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Horizon League Basketball: Youngstown State rises in latest power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 22, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Youngstown State Penguins players talk during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 22, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Youngstown State Penguins players talk during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Horizon League Basketball Robert Morris Colonials forward Kahliel Spear Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Horizon League Basketball Robert Morris Colonials forward Kahliel Spear Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /

Non-conference play for Horizon League Basketball has officially ended, with Thursday, December 30th as the full start of league play. Technically, each team already has two league games played, with four going 2-0, another four going 0-2, and the last four splitting to be 1-1.

Overall, it was a disappointing campaign for the Horizon League, who came into this season with a fair amount of hype thanks to a pair of nationally recognized players (Antoine Davis and Patrick Baldwin Jr.), and two teams (Wright State and Cleveland State) that had potential to finish in the top 100 overall.

Instead, more than half of the league struggled to get a single win against a D-I opponent, while the projected top teams were falling as well unexpectedly. So while the Horizon League is a definite one-bid conference, that could mean that it’s up for grab in terms of who can become a contender.

Heading into the restart of league play and the new year, here are the latest power rankings for the conference.

12. IUPUI Jaguars – 1-10 (0-2)

For the past few years, Chicago State of the WAC has been the worse D-I team in the country. However, there’s no question that title goes to the Jaguars after losing to said Chicago State last week at home, scoring just 55 points. IUPUI is still without a D-I win this season and got blown out against both Detroit Mercy and Oakland, scoring just 45 points in both games.

The Jaguars rank dead last in the country in scoring at 50.2 ppg and that number is likely going to go down even more. And outside of senior guard B.J. Maxwell (12.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg), no one else on the roster is scoring more than 5.6 ppg. Right now, the odds are better than not that IUPUI goes winless in league play unless an opponent has a massive drought.

11. Robert Morris Colonials – 2-9 (0-2)

The Colonials finally got on the board with a D-I win of their own, beating former Northeast rival Saint Francis (PA). It was a breakout game for JUCO transfer Matt Mayers (16 points on 6/6 shooting) and another 19 points from Rasheem Dunn, who leads the team in scoring on the season. They’ve been dealing with injuries and covid issues but big man Brandon Stone is back, as well as guards Kam Farris and Michael Green.

But it won’t matter as long as the defense remains poor, ranking 342nd nationally at 78.2 ppg. This team has the depth and offense to be more competitive in league play but with road trips at Oakland and Detroit Mercy, odds are good that they’ll be 0-4 in the Horizon League after this weekend.