Horizon League basketball is the first conference to start its tournament. Can Northern Kentucky represent the league again? Let’s take a look at the Horizon League Tournament bracket and schedule, then preview what we can expect to see.
Horizon League Standings
| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record | Tournament Outlook |
| Cleveland State | 16-4 | 16-7 | 1 Seed |
| Wright State | 16-4 | 18-5 | 2 Seed |
| Oakland | 10-10 | 10-17 | 3 Seed |
| Northern Kentucky | 11-7 | 13-10 | 4 Seed |
| Detroit | 10-6 | 11-9 | 5 Seed |
| Youngstown State | 9-11 | 14-11 | 6 Seed |
| Green Bay | 8-12 | 8-16 | 7 Seed |
| Milwaukee | 7-10 | 8-11 | 8 Seed |
| IUPUI | 7-9 | 8-9 | 9 Seed |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 6-14 | 7-14 | 10 Seed |
| UIC | 6-10 | 9-12 | 11 Seed |
| Robert Morris | 3-12 | 4-14 | 12 Seed |
Horizon League Tournament Schedule
Dates: February 25th, March 2nd, 8th-9th
TV: ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, ESPN+
Location: Campus Sites (First Round and Quarterfinals); Indiana Farmers Colosseum, Indianapolis, IN (Semifinals and Championship)
Byes: Top four get single bye
Most Recent Champion: Northern Kentucky
Horizon League Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (5) Detroit 83, (12) Robert Morris 73
- (6) Youngstown State 74, (11) UIC 58
- (7) Green Bay 84, (10) Purdue Fort Wayne 89 (2OT)
- (8) Milwaukee 84, (9) IUPUI 72
Second Round
- (1) Cleveland State 108 vs. (10) Purdue Fort Wayne 104 (3OT)
- (4) Northern Kentucky 70 vs. (5) Detroit Mercy 69 (OT)
- (3) Oakland 87 vs. (6) Youngstown State 83
- (2) Wright State 92 vs. (8) Milwaukee 94 (OT)
Semifinals
- (1) Cleveland State 71 vs. (8) Milwaukee 65
- (3) Oakland 69 vs. (4) Northern Kentucky 58
Championship
- (1) Cleveland State 80 vs. (3) Oakland 69
Cleveland State advances to the NCAA Tournament
Horizon League Basketball Breakdown
Northern Kentucky is looking to three peat in the Horizon League this season. Before the NCAA Tournament was cancelled last year, the Norse were set to represent the Horizon League. After an up and down conference season, Northern Kentucky is locked in as the four seed. In six straight seasons, one of the top four seeds has won the tournament. This trend bodes well for Northern Kentucky, Cleveland State, Oakland and Wright State.
Cleveland State and Wright State have battled for the number one seed all season. As the only two teams who have won more than 11 conference games, it seems more than likely that these two will meet in the Horizon League Championship. Wright State had by far the highest Net Rating in the conference at +21.2. Cleveland State on the other hand had a +0.1 Net Rating. Wright State finished the season as the 16th-highest scoring team in the country, at 81.8 points per game (PPG). Another team to keep an eye on is three seed, Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies shot the second-most threes (700) in the country. Is the three-point barrage enough to reach the NCAA Tournament?
The Horizon League preseason poll was inaccurate when it came to predicting the standings. They predicted Wright State to be number one, Youngstown State at number two, and Northern Kentucky at number three. Therefore, missing the correct seeding of the top three teams all together. The biggest overachiever in relation to their preseason ranking was Detroit. They came in as the nine seed and finished fifth. On the flip side, the biggest underachiever was Robert Morris who was projected to finish forth and ultimately finished 12th.
