Wright State remains atop the Horizon League and just got Michael Cooper back, albeit in a limited capacity. The Raiders will have another opportunity at home this week to knock off a team gunning for
their spot as the season reaches the halfway point of the conference slate. The defending champs and preseason favorites will meet looking to get back in the championship conversation, but both with work to do. Another action-packed week in the league will culminate with a Sunday afternoon game at The Jungle with Purdue Fort Wayne getting its first look at “The System” at IU Indianapolis. Below is updated league standings and key games to watch throughout the week.
League Standings
1. Wright State (7-1)
2. Oakland (7-2)
3. Green Bay (6-3)
Purdue Fort Wayne (6-3)
5. Northern Kentucky (6-4)
6. Detroit Mercy (5-4)
7. Milwaukee (4-5)
Robert Morris (4-5)
9. Cleveland State (2-7)
Youngstown State (2-7)
11. IU Indianapolis (1-9)
Key Matchups
Purdue Fort Wayne (12-8, 6-3 Horizon League) at Detroit Mercy (8-10, 5-4 Horizon League)
Wednesday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
The Purdue Fort Wayne backcourt is coming off a spectacular performance on Sunday against Milwaukee. The trio of Corey Hadnot II, Mikale Stevenson and DeAndre Craig Jr. combined for 73 points, 14 rebounds, 17 assists and six steals in the convincing 100-82 defeat of the preseason favorites. The backcourt has become must-see TV and looks the part of a unit that could lead an upset should the Mastodons make their inaugural trip to the NCAA Tournament. Sitting at 6-3 in league play, Purdue Fort Wayne is well within striking distance to make a run at the regular season title.
Standing in front of Jon Coffman’s group to start the week is Detroit Mercy, which has an opportunity to exceed .500 in league play through the halfway point of the conference slate with a victory on Wednesday. Having already matched their win total from a season ago, the Titans have shown tremendous growth under Mark Montgomery. Last week, Detroit Mercy lost handily to Northern Kentucky but bounced back with a win over IU Indianapolis. This game is another chance for the Titans to pick off a top-tier team and try to cement themselves in the upper echelon of the league, avoiding falling to the bottom of the league standings where they’ve been in recent years.
Milwaukee (8-12, 4-5 Horizon League) at Robert Morris (12-8, 4-5 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
For both teams sitting at 4-5 in league play, the start to the conference season has been far from what Bart Lundy and Andy Toole envisioned for their programs. The preseason favorite in the league, Milwaukee, has been decimated by injuries with Seth Hubbard and John Lovelace Jr. being out for the season and Faizon Fields and Danilo Jovanovich missing time as of late. Despite being injury-plagued, the Panthers have stayed afloat, hovering around the .500 mark in league play.
For the defending champs, Robert Morris, it was always going to be a retooling year after losing nearly all of last year’s team, but the Colonials were expected to once again be near the top of the standings. At the moment, neither team looks particularly ready to compete for the regular-season title, but the talent is still there for both to compete for a berth in the NCAA Tournament. This matchup provides intrigue as it is two teams with high expectations looking to right the ship in a sense, and even though the records don’t say as much, these are two teams led by elite coaching. A win for either program would be a great step in the right direction.
Green Bay (11-9, 6-3 Horizon League) at Robert Morris (12-8, 4-5 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
In the first meeting between these two teams, Robert Morris overcame a double-digit deficit in three minutes on the road to steal a win at Green Bay. In the ensuing minutes, Doug Gottlieb launched a chair on his way off the court, garnering some unwanted national attention for his program. Since then, outside recognition of the Phoenix has been resoundingly positive as it sits third in the league standings. In a battle for second place on Sunday, Oakland handled Green Bay, so the Phoenix should come out inspired to get right on this week’s road trip which also includes a game at Youngstown State.
Once again for Robert Morris, the talent is there to be a threat in the league, it just hasn’t come together yet. In this game, DeSean Goode and Nikolaos Chitikoudis will have plenty of opportunities to assert themselves against a Green Bay team which doesn’t feature a ton of size in the rotation. If this matchup is anything like the first between the two, it’s a can’t-miss game.
Oakland (11-9, 7-2 Horizon League) at Detroit Mercy (8-10, 5-4 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 3 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
Detroit Mercy has a tough week ahead, but its second game of the week provides an even greater opportunity for a signature win when it does battle with its in-state foe, Oakland. Nearly every opponent has struggled with the Golden Grizzlies’ frontcourt, but for the Titans, this kind of matchup is critical for a frontcourt sprinkled with youthful forwards who have shown promise this season. Beyond the contrasting frontcourts, the point guard duel in this game has the potential to be one of the best of the season. Brody Robinson is fifth in the conference in scoring and first in assists, and Orlando Lovejoy flies under the radar averaging just under 13 points and four assists per contest. The senior guards can both fill it up as scorers but are critical in their roles of orchestrating offense. Lovejoy will look to lead his group against the Oakland zone which has given many teams problems, while Robinson will look to keep things rolling for the Golden Grizzlies as they look to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Northern Kentucky (14-7, 6-4 Horizon League) at Wright State (12-7, 7-1 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
These two teams have the best overall records amongst Horizon League teams, and understandably so. Neither group is one dimensional on offense as Wright State’s leading scorer, Cooper, has missed extended time and the Raiders have held strong, and the Norse’s leading scorer, Donovan Oday, comes off the bench.
League-leading Wright State enters the week not having lost since Dec. 16 against undefeated Miami (Ohio) and on a seven-game win streak. Northern Kentucky has lost two of its last three, both of which, however, were decided at the buzzer. Whether it’s Oday, Dan Gherezgher or LJ Wells for the Norse, Darrin Horn’s team is as much a threat as anyone to knock the Raiders down in the standings.
While Cooper has returned in limited capacity for Wright State, four different players led the team in scoring in different games, showcasing the balance that has led them to the top of the league standings. Unfortunately, this game isn’t on national TV, but it should be on anyone’s watch schedule for a full Saturday of college hoops.
Purdue Fort Wayne (12-8, 6-3 Horizon League) at IU Indianapolis (5-16, 1-9 Horizon League)
Sunday, Jan. 25, 2 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
The lone game on Sunday has the chance to be really fun, despite IU Indianapolis being alone at the bottom of the conference. Ben Howlett’s philosophy of rotating through a ton of bodies and pressing the entire game opens the door for teams to get up and down and score a bunch of points. As was evident in the previously mentioned, combined 73-point performance for the Purdue Fort Wayne backcourt, the Mastodons can put up points in a hurry and in a matchup with a defense especially susceptible to high-scoring affairs, this game could end up with a team reaching triple-digit scoring. IU Indianapolis did just knock off the defending champs, so no game in The Jungle is a cakewalk, but look to this game on Sunday afternoon if you’re into a ton of points.
