The league proved as strong as ever despite losing a powerhouse program, Butler, after the 2011-12 season. The Horizon took another blow this offseason when Loyola left for the Ohio Valley Conference, but found a strong replacement in Oakland, of the Summit League.
Green Bay lost twice to Wright State last season, but it was tabbed as the favorite this season in the preseason poll released Wednesday, by one point over the Raiders. Here’s a look at the teams in order of their predicted finish:
Green Bay
Last year: 18-16, 10-6 HL, tied for third with Wright State; No. 4 seed in tournament; lost 64-53 to Wright State at Nutter Center and 70-68 in double overtime at home.
Coach: Brian Wardle, fourth season, 47-48 (.495).
Preseason poll: Picked first with 21 first-place votes.
Last conference title: 1996 Horizon regular season and tournament champions.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 1996, lost in first round.
Returning starters: Alec Brown, 7-1, Sr., C, 14.1 points per game; Keifer Sykes, 5-11, Jr., G, 15.9; Jordan Fouse, 6-7, So., F, 6.8; Greg Mays, 6-9, Jr., F, 6.5.
Other returners: Carrington Love, 6-1, So., G
Key players lost: Brennan Cougill, 9.0; Kam Cerroni, 5.8; Sultan Muhammad, 5.7.
Schedule highlights: The Phoenix host Wisconsin on Nov. 16 and play Pepperdine and Harvard or Denver in the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 28-30. Three of their first four and four of their last five Horizon League games are on the road.
Notes: Cerroni, who played in 73 games over the last three seasons, transferred to St. Nobert College, a Division III school. … Sykes ranked third in the Horizon last season in scoring. … Fouse led the league in rebounds per game (7.9). … Brown is the only player in the country, according to Green Bay, with "1,200-plus career points (1,218), 600-plus career rebounds (629) and 200-plus career blocked shots (215)." … This is the first time since 1995-96 that Green Bay has been picked to win the Horizon Leeague.
Wright State
Last year: 23-13, 10-6 Horizon; tied for third place; lost to Valparaiso in Horizon championship game.
Coach: Billy Donlon, fourth season, 55-45 (.545).
Preseason poll: Picked second with 22 first-place votes.
Last conference title: 2007 Horizon tournament champions.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2007, lost first game.
Returning starters: Reggie Arceneaux, 5-9, Jr., G; Cole Darling, 6-8, Sr., F, 11.3; Kendall Griffin, 6-4, Jr., G, 6.3; Matt Vest, 6-5, Sr., G, 5.5; Tavares Sledge, 6-9, Jr., F, 5.4.
Other returners: Jerran Young, 6-6, Sr., F, 8.8; Miles Dixon, 6-1, Sr., G, 8.5; J.T. Yoho, 6-6, So., F, 6.5; AJ Pacher, 6-10, Sr., F, 5.4.
Key players lost: Joe Bramanti, 6-2, G.
Schedule highlights: The Raiders play Georgetown and DePaul on the road on Nov. 13 and Nov. 16. In Horizon play, the Raiders play three games in five days Jan. 17-21: home vs. Green Bay, at Cleveland State and home vs. Milwaukee.
Notes: Butler transfer Chrishawn Hopkins, a 6-1 guard, practiced with the team much of last year and is expected to be eligible to play by mid-December. Steven Davis, a 6-7 forward who didn't qualify academically his freshman season, 5-10 freshman guard Mark Howell and 6-9 freshman forward Daniel Meyer are the only other newcomers. … Vest's status is still up in the air. He had hip surgery after last season, and Donlon has said there's a 50 percent chance he redshirts. … Sledge is suspended indefinitely after being arrested on four misdemeanor charges in September. … Darling was a second-team, all-league selection last season and a preseason first-team selection this season. He had offseason shoulder surgery after missing all the postseason games last season. … Yoho is the top returning player in the league in 3-point accuracy (42.2). Young is the top Horizon returner in field-goal percentage (53.2).
Cleveland State
Last year: 14-18, 5-11, eight place; swept by Wright State 69-53 and 50-41.
Coach: Gary Waters, eighth season (136-100, .576).
Preseason poll: Picked third.
Last conference title: 2009 Horizon tournament champions.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2009.
Returning starters: Bryn Forbes, 6-3, So., G, 12.7; Anton Grady, 6-8, So., F, 13.7; Charlie Lee, 5-8, Jr., G, 11.6; Sebastian Douglas, 6-4, Jr., G, 6.7; Devon Long, 6-7, Sr., C.
Other returners: Marlin Mason, 6-6, Jr., F, 8.0; Ludovic Ndaye, 6-9, Sr., F, 3.0.
Key players lost: Tim Kamczyc, 8.1; Junior Lomomba, 5.8.
Schedule highlights: The Vikings play at Kentucky on Nov. 25 and have five MAC schools on their non-conference schedule: Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Akron, Toledo and Kent State.
Notes: Waters is 15 wins from becoming the winningest coach in Cleveland State history. … Longtime CSU assistant Jayson Gee was hired as the head coach at Division I Longwood in April. … Andre Yates, a Dayton Dunbar graduate, is a sophomore guard. … The only two freshmen on the roster are from the Cleveland area: 6-5 forward Derek Sloan, of St. Ignatius, and 6-7 forward Demonte Flanigan, of Richmond Heights. … Jon Harris, a 6-8 senior forward, transferred from Miami and will be eligible to play right away. The NCAA granted him a hardship waiver, so he could be close to his dad, who is sick. He averaged 8.5 points last season for Miami. … Trey Lewis, a sophomore guard, is a transfer from Penn State and started six games two years ago as a freshman. He sat out last season. … Grady had knee surgery last December and has said he's about 90 percent recovered.
Oakland
Last year: 16-17, 10-7 Summit League; didn't play Wright State last season.
Coach: Greg Kampe, 30th season, 506-366 (.580).
Preseason poll: Picked fourth.
Last conference title: 2011 Summit League regular-season and tournament champion.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2011, lost first game.
Returning starters: Travis Bader, 6-5, Sr., G, 22.1; Corey Petros, 6-10, Jr., C, 12.5; Duke Mondy, 6-4, Sr., G, 12.0; Ryan Bass, 5-9, Sr., G, 9.3.
Other returners: Dante Williams, 6-6, Jr., F, 3.7
Key players lost: Drew Valentine, 10.2.
Schedule highlights: Oakland easily has the strongest nonconference schedule in the Horizon with games against UCLA, North Carolina, California, Gonzaga, Indiana and Michigan State.
Notes: Oakland suffered its first losing season since 2005-06 last season. … The newest Horizon League team was a Division II program until it began its transition to Division I in 1997. It became a full Division I program in 1999 and joined the Mid-Continent Conference, which later changed its name to the Summit League. … Kampe trails only Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (37 seasons) and Duke's Mike Krzyewski (33) for most seasons with their current school in Division I. He ranks 21st in wins among active Division I coaches. … Oakland averaged 74.1 points per game last season, which would have ranked second in the Horizon. It gave up 75.3 points per game, which would have ranked last. … Bass is a Dayton Dunbar graduate, and Hill played two seasons at Dayton before transferring in summer of 2012. … Eleven of the 15 players on the roster are from Michigan.
Youngstown State
Last year: 18-16 overall, 7-9 Horizon, tied for fifth place in regular season; beat Wright State 68-61 at home, lost 72-45 at Wright State and lost 66-59 to Wright State in Horizon quarterfinals.
Coach: Jerry Slocum, ninth season, 92-152 (.377).
Preseason poll: Picked fifth.
Last conference title: None since joining Division I.
Last NCAA tournament berth: None.
Returning starters: Kendrick Perry, 6-0, Sr., G, 17.3; Kamren Belin, 6-7, Sr., F, 11.1; D.J. Cole, 5-11, So., G, 6.9.
Other returners: Bobby Hain, 6-10, So., F, 6.2; Shawn Amiker, 6-4, Jr., G, 5.4;
Key players lost: Blake Allen, 12.4; Damian Eargle, 11.8.
Schedule highlights: The Penguins play at St. John's on Dec. 21. Their first three Horizon games are on the road: at Milwaukee, at Green Bay and at UIC.
Notes: Perry is the top returning scorer in the Horizon, not counting Oakland's Travis Bader, who played in the Summit League last season. Perry finished second in the league in scoring last season behind Detroit's Ray McCallum (18.7), who left for the NBA. … The Penguins have never finished higher than fourth in the Horizon League. They posted back-to-back winning seasons in the last two seasons for the first time in 29 years. … Mike Podolsky, a senior guard from Canfield, is the only player on the roster from Ohio.
Valparaiso
Last year: 26-8, 13-3 HL; HL regular-season and tournament champion; beat Wright State 69-63, 68-61 and 62-54 (Horizon championship game).
Coach: Bryce Drew, third season, 48-20 (.706).
Preseason poll: Picked sixth.
Last conference title: 2013.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2013, lost in first round.
Returning starters: None.
Other returners: Lavonte Dority, 6-1, Sr., G, 8.5; Bobby Capobianco, 6-10, Sr., F, 5.9; Jordan Coleman, 6-5, Sr., G; Vashil Fernandez, 6-10, Jr., F, 4.4.
Key players lost: Ryan Broekhoff, 15.7; Kevin Van Wijk, 12.4; Matt Kenney, 8.3; Erik Buggs, 7.0; Will Bogan, 6.4; Ben Boggs, 5.6.
Schedule highlights: The Crusaders play three straight solid teams on the road in November: at Illinois, at Ohio and at Evansville.
Notes: The Crusaders, who have won the last two regular-season titles, were hit harder than any other team in the league by graduation. They lost five starters and six seniors. Only four players return. They return 22.8 percent of their scoring. … Dority was named Horion League Sixth Man of the Year last season. … Keith Carter, a 6-0 sophomore guard, will be able to play after the first semester. He's a transfer from St. Louis. .. Two other transfers are eligible right away: Moussa Gueye, a 7-0 graduate transfer who spent the last three seasons at Alabama, and 6-9 junior forward David Chadwick, from Rice. … All five freshmen on the team are from Indiana or Illinois.
Illinois-Chicago
Last year: 18-16 overall, 7-9 Horizon, tied for fifth place; swept Wright State 55-49 and 60-55.
Coach: Howard Moore, fourth season, 32-61 (.344).
Preseason poll: Picked seventh.
Last conference title: 2004 Horizon tournament champions.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2004, lost in first round.
Returning starters: Hayden Humes, 6-8, Sr., F, 10.3; Marc Brown, 6-4, Jr., G, 5.7
Other returners: Joey Miller, 6-3, Jr., G, 3.9; Will Simonton, 6-10, Jr., C, 2.4.
Key players lost: Gary Talton, 12.3; Daniel Barnes, 12.1; Josh Crittle, 10.5;
Schedule highlights: The Flames host Northwestern on Nov. 20 and play Illinois on Dec. 28 at the United Center.
Notes: Kelsey Barlow, a 6-5 senior guard, is a transfer from Purdue. He was a preseason second-team, all-league selection. He sat out last season after averaging 8.3 points as a junior at Purdue. Jordan Harks, a 6-8 senior, transferred from Central Arkansas after graduating. He averaged 8.2 points last season. … The Flames improved by 10 wins last season after an 8-22 seasons two years ago. It was the 12th-biggest turnaround in the country. They beat Chicago State in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com tournament for their first ever postseason victory.
Detroit
Last year: 20-13 overall, 12-4 HL; second place in regular season; lost 64-62 at home to Wright State, beat Wright State 83-76 at Nutter Center and lost 56-54 to Wright State in HL semifinals.
Coach: Ray McCallum, sixth season, 87-80 (.520).
Preseason poll: Picked eighth.
Last conference title: 2012 Horizon tournament champions.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2012.
Returning starters: Juwan Howard Jr., 6-6, Jr., F, 7.6;
Other returners: Evan Bruinsma, 6-8, Sr., F, 5.6; Anton Wilson, 6-5, So., G, 1.8.
Key players lost: Ray McCallum, 18.7; Nick Minnerath, 14.6; Jason Calliste, 14.4; Doug Anderson, 12.1.
Schedule highlights: Detroit plays at Connecticut on Nov. 14 and hosts Florida Atlantic, Toledo and Stony Brook in the 2K Sports Classic Nov. 22-24.
Notes: The Titans lost four seniors who started every game last season. Calliste and McCallum played more than 35 minutes per game. McCallum was drafted in the second round by the Sacramento Kings in June. Calliste graduated and had one year of eligibility remaining and transferred to Oregon. … Sophomore guard Carlton Brundidge sat out last season after transferring from Michigan. He played in 15 games for the Wolverines two seasons ago as a freshman. … Detroit led the conference in scoring last season (77.8) and ranked last in defense (70.9).
Milwaukee
Last year: 8-24 overall, 3-13 Horizon, last place; lost 53-51 to Wright State at Nutter Center and 64-49 at home.
Coach: Rob Jeter, ninth season, 129-127 (.504).
Preseason poll: Picked last out of nine teams.
Last conference title: 2011 Horizon regular-season champion; 2006 Horizon tournament champion.
Last NCAA tournament berth: 2006, lost in second round.
Returning starters: Jordan Aaron, 5-10, Sr., G; J.J. Panoske, 6-10, So., F, 6.6.
Other returners: Austin Arians, 6-6, So., F, 7.4; Kyle Kelm, 6-9, Sr., F, 1.3; Evan Richard, 6-2, Jr., G, 2.0; Thierno Niang, 6-1, Sr., G.
Key players lost: Parris Gulley, 14.2; Demetrius Harris, 9.2; James Haarsma, 5.5.
Schedule highlights: The Panthers play San Jose State, James Madison and Northern Illinois in the Northern Illinois tournament Nov. 15-17. Like Wright State, they play DePaul, hosting the Blue Demons on Nov. 19. They play three Horizon games on the road in six days Jan. 16-21: at UIC, at Valpo and at Wright State.
Notes: Steve McWhorter, a 6-2 junior, could start at point guard. He's a transfer from Indiana State. … Trinson White (6-5, Jr., F), Matt Tiby (6-8, So., F) and JeVon Lyle (6-2, So., G) are all newcomers to the roster after transferring from junior colleges. Tiby practiced with the team for part of last season. … The Panthers will play their home games at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown after moving for one year to the Klotsche Center. … Twelve of the 17 players on the roster are from Wisconsin. … Harris, a senior last season, made the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad as a tight end. … Nang started the first six games last season but ended up playing only 14 games because of a back injury.
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