HoriZone Roundtable

In a wide-open race following the abrupt rebuilding task ahead of defending conference champion IUPUI, Green Bay is HoriZone Roundtable's narrow pick to take...

After being named the Horizon League's co-Player of the Year in 2022, it's probably not a surprise to see that Antoine Davis is our pick to repeat as POTY in 2023 in a poll of our writers and podcast staff.. Davis enters his final year just 180 points behind former Loyola star Alfredrick Hughes' Horizon League record 2914 career points, a mark he should easily surpass with a healthy season. Davis is joined on the first team by four guards who are prolific stat-stuffers in their own right: Jalen Moore of Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne's Jarred Godfrey, Youngstown State's Dwayne Cohill and Marques Warrick of Northern Kentucky. If the league's poll is similar to ours, don't expect to see an article complaining about the lack of love newcomers get. Our second team is led by highly touted transfer Rocket Watts of Oakland and former All-Horizon League guard Amari Davis, now with Wright State after spending a year at Missouri. Robert Morris' Kahliel Spear is the first big man to appear on our list, joined by two more guards Trey Calvin of WSU and Northern Kentucky's Sam Vinson. Damian Chong Qui makes our preseason Third Team All-League for the second year in a row, giving HoriZone Roundtable's preseason pick to win the regular season crown a second projected All-League performer. Trevon Faulkner and Chris Brandon give NKU four of our 15 All-League selections, while Trey Townsend gives Oakland one player on each of the three teams. And finally, Spider Johnson joins Brandon at the tail end of the third team to give at least one of the squads some decent size.

Purdue Fort Wayne — a 2022 Horizon League Regular Season Co-Champion — has been picked to repeat as the league's champion in a poll of HoriZone Roundtable writers and podcast staff. Much like last year's pick Cleveland State, the Mastodons earned the top spot a season after making a surprise jump for a co-championship the season before. PFW loses All-League guard Jalon Pipkins, but return four starters and 2022 Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year Deonte Billups. Returning talent was clearly a significant thought in our voters' minds, as Northern Kentucky with four starters and several bench pieces coming back was tabbed for second. Oakland lost starpower but added depth that the team will hope to keep key players rested, and wound up third in our projections. Wright State was hit hard by the transfer portal after making the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but added a former All-Horizon League talent to convince our pollsters to pick them for fourth. Youngstown State found itself just on the outside of a logjam of teams expected to contend, and is projected for fifth place after losing its top player but arguably outperforming the rest of the league in the portal. Detroit Mercy was fortunate enough to have Antoine Davis return for his final year of eligibility, but lost most of the rest of its key contributors, refreshing its roster through the portal to be projected to wind up in the middle of the league in sixth. Our voters believe some stability could be just what was needed for Robert Morris to put some distance between itself and the bottom of the Horizon League this year. Milwaukee and Cleveland State have new coaches and will heavily rely on new players to produce, and were picked for eighth and ninth in the league. Last year's 10th and 11th place finishers Green Bay and IUPUI were also hit hard by the transfer portal even though neither had a coaching change, and were selected to round up the bottom of the league again this season.

“That one’s ten times better.”   I must have appeared puzzled by the sudden, unsolicited recommendation.   “Like okay, all of our burgers are good. But the one...

Some time after the 2020-21 season ended, Matt Dudek, John Parker and I had a conversation about the direction of the HoriZone Roundtable. Naturally,...

Chris Kielsmeier and Cleveland State have finally added the first member of their 2023 recruiting class and she, quite literally, is a big one....