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Horizon League Basketball: Wright State, NKU conference tournament favorites

By Bryan Mauro

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Head coach John Brannen of the Northern Kentucky Norse reacts during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Head coach John Brannen of the Northern Kentucky Norse reacts during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 15: A general view of the court with March Madness signage is seen prior to the start of the game between the OklahomaSooners and the Rhode Island Rams in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 15: A general view of the court with March Madness signage is seen prior to the start of the game between the OklahomaSooners and the Rhode Island Rams in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Horizon League Bracketology

Metrics wise the Horizon League is one of the weakest conferences in the country. The latest Busting Brackets bracket projections have the winner of the conference being on one of the lower two seed lines. The teams on the lower seed lines have an uphill climb but every team has a chance to beat a top team on any given night. Last season the 16 seeded UMBC Retrievers beat the top overall seed in the tournament the Virginia Cavaliers.

A few seasons ago the Northern Kentucky team gave Kentucky all they could handle in their opening round of the NCAA tournament. Last season the Wright State Raiders played hard but we overmatched by a fantastic Tennessee team. This season the league should hope to play hard and catch a team on an off night. The top teams in college basketball this season are much better than the rest of the field. If one of the top seeds in the tournament receives the automatic bid and some upsets happen in lower conferences an outside chance at a 14 seed is possible.

The Horizon League was one of the mid majors with two teams in the postseason last year. Northern Kentucky won the regular season and played in the NIT while Wright State played in the NCAA tournament. The league does have a chance for that to happen again. If the top seed were to get upset early in the tournament the regular season champion automatically earns a bid in the NIT. Outside of a win in the NCAA tournament this is the best scenario for the league.