Season in Review
The Horizon League has fallen off since Loyola-Chicago and Butler left, but there is still good basketball to be had here. The big headline in the league was freshman Antoine Davis, who broke the freshmen record for three pointers in a season. The previous record holder? Some point guard at Davidson. Despite that, Detroit Mercy struggled to an 8-10 record in conference play. The headliners of the league were Wright State and Northern Kentucky, who each went 13-5 in conference play and were easily the best teams in the conference throughout the year. These are the two traditional Horizon League powers, each having made the tournament the past two seasons. One of these two is the favorite to make the tournament again this season, but there are plenty of underrated teams that could steal the auto bid.
Bracket
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Contenders
Wright State (19-12, 13-5)
The Raiders are looking to make the tournament in back to back seasons, and they are in good position after earning the number one seed in the conference tournament. They don't play one of the most attractive styles in college basketball, but it is effective. They don't do anything particularly well, but there also isn't area where they are particularly bad. They have the best defense in the conference, and both force the most turnovers and get the most rebounds in the conference, which makes them a formidable opponent. Their offense isn't too shabby either, as it ranks second per KenPom, and they run a lot of offense through sophomore big man Loudon Love, who is once again performing at a high level. They'll slow the ball down and pound the paint with Love and fellow forward Billy Wampler, and they have a lot of size for a mid major team. They should a very strong contender to get the bid this season.
Northern Kentucky (23-8, 13-5)
The Norse (one of my favorite nicknames in the country by the way) tied for the regular season conference title and they will look to take the tournament title as well. They are the best offense in the Horizon League, and they are tough to stop. They shoot 56% from two point range, and 57.4% in conference play, while leading the conference with 37.3% shooting from three point range in conference play. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the conference as well, and I think they have the best player in the conference in Drew McDonald. The senior forward is putting up some great numbers, as I get into below, and he can play as a small ball five at times which creates matchup nightmares for his opponents. Their backcourt also does a very good setting everyone up, assisting 60% of their baskets this season. Their offense has the potential to lead them to the NCAA Tournament, which makes them dangerous in this tournament,
Sleeper Team
UIC (16-15, 10-8)
The Flames have been a bit of a disappointment this season, but there is reason to believe that they can go on a run in the tournament. They have a lot of size for the league, with multiple players over 6'7" in the front court, and often play two at the same time. That is an advantage against the smaller teams in the conference, and one of the reasons they have the best two point field goal percentage against in the Horizon League and they block 3.9 shots per game, one of the best in the league. They also have a very quick offensive pace and they take the second most threes in the conference, which can lead to some high scoring games. They also have the Canadian backcourt trio of Godwin Boahen, Marcus Ottey, and Tarkus Ferguson, the latter of which leads the team in every statistical category. All of them average roughly 15 points a game, and they can provide the impetus for a deep run in the Horizon League tournament. On top of that, they are 3-1 against Northern Kentucky and Wright State, including a sweep of the Raiders. I sort of like them to make a run despite being the five seed in the tournament, and they have all the makings of a team that can create havoc in a conference tournament.
Players to Watch
Drew McDonald
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 49.6/42.3/80.5
The leader for Northern Kentucky is senior Drew McDonald. The former Mr. Basketball in Kentucky had a wildly productive season, nearly averaging a double double. He accumulated 12 double doubles and one triple double this season, and he allows the Norse to in a different way than most Horizon League teams. He often operates on the perimeter, which very few centers in this league can do, and he can shoot it at a good clip as well as take the slower footed bigs off the bounce. He is still able to guard other centers defensively, so he isn't a liability on that end. I expect him to have a big tournament and really show off his incredible production on a bigger stage.
Loudon Love
Stats: 15.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 51.6/0/62.4
Love was a key member of the Raiders team that lost to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament last year, and he came back and had just as good of a season as a sophomore. He is more of a traditional post up big that isn't seen too often anymore, but he is very effective in the low post. He has a variety of moves with which he can score, and his size allows him to match up effectively and move pretty much every other big man in the Horizon League. He also elevates his game on big stages, such as his 20 point, 11 rebound performance in a win over Northern Kentucky in mid-February, or averaging 15.8 points and 11 rebounds over the Raiders' last five games to help lead Wright State to the Big Dance last year. I expect him to put up big numbers again through this tournament.
Antoine Davis
Stats: 26 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0 BPG, 40.1/38.3/85.3
Originally committed to play at Houston, Davis elected to follow his dad Mike Davis, the head coach of the Titans, to Detroit and he has been given the green light you'd expect from the coach's son. He is taking 21.7 shots a game, and that translates into the scoring, as he averages the third most points a game in the NCAA. He scored in double figures in every game this season, and when he's hot, good luck stopping him. Wright State learned that the hard way early on in conference play, when Davis dropped a career high 48 points on them while going 10-15 from three in a 79-58 win. If he gets hot over three games, he could carry Detroit Mercy to the NCAA Tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
G: Sandy Cohen, Green Bay
G: Tarkus Ferguson, UIC
F: Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky
F: Loudon Love, Wright State
Second Team
G: Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland
G: Tyree Appleby, Cleveland State
G: Camron Justice, IUPUI
F: Xavier Hills-Mais, Oakland
F: Jalen Tate, Northern Kentucky
My Pick: Northern Kentucky over UIC
First off, let me explain my UIC over Wright State pick. I think the Flames can speed up the game and make Wright State do things they don't want to on both ends of the court. They beat the Raiders both times they played them this season and I like that they have size that gives them the ability to match up with Loudon Love. However, I think the Norse will be a little too much. Drew McDonald and Jalen Tate can take the game out onto the perimeter while still defending bigs, and I think the offense from Northern Kentucky will be a little too much for the Flames to handle and they'll fall short after an impressive run.
The Horizon League has fallen off since Loyola-Chicago and Butler left, but there is still good basketball to be had here. The big headline in the league was freshman Antoine Davis, who broke the freshmen record for three pointers in a season. The previous record holder? Some point guard at Davidson. Despite that, Detroit Mercy struggled to an 8-10 record in conference play. The headliners of the league were Wright State and Northern Kentucky, who each went 13-5 in conference play and were easily the best teams in the conference throughout the year. These are the two traditional Horizon League powers, each having made the tournament the past two seasons. One of these two is the favorite to make the tournament again this season, but there are plenty of underrated teams that could steal the auto bid.
Bracket
Contenders
Wright State (19-12, 13-5)
The Raiders are looking to make the tournament in back to back seasons, and they are in good position after earning the number one seed in the conference tournament. They don't play one of the most attractive styles in college basketball, but it is effective. They don't do anything particularly well, but there also isn't area where they are particularly bad. They have the best defense in the conference, and both force the most turnovers and get the most rebounds in the conference, which makes them a formidable opponent. Their offense isn't too shabby either, as it ranks second per KenPom, and they run a lot of offense through sophomore big man Loudon Love, who is once again performing at a high level. They'll slow the ball down and pound the paint with Love and fellow forward Billy Wampler, and they have a lot of size for a mid major team. They should a very strong contender to get the bid this season.
Northern Kentucky (23-8, 13-5)
The Norse (one of my favorite nicknames in the country by the way) tied for the regular season conference title and they will look to take the tournament title as well. They are the best offense in the Horizon League, and they are tough to stop. They shoot 56% from two point range, and 57.4% in conference play, while leading the conference with 37.3% shooting from three point range in conference play. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the conference as well, and I think they have the best player in the conference in Drew McDonald. The senior forward is putting up some great numbers, as I get into below, and he can play as a small ball five at times which creates matchup nightmares for his opponents. Their backcourt also does a very good setting everyone up, assisting 60% of their baskets this season. Their offense has the potential to lead them to the NCAA Tournament, which makes them dangerous in this tournament,
Sleeper Team
UIC (16-15, 10-8)
The Flames have been a bit of a disappointment this season, but there is reason to believe that they can go on a run in the tournament. They have a lot of size for the league, with multiple players over 6'7" in the front court, and often play two at the same time. That is an advantage against the smaller teams in the conference, and one of the reasons they have the best two point field goal percentage against in the Horizon League and they block 3.9 shots per game, one of the best in the league. They also have a very quick offensive pace and they take the second most threes in the conference, which can lead to some high scoring games. They also have the Canadian backcourt trio of Godwin Boahen, Marcus Ottey, and Tarkus Ferguson, the latter of which leads the team in every statistical category. All of them average roughly 15 points a game, and they can provide the impetus for a deep run in the Horizon League tournament. On top of that, they are 3-1 against Northern Kentucky and Wright State, including a sweep of the Raiders. I sort of like them to make a run despite being the five seed in the tournament, and they have all the makings of a team that can create havoc in a conference tournament.
Players to Watch
Drew McDonald
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 49.6/42.3/80.5
The leader for Northern Kentucky is senior Drew McDonald. The former Mr. Basketball in Kentucky had a wildly productive season, nearly averaging a double double. He accumulated 12 double doubles and one triple double this season, and he allows the Norse to in a different way than most Horizon League teams. He often operates on the perimeter, which very few centers in this league can do, and he can shoot it at a good clip as well as take the slower footed bigs off the bounce. He is still able to guard other centers defensively, so he isn't a liability on that end. I expect him to have a big tournament and really show off his incredible production on a bigger stage.
Loudon Love
Stats: 15.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 51.6/0/62.4
Love was a key member of the Raiders team that lost to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament last year, and he came back and had just as good of a season as a sophomore. He is more of a traditional post up big that isn't seen too often anymore, but he is very effective in the low post. He has a variety of moves with which he can score, and his size allows him to match up effectively and move pretty much every other big man in the Horizon League. He also elevates his game on big stages, such as his 20 point, 11 rebound performance in a win over Northern Kentucky in mid-February, or averaging 15.8 points and 11 rebounds over the Raiders' last five games to help lead Wright State to the Big Dance last year. I expect him to put up big numbers again through this tournament.
Antoine Davis
Stats: 26 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0 BPG, 40.1/38.3/85.3
Originally committed to play at Houston, Davis elected to follow his dad Mike Davis, the head coach of the Titans, to Detroit and he has been given the green light you'd expect from the coach's son. He is taking 21.7 shots a game, and that translates into the scoring, as he averages the third most points a game in the NCAA. He scored in double figures in every game this season, and when he's hot, good luck stopping him. Wright State learned that the hard way early on in conference play, when Davis dropped a career high 48 points on them while going 10-15 from three in a 79-58 win. If he gets hot over three games, he could carry Detroit Mercy to the NCAA Tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
G: Sandy Cohen, Green Bay
G: Tarkus Ferguson, UIC
F: Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky
F: Loudon Love, Wright State
Second Team
G: Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland
G: Tyree Appleby, Cleveland State
G: Camron Justice, IUPUI
F: Xavier Hills-Mais, Oakland
F: Jalen Tate, Northern Kentucky
My Pick: Northern Kentucky over UIC
First off, let me explain my UIC over Wright State pick. I think the Flames can speed up the game and make Wright State do things they don't want to on both ends of the court. They beat the Raiders both times they played them this season and I like that they have size that gives them the ability to match up with Loudon Love. However, I think the Norse will be a little too much. Drew McDonald and Jalen Tate can take the game out onto the perimeter while still defending bigs, and I think the offense from Northern Kentucky will be a little too much for the Flames to handle and they'll fall short after an impressive run.
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