On The Horizon

Jim Squire

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