The Horizon League looks to be a competitive basketball conference this upcoming season. Who should be considered the favorites this time around?
Horizon League basketball is often overlooked by most of the nation. The landscape of this league has changed a lot during conference realignment. The conference was the former home of Butler and Valparaiso. Those two schools were the catalyst for the Horizon League’s NCAA Tournament wins. Butler made the National Championship game as a member of the league.
Times have changed when it comes to where the Horizon League fits in with the hierarchy of Mid Major basketball. The league is a long way from Final Four and Championship game appearances. With the glory days behind them and their two former powers moving on for other conferences. Many of the teams are the same, however the league has a new set of stars to go along with their new set of conference powers.
While the Horizon League struggles against the top conferences, the style of basketball is exciting and keeps fans on the edge of their seat. The teams in the league all have one legitimate star, to go along with a supporting cast. The league is very top heavy, and the national outlook shows that only two teams have a chance to the make the NCAA tournament.
The Horizon is now a one-bid league almost every year, going to the winner of the conference tournament. This does not appear to change this year, as the top two teams in the league do not appear to be strong enough to be very successful outside of the conference.