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2022 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics

Dates

Tuesday, March 1 (first round); Thursday, March 3 (quarterfinals); Monday, March 7 (semifinals); Tuesday, March 8 (championship)

Format

Bracket with reseeding for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Site

Higher seeds host the first round and quarterfinals. The Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis hosts the semifinals and finals.

TV/Streaming Info

ESPN airs the final, with the semifinals appearing on ESPNU. ESPN+ will stream the first round and quarterfinals.

Participants

For a few days, only 11 of the Horizon League’s 12 teams were scheduled to participate, as UIC was banned from competing for conference postseason championships due to their pending move to the Missouri Valley Conference this July. However, the conference eventually allowed the Flames back in, but they waived their rights to host championship events for the remainder of their tenure. So, UIC travels to Milwaukee as the 8 seed.

Downloadable Bracket

Schedule

First Round (Tues., March 1)

Game 1: (8) UIC 80, (9) Milwaukee (10-22, 8-14) 69
Game 2: (10) Robert Morris 77, (7) Youngstown State (18-14, 12-9) 73
Game 3: (11) Green Bay (5-25, 4-16) 62, (6) Detroit Mercy 79
Game 4: (12) IUPUI (3-26, 1-16) 58, (5) Oakland 69

Quarterfinals (Thurs., March 3)

Game 5: (10) Robert Morris (8-24, 5-16) 67, (1) Cleveland State 83
Game 6: (5) Oakland (20-12, 12-7) 63, (4) Wright State 75
Game 7: (8) UIC (14-16, 9-10) 72, (2) Purdue Fort Wayne 78
Game 8: (6) Detroit Mercy (14-15, 10-7) 59, (3) Northern Kentucky 77

Semifinals (Mon., March 7)

Game 9: (4) Wright State 82, (1) Cleveland State (20-10, 15-6) 67
Game 10: (3) Northern Kentucky 57, (2) Purdue Fort Wayne (21-11, 15-6)

Championship (Tues., March 8)

Game 11: (4) WRIGHT STATE (21-13, 15-7) 72, (3) Northern Kentucky (20-11, 14-6) 71

Mayhem Potential

Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitter in 2020 with my own additions for 2021 and 2022.

Cleveland State’s 2021 win was the first by a Horizon No. 1 seed since Valparaiso (now in the MVC) took the 2015 crown. The No. 2 seed had won the previous three titles, while the No. 4 won in both 2016 and 2017. Those two results led the conference to tinker with its tournament format for a few years. However, the stepladder is now gone.

Of course, with the top of the conference as even as it was in 2021-22 (five of Cleveland State’s six league losses were courtesy the rest of the top six), predict or bet this one at your own peril.

• 2 seed (4): 2011, 2018, 2019, 2020
• 1 seed (3): 2013, 2015, 2021
• 4 seed (2): 2016, 2017
• 3 seed (1): 2012
• 5 seed (1): 2014

NCAA Seeding Record Since 2011

Years with an NCAA win are in bold.

• 8 seed (1): 2011
• 13 seed (1); 2015
• 14 seed (3): 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
• 15 seed (3): 2012, 2017, 2021

The 8 seed (and a 5 in 2010) is an outlier, as Butler, now in the Big East, earned it. This year’s Horizon champ is likely to end up on line 15 or 16, since the league is much weaker than in its heyday.

Last NCAA Tournament Appearances

Cleveland State: 2021 (15 seed, 1st Round)
Northern Kentucky: 2019 (14 seed, 1st Round)—2020 Horizon League Tournament Champion
Wright State: 2018 (14 seed, 1st Round)
Green Bay: 2016 (14 seed, 1st Round)
Robert Morris: 2015 (16 seed, 1st Round, NEC member)
Milwaukee: 2014 (15 seed, 1st Round)
Detroit Mercy: 2012 (15 seed, 1st Round)
Oakland: 2011 (13 seed, Round of 64, Summit member)
UIC: 2004 (13 seed, 1st Round0
IUPUI: 2003 (16 seed, 1st Round, Mid-Continent (Summit) member)

Youngstown State and Purdue Fort Wayne have never qualified for the NCAA Tournament.