8. Northern Kentucky Norse – 4-7 (0-2)
The 0-2 start in league play can be explained for the Norse, as road losses at Cleveland State and Purdue-Fort Wayne are understandable. But after falling to Eastern Kentucky in overtime, this team has just two D-I wins on the season. Four straight very winable home games are coming up, including against Green Bay, IUPUI, and Milwaukee are coming up to Northern Kentucky can certainly go on a run in league play.
One issue for the Norse so far has been the slight regression of leading guards, Trevon Faulkner and Marques Warrick. Both combined to produce over 31 ppg a year ago but currently are around 25 ppg to this point. But the continued growth of freshman guards Sam Vinson and Hubertas Pivorius is a positive sign for both the rest of the season and the future.
7. Milwaukee Panthers – 3-8 (1-1)
Injuries to both Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Deandre Gholston have derailed the non-conference for the Panthers but both have recently returned, giving optimism that this team can look like a top-half Horizon League squad. The five-star freshman prospect showed why he’s a projected lottery pick, going for 26 points on 6/6 shooting from three-point range in a win over Robert Morris.
Both Baldwin and Gholston are averaging 15.0 ppg on the season and with a supporting cast of Josh Thomas, Donovan Newby, and Jordan Lathon in the backcourt, Milwaukee has the potential to be a good team in league play. But they’ll have to be on the court at the same time to maximize that potential first.