| Rank | Team | Last Week | Change |
| 1. | Cleveland State | 1 | – |
| 2. | Milwaukee | 2 | +1 |
| 3. | Purdue Fort Wayne | 2 | -1 |
| 4. | Robert Morris | 6 | +2 |
| 5. | Youngstown State | 4 | -1 |
| 6. | Oakland | 5 | -1 |
| 7. | Wright State | 7 | – |
| 8. | Northern Kentucky | 5 | – |
| 9. | IU Indy | 9 | – |
| 10. | Detroit Mercy | 10 | – |
| 11. | Green Bay | 11 | – |
When a team like Cleveland State get on the heater that it’s on right now, the Vikings will get everyone’s best shot, even the worst teams in the league. But at the end of the week, CSU still came away with another pair of double-digit victories over Detroit Mercy and Green Bay to run its winning streak to 12, tying this Viking squad with the 2010-11 team that was led by Norris Cole. As CSU has done during this run, it relied on defense to be the spark for a second-half run to seal the win. And it came in both contests, albeit rather late in the triumph over the Phoenix. But better late than never.
You know when I talked about consistency with Milwaukee last week? Well, it appears that the Panthers heard me, because they made easy work of Wright State and Northern Kentucky on the road. In both games, Milwaukee showed off how wide its scoring options are, with six Panthers scoring in double digits against the Raiders. In the victory over the Norse, it was Erik Pratt coming off the bench that seemingly couldn’t miss, dropping 20 to lead Milwaukee. Next up will be a home contest against Purdue Fort Wayne, where the Panthers will seek vengeance over the five-point loss to the Mastodons earlier this season.
Purdue Fort Wayne had a mixed bag this week, losing to Oakland at the O’rena before taking down in-state rival IU Indy in front of a raucous crowd at The Jungle. If there was any doubt that Jalen Jackson was one of the favorites to take Horizon League Player of the Year, he made a strong case this week to erase any. He led the Mastodons with 17 in the loss to the Golden Grizzlies, then turned around and dropped 38 against the Jaguars, the highest total in conference play this season. National TV awaits Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, where the team with arguably the best backcourt in the league faces off against a Cleveland State team with an elite defense and a 12-game winning streak. Buckle your seatbelts. It’s going to be a wild ride on ESPNU.
It’s safe to say that is the best Robert Morris showing since the Colonials arrive in the Horizon League in 2020. Kam Woods emerged as the hero in the game against Youngstown State, slashing his way to the basket to hit what would be a game-winning lay-up. And then he came through once more against Oakland, as he hit two of three free throws with a second left in the game to seal the victory in that contest. RMU now sits fourth in the standings, the highest in the Colonials’ HL tenure.
If not for a last-second loss to Robert Morris, Youngstown State would be swapped with the Colonials in the Power Rankings. With RMU being the only conference match-up this week, the Penguins turned around and pounded non-D1 foe Penn State Shenango and a schedule addition after the cancellation of the Westminster game at the beginning of the season. EJ Farmer is now fully back in the lineup, and with a host of tough contests on the horizon, it’s to YSU’s advantage to add some additional firepower to the rotation.
Yes, Oakland fans. That last second foul on DQ Cole looked questionable. But as I’ve always said, when the game is close, make it so the officiating won’t matter. The loss at Robert Morris marred what could have been yet another outstanding week. On Wednesday, the Golden Grizzlies took down Purdue Fort Wayne, a team that has eaten at the O’rena over the past few years. In that tilt, Oakland showed that when Allen Mukeba and Buru Naivalurua are on, watch out. And Green Bay absolutely better watch out, because the Golden Grizzlies host the beleaguered Phoenix next.
Wright State couldn’t find any answers in its loss to Milwaukee. Then against Detroit Mercy, the Raiders found all the answers. Still, that Wright State continues to be mired in the middle ranks of the Power Rankings should provide some concern to Raider fans. It seems as if Wright State has all the right pieces in place, especially as Keaton Norris continues to provide additional help to the Raider offense. Still, it always seems to be a crapshoot for WSU game in and game out.
Something is very wrong right now with Northern Kentucky. The Norse slide is now at five games, courtesy of a Milwaukee beating in which they didn’t seem as if they were really in the game at all. NKU is getting exposed for a lack of size up front, for as much as Keeyan Itejere can clean the glass, he can’t do it alone. And right now, he really has no help, which allowed the Panthers, with their depth, to exploit that, dominating the Norse, 33-20, on rebounds. As if Northern Kentucky didn’t have enough to contend with, three-point shooting became an issue for the Norse in the loss, tallying a dismal 3-for-21 from beyond the arc.
IU Indy seemingly could not miss from three-point range against Green Bay on Wednesday. The Jaguars appear to be getting closer and closer to becoming a consistent threat in the league. But the loss against Purdue Fort Wayne reminded us all that IU Indy may not be there quite yet, as the Mastodons used their experience to outlast the Jags and hold them at arm’s length. Still, league teams should underestimate IU Indy and their peril, because despite their record, the Jaguars can still play spoiler down the stretch.
Detroit Mercy had a bad week. First the Titans, who played Cleveland State straight-up and actually had a lead early in the second half, were subjected to what the elite Viking defense has done to teams during their win streak. That is to say that CSU gives you just a little bit of hope, only to crush them. Detroit Mercy them went to the Nutter Center and didn’t match up well at all against Wright State, which used its experience to outlast the Titans. Detroit Mercy returns home this week, and has a chance to turn things around in the next game, playing a struggling Northern Kentucky on Wednesday.
You’d like to think Green Bay might have had a shot at breaking the longest current losing streak in the nation against IU Indy at home. But the Phoenix didn’t have enough in the tank at the end to overcome a double-digit deficit. Add to that a road trip, in which Cleveland State did Cleveland State things at the end of the game (something the Vikings usually do earlier in the second half, but better late than never), and Green Bay is the first team in the country to drop 20 games. It now appears that the Phoenix, already down Anthony Roy, will be without the services of Jeremiah Johnson in the near-term, and it’s not known if Marcus Hall will be out for extended time after leaving the CSU game with a leg injury.
