3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Loudon Love, R Jr., Wright State
Coach of the Year: Scott Nagy, Wright State
Newcomer of the Year: Marcus Burk, R Jr., IUPUI
Freshman of the Year: Amari Davis, Green Bay
Season Storylines:
Raiders Reign Supreme: Conventional wisdom told us the chase for the 2019-20 Horizon League title would be a coin flip between Wright State and Northern Kentucky. The Raiders, led by a triumvirate of Cole Gentry, Loudon Love and Billy Wampler, crossed the finish line with a two-game lead over NKU in the standings, avenging last year’s tie atop the leaderboard. The revenge tour has one final stop, the Horizon League Tournament Championship, as it seems inevitable that the Raiders will square off with the Norse in what could be another epic showdown for the Horizon League crown.
Norse Nurse Injuries: Norse fans would like a do-over: A season replay with a healthy Dantez Walton for all 18 games. Walton came into the season labeled as an effective 3rd banana to Jalen Tate and Tyler Sharpe, two All-Conference caliber guards. After Tate went down with an injury just three games into the season, Walton evolved into a superhero. Walton’s eye-popping production in November garnered buzz that he belonged in the conversation for the best mid-major player in the country. Then, an untimely chest injury derailed that momentum, as the Norse dropped four games from late December to late January without Walton on the floor. He suffered a second setback a few weeks ago, causing him to miss one game against IUPUI on Valentine’s Day, but Walton’s been back in action for four straight games. No one will enjoy this timely pause in the schedule more than Walton, who now gets over a week to rest and recuperate for the Horizon League Championship.
Open Up the Flood ‘Gates’: Dennis Gates inherited a barren wasteland at Cleveland State, courtesy of the aftermath left behind from Dennis Felton’s grenade. Injuries bruised an already limited roster, but the former Florida State assistant somehow found the winner’s circle seven times in league play. The future is bright in Cleveland, but don’t count the pesky Vikings out just yet – if the last two months of the season is any indication, they will not bow out quietly this week.
NCAA Nonsense: The NCAA’s ill-guided logic struck the Horizon as hard as any league in America. Northern Kentucky and Detroit were the unfortunate victims caught in the crosshairs…
Detroit was effectively wrongly convicted and punished for someone else’s crimes, a failure to meet APR standards, disqualifying the Titans for postseason play.
Tyler Sharpe was inexplicably denied a waiver for an extra year of eligibility because he played 11 minutes for Louisville back in 2016-17. Per usual, detective Jay Bilas was the first to arrive on the case:
Tournament Preview
The top-2 double-bye format fits the Horizon League like a glove. For the third year in a row, this was a two-horse race between Northern Kentucky and Wright State. Both deserve the spoils of sitting out the first two rounds of the tournament.
The Detroit ineligibility fiasco shook up the standard bracket format this year. The beneficiary? Green Bay. The Phoenix will get an unprecedented bye to the Quarterfinals, where they’ll await the lowest seeded winner on Tuesday.
Tournament Predictions
I’m rolling with the Raiders, who may ultimately need to knock off Northern Kentucky for the third time in a row. If you’re one to put stock in the “it’s hard to beat a team three times” school of thought, the Norse is your horse. I, however, will be backing Scott Nagy, one of the most underrated head coaches amongst the mid-major ranks.
If you seek value in the form of a lower seed, against-the-grain pick – perhaps you’re in Sabre Golf’s Conference Tournament Pick’em pool – Oakland is worth a dabble. The Grizzlies’ 12-18 record would be flipped on its head had it not been for recurring late game meltdowns, an inexplicable habit that’s added a few more grey hairs to Head Coach Greg Kampe’s luscious set of locks. Rashad Williams, who didn’t take the court this year until January 16th due to eligibility restrictions, is the Grizzlies’ not-so-secret weapon to keep an eye on. Had Williams not missed the first five games of the conference season, he’d be in the driver’s seat for Newcomer of the Year. He’s been a savior for Oakland’s inexperienced and highly erratic backcourt, averaging 19.5 PPG and 1.8 APG since joining the fold in mid-January. If Oakland can avoid any cataclysmic late game collapses, the Grizz will be a tough out this week.