We are full steam ahead for Championship Week as the Horizon League will take its conference tournament to Detroit for the Little Caesars Motor City Madness tipping-off this Saturday, March 5.
The Valparaiso Crusaders have pretty much owned the Horizon all throughout the season, but they still have several rivals breathing down their necks to prevent them from repeating as conference champs.
Let’s now take a closer look at several teams worth keeping an eye on this week at Joe Louis Arena before you place your stakes on this stunning mid-major tournament. And while you’re at it, check out our previews for the Southern and CAA conference tournaments for even more Championship Week betting action opportunities.
March Madness News & Predictions
- 2016 March Madness Sleepers Predictions and Picks
- 2016 March Madness Longshots and Best Long Shots Picks and Predictions
- 2016 March Madness Preview
- 2016 NCAA March Madness Expert Picks
2016 Horizon League Conference Tournament Preview
Favorites
Valparaiso Crusaders
Valpo finished the regular season with a stellar 26-5 record (16-2 in conference play) to lock up the first seed at Motor City Madness. The team continues to be one of the Horizon’s perennial contenders for the conference title, having won championships in 2013 and last year as well as making the semifinal round of the tournament in six of their nine seasons in the league.
The Crusaders are led by the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year awardee in Vashil Fernandez and All-League First Team member Alec Peters, who were both instrumental in taking their team to great heights.
As such, Valpo became one of the best defensive teams in college basketball to solidify their status as the cream of the league’s crop. The Crusaders ranked third in the nation in opponent field goal percentage (37.8 percent) and sixth in scoring defense (61 points allowed per game).
Oakland Golden Grizzlies
In just three seasons as a member of the Horizon League, the Oakland Grizzlies of Rochester, Michigan are not only the main contenders for the Crusaders’ throne, but they’re likely this tournament’s home-state darlings as well. They improved their tournament seeding in each succeeding season since they joined and finally get to relish a two-week bye like Valpo this time around after securing the Horizon’s second seed.
However, that No. 2 seed is somewhat cursed in this league, as there had only been one team over the past 11 seasons that won the title from this spot. Still, Oakland should thank Detroit native Kahlil “Kay” Felder for getting the team this far and high up in the tournament.
Felder happens to be the league’s Player of the Year, as the junior guard led the Horizon in scoring (24.4 PPG) and assists (9.4 APG). Should Felder prove to be unstoppable this entire week, the Grizzlies might very well dispel the jinx cast upon the second-best team of the conference and win their fourth conference championship in school history.
Sleepers
Wright State Raiders
The Wright State Raiders started the regular season with a disappointing 3-7 record through the first ten games, but recovered nicely down the stretch – they ended their campaign with a three-game win streak – to secure the third seed in the tournament.
Even better, the Raiders have one key statistic that sets them apart from the rest of the schools in the Horizon not named Valparaiso: they were the only team in the league to beat the Crusaders this season, and twice over at that all the more.
Wright State needs to go through the tournament’s gauntlet first before they can even think about upsetting Valpo for the third time this season, but they have a handful of exceptional starters to make their title dreams a reality. All-Defensive Teamer Joe Thomasson is as great a perimeter defender as they come, and the Raiders also pack a solid one-two punch on offense in senior Mark Alstork and Sophomore JT Yoho.
Milwaukee Panthers
With an identical overall record of 19-12 for the season like Wright State, the Milwaukee Panthers are just as capable of turning some heads as the fifth-seeded entry in this week’s tournament. While eight losses within the conference for Milwaukee is rather alarming, six of those defeats were decided by four points or less, including one by the hands of mighty Valpo and another from Oakland.
The Panthers will continue to ride their season on the backs of the league’s First- and Second-Team members Matt Tiby and Jordan Johnson, respectively, in hopes of winning the Horizon for the second time in three years.
Tiby, who averaged 15.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest this season, has three of the school’s top rebounding seasons in as many years with the program. Meanwhile, Johnson set a new single-season school record himself with his 254 assists, and was the only player in the league this campaign to register a triple-double.
Long Shot
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames have a bright future ahead of them with Rookie of the Year Award winner Dikembe Dixson set to dominate the paint for the next few years. Dixson broke the Horizon League’s freshman record for most points scored in a season (576), and he also led all other rookies this season in rebounding.
Then again, the current campaign has not yet been wrapped up and UIC would rather just get this tournament over with after posting just three wins in conference play.
To add insult to injury, the Flames once had a 10-game losing streak mid-season; they won only one contest against a conference rival with a winning record (Wright State); and their two other victories were against the league’s other two bottom-dwellers in NKU and Cleveland State.
Writer’s Prediction
Book it: Valpo as back-to-back Horizon League champions.
Create a betting account now to cash in big from all the Championship Week action before the race for the national championship tips off.
