2024 Horizon League Tournament Preview & Conference Awards

CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 17. Up first: The Horizon League Tournament.

The Horizon League was exciting all year long, with Green Bay, who were projected to finish last in the conference holding the lead early on, and Oakland and Youngstown State fighting for the conference title down the stretch. Oakland came out on top, but the goal remains the same for every team in the Horizon tournament, to go dancing.

2024 Horizon League Awards

Player of the Year: Noah Reynolds, Green Bay

Freshman of the Year: David Douglas Jr., Green Bay

Transfer of the Year: Noah Reynolds, Green Bay

Coach of the Year: Sundance Wicks, Green Bay

First Team:

• G: Trey Calvin, Wright State (19.6 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 48.3 FG%, 40.3 3P%)
• G: Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky (19.9 PPG, 2.5 APG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 42.8 FG%)
• G: Noah Reynolds, Green Bay (19.7 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.7 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 50.9 FG%)
• F: Trey Townsend, Oakland (16.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 45.9 FG%)
• F: Tristan Enaruna, Cleveland State (20.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 49.9 FG%)

Second Team:

• G: Tanner Holden, Wright State (16.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 55.1 FG%)
• G: Jayden Stone, Detroit Mercy (20.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 41.9 FG%)
• G: BJ Freeman, Milwaukee (20.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 41.8 FG%, 37.2 3P%)
• F: Ziggy Reid, Youngstown State (14.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 46.0 FG%, 38.1 3P%)
• F: DJ Burns, Youngstown State (12.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 51.6 FG%)

Horizon Tournament Simulation

First Round – Tue., Mar. 5

7. Cleveland State (18-13, 11-9) vs. 10. IUPUI (6-25, 2-18) – 7 p.m ET/ 6 p.m CT on ESPN+

This will probably be a dud. The two teams played in the final regular season game, and Cleveland State won by nine. They also won by nine the first time they played. Give me Cleveland State by nine a third time.

Ariel’s pick: 7. Cleveland State

6. Milwaukee (17-14, 12-8) vs. 11. Detroit Mercy (1-30, 1-19) – 8 p.m ET/7 p.m CT on ESPN+

Detroit Mercy won one game this season. Milwaukee beat Detroit Mercy by a combined 39 points in their two matchups. This one also shouldn’t be much of a contest.

Ariel’s pick: 6. Milwaukee

8. Purdue Fort Wayne (20-11, 11-9) vs. 9. Robert Morris (10-21, 6-14) – 8 p.m ET/7 p.m CT on ESPN+

The gap between Purdue Fort-Wayne and Robert Morris was five games. How crazy is that for just a one-seed difference? These two teams also played in the final regular season game, and it wasn’t close, with PFW winning by 18. PFW is hot right now, while Robert Morris has lost six straight.

Ariel’s pick: 8. Purdue Fort Wayne

Quarterfinals – Thur., Mar. 7

1. Oakland (20-11, 15-5) vs. 8. Purdue Fort- Wayne – 7 p.m ET on ESPN+

This should be a great game. Purdue Fort Wayne crushed Oakland when they played in early December, but Oakland came out on top when they played in February. Both teams won on the road, something that is quite unusual in college basketball. The key will be three-point shooting. Both teams rank in the top 3 in three-point percentage in the Horizon.

My prediction is PFW will lead at half and still hold a narrow lead with 5 minutes to go, but Oakland will use the home crowd to propel to a win.

Ariel’s pick: 1. Oakland

2. Youngstown State (22-9, 14-6), vs. 7. Cleveland State – 7 p.m ET on ESPN+

The key to this game is stopping Tristan Enaruna. In the first matchup, Enaruna had 13 points, and Youngstown State won by 25. The second time, Enauruna went for 31 and Cleveland State won by 8. At the end of the day, Youngstown State is 14-2 at home, while Cleveland State is 5-10 on the road. That should be enough to push Penguins past the Vikings.

Ariel’s pick: 2. Youngstown State

4. Wright State (18-13, 13-7) vs. 5. Northern Kentucky (17-14, 12-8) – 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+

If you love watching high-level scorers, this is must-watch TV. Both times these two teams played, Trey Calvin and Marques Warrick put on a show. In their most recent game, Warrick scored 39 for NKU, and Trey Clavin added 23. Wright State is terrible defensively, but elite offensively. Expect a high-scoring game, but unless Warrick scores 50, this one will go to Wright State.

Ariel’s pick: 4. Wright State

3. Green Bay (18-13, 13-7) vs. 6. Milwaukee – 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+

The big question is will Noah Reynolds play? Reynolds has been out since February 14th, and since then, Green Bay is 1-3 after going 12-4 with him. Even if he plays, he might not be at 100% and the talent behind him isn’t enough to get them past BJ Freeman and Milwaukee.

Ariel’s pick: 6. Milwaukee

Semifinals – Mar. 11

1. Oakland vs. 4. Wright State – 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU

Weirdly enough, the team on the road crushed the team at home in both games. Trey Calvin shot a combined 10-31 in the loss, and 11-19 in the win. Can Oakland really slow both of them down again? 60 points was the lowest total Wright State scored the whole season, and it’s hard to see that happening again. Does Oakland have the scoring to match up with Wright State?

Ariel’s pick: 4. Wright State

2. Youngstown State vs. 6. Milwaukee – 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2

This is the matchup everyone wants to see. Both times these two teams played in the regular season, the game went to overtime. Youngstown State came out on top both times, but not without a high level of excitement. Both teams come into this tournament on three-game winning streaks, the best in the conference, and four of their last five. The biggest question is whether Milwaukee will be able to stop DJ Burns on the boards. Burns grabbed a combined 11 offensive rebounds in those two games, leading to second-chance opportunities and eventually a win.

Ariel’s pick: 2. Youngstown State

Finals – Mar. 12

2. Youngstown State vs. 4. Wright State – 7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN2

Here’s a fun fact, seven of the last eight Horizon Tournament champions have been a 4 seed or a 2 seed. The 4 seed has won the last two, with Wright State being one of those teams two years ago. Youngstown State swept the series and won both by double digits. However, this is March. Big-time players step up in big-time games, and I fully expect Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden to do so. The four-seed streak continues!

Ariel’s pick: 4. Wright State