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2023 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics

Dates

• Tuesday, February 28 (first round)
• Thursday, March 2 (second round)
• Monday, March 6 (semifinals)
• Tuesday, March 7 (final)

Format

Traditional bracket with reseeding.

Site

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

Participants

With UIC’s departure for the Missouri Valley, the Horizon League turned its membership down to 11, all of whom will participate in this season’s event.

Downloadable Bracket

Schedule

All times are p.m. Eastern.

First Round (Tues., Feb. 28)

Game 1: (11) IUPUI (5-27, 2-18) 64, (6) Robert Morris 67
Game 2: (10) Green Bay (3-29, 2-18) 57, (7) Wright State 77
Game 3: (9) Purdue Fort Wayne (17-15, 9-11) 68, (8) Detroit Mercy 81

Quarterfinals (Thurs., March 2)

Game 4: (8) Detroit Mercy (14-19, 9-11) 66, (1) Youngstown State 71
Game 5: (7) Wright State (18-15, 10-10) 70, (2) Milwaukee 87
Game 6: (6) Robert Morris (16-17, 10-10) 70, (3) Cleveland State 75 (OT)
Game 7: (5) Oakland (13-19, 11-9) 74, (4) Northern Kentucky 81

Semifinals (Mon., March 6)

Game 8: (4) Northern Kentucky 75, (1) Youngstown State (24-9, 15-5) 63
Game 9: (3) Cleveland State 93, (2) Milwaukee (21-11, 14-6) 80

Championship (Tues., March 7)

Game 10: (4) NORTHERN KENTUCKY (22-12, 14-6) 63, (3) Cleveland State (21-13, 14-6) 61

Mayhem Potential Since 2011

Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitter in 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.

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. Of course, the Horizon tournament returned to being a topsy-turvy event in 2022, with fourth-seeded Wright State winning. That earned the Raiders a quasi-home game in Dayton, which they lost to Bryant.

The top four teams finished within a game of each other, so any of them could conceivably win it, and a shock title run by a lower-seed win isn’t out of the question either.

• 2 seed (4): 2011, 2018, 2019, 2020
• 1 seed (3): 2013, 2015, 2021
• 4 seed (3): 2016, 2017, 2022
• 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
• 16 seed (1): 2022 (First Four)

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 now than in its heyday.

Last NCAA Tournament Appearances

Wright State: 2022 (16 seed, First Four)
Cleveland State: 2021 (15 seed, 1st Round)
Northern Kentucky: 2019 (14 seed, 1st Round)—2020 Horizon League Tournament Champion
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)
IUPUI: 2003 (16 seed, 1st Round, Mid-Continent (Summit) member)

Youngstown State and Purdue Fort Wayne have never qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Penguins have a great shot of changing that by grabbing three wins this year, but it won’t be easy.