A deep dive into the 2024 Horizon League Conference Tournament.By
Zachary Cohen
-
2024 Horizon League Conference Tournament
On Tuesday, March 5th, the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off. The first few days of this event will be played on the home courts of the higher seeds, and it’ll then move to Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis for the semifinals.Last season, the top-seeded Youngstown State Penguins got bounced by the fourth-seeded Northern Kentucky Norse in the semifinals. Northern Kentucky then went on to beat the third-seeded Cleveland State Vikings in the finals. This year, it’ll be the Oakland Golden Grizzlies that enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. They’ll be hoping to avoid suffering the same fate as Youngstown State so that they can punch their ticket to March Madness.
Overall, this should be a fascinating tournament to follow. Keep reading for our preview and predictions on how this will play out.
How to Watch the Horizon League Conference Tournament
When: March 5 – 12Where: Campus sites; Semifinals and finals at Indiana Farmers Coliseum
Format: Seeding based on record in conference; top-five seeds get a bye in the opening round
Watch: ESPN+, ESPNU and ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Horizon League Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (+240)2. Youngstown State Penguins (+195)
3. Green Bay Phoenix (+950)
4. Wright State Raiders (+320)
5. Milwaukee Panthers (22-1)
6. Northern Kentucky Norse (14-1)
7. Cleveland State Vikings (20-1)
8. Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (13-1)
9. Robert Morris Colonials (350-1)
10. IUPUI Jaguars (500-1)
11. Detroit Mercy Titans (500-1)
(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
Favorite To Win Horizon League Conference Tournament
Youngstown State is the betting favorite to win this tournament. Oakland is the top-seeded team in the Horizon League, but the Penguins are the highest-ranked team in Steve Makinen’s VSiN Power Ratings. That ranking is also backed up by both KenPom and Bart Torvik. Youngstown State isn’t a team that hits you with a lot of finesse. But the Penguins are a hard-nosed group, capable of dominating the glass and defending at a high level — especially when it comes to 2PT defense. DJ Burns is a good defender at the forward position, and 7-foot-3 freshman Gabe Dynes is averaging 2.3 blocks per game. Those two make Youngstown State difficult to score on, and the team also has just enough offensive firepower.Horizon League Conference Tournament Darkhorse
Cleveland State isn’t a team that many people will pick to win this tournament, but it’s hard to rule them out with Tristan Enaruna in the mix. As long as the former Kansas and Iowa State transfer is healthy, the Vikings have a chance to beat anybody in this conference. Enaruna is right there with the top scorers in the conference, and he leads the Horizon League in Box Plus-Minus (BPM). Enaruna had 31 points in a win over Youngstown State a few weeks ago. That type of performance makes it pretty easy to believe in the Vikings making a run. He just needs his teammates to help out a little.Players to Watch in Horizon League Conference Tournament
Milwaukee’s BJ Freeman is arguably the best player in the conference. He has the highest usage rate in the Horizon League, and he’s just an outrageously explosive offensive player. Freeman shoots in the high 30s from 3PT range, and he launches a ton of them. He’s also a good rebounder for a guard, and he can really pass. He has an NBA-level offensive toolkit and his game makes it hard to rule out a run for the Panthers.Green Bay’s Noah Reynolds is one of the best guards in the conference, when healthy. The Wyoming transfer has been out with an ankle injury, but he’s expected to return soon. Reynolds has had six 30-point games this season, and he’s a player that also gets his teammates involved. He actually has the highest assist rate of anybody in the Horizon League. Green Bay wasn’t quite as good as Oakland or Youngstown State this season, but Reynolds’ play as a lead guard means they can win this tournament.
Youngstown State will feel like it should win this tournament, and the previously-mentioned Burns and Ziggy Reid are two guys that can help the Penguins do it. Burns is averaging a double-double on the year, and he’s one of the best rebounders in all of college basketball. At 6-foot-7, Burns has no business being as dominant on the glass as he is, but he’s absolutely relentless in the paint. He’s also a tremendous defensive player, and those two traits are a big part of the reason he’s second in the conference in BPM. Meanwhile, Reid is a 6-foot-6 forward that can really score the basketball. He’s the type of player a team can ride to a tournament win.
For top-seeded Oakland, any number of players can rise to the occasion on any given night. This is a very deep basketball team. However, Trey Townsend is the player that stands out most often. He’s a jack-of-all-trades forward that can score the basketball, and he’s also a solid rebounder and passer. The Golden Grizzlies run the offense through him quite a bit.
One final player worth knowing is Northern Kentucky’s Marques Warrick, who averaged 19.3 points per game this season. He’s always a threat to be the best player on the floor. That will make the Norse a tough out. In fact, Warrick averaged 33.5 points per game in his final two regular season contests.
