The past week in the Horizon League had plenty of fireworks leading into the holidays. As has been the case all season, fans were treated to some quality mid-major matchups, but more importantly, the league’s top teams went head-to-head, and there were a few more opportunities to pick high-majors. Due to some Corey Hadnot II heroics, the “win of the week” section of this week’s recap is broken up into two sections.
With to the holiday season upon us, there are just three games total this week, all taking place Monday and Tuesday, so this piece serves as a recap of a critical week and a preview of the light schedule over Christmas.
Wins of the week – Tier One
After numerous opportunities and a handful of close games against high-major opponents, the Horizon League finally got on the board with a major upset win as Purdue Fort Wayne went to South Bend and took down in-state foe Notre Dame, 72-69. The Mastodons were once again led by Corey Hadnot II, who had 29 points to continue to make as strong of a case as anyone for Horizon League Player of the Year honors.
It was clear from the jump that Jon Coffman’s crew came to play, and it even jumped out to an 11-point lead with about four and a half minutes to play in the first half. The Irish, however, finished the half on a 8-0 run to cut the Mastodon lead to 27-24 at the break. Purdue Fort Wayne looked like it belonged all day, and in the second half, it trailed for just 34 seconds.
Despite being outrebounded badly, the Mastodons forced 15 turnovers with just eight of their own, and connected on four more 3-pointers than Notre Dame to overcome the size deficit. Hadnot was the hero, but Mikale Stevenson added 18 points, and DeAndre Craig Jr. poured in 14 of his own to aid Hadnot’s efforts. The backcourt trio has been solid all year, and now has a signature nonconference win to back it up.
Thanks to clutch free throw shooting and a stop as the Irish looked to tie the game at the buzzer, the Mastodons headed back to Fort Wayne with their first road win of the season and major momentum to enter conference play.
Wins of the week – Tier Two
While Doug Gottlieb calling it quits on his radio show–for now–attracted some national spotlight for Green Bay, its 67-64 win over UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday deserves even more attention. The Phoenix picked up their first Horizon League victory not too long ago and added a huge nonconference win ahead of conference play.
Aidan Mahaney had an efficient 18 points for UCSB, but Marcus Hall outdid him, scoring 25 points in his best game since returning from injury. Green Bay’s vocal leader, Preston Ruedinger, dished out 13 assists to just one turnover, helping the Phoenix come up with just enough offense to not let a 12-point halftime lead slip away. Entering conference play officially, Gottlieb’s squad has shown the ability to compete with quality competition. It will come down to finding consistency in doing so.
On a night which featured matchups between four of the league’s best teams, the defending champions made a statement at home. Robert Morris, despite a 31-point effort from Crris Carroll, took down Youngstown State, 80-77 in overtime. The frontcourt was once again pivotal for the Colonials with DeSean Goode and Nikolaos Chitikoudis each notching double-doubles, but it was the lone returner from last season’s rotation who made the biggest play of the day. Ryan Prather Jr., who has been a steady presence for Andy Toole all season, knocked down a 3-pointer to take the lead in the final seconds, bringing him to 19 points on the day. Robert Morris held firm defensively to make sure it never gave the lead back to the Penguins to close out a key win.
In the other high-major opportunity of the week, Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe united the nation with Christmas spirit, and their teams played an extremely competitive and entertaining game.
Oakland played the Spartans all the way to the finish, falling 79-70, but proving it can be a force in the Horizon League. Tuburu Naivalurua had 18 points, and Brody Robinson had 13 points and eight assists, but the Golden Grizzlies just couldn’t quite come up with an answer for the Spartan frontcourt. Coen Carr led Michigan State with 22 points, and the Spartans won the rebounding battle by 16 and blocked 11 shots.
Kampe’s team did, however, grab a big-time road win over Northern Kentucky, winning 82-77 as Isaac Garrett and Michael Houge combined for 33 points and 19 rebounds. Robinson adding 16 points and six assists.
During its loss to Indiana State on Dec. 14, Milwaukee, the preseason favorite in the conference, lost its leading scorer Seth Hubbard for the season. As it readies for a title quest without Hubbard, Bart Lundy’s team got a major boost from freshman Josh Dixon. He’ll be tasked with a lot of Hubbard’s responsibilities going forward and has responded positively. In a nice win over South Dakota State on Friday, he scored 24, following it up with 28 points in a win at Cleveland State. The Panthers’ chances certainly took a hit when they lost Hubbard, but if Dixon can maintain this level of play, they’re certainly still a threat for the crown.
The week was unkind to Northern Kentucky which is now sliding a bit since its six-game win streak. As mentioned previously, the Norse dropped a winnable home game against a top-tier Horizon League opponent in Oakland, but it also fell to Charleston 85-74 at home. Kael Robinson has been a bright spot in the skid, scoring 20-plus points in four of the last five games.
A date with Robert Morris on the road is next with a home game against Youngstown State two games later. Northern Kentucky has shown it’s good enough to contend for a league crown, but it needs to find that rhythm again.
Weekly preview for light Christmas-week schedule
Eastern Michigan at Wright State (5-7, 1-1 Horizon League), Monday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN+
The Raiders came up empty handed last week, falling in their lone game to still-undefeated Miami (Ohio) despite 21 points from freshman Michael Cooper. This game against EMU is their last nonconference opportunity before league play officially begins.
IU Indianapolis (4-9, 0-3 Horizon League) at Grand Canyon, Monday, Dec. 22, 8 p.m. ET
Grand Canyon is a near impossible place to win, especially for mid-majors. Although, IU Indianapolis plays a style that the Lopes have never encountered, so maybe “The System” can make things interesting on Monday night.
Green Bay (6-7, 1-2 Horizon League) at Campbell, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 12 p.m. ET
The improvement for Green Bay in year two under Doug Gottlieb has been abundantly clear. Gottlieb is fully bought in without his radio show, and if his team follows suit, it could enter league play with a .500 record and another quality nonconference win.
