Week one of college basketball is in the books, and there was no shortage of excitement in the Horizon League. There may not have been an upset of a high-major this week, but between wins in quality mid-major
matchups, plenty of points and the potential game of the week in college basketball, there was plenty to watch.
Horizon League wins of the week
After hanging around with Pittsburgh on opening night, but eventually falling by 15, Youngstown State didn’t get to head home for a comfortable win. Head coach Ethan Faulkner instead took his team to Global Credit Union Arena for a matchup with Grand Canyon in one of the toughest mid-major environments in the country. Three players off the bench scored in double figures for the Penguins: Imanuel Zorgvol with 18, Tae Blackshear with 14, and Drew King with 10. Behind the bench production and 14 points from Cris Carroll, Youngstown State won on the road at Grand Canyon, 90-81. The Penguins will certainly take a 1-1 split in the opening week, given the quality of opponents.
Robert Morris opened the season with a tall task, facing the leader of its 2025 Horizon League championship team Alvaro Folguerias at Iowa. In Ben McCollum’s first game as head coach in Iowa City, Bennett Stirtz and the Hawkeyes overwhelmed the Colonials. Robert Morris had to quickly pivot to another opponent in Iowa, playing at Drake on Thursday. Nikolaos Chitikoudis led the way with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. He tied the game with 45 seconds to play in regulation, sending the game to overtime, and Darius Livingstone scored with just under a minute to play in the bonus period in what turned out to be the final points of the game. Head coach Andy Toole’s squad earned an 81-79 bounce-back win and can leave the first week with something positive.
Notable results in the Horizon League
It wouldn’t be a week-one Horizon League recap without mentioning the IU Indy Jaguars. Ben Howlett is implementing “The System” in Indianapolis, and while it didn’t result in a week-one victory, the Jaguars were certainly the most fun team to watch. On opening night, the Jaguars got in a shootout with Ohio State, falling 102-118. The score was 66-50 at halftime, and IU Indy managed to play the Buckeyes even in the second half, with a half score of 52-52. A few days later, Long Island made the trip to The Jungle and played in the game of the week in college basketball. LIU won 94-90 in a game that featured 37 turnovers between the two teams. The game got up and down at a crazy pace, had a ton of buckets and a ton of slop. For anyone that didn’t watch this game, it is absolutely worth the re-watch. On Saturday, the Jaguars played at Butler and lost 112-80. Ben Howlett will search for his first win in week two, but has plenty to be excited about and plenty to clean up.
In year 42 at Oakland, Greg Kampe scheduled one of the most difficult opening weeks you’ll ever see for a mid-major. The Grizzlies played at No. 7 Michigan in Yaxel Landeborg’s Wolverine debut on opening night. The defensive struggles were aplenty as the Wolverines put up 121 points in a 121-78 victory. A strong debut from Isaac Garrett, however, gives Kampe something to be excited about. He scored 20 points, connecting on eight of his 10 attempts from the field. Game two of the week was no easier, as the Grizzlies went into Mackey Arena to face No. 1 Purdue. Led by a Ziare Wells 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, Oakland gave Purdue a game. The game was tied at 35 at halftime, but the Boilermakers pulled away for an 87-77 win. The Grizzlies will play at No. 2 Houston on Nov. 12, concluding a three-game gauntlet before having some friendlier competition. Despite picking up no victories, the scheduling by Kampe is worthy of recognition.
For fans who like points, obviously, IU Indy delivered from that standpoint, but a couple of teams took advantage of inferior points to put up some big numbers, too. Northern Kentucky opened its season against Division II Cincinnati-Clermont and scored 126 points in a 57-point victory. To wrap up the week on Sunday, Purdue Fort Wayne scored 137 points on Division III Dominican (IL) en route to an 81-point win. Both teams did what they should against non-Division I opponents, but the point totals are worth a mention.
Another first-year head coach, Rob Summers at Cleveland State, had an eventful first week in the league. On opening-night, the Vikings played Loyola Chicago extremely tough on the road in the first game since Sister Jean’s passing. In what felt like a fairytale ending to an emotional night at Gentile Arena, the Ramblers won at the buzzer. A tough loss for Cleveland State, but a fitting way to honor a mid-major legend. A few days later, Summers picked up his first win. The Vikings got a scare from Division III Capital, but held on for a one-point win. The first win as a head coach is never easy, and now, Summers has made it over that hump.
Individual performance on the week
Plenty of players had major impacts in the season’s first week, but it’s hard to look past Youngstown State winning at one of the toughest mid-major environments, maybe one of the toughest environments in the entire country. Because of the quality of the win for the Penguins, the aforementioned Drew King takes the performance of the week. King had 10 points off the bench and added 10 rebounds and 8 assists in a near triple-double effort to lead Youngstown State to a quality road win.
