Last season was one of highs and lows in the Horizon League. At the top was Robert Morris, which had its breakthrough campaign in winning its final 10 games against conference opponents and the conference tournament to represent the league in the Big Dance. On the other hand, programs such as Green Bay and IU Indy ranked among the worst Division I teams nationally.
After what the Colonials did, which Horizon League team is next to break out? Here’s a look at how each roster stands and who the favorites are entering the 2025-26 campaign.
11. IU Indy Jaguars
2024-25: 10-22 (6-14)
Any improvements that the Jags made a year ago were thrown out the window when coach Paul Cosaro was fired in the offseason for alleged misconduct. New coach Ben Howland was very successful at D-2 West Liberty, but after several players left from the coaching move, the roster lacks much proven talent. Jaxon Edwards, who averaged 7.3 ppg at Valpo two years ago, will need to be a leading scoring option for them to be competitive.
10. Green Bay Phoenix
2024-25: 4-28 (2-18)
It was a miserable first year for head coach Doug Gottlieb, but the team should make some level of improvement. They bring back multiple rotation pieces, including Preston Ruedinger (8.0 ppg and 3.1 apg), Mac Wrecke (6.1 ppg), and Marcus Hall, who led the team with 13.9 ppg. Size remains a concern, and the incoming batch of JUCO transfers needs to have an immediate impact.
9. Northern Kentucky Norse
2024-25: 17-16 (11-9)
The Norse have been trending in the wrong direction for a bit and will have to replace their top five scorers, including Trey Robinson. They do bring back Dan Gherezgher and LJ Wells, who each put up over 7.0 ppg. They need Cal State Fullerton transfer Donovan Oday (12.8 ppg) to have a big impact, but the frontcourt depth looks to be a glaring concern without Robinson around.
8. Wright State Raiders
2024-25: 15-18 (8-12)
Replacing star forward Brandon Noel will be a challenging task for the Raiders. But the return of forwards Michael Imariagbe and Andrea Holden, combined with Vermont transfer Sam Alamutu (5.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg), should give them a viable frontcourt. It’s the perimeter that is the question, relying on a sophomore breakout campaign from Solomon Callaghan and senior Logan Woods to provide most of the scoring production.
7. Detroit Mercy Titans
2024-25: 8-24 (4-16)
One of the top returning players in the Horizon League is Orlando Lovejoy, who led the Titans last year with 16.4 ppg and 3.8 apg. Other key returning players include Legend Geeter, Nate Johnson, and TJ Nadeau. But is this core good enough to vastly improve on its 4-16 Horizon record? Detroit will be better, but the defense needs to improve a lot to be more competitive against the top teams.
6. Cleveland State Vikings
2024-25: 23-13 (14-16)
A coaching change has Rob Summers taking over the program and rebuilding the roster. Among the newcomers to watch are former GW forward Dayan Nessah, Green Bay transfer guard Foster Wonders, and Tre Beard, one of the top JUCO transfers in the conference. The program has shown that it can turn over and still compete, but this year could see them fall closer to the middle of the pack.
5. Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
2024-25: 19-13 (12-8)
Losing the Horizon’s leading scorer (Jalen Jackson) is a tough loss for the Mastodons, but they do bring back two key pieces in Corey Hadnot (9.0 ppg) and starting forward, Maximus Nelson. Two key newcomers to watch include Grambling State transfer Mikale Stevenson (10.9 ppg) and DeAndre Craig, who put up 13.5 ppg at Denver. They’re also looking to get production from 6’9 forward Darius Duffy, who started 16 games at Milwaukee last year.
4. Robert Morris Colonials
2024-25: 26-9 (15-5)
The reigning regular season and tournament champs lost everyone from last year’s roster, except sharpshooting wing Ryan Prather Jr. (8.3 ppg). Their D-I transfers come in the frontcourt, including IU Indy transfer and All-Horizon freshman DaSean Goode and Nikolaos Chitkoudis, a 6’7 forward from NC A&T who was a top-20 rebounder in the nation at 9.3 rpg. The backcourt features several JUCO and D-2 transfers, such as Jeremiah Littlejohn, Ta’Zir Smith, and Cam Wilds, but the lack of D-I production leaves the cast full of open question marks. Coach Andy Toole made it work with similar players a year ago, so RMU warrants the benefit of the doubt that at least one guard breaks out.
3. Youngstown State Penguins
2024-25: 21-13 (13-7)
All four double-digit scorers from last year are gone from the Penguins, but they bring back two key players in point guard Jason Nelson and forward Chris Carroll, both due for larger roles. They also bring in multiple impact double-digit scoring transfers, including Bryson Dawkins (14.7 ppg at Houston Christian), Vlad Salaridze (10.8 ppg and 7.8 rpg at UT-Martin), and Tae Blackshear, a key JUCO transfer guard who likely will start. Frontcourt depth could be a concern, but Youngstown State should continue its run as a top-half Horizon team.
2. Milwaukee Panthers
2024-25: 21-11 (14-6)
The top five scorers for the Panthers are gone, but they do bring back two key rotation pieces in guard John Lovelace and forward Faizon Fields. Milwaukee also has an impressive transfer class, including Toledo transfer guard Seth Hubbard (8.4 ppg) and Amar Augillard, a 6’4 transfer guard from Fresno State who put up 13.3 ppg in 11 games at the Mountain West level. If that scoring translates in the Panthers’ favor, he could be a contender to lead the league in scoring this season.
1. Oakland Golden Grizzlies
2024-25: 16-18 (11-9)
While Oakland also lost plenty of production from last season, one player they do bring back is Tuburu Naivalura (13.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg), a clear contender for Conference Player of the Year. Sharpshooter Nassim Mashhour is back for his sophomore year, while the addition of Brody Robinson (9.5 ppg and 4.4 apg) gives them a needed ball-handler to run the offense. JUCO transfer Isaac Garrett is an all-league contender to watch as well. Coach Greg Kampe has always had the Golden Grizzlies being a threat in the Horizon, and considering the frontcourt talent they have and a new backcourt, they have a great chance of cutting down the final nets in Indy this March.