2013 Men's Basketball Championship Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS -- For the second consecutive season, the road to the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will go through Valparaiso. The Crusaders will be the No. 1 seed for the 2013 Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament and will host the tournament as long as it remains alive.
Valparaiso (24-7, 13-3 Horizon) wrapped the No. 1 seed with a 73-64 win over Youngstown State on Tuesday, Feb. 26, before closing the regular season with an emphatic 75-56 win at Green Bay on Saturday, winning the regular-season title outright for the second conecutive season.
The Crusaders will earn a double bye into the semifinals, as will Detroit (20-11, 12-4 Horizon), which claimed the No. 2 seed on Tuesday as well. Detroit wrapped the regular season at UIC, knocking off the Flames, 79-67. The Titans won the 2012 conference championship against Valparaiso, 70-50, at the ARC, to claim its first NCAA bid since 1999.
Wright State (19-11, 10-6 Horizon) rolled past Youngstown State, 72-45, and got the help it needed in the form of a Green Bay loss to snare the No. 3 seed and bye into the second round of the League Tournament. The third-place finish was the best for the Raiders since the 2009-10 season.
Green Bay (16-14, 10-6 Horizon) will be the No. 4 seed in the tournament, losing the tie-breaker with Wright State after dropping two contests to the Raiders in the regular season. Hosting a first round tournament game for the first time since 2010, the Phoenix will welcome in-state rival Milwaukee (8-23, 3-13 Horizon), the No. 9 seed, to the Resch Center on Tuesday, March 5.
By virtue of Youngstown State’s loss at Wright State, UIC (16-14, 7-9 Horizon) clinched the No. 5 seed, having swept the Penguins in the regular season. The Flames will host eighth-seeded Cleveland State (14-17, 5-11 Horizon) on Tuesday. UIC has not hosted a first round tournament game since the 2008 season.
Youngstown State (16-14, 7-9 Horizon) will host the final first round tournament game, playing No. 7 Loyola (15-15, 5-11 Horizon) at the Beeghly Center on Tuesday. The Penguins knocked off the Ramblers twice in the regular season, with both victories coming in the final seconds of regulation.
All three first round games will be carried live on the Horizon League Network, with each game starting at 7 p.m. local time.
Valparaiso will host the second round and semifinals, with the highest remaining seed hosting the championship game live on ESPN or ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET as part of “Championship Week.” Friday night games will be carried on ESPN3 and ESPN Full Court, along with syndication throughout the Midwest, tipping at 6 and 8:30 p.m. EST. Saturday’s semifinals will be carried on ESPNU, with 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. EST air times.
Tickets for Friday’s session are $10 and are general admission. All tickets can be purchased by calling the Valparaiso box office at 219-464-5233.
