Horizon League Preview: 2026-27 College Basketball Predictions & Best Bets Recap
Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac), Michael Huffer (@michael_huffer3) and Jay North (@JNorth1989) break down the 2026-27 Horizon League preview, from Wright State’s shot at a repeat to Northern Illinois joining the league. Ryan McIntyre wraps it by taking Northern Kentucky to win the conference tournament.
Wright State’s Sweep And The Green Bay Shock
Last season belonged to Wright State. The Raiders swept the Horizon regular season and the conference tournament, and the title game was no layup. Detroit Mercy had them on the ropes for a lot of that game. But the veteran Wright State guards owned the last 10 minutes and ground it out. Then they gave Virginia a real game in March. Ryan McIntyre even cashed a first-half moneyline on the Raiders from Vegas. So the Horizon has now watched its one seed win the tournament three years running. Oakland beat Kentucky in 2024, and Robert Morris gave Alabama a game in 2025.
The real story was Green Bay. Everybody on the podcast had the Phoenix finishing last a year ago, and the media did too. Instead the Phoenix went 12-8 in league play, tied with Detroit Mercy and Oakland. They only slid to the five seed because of tiebreakers. Northern Kentucky knocked them out of the tournament, which one guest, an NKU alum, enjoyed plenty. Detroit Mercy was the other climber, finishing tied for third and then beating Robert Morris in the semifinal. Robert Morris still went 13-7 in the league and 22-11 overall. Meanwhile Milwaukee fell to 8-12 after a second straight injury-hit year under Bart Lundy. And Cleveland State bottomed out at 6-14.
Campy, Sargent And The Coaches Built To Last
Every coaching conversation in this league starts with Campy at Oakland, who heads into his 43rd season. One guest noted Campy has coached there longer than they have been alive. Andy Toole is in year 17 at Robert Morris, and Kaufman is in year 13 at Fort Wayne. Then there is Sargent, who broke through in year two at Wright State and now enters year three. Ryan McIntyre argued Montgomery probably deserved coach of the year for lifting Detroit Mercy to third. Bart Lundy also brings over 500 career wins to Milwaukee. So the panel wondered whether Sargent becomes the next Horizon coach to jump, maybe even to Dayton. That would fit the history, because Brad Stevens and Bruce Pearl both coached in this league before moving up.
A Copy-Paste Poll And Where The Horizon Ranks
The preseason poll did not do much thinking. Ryan McIntyre called it a copy and paste of last year’s standings. Northern Illinois, the league’s new member, simply got slotted 10th. The only real moves bumped Northern Kentucky and Milwaukee up and slid Detroit Mercy down. But one guest pointed out it never goes chalk in the Horizon, ever. Last year proved the point, because Wright State was projected behind six teams with Milwaukee picked to win it all. On national standing, the host put the Horizon in the 12-to-16 range of the 32 conferences. The guests landed a bit lower, somewhere between 15 and 20. So one guest’s hot take holds up, because the analytics put the MAC about 10 conferences higher.
Stock Up On Milwaukee, Stock Down On Detroit Mercy
Milwaukee is the buy-low spot. One guest called it the right time to buy after a disappointing year. Ryan McIntyre took Milwaukee too. They are the oldest team in the league with the second-most returning production. They have also been a boomerang under Bart Lundy, going second, then sixth, then second again before the injury year. So this is a bet on a coach with over 500 wins and a healthy veteran roster. The other guest went with Green Bay, because Lovejoy and Haddaway playing a full season could have the Phoenix dancing in March. That same guest said Lovejoy was eligible as of three weeks ago, after a run of court rulings.
Stock down was nearly unanimous. Both guests faded Detroit Mercy, since losing Lovejoy and their other guard leaves major holes on the roster. The front court was already a problem until it stepped up in tournament play. The postseason suspension also hangs over them, since March is already off the table. Ryan McIntyre went with Green Bay instead, wanting to see Gottlieb do it one more time. Then came the number that frames the whole league. KenPom and Bart Torvik both have last place at 7-13, as high a basement floor as the show has seen. So the winner might only need 14-6, and that parity makes chalk a risky ticket.
The Horizon League Preview Standings From One To 12
Ryan McIntyre wants Sargent and company to repeat as regular season champs. The bet is that Wright State rides its momentum to 14-6 or 15-5. One guest also went Wright State first, trusting a potential preseason player of the year and a cohesive group. But the guest from NKU went bold with Green Bay at the top. Lovejoy, Haddaway and Marcus Hall give Gottlieb enough talent to win the Horizon, in that guest’s view. That same guest slid Wright State to third, because no team has gone back-to-back in the regular season since 2021. Robert Morris went second for the host and the NKU guest after 20-plus wins in each of the last two years. Meanwhile Oakland took second for the other guest, since Campy always finds a way.
Milwaukee lands third on the host’s board as the stock-up team. The NKU guest had them fourth and flagged Trey Norman, a former top-100 recruit by way of Marquette. Campy and Oakland went fourth for the host, because a 43-year sample says they finish top four. Northern Kentucky went fifth for the host and sixth for both guests. The NKU guest also noted seven international players, with Ethan Elliott running point. Then Purdue Fort Wayne sits seventh or eighth on every board, hovering near .500. So DeAndre Craig Jr. is the sleeper to watch there for player of the year.
Northern Illinois split the room in its first Horizon season. Both guests had the Huskies eighth, though the NKU guest worried about a roster with only one player above 6’8″. The host put them last, since they were at the bottom of the MAC. Cleveland State landed ninth or 11th across the boards. The NKU guest still likes Rayvon Griffith, a Cincinnati kid who came by way of Kent State. Detroit Mercy ranged from seventh to 10th, and Youngstown State from ninth to 11th. And IU Indy finished last for both guests, though that same guest’s advice was simple: bet the over.
Tournament, Player And Coach Of The Year Picks
The tournament picks went three different directions. One guest called upset city and took Milwaukee from the five hole in year one at the new venue. The NKU guest went with Campy and Oakland, because a brutal schedule should pay off in March. Oakland plays eight Power Four teams and gets only three home games before New Year’s Day. Meanwhile Ryan McIntyre backed Northern Kentucky to get revenge on Wright State. That would send the Norse back to the dance for the first time since 2022. They seem to reach at least the semis every year, so that ticket has a real path.
Player of the year split just as wide. One guest called a tie between Kellen Pickett of Wright State and Danilo Jovanovic of Milwaukee. Jovanovic is a forward who should rack up double-doubles. The NKU guest took Robert Morris’s Darius Livingston, who averaged double digits after turning it on in February. Ryan McIntyre went with C.J. O’Hara, a Wright State guard who came over from Green Bay. Then for coach of the year, one guest landed on Campy with Sargent right behind. The NKU guest picked Gottlieb, as long as Green Bay wins the league. And the host closed on Bart Lundy, betting Milwaukee cracks the top three after a sixth-place preseason pick.
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
01:05 Wright State Raiders & Host Intros
03:22 Last Year: Green Bay, Detroit & Wright State
08:55 Coaches: Campy, Sargent & Toole
14:13 Preseason Poll, The MAC & SoCon
19:06 Stock Up, Stock Down
24:52 Winning the League: Wright State, Green Bay & Bobby Mo
38:36 Tournament Champion, Player Of The Year & Coach Of The Year
42:33 Sign-Off & Socials
