365 Reasons to Love College Hoops: Every Team, Ranked from First to Worst--Busting Brackets
354. IU Indianapolis Jaguars- Last Season Ranking: 358
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Kyler D’Augustino
The
Jaguars are on their second coach in two seasons, with Ben Howlett
taking over this year. The coaching change gutted the roster, and only
one player who earned minutes last season remains on it. Coach Howlett
turned West Liberty into a Division II powerhouse, and IU Indy hopes he
can find the same magic for their program.
339. Green Bay Phoenix- Last Season Ranking: 304
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Preston Reudinger
The
Phoenix were awful last year, winning only four games. Green Bay heads
into the 2025-2026 season having lost its three top scorers and having a
roster made up of freshmen and non-Division 1 transfers. It could be
another long year for Green Bay.
365 Reasons to Love College Hoops: Every Team, Ranked from First to Worst--Busting Brackets
298. Detroit Mercy Titans- Last Season Ranking: 343
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Orlando Lovejoy
The
Titans may have won only 8 games last season, but that was a vast
improvement from two seasons ago, when Detroit Mercy won only 1 game.
The Titans have most of their roster back from last season and enter
year two under head coach Mark Montgomery. The Titans should be better
and may finish in the middle of the pack
284. Northern Kentucky Norse- Last Season Ranking: 157
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Kael Robinson
Full
disclosure, I don't know how good Northern Kentucky will be from year
to year because they are always extremely hard to scout. Head coach
Darrin Horn saw a ton of talent leave last season, but then brought in a
ton of lower-division talent from the transfer portal. The years where
the Norse look to have a ton of question marks are the years they
outperform every expectation.
365 Reasons to Love College Hoops: Every Team, Ranked from First to Worst--Busting Brackets
220. Robert Morris Colonials- Last Season Ranking: 282
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Cam Wilds
The
Colonials made the NCAA Tournament last year with a loaded roster, only
to have all their players transfer. There was no other team in the
sport who were destroyed by the transfer portal like Robert Morris was.
The roster is inexperienced at the Division 1 level and might struggle
this year.
218. Fort Wayne Mastodons-Last Season Ranking: 138
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Corey Hadnot
Jon
Coffman-coached teams have been known to put points on the board at a
high clip. The problem arises at the defensive end of the floor. The
Mastodons still do enough every year to compete in Horizon League, but
it's a one-bid league, so if you don't win the conference tournament, no
NCAA tournament. Heading into this season, the Mastodons got a lot
younger, and that isn't usually a good thing.
211. Milwaukee Panthers- Last Season Ranking: 176
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Amat Aguillard
Head
coach Bart Lundy has turned Milwaukee into a perennial power in the
Horizon League. The Panthers have yet to make the NCAA Tournament under
Lundy, but they have won 20 games each year and enter the current season
as one of the favorites in the Horizon League again. He found a ton of
talent in the transfer portal, and the depth may be better than any
other team's.
365 Reasons to Love College Hoops: Every Team, Ranked from First to Worst--Busting Brackets
190. Wright State Raiders- Last Season Ranking: 191
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Bryan Etumnu
The
Raiders struggled under first-year head coach Clint Sargent; they still
had one of the country's best offenses. Unfortunately, the defense was
one of the worst in the country. The 2025-2026 season is a full-on
rebuild for Wright State with zero double-digit scorers on the roster
and six freshmen.
187. Oakland Golden Grizzlies-Last Season Ranking: 169
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Khoi Thurmon
Head
coach Greg Kampe has been at Oakland since the school moved to Division
1. That means it is easy to tell how his teams are going to play: as
fast and as physical as possible, while letting it fly from deep as many
times as necessary to win a game. The Golden Grizzlies will live by the
three and die by the three. This year looks like a live year.
173. Youngstown State Penguins- Last Season Ranking: 180
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Bryson Dawkins
The
Penguins have been trending up over the last few seasons, and it has
been due in large part to their ability to get a lot of big-time
transfers. Youngstown State has a lot of big-time transfers on the
roster this season, who are all going to contribute. The Penguins shoot
threes, rebound, and protect the rim. They are one of the favorites in
the Horizon.
Horizon League Men’s Preview--Mid-Major Madness
365 Reasons to Love College Hoops: Every Team, Ranked from First to Worst--Busting Brackets
251. Cleveland State Vikings- Last Season Ranking: 186
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Ice Emery
It
will be a season of firsts for the Vikings. New head coach Rob Summers
will be coaching his first game at Cleveland State. In addition, the
entire roster will be playing their first-ever games in Cleveland State
green and white when the season kicks off. There is still a lot of
talent for a completely new roster.
Cleveland State Women’s Basketball Picks Up Exhibition Win Over Findlay--csuvikings.com
UDM Set For Second Exhibition On Thursday At 1st Annual Horatio Williams Foundation Hoops & Culture Event--detroittitans.com
Fisher Just Wanted To Be At Home--detroittitans.com
Green Bay Set to Host Final Exhibition Against St. Norbert--greenbayphoenix.com
NKU men's basketball will have a new look this season with a lot of newcomers--Cincinnati Enquirer
NKU women’s basketball: Nine newcomers for second-year coach Hans looking to win big again--NKyTribune
Golden Grizzlies Host Rochester Christian in Final Exhibition--goldengrizzlies.com
Summit City's Mikale Stevenson back to lead PFW--Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
"She's doing it all": PFW's Jordan Reid takes center stage--Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Marchesano's Rebuild of Mastodon Women's Basketball--gomastodons.com
Former Robert Morris Forward Selected in NBA G-League Draft--Robert Morris Sports Now
Wright State basketball: Well-traveled Pangonis finds home with Raiders--Dayton Daily News
Basketball bolsters preseason roster--The Jambar
Big Second Half Leads Penguins Past Akron, 84-78--ysusports.com
#HLMBB Notebook – 2025-26 Season Preview--The Horizon League
#HLWBB Notebook – 2025-26 Season Preview--The Horizon League
