INDIANAPOLIS – After a long offseason, the college basketball season is ready to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25. A great deal has changed around the League since Northern Kentucky was crowned champions at the Horizon League Basketball Championships in Indianapolis back in March, so get caught up on all of the #HLMBB news as we prepare to tip-off the 2020-21 season.
#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
• The Horizon League added two institutions to the conference beginning this season in RMU and Purdue Fort Wayne. The Colonials are coming off a NEC tournament title and are led by head coach Andy Toole and Preseason Horizon League All-Second Team selection AJ Bramah. Head coach Jon Coffman is at the helm for the Mastodons and leads a very talented group into year one in the Horizon League that includes Jared Godfrey who averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 assists per game in The Summit League last season.
• Wright State has been selected as the #HLMBB favorites after capturing its first outright regular season title with a 15-3 HL record last season. The Raiders are led by Preseason Player of the Year Loudon Love who was named the Player of the Year last season and was tabbed to the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, given to the top center in men’s college basketball.
• Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis once again comes into this season as one of the biggest offensive threats in the country. He enters the 2020-21 season as the active career leader in scoring average at 25.2 points per game and second in 3-pointers made per game at 3.88. He was named to the Preseason All-HL First Team and the Jerry West Award watch list, recognizing the top shooting guards in the country.
• Many predict Youngstown State to take a big leap forward this season as they were picked to finish second in the #HLMBB Preseason Poll after finishing 10-8 in League play last season. The Penguins were the only team to place multiple players on the preseason all-League teams with Darius Quisenberry earning first team and Naz Bohannon being tabbed on the second team.
• Northern Kentucky claimed its third Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship in four seasons and the first for head coach Darrin Horn in 2019-20, but will need to do replace some offensive production after losing its top-three scorers from last season. Junior Trevon Faulkner will look to lead the Norse as they look to become the first team since 1989 in win three-straight #HLMBB tournament crowns.
• #HLMBB has a pair of first-year coaches in UIC’s Luke Yaklich and Green Bay’s Will Ryan. Yaklich inherits a Flames team that reached their first Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship Game since 2004, but graduated its top-four scorers from that team. Ryan, son of hall of fame coach Bo Ryan, welcomes back #HLMBB Freshman of the Year and preseason all-HL first team selection Amari Davis and a Phoenix team that has reached the semifinals of the HL tournament in back-to-back seasons.
• IUPUI’s Marcus Burk looks to lead the Jags this season as he was named to the preseason All-League first team after being named to the All-Horizon League Second Team in 2019-20 finishing second in the points during League play with just over 23 points per game while hitting 2.7 3-pointers per contest.
• Rounding out the Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team are Algevon Eichelberger of Cleveland State, Milwaukee’s Te’Jon Lucas and Rashad Williams of Oakland. In 2019-20, Eichelberger finished top-10 during HL play in scoring at 15.2 points per game, top-10 in field-goal percentage at 45.9 and top-15 in rebounds at 5.5. Lucas ranked top-15 during Horizon League play last season in scoring at 15.1 points per game and first in assists at 5.3 in his first season with the Panthers. Williams played in only 15 games last season for the Golden Grizzlies due to the NCAA transfer rule but made an immediate impact averaging 19.5 points and four triples per game.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV/Live Stream |
| Wednesday, Nov. 25 | Oakland at Xavier | Noon | FS1 |
| Northern Kentucky vs. Ball State | 6 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Green Bay at Minnesota | 7 p.m. | BTN+ | |
| Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Southeastern Louisiana | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| UIC at Northern Illinois | 7 p.m. | ||
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Oakland vs. Toledo | 3:15 p.m. | FLO Hoops |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Oakland vs. Bradley | 3:15 p.m. | FLO Hoops |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Northern Kentucky at Chattanooga | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| UIC vs. Trinity International | 7 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Sunday, Nov. 29 | Oakland at Michigan | 6 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Monday Nov. 30 | Purdue Fort Wayne at Kent State | TBA | |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Oakland at Purdue | 3 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Green Bay at Wisconsin | 5 p.m. | Big Ten Network | |
| UIC vs. Valparaiso | 7 p.m. |
—
