last season and will be counted on for more of a leadership role.

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Cleveland State played like they were in midseason form in their 92-49 route of Grambling State Friday night at the Wolstein Center.

On Monday, CSU head coach Gary Waters said the only way this young team was going to win was with a total team effort and not just one guy trying to do it by himself.

The Vikings (1-0) got a total team effort on Friday as six Vikings finished in double-figures, led by sophomore point guard Charlie Lee with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 from the field.

"We want Charlie to shoot the ball and go out there and be free," said Waters.

Other Vikings in double-figures included sophomore forward Anton Grady (14 points, 9 rebounds), freshman guard Bryn Forbes (14 points), senior forward Tim Kamczyc (12 points, six rebounds), sophomore forward Marlin Mason (10 points, five rebounds) and redshirt sophomore guard Sebastian Douglas (10 points).

CSU also had 23 assists on their 34 field goals made.

"We are trying to get better each and every game," said Waters.

After giving up 70 points to Division II Malone Tuesday night in an exhibition game, CSU got their defensive swag back holding Grambling to only 12 field goals and 49 points. They also had 13 steals which led to several easy lay-ups in transition and a 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers.

"It all starts with our defense," said Lee.

Lee had his best game as a Viking, as he controlled the tempo of the game on both sides of the court with his playmaking ability on offense (seven assists, one turnover) and his intense defensive pressure on Grambling's point guard.

"I'm the leader of the team," said Lee. "It started with me I had to pressure the point guard then everybody else just bought in and kept up the pressure. (On offense) we were able to make shots today. It started off with me again. I was able to make a couple of shots early and then we got things going and started getting out in transition."

The Vikings scored the first seven points and never looked back.

They took a 29-9 lead on Mason's lay-up and took a 43-17 advantage at the half as Lee sank a mid-range jumper to beat the buzzer.

CSU put the exclamation point on the game when Lee found Mason for an alley-opp to extend it to 60-24.

Freshmen guard Terry Rose led Grambling (0-1) with 16 points.

The Vikings face Bowling Green State on Monday in Ann Arbor, Mich. as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off.

The showdown for first place in the Horizon League turned into a one-sided affair on Thursday night.

Playing in front of its second largest crowd of the season, Cleveland State laid an egg as Valparaiso took control of the Horizon with a 59-41 victory at the Wolstein Center in front of 4,521 fans.

"We just didn't play very well," said CSU head coach Gary Waters. "When you score 41 points and shoot 25 percent, it's hard to beat anyone."

Valpo (18-8, 11-3 HL) leads CSU (20-5, 10-3 HL) by a half game in the standings with over two weeks left in the regular season.

The Crusaders also own the tie-breaker against CSU after sweeping the regular-season head-to-heads between the two teams (2-0).

Valpo only made 18 field goals in the game, but 11 of them were three-pointers.

Juniors Ryan Broekhoff and Richie Edwards did most of the damage from behind the arc. They went a combined 10-of-16 from downtown and scored 44 of Valpo's 59 points.

"I got to give them credit, they ran their offense efficient," said Waters. "It was one of those games they hit shots. Those threes were demoralizing."

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First place in the Horizon League is on the line tonight when Cleveland State host Valparaiso at the Wolstein Center. Tip-off is 7 p.m.

CSU (20-4, 10-2 Horizon League) leads Valpo (17-8, 10-3 HL) by a half-game.

The winner most likely will have the inside track to the top seed and home-court advantage in the Horizon League Tournament. No other team has fewer than five league losses.

If CSU wins, it will give them some breathing room a top of the standings as the Crusaders will have two more losses then the Vikings.

If Valpo wins, it will give them the tiebreak against CSU because the Crusaders have already defeated the Vikings (72-66) on Jan. 15 at the ARC.

"It's the biggest game (of the year) for us," said CSU head coach Gary Waters.

Both teams are coming in hot.

The Vikings have won five in a roll and eight of their past nine. The Crusaders have won three in a roll and seven of their past eight.

Waters was quick to point out that Valpo is only 7-6 on the road. Two of Valpo's three losses in the league have come on the road.

Both teams are a little banged up.

CSU could be without its best defender, D'Aundray Brown who is "day-to-day" with a groin injury.

"There's a possibility that he may not play," said Waters. "If he shows me Thursday he can play, he's in the game. But we're preparing as though he's not playing."

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