NCAA Basketball: Power rankings of all teams (363-1) for 2022-23 season page 2--Busting Brackets
358. IUPUI Jaguars – Last Season Ranking: 340
Conference: Horizon League
The mighty 6. That is how many players finished the year on the IUPUI
roster at the end of the 2021-2022 season. It was a mess for IUPUI all
season long and this year the Jaguars are breaking in a whole new
roster. IUPUI couldn’t score last year as they averaged less than 53
points per game, won three games all year long and the second year of
former IUPUI star Matt Crenshaw’s tenure everyone hopes goes much better
than the last.
This year doesn’t look to be that much better as the Jaguars do not
have a sure thing on offense on their entire roster, no one on this
roster has played together before and the Horizon league is competitive.
IUPUI will have to rely on unproven transfers to hopefully pick up
their offense. Jlynn Counter has the highest ceiling of all the
transfers.
348. Green Bay Phoenix – Last Season Ranking: 318
Conference: Horizon League
Green Bay made the decision to part with former coach Linc Darner
three seasons ago and it has not gone well with current head coach Will
Ryan. I understand the sentiment especially when you have the chance to
hire a legendary coach’s son. However, this could also be a situation of
knowing that the grass isn’t always greener.
Heading into this season the Phoenix may be one of the worst teams in
the country and far and away the worst team in the Horizon League. They
have almost no one returning from last years team that won 5 games.
Green Bay enters the year without a senior and 3 returning contributors
from last season. Cade Meyer returns for his junior season and is going
to get a much bigger share of the offense than he has ever had.
NCAA Basketball: Power rankings of all teams (363-1) for 2022-23 season page 7--Busting Brackets
225. Oakland Golden Grizzlies-Last Season Ranking: 171
Conference: Horizon League
Oakland had some tough luck last year shooting the ball. It was one
of those years for the Golden Grizzlies when the shots were not falling,
even for the guys who are usually good shooters. Head coach Greg Kampe
plays the same way every year. He has a team that has a lot of guys who
can shoot from deep and many of those same players are also able to
affect the game off the bounce. Oakland is a team who, when they are
right, is never out of a game because of their ability to shoot the ball
from deep.
The Golden Grizzlies must shoot the ball better than they did last
year. Its impressive that a team who is built around three point
shooting was still able to finish in the middle of the pack of the
Horizon League. Oakland has a lot of their team back from last year and
coach Kampe went out and got a former five star to run the point and two
other players who have high ceilings. Oakland is one of those teams who
looks great on paper but if they do not hit their shots are going to be
destined for another middle of the pack Horizon League year.
I believe last year was a one off and the Golden Grizzlies finish in
the top tier of the Horizon league this year. Jalen Moore returns for
his final season, and I predicted last year he could lead the country in
scoring. Last season he couldn’t hit any shots from deep and this year
if he gets going from deep, he will average over 20 per game. He has a
lot around him now to take the pressure off.
219. Detroit Mercy Titans- Last Season Ranking: 189
Conference: Horizon League
Is this finally the year for Detroit Mercy? They have been a team
with a ton of attention over the last four seasons because of the
dynamic player that they have on their roster. The problem always lies
with the other players on the team. There was never a reliable second
option for head coach Mike Davis. The Titans are fun to watch as they
hoist a ton of threes and they will launch from anywhere on the floor. I
was about right as season ago with my prediction for Detroit. I did
pick them to finish in the top half of the Horizon League and they ended
up in the middle of the pack. This year I am going to play it safe and
say that Detroit will finish in the middle of the pack.
However, they have a player who can drastically change their fortunes
and get them into the NCAA tournament. Antoine Davis is in his final
year of college eligibility and the Horizon League is close to finally
breathing a sigh of relief. I say that because Davis is the one player
in college basketball who is going to be the sole reason his team wins
games. He can drop 50 points at any point in time in the season and he
has won games by himself for the Titans and will likely do so again. If
Detroit Mercy wants to make the NCAA tournament and win the Horizon,
they will need another consistent player to step up every night like
Davis does.
213. Youngstown State Penguins- Last Season Ranking: 199
Conference: Horizon League
The Penguins have been trending up for the last few years and last
year it all came together as Youngstown State won 19 games, and even
though they finished middle of the pack in the Horizon they still made
the league notice them. Youngstown State would have been a lot better
had their best player and team leader not gotten hurt three games in the
season. Despite that it was still a great season. Head coach Jerrod
Calhoun was not satisfied, he wants to win and win quickly. He was able
to make sure his mainstays and most experienced players were coming back
and then went out in the transfer portal and got players who have won a
myriad of awards at their previous schools.
A healthy Youngstown State has a chance to be very dangerous this
year in the Horizon League. The Horizon League always has room for new
teams to climb to the top and Youngstown State is ready to take the next
step and finish in the top half of the league. Garrett Covington was
the player who was hurt a season ago, and had he been healthy I do
believe the fortunes of the Penguins would have been changed. Covington
is a fantastic defender and really anchors the defense for coach
Calhoun. The senior guard also is an 1,100 point scorer, fantastic
rebounder and a guy who has been in the program for a long time. If he
can stay healthy, watch out for Youngstown.
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Busting Brackets
275. Cleveland State Vikings- Last Season Ranking: 130
Conference: Horizon League
The Vikings won the Horizon League last year and they did it with
aggressive defense and smart offense. Dennis Gates did a great job
bringing this program back to relevance. Gates did so well that he was
able to convert that job into a power five job as the head coach of
Missouri. Coach Gates departure gutted the Cleveland State roster and
new head coach Daniyal Robinson is likely in for a rebuild. The top of
the Horizon league is not conducive for a team in a rebuild.
The silver lining is that coach Robinson is known for his recruiting
ability and Cleveland State should not be down for long. This year may
be a tough year however as the Vikings don’t have much on the roster and
the top of the league is way too talented for Cleveland State to make
much legitimate noise. This obviously means that I will completely miss
on the roster, and they far exceed expectations.
Tristan Enaruna followed his head coach from Iowa State and the
Vikings are hoping that a drop in competition will help the wing thrive.
Enaruna has a ton of experience as he has played in the NCAA tournament
at Kansas and Iowa State, and he has been a role player on both of
those teams. Enaruna is going to be a breakout player in the Horizon
this year.
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iupuijags.com
NCAA Basketball: Power rankings of all teams (363-1) for 2022-23 season page 3--
Busting Brackets328. Milwaukee Panthers- Last Season Ranking: 146
Conference: Horizon League
There is a 100% guarantee that I was not the only one who missed this
badly on Milwaukee. No one would have ever guessed that five star
freshman Patrick Baldwin would only play 11 games, and would have poor
shooting percentages in the games he did play. Baldwin was the son of
the coach last season and the overall performance of Milwaukee, who many
picked to finish in the top half of the Horizon League, cost former
coach Patrick Baldwin his job.
The new coach is Bart Lundy who was most recently the coach of Queens
University in Charlotte. Lundy is known for winning as he won 30 games
as the coach at Queens three seasons in a row. The new head man has also
participated in a Final Four and an Elite Eight. Lundy is a great coach
and should be able to turn the Panthers around, but they are in
shambles right now. The Panthers have a new roster assembled by Lundy
that has a lot of depth and experience. The current roster does not have
much division 1 experience, but they have played a lot of basketball.
Even with the new roster and the new coach the Panthers look destined
for the bottom of the Horizon. Jalen Johnson is one of the best
forwards in the country but since he played the beginning of his career
for an HBCU no one knows about him. Johnson has a 30 point game on the
books against Cincinnati, he shot almost 60% from the floor overall.
Johnson was voted one of the 17 best HBCU players ever. He is going to
average a double double while being efficient from the floor and will be
an all conference player. If he wins the league player of the year
Milwaukee is going to have a great season.
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Busting Brackets157. Northern Kentucky Norse- Last Season Ranking: 151
Conference: Horizon League
The Horizon League is hoping for some parity as the top of the league
seems to be the same three or four teams over the last handful of
seasons. The Norse have done a great job building their program up to
become one of those consistent top teams. Head coach Darrin Horn is a
good recruiter and has developed a team who is tough, shoots a lot of
threes and has a lot of athleticism.
Northern Kentucky is a pesky team who never seems to be out of a game
because of their ability to shoot from outside. The Norse are also
frustrating to watch because they are not a very efficient team overall,
but they make enough baskets to win games. They get a lot of baskets in
transition because they have quick guards who hop in front of passes
and get easy steals. The Norse are winning games, and no one ever said
winning had to be pretty. Northern Kentucky barely missed the NCAA
tournament a season ago as they lost to Wright State by one point. They
will be back again and will make the NCAA tournament again as early as
this year.
Marques Warrick is a two time all conference selection and made the
all freshman team in the Horizon League. The guard enters his junior
year as one of the players on the preseason player of the year watch
list. Warrick shows up when the time is right. He plays his best in the
biggest games and in the conference tournament. He is going to lead the
team in scoring again and should easily make the all conference team.
Mid-Major Games to Watch on Opening Night In a Sentence or 2--Mid-Major Madness
Best Mid Major vs. Mid Major Games
After a little afternoon snack, watch some high-quality mid-major matchups!
Kent State vs. Northern Kentucky - 7 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Ohio/ESPN+
Two league favorites and two of the best guards in the country: Sincere Carry and Marques Warrick.
NCAA Basketball: Power rankings of all teams (363-1) for 2022-23 season page 14--
Busting Brackets80. Fort Wayne Mastodons-Last Season Ranking: 255
Conference: Horizon League
As the winner of the Horizon League regular season, the Mastodons
were invited to compete in the NIT. They lost their opening round game
to Drake, but the experience is something that Fort Wayne is going to
take into this season and use it as fuel for another run to the top of
Horizon League. The top of the Horizon is likely going to be packed
again and the Mastodons have all their production back from last year.
Fort Wayne is on the cusp of the first NCAA tournament berth in school
history. Head coach Jon Coffman has a team that is going to put some
power teams on notice.
Fort Wayne is going to enter the year as the team to beat in the
Horizon as they have a ton of experience and are hungry to get that
first NCAA tournament bid. Fort Wayne has the best starting five in the
Horizon and easily has the best backcourt in the league. Jarred Godfrey
is the go to and my favorite for Horizon League player of the year.
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Busting Brackets299. Robert Morris Colonials- Last Season Ranking: 288
Conference: Horizon League
The last two seasons have been a mess for the Colonials and head
coach Andrew Toole. Robert Morris has seen players leave in the middle
of the season and they have fallen off considerably from the program we
all expected them to be when they headed to the Horizon League. Robert
Morris does have their top three scorers back from last season but given
how last season went that doesn’t elicit a lot of confidence.
There are going to questions around are all of these players going to
be committed to Robert Morris? Will they all stay for the year and see
this out? If the Colonials can stay healthy and all stay committed on
both ends of the floor, they will have a chance to turn it around.
Robert Morris still has a ways to go and will likely finish in the
bottom of the Horizon league pack. Kahliel Spear returns to lead the
Colonials and hopefully he can pull them from the bottom of the Horizon
League.
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Busting Brackets194. Wright State Raiders- Last Season Ranking: 142
Conference: Horizon League
The Raiders had one of the highest scoring duos in the country a
season ago and they both showed out in the NCAA tournament. Those two
players are both gone as they both decided to transfer for their final
year of eligibility leaving coach Scott Nagy to move forward without his
two stars. It should not matter though because coach Nagy always has
his players ready and gets the most out of every team he has had. Wright
State is a perennial power in the Horizon League and while they may not
make the NCAA tournament this year they are going to be in the mix at
the top of the league.
The Raiders head into the year with one star and a lot of players
looking for a breakout. Coach Nagy is known for his player development
skills and there are so many times throughout his career that you can
see players who were given an opportunity and took off. There are
numerous players on this Wright State roster. The Raiders will finish in
the top tier of the Horizon League this year.
Trey Calvin was the third part of the duo last year. He is not going
to have to play third wheel this year as he is the guy in the Wright
State offense. Calvin already took a ton of shots in the offense last
year and averaged 15 points per game. Calvin is a great shooter from
deep and he is the next in line to score over 20 points per game in the
Wright State offense.
Women’s Basketball opens 2022-23 season at Toledo--wsuraiders.com
