First #HLMBB Power Rankings of 2026

As this is my debut on the power rankings, let’s briefly go over what these rankings are based off of.

These first rankings especially are rooted mainly in who has looked the best through the early portion of the league season. Things like how you played in the last week, who have you beaten, who have you lost to were thrown into a computer (my brain) and spit out the right combination. As the season goes along, while overall performance will still probably be the main quality by which teams will be ranked, it will probably be a little less than today’s edition. I will try to have these out every Monday morning/early afternoon.

Without further ado, these are the first Horizon League power rankings of 2026:

1. Wright State 

The Raiders get the first crack at No. 1 in 2026. While Oakland has looked dominant offensively at times, Wright State used an outburst last Monday to take an early 24 point lead against them before coasting to the finish line. Michael Cooper may have Freshman of the Year on lock, but TJ Burch has broken out, scoring 15+ in each of the last three games. The upcoming Michigan trip will be interesting for Wright State. 

2. Oakland 

After the lackluster effort in Dayton, Oakland put together arguably its best 40 minutes of the season against Robert Morris. Isaac Garrett is averaging 29 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in two games in 2026, and the league’s preseason player of the year, Tuburu Naivalurua, just had his best game of the season against Robert Morris. Oakland is 4-1 even after facing the hardest conference schedule so far in the league per Kenpom. 

3. NKU

Feels like Northern Kentucky has been chugging along very quietly. Since dropping to 1-2 in the league with a tight home loss to Oakland, the Norse have rattled off three straight. The most recent win was a convincing one over Youngstown State. Darrin Horn’s zone defense is as pesky as ever, and NKU is the only team in the league with three guys at 15+ points per game (Gherezger, Oday, Robinson). Donovan Oday feels like the sixth man of the year so far. 

4. Milwaukee 

If you would have told Bart Lundy the injuries Milwaukee would go through, he would feel really good about his 3-1 record. Leading scorer Seth Hubbard and transfer John Lovelace Jr. are out for the year, Stevie Elam and Sekou Konneh have both missed time, and Faizon Fields just got hurt in the Milwaukee’s last game at Wright State. Yet the Panthers still had a chance to win in Dayton entering closing time. Danilo Jovanovich has more than doubled his production from a year ago; he’s an all league candidate. 

5. Robert Morris

RMU ran into a buzz saw at Oakland on Sunday, but its Friday win at Detroit Mercy was a good one. DeSean Goode is for real at 15 points per game and over nine boards a night, while Ryan Prather Jr. has stepped up exactly like most thought he would, averaging 13 points per game. Purdue Fort Wayne at home is a good marker for where this team is really at. 

6. Green Bay 

Kind of a hard team to figure out, but there is no doubt this edition of Green Bay is improved from a year ago. Marcus Hall is fun, and CJ O’Hara is a double figure scorer now as well. Justin Allen is my Green Bay X-factor — this is a hard team to guard when he is scoring at the rim. He scored 21 last time out at Purdue Fort Wayne, and Green Bay coasted to a victory. A win over Milwaukee on Monday would be the biggest win so far for Doug Gottlieb in his second year. 

7. Purdue Fort Wayne 

Another hard team to figure out. Purdue Fort Wayne won its fourth game in a row heading into Christmas break in South Bend at Notre Dame. That’s the best non conference win a Horizon team has. Two blowout losses to Milwaukee and Green Bay followed, before a sleepy first half against Cleveland State turned into a fiery double digit comeback win for the Mastodons. Corey Hadnot II is not hard to figure out. The league’s leading scorer — at over 20 points per game — is a force at every level of scoring. 

8. Detroit Mercy

Like Green Bay, there is no doubt that this is a much improved Titan squad. Detroit Mercy sits at 3-2 in the league, with two of those wins on the road. TJ Nadeau is shooting 47% from three-point range, and is the leading scorer for this group at 13 points per game. And yes, Orlando Lovejoy has been playing well too. Unfortunately for Detroit Mercy, the three league wins are against the bottom three of the standings (and rankings). That could change as first-place Wright State comes to Detroit on Friday night. 

9. Youngstown State 

The Penguins have hit a rough patch. After going 2-0 in the early portion of league season, including a win over Wright State, it’s a three-game league skid. Close losses to Detroit Mercy and Oakland were the prelude to a rough showing at Northern Kentucky. The talent is there to win games — Cris Carroll is a beast, and Bryson Dawkins as well as Jason Nelson are a fun backcourt. PFW at home is next up, and looks to be a big early game for the Penguins. 

10. Cleveland State 

Cleveland State got in the league win column at home against IU Indy, but let one slip at Purdue Fort Wayne. This is a team that has to take advantage of having leads like that if they want to make noise in the standings. Tre Beard, Dayan Nessah and Ice Emery can score to keep the Vikings in games, but they have to figure something out defensively, where they rank in the bottom ten in the country per Kenpom. A trip to Oakland awaits on Friday. 

11. IU Indy 

This team is still an enjoyable watch. The Jags play at the fastest pace in the country, and it’s as hectic as it sounds. After four losses that were not particularly competitive started their league season, IU Indy had chances late at both Northern Kentucky and Wright State but couldn’t close the door. Kyler D’Augustino averages 18 points a game in a really crafty way. IU Indy has to find a win soon to have a chance to avoid the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament.