Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (March 1)
Men's Basketball Weekend Schedule (all time EST)
Saturday, March 2
Youngstown State at Wright State -- 2 p.m., ESPN3, HLN Game of the Week
Detroit at UIC -- 2 p.m., HLN
Valparaiso at Green Bay -- 3 p.m., ESPNU
Cleveland State at Loyola -- 3 p.m., HLN
INDIANAPOLIS -- The No. 1 seed for the Horizon League men's basketball tournament has already been clinched by Valparaiso, but there is still a lot to play for as many of the rankings come down to Saturday, the final day of the regular season.
Aside from the Crusaders in the top spot, the only seeds that have been decided are No. 2 Detroit and No. 9 Milwaukee. Everything else is up for grabs.
Only one of Saturday's four games will solely impact the two teams playing, as Cleveland State travels to Loyola. The winner of that game gets the No. 7 seed and the loser takes the No. 8 spot. Vikings guard Bryn Forbes poured in a then-career-high 22 points at the Wolstein Center earlier this season against Loyola, but the Ramblers used a strong second half to earn a 12-point road win in that matchup.
Loyola is coming off a one-point loss at Detroit, while the Vikings picked up a non-conference win over Western Illinois in the final iteration of ESPN's BracketBusters series. Saturday's matchup will be on HLN at 3 p.m. EST.
The highest seed up for grabs on Saturday is No. 3, which could go to either Wright State or Green Bay.
The Raiders host Youngstown State on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. EST and would need a win over the Penguins AND a loss by Green Bay to pick up the third-place ranking. Wright State lost by nine at Youngstown State earlier this season, but are 9-4 at the Nutter Center. Both teams are coming off Horizon League losses on Tuesday.
The Phoenix need only to win on Saturday or to have Wright State lose in order to claim the No. 3 seed and the first-round bye that comes with it. Green Bay faces a tough challenge in No. 1 seed Valparaiso, however; the Crusaders won by 11 when the Phoenix visited the ARC.
Both teams are coming off conference wins on Tuesday. Saturday's game will be on ESPNU at 3 p.m. EST.
While Detroit has already locked up the No. 2 seed, UIC is looking to secure a possible No. 5 seed when the Titans visit the Pavilion on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST. The Flames need a win or a Youngstown State loss to secure the fifth spot and at the same time will be looking for revenge after being blown out at Calihan Hall earlier this season when Detroit won 98-47, the largest margin of victory in conference history.
After scratching out a one-point win at the buzzer against Loyola on Tuesday, the Titans fell in a non-conference make up game at Temple on Thursday night. UIC, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Wright State, their 10th home victory of the season. Saturday's matchup will be on HLN at 2 p.m. EST.
As the bracket sits now, the first-round games could feature regional rivalries.
For example, if Cleveland State secures the No. 7 seed and Youngstown State ends up No. 6, the Vikings would travel to the Beeghly Center. That would also make Loyola the No. 8 seed, and the Ramblers could travel across town to UIC if the Flames secure the No.5 seed.
Finally, if Wright State is able to pull off an upset and earn the No. 3 seed, Green Bay -- as the No. 4 seed -- would then host No. 9 Milwaukee.
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