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Horizon League basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview

By Bryan Mauro

LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 24: Malik Newman #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives past Kendrick Nunn #1 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on November 24, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - NOVEMBER 24: Malik Newman #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives past Kendrick Nunn #1 of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on November 24, 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Key players for the Horizon

The Horizon League had no shortage of great players.  Below are some of the players to keep an eye out for when their teams play.  These players are in the mix for the conference player of the year, lead their teams, and some may even be key transfers.  These players are all critical to the ability of their teams to go the distance in the tournament.

Drew McDonald- Northern Kentucky

McDonald has been mentioned numerous times on Busting Brackets, and with good reason.  He is far and away the best player in the Horizon League.  McDonald should win the conference player of the year, and he is going to try and get the Norse back to the NCAA tournament.

McDonald is not the only great player for the Norse however, Lavone Holland II leads the backcourt for the Norse and when paired with McDonald the two can be lethal.  McDonald is a tough guard as the big man can step out and hit three pointers and is also a great rebounder.  He is the center of every game plan for opponents when they play the Norse.  The Norse are going to go as far as McDonald takes them.

Grant Benzinger- Wright State

Benzinger is the best player for the surprising Raiders.  The one thing about Benzinger that makes him a nightmare for opposing coaches is that he has indefinite range.  Benzinger is a great shooter who can carry a team if he gets hot from beyond the arc.  Benzinger and his play is going to be crucial in determining how far Wright State is able to advance in this tournament.  The better he plays and the more he scores the better Wright State is going to be.  The Raiders will need Benzinger at his very best if they want to beat the Norse.

Kendrick Nunn- Oakland

With the Martez Walker injury, the play of Nunn becomes ever more important for Oakland.  Oakland has enough talent to make a lot of noise in this tournament, especially if Nunn is scoring.  Nunn is capable of scoring 35-40 points on a nightly basis.  If the Golden Grizzlies have any hope of making a deep run in this tournament Kendrick Nunn is going to need to be at his best.

The Illinois transfer has put up a great season so far already for Oakland and his swan song is going to be to try and get Oakland into the NCAA tournaments.  Nunn is a pure scorer and not many players at any levels can guard him one on one.  Come conference tournament time, the best players always seem to shine, and Nunn is one of those players.

Kameron Chatman-Detroit-Mercy

Looking at Detroit-Mercy as the 10 seed and a team who finished in dead last in the league this year, it would be hard to see how Chatman could be one of the top players in this tournament.  Well, Chatman is another high major transfer as he is a transfer from Michigan.  Chatman is the one player in this entire tournament outside of Kendrick Nunn who will have the ball in his hand enough, that if he gets going he may be able to carry the Titans to a couple of wins in this tournament.  If not he is going to make a few of the top teams sweat.  The Titans do not have much of a supporting cast around Chatman, but Chatman is really good and even if the Titans don’t win a game it won’t be because Chatman didn’t play well.