NEWSLETTER
Day two of conference tournament season finds a trio of new brackets taking shape, with the Horizon League’s three first round games all scheduled for 7pm ET, including a gorgeous revenge spot for Robert Morris as they look to save some face after the most puzzling two game stretch of the season losing to a horrid IUPUI squad just two days after handing Youngstown their biggest loss of the year.
When is the Horizon League Tournament?
The tournament begins on Tuesday, February 28th, and concludes on Tuesday, March 7th. There is a travel day after the first round and a three day break after the quarterfinals to allow the final four teams to travel to Indy.
Where is the Horizon League Tournament played?
The first two rounds of play will be contested at the home arenas of the higher seed, the semifinals and championship will be played at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, IN. This, of course, was the original home of the Indiana Pacers and saw them bring home three ABA titles in the early 1970s.
How to watch the Tournament
The first two rounds will be on ESPN+ exclusively. Monday’s semifinal games will be on ESPNU and EPSN2 with the championship game on ESPN Tuesday evening.
Who won the regular season title?
The Youngstown State Penguins won the regular season Horizon League title with a record of 15-5 in conference play (23-8 overall). They are currently favored to win the conference tournament as well.
Who will participate?
All 11 league member teams will play, with the top five teams given a bye to the quarterfinals and the bottom six having to play in the 1st round on Tuesday.
How Many teams will the Atlantic Sun send to the tournament?
Just the one, like usual.
Horizon League Tournament Bracket
Reseeding is done after the first round, a small advantage for the Penguins were there to be an upset by the Green Bays or IUPUIs of the world.
Horizon League Tournament Odds
The regular season champ Penguins are your favorite to punch a ticket to the dance on FanDuel.
Horizon League Tournament Preview
Youngstown comes in as the deserving favorite after winning the regular season title. The neutral court setup isn’t as advantageous as the system in some of the real small leagues that just let high seeds host. They likely take this title, but the +150 implies they do so like 40% of the time. This is a bit high considering the level of team they will play in the two games in Indianapolis.
Northern Kentucky can make a case to win this with their defense. I don’t love the four seed that makes hedging impossible since they would get Youngstown State in the semis. They played the Penguins a few weeks back and lost by 18. Not great.
As much as I want to take Detroit and their high-powered offense, they would need to win four games in a row. The second of which would be on the road versus the #1 seed, and only the first game at home. They have not won four straight games since February 2021. The defense stinks enough to kill a real chance at going anywhere despite having one of the best players in the league in Antoine Davis.
Horizon League Tournament Prediction
This was a tough one right off the bat but, I did zero in a bit on Cleveland State. I wish they had a win over Milwaukee (0-2 and their likely semi-final opponent). They are a balanced team with wins over Youngstown and NKU in the past month. Their only fatal flaw is probably the abhorrent free throw shooting. At the current prices, I’d take a shot on them.
My Bet: Cleveland State +430
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