Horizon League watchguide Feb. 16-22

The week starts a little slow in terms of games with key implications for the upcoming conference tournament, but by the end of the week, there are plenty of games which greatly affect the final standings and seedings will have been played, capped off by Wright State taking on the surging defending champions. Here are five games to watch in the Horizon League’s penultimate week of the regular season.

Purdue Fort Wayne (15-12, 9-7 HL) at Northern Kentucky (16-11, 8-8 HL)

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+

A few weeks ago, the Mastodons were surging and seemed like a real threat to win the league title. Now, with just four games to play and a three-game difference from the top spot, Purdue Fort Wayne would essentially need to be perfect and get some help to have a chance at a regular-season championship. Regardless, the backcourt of Corey Hadnot II, DeAndre Craig Jr. and Mikale Stevenson is good enough to go on a run in the league tournament, so snapping out of a skid which has featured four losses in six games is critical.

Northern Kentucky, which sits a game back of the Mastodons entering the week, has an electrifying backcourt of its own. Donovan Oday and Dan Gherezgher are averaging a combined 35 points. Kael Robinson and LJ Wells are each averaging just under 14 per game, so the Norse have enough firepower to compete with anyone. As March is less than two weeks away, teams with elite backcourts often begin to establish themselves as potential Cinderellas, and this game has two teams that check that box.

Green Bay (15-13, 10-7 HL) at Oakland (14-13, 10-6 HL)

Friday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+

These teams met on Jan. 18 in a highly-anticipated matchup between two teams tied for second in the league. Entering this week, just a half game separates the two in the standings and as each aims to catch Wright State, this game has major implications. Isaac Garrett returned for Oakland last week, and his presence re-established the formidable trio of bigs for Greg Kampe. The frontcourt gave Green Bay a lot of problems in the first meeting where the Golden Grizzlies won handily, and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments Doug Gottlieb makes.

Beyond the frontcourts, the head-to-head matchup between Brody Robinson and Preston Ruedinger running the point for their respective teams is appointment television. Robinson is fifth in the league in scoring and first in assists, and Ruedinger is third in assists. As previously mentioned, guard play becomes increasingly valuable in the home stretch, and these two teams possess two of, if not the top two, best true point guards. To add importance to the game, Oakland is coming off a blowout loss to Robert Morris and Green Bay lost a heartbreaker to an in-state rival, so there will be no shortage of urgency for either team.

Green Bay (15-13, 10-7 HL) at Detroit Mercy (12-13, 9-7 HL)

Sunday, Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET, on ESPN+

The Phoenix would need Wright State to fall apart down the stretch to win a Horizon League championship, but crazier things have happened. In a more realistic sense, this matchup between Green Bay and Detroit Mercy could have major implications on the upcoming league championship. Under the league’s new tournament format, five schools will play home games with a chance to advance to Indianapolis for semifinal games. Entering the week, Detroit Mercy is tied for fifth, with Green Bay just a half-game ahead. As both teams hope to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth, playing a home game to get started in the postseason could prove instrumental to getting hot at the right time.

Tyler Spratt has come alive for the Titans as of late and hit a game-winner in the upset win over Wright State. He led the team in scoring in a win over Youngstown State. Albeit the championship stakes aren’t as high in this game as others this week, but these two teams are meeting for meaningful basketball in late February, a testament to the jobs both head coaches have done in righting the ship.

Northern Kentucky (16-11, 8-8 HL) at Youngstown State (13-14, 6-10 HL)

Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m. ET, on ESPN+

Northern Kentucky, like previously mentioned teams, still has a real chance to earn a home game in the league championships, and a win over Purdue Fort Wayne would go a long way. To close the week, the Norse visits Youngstown State, which is tied for ninth place in the league. For the Penguins, Cris Carroll remains one of the better players in the league and averages 17. 2 points per game, which ranks fourth in the league. Imanuel Zorgvol leads the league in blocks which has helped on the interior, but outside of Caroll, Youngstown State just hasn’t had enough consistent production to place itself in the league’s upper-echelon. It has, however, proven dangerous in upset wins over Green Bay, Purdue Fort Wayne and Oakland. Carroll and Northern Kentucky’s Oday are two of the better players in the league, but with neither team competing for a title, they have flown under the radar. This game is a chance to get to see the two go head-to-head, with the Norse playing for seeding and the Penguins looking to play spoiler.

Robert Morris (18-10, 10-7 HL) at Wright State (17-10, 12- HL)

Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m. ET, on ESPNU

Robert Morris fell to 3-5 in league play about a month ago and was fighting for anything to build a little momentum. Entering the week, the Colonials have won seven of their last nine, including four straight and look as formidable as any team in the league. Nikolaos Chitikoudis and DeSean Goode have been double-double machines in the frontcourt. Ryan Prather Jr., who holds NCAA Tournament experience, has been consistent both scoring and setting others up.

Wright State, despite last week’s loss to Detroit Mercy, remains alone atop the standings. The Raiders have been led in scoring by seven different players, and the balance has been key in holding onto the top spot. The frontcourt matchup, featuring veterans Chitikoudis and Michael Imariagbe and underclassmen Kellen Pickett and Goode, provides significant intrigue.

Having met on Feb. 4, there will be no unfamiliarity between the teams, and this is simply a game between the league’s best. Robert Morris is within striking distance, and Wright State is closing in on a championship, making this a perfect game to be broadcast to a national audience.