Horizon Conference Odds: Title is Up For Grabs

Northern Kentucky Favored in Wide-Open Race

The Horizon Conference odds show no clear-cut favorite to talk away with the season title. There are six teams at odds of +950 or lower in one of the most competitive conferences around. Northern Kentucky gets the slightest of nods but there are quite a few teams with legitimate chances to win the Horizon.

The Horizon Conference isn’t expected to be terribly strong this season. The Sagarin college basketball rankings have the conference as No. 25 out of 32 in terms of strength.

The Favorites

NKUNorthern Kentucky Norse (+230):

The Norse return their top three scorers from last year’s 20-win team, including Marques Warrick, who scored 16.8 points per game.

Northern Kentucky started slow in Horizon play last year, going 2-4 before finishing on a 12-2 run to end the NCAAB season with a 14-6 conference record. It was the defense of the Norse that came through down the stretch.

Northern Kentucky allowed 70 points just once in the team’s final nine conference games. The Norse were also kind to their backers down the stretch. Northern Kentucky was 14-3 against the college basketball point spreads in their final 17 games.

Warrick will have plenty of help in the form of fellow guards Sam Vinson and Trevon Faulkner, who both averaged more than 11 points last season. Forward Chris Brandon is a rebounding machine. He averaged 7.4 rebounds per game in just 20.1 minutes of playing time a year ago. The guard-heavy Norse will need some help up front to claim the conference title.

WRSTWright State Raiders(+350):

The Raiders lost a couple of key cogs from last year’s NCAA Tournament team in Tanner Holden and Grant Basile, the team’s two leading scorers. But the Raiders do welcome back Trey Calvin, who averaged 14.6 points last year.

Wright State didn’t have the greatest of recruiting classes but did land a big-time transfer in Amari Davis from Missouri. Davis should help pick up some of the scoring slack. The Raiders are in decent shape at guard, it’s a matter of their big guys making contributions. The Horizon Conference odds of +350 offers decent value on a solid team.

PFWPurdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (+420):

The Horizon Conference odds have the Mastodons at +420, which is about right. Purdue Fort Wayne had an up-and-down 2021-22 season, sitting a 6-6 in Horizon Conference play before winning their final nine conference games.

All that did was get them a first-round conference tournament loss and a trip to the CBI. Purdue Fort Wayne does return leading scorer Jarred Godfrey from last year’s team, along with its third- and fourth-leading scorers. But the Mastodons are another Horizon team that will rely heavily on its guards.

The Others

YSUYoungstown State Penguins(+600):

The NCAAB odds of +600 on the Penguins may be a bit on the low side. Youngstown State lost some talent from last year’s squad, which was a step below the top teams in the Horizon.

Leading scorer Dwayne Cohill is back but leading rebounder Michael Akuchie is gone. He was also the team’s second-leading scorer. The Penguins need graduate transfer Adrian Nelson to pick up some of the slack up front.

DETUDetroit Mercy Titans(+800):

The Horizon Conference odds on Detroit Mercy are +800, which seems a bit low. The Titans do return Antoine Davis but not a whole lot more. Still, Davis is capable of winning games by himself. But asking him to do it on a regular basis might be a little too much. The Titans have some talent but also have a fair number of question marks.

OAKOakland Golden Grizzlies (+950):

The Horizon Conference odds of +950 is a telling sign of how much the Golden Grizzlies are expected to miss Jamal Cain. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder from last year is gone but the cupboard isn’t bare.

Oakland does return Jalen Moore and Trey Townsend, the team’s second-and third-leading scorers a year ago. Moore also led the team in assists. If the Golden Grizzlies can hold their own on the boards, they’ll be a pretty decent team.

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