Horizon League Tournament Preview and Predictions

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Youngstown State

Youngstown State was my pick for the Horizon League champs, and they ended up finishing in first place at the end of the regular season. They'll be led by one of the best mid major guards in the country, Dwayne Cohill, but have 3 other very solid scoring options in guard Brandon Rush, forward Malek Green, and forward Adrian Nelson. 

All 4 of the guys that I mentioned are seniors, so they have tons of experience between them. Because of all this experience, they’re the top scoring team in the Horizon League and the fifth best in the entire country at a ridiculous 83.5 PPG. Their defense has proven lackluster at times, allowing 81, 88, and 83 in losses to Cleveland State, Milwaukee, and Robert Morris.

Despite that, they’re still the obvious favorite for the conference’s tournament bid and could be very dangerous in the NCAA Tournament. That is, if they can get past Northern Kentucky.

Northern Kentucky

In last year’s Horizon League tournament, Northern Kentucky battled Wright State for the Horizon League title and a NCAA tournament berth. It was an insane back-and-forth game, but in the very end, Wright State won. 

But, with Wright State’s leading scorer Tanner Holden transferring to Ohio State, Northern Kentucky was looking like the frontrunner for the Horizon League behind guards Marques Warrick and Trevon Faulkner. They have a ton of other experience around them, and were looking like one of the best rounded mid-majors in the country. 

Though they didn’t earn the regular season title, NKU finished tied for second place in a prime position to win the Horizon League tournament. Will NKU’s heartbreak from last season lead them to a Horizon League title? We’ll have to find out.

Sleeper

Detroit Mercy

Detroit Mercy is led by Antoine Davis, who’s one of the best players in the whole country and easily the best in the Horizon League. Davis is the current NCAA leading scorer at a ridiculous 28 points per game, and is the second leading scorer ALL TIME behind Pete Maravich, and is only 63 points behind him, and if Detroit Mercy could win 1 or 2 games in the Horizon League tournament, Davis should break the all time record. 

Unfortunately, Davis’ extreme talent is surrounded by his team’s extreme lack of talent. However, Detroit has pulled off some impressive results, trouncing second-place Cleveland State by 28 points.

Against other top competition, Detroit lost by 10 at first place Youngstown State, 5 at home against Youngstown State, 5 at second place Milawukee, and 3 at home against Northern Kentucky. They’ve proven they can hang with the best teams in the conference, but can they close out the most important games of the season?

Bracket Prediction