Only one conference has had a team in the National Championship game the past two seasons. It was not the ACC, Big East, or Big Ten. Instead, the miraculous runs by Butler the past two March's has given the Horizon League a team in the title game both years. Will a third straight run to the Final Four happen this year for Butler? Will the conference get multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament? What players in the Horizon League are worth drafting? Hopefully, all of these questions will be answered by reading this article. So here are my predicted standings for the Horizon League for 2011-2012:
1. Butler Bulldogs
Despite only going 13-5 last year in conference, which was good for a three-way tie in first, the Bulldogs pulled off the improbable and made back-to-back National Championship appearances. Last season they had to do it without Gordon Hayward who left early to play in the NBA. If the Bulldogs want to make it three in a row, they will have to do it without Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard. Mack also left early to play in the NBA, while Howard graduated. Luckily for Coach Brad Stevens, he still has enough talent back to win the Horizon League. Andrew Smith and Khyle Marshall provide a young but very talented frontcourt for the Bulldogs. Marshall played on the FIBA U-19 team this past summer, the same team that Hayward and Mack once played on. Senior point guard Ronald Nored is also back and should return to his starting role this season, after coming off the bench during his junior year. While Nored is not a big time scorer, he can do a little bit of everything and is a tremendous on-the-ball defender. Chase Stigall is another weapon for the Bulldogs offensively, but needs to improve upon his 32% shooting from three-point range last season. Butler has a challenging non-conference schedule, which includes games at home against Louisville, Xavier, and Purdue. They will also travel to Indiana, Gonzaga, and Stanford before conference play begins.
2. Detroit Titans
While the Titans only went 17-16 last season, including 10-8 in conference action, they bring back everyone from last year's squad which is something most teams cannot say. They are led by sophomore Ray McCallum Jr., who happens to be the coach's son. The Titans had seven players average at least 8.6 points last season, which shows an incredible balance offensively. Five of these players even averaged double figures, led by McCallum's 13.5-point average. He also averaged 4.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists and should be much improved after playing on the U.S. FIBA team this summer. McCallum was the only underclassman on that roster. Forward/center Eli Holman is currently on a leave of absence. If he can get his personal issues cleared up, he is the best center in the Horizon. Last year he averaged 11.8 points and 9.6 rebounds. Just last week, Juwan Howard Jr. transferred to Detroit from Western Michigan, although he will not be eligible to play this season. Detroit non-conference slate includes games at Notre Dame and Alabama, which are two incredibly tough places to win on the road. They also host St. John's in early December. Look out for the Titans to be in consideration for the NCAA Tournament come March.
3. Cleveland State Vikings
In 2010-2011, the Vikings won an impressive 27 games while tying for the conference regular season championship with Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While the Vikings do return four of their top five scorers from last season, replacing stud senior Norris Cole will be a challenge. Cole was drafted this past June, after averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists last season. Fellow guards Trevon Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery return this year, both of which have averaged in double figures scoring the past two seasons. Cleveland State opens the season up on Nov. 13 at Vanderbilt, a team many experts are predicting to make the Final Four this year. Other than that, the Vikings have a rather favorable non-conference schedule. While this should help improve their win total, it could hurt come Selection Sunday if Cleveland State cannot win the Horizon League Tournament and is in need of an at-large bid.
4. Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers
The Panthers had an up-and-down season last year. While they were only 5-9 in non-conference games, they won 13 Horizon League contests and were the top seed in the Horizon League Tournament. While the Panthers getting knocked out in the first round of the NIT by Northwestern hurt, it doesn't hurt as much as losing their top two players from last season in Anthony Hill and Tone Boyle. Despite these losses, UWM brings back a solid core of players and three starters: Tony Meier, Kaylon Williams, and Ja'Rob McCallum. Williams, however, was arrested for DUI so he may have to serve a suspension. The Panthers have yet another challenging non-conference schedule this season, which could hurt their overall record but help their RPI and strength of schedule. These tough games include at Michigan State, DePaul, Northern Iowa, and Marquette. They also take on Wisconsin at home. Another postseason berth seems likely for the Panthers this coming year.
5. Valparaiso Crusaders
The Crusaders lost three of their top four scorers from last season, including Brandon Wood who transferred to Michigan State for his senior season. Ryan Broekhoff will be their top returning player after averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a year ago. He also shot 44.8% from long range. Valpo added Indiana-transfer Bobby Capobianco in the off-season, although he will not be eligible to play until a year from now. Valparaiso opens their season at Arizona and will travel to Columbus, Ohio three weeks later to take on the Buckeyes. Other than those two games, a home game with Oakland should be their only challenging contest. The Crusaders have a new head coach this season, who is probably the most famous player to ever come out of Valparaiso. Bryce Drew takes over after his father Homer coached the Crusaders the past 23 seasons. Bryce is famous for his buzzer-beating shot in the 1998 NCAA Tournament that knocked out 4-seed Mississippi. The Crusaders went on to lose in the Sweet Sixteen that season. Maybe coach Bryce Drew still has little magic to get the Crusaders back into the Big Dance.
6. Loyola Ramblers
Loyola has a new head coach in Porter Moser, who previously was a head coach at Illinois State University. Ben Averkamp, Walt Gibler, and Jordan Hicks are the three best returning players for the Ramblers. The trio averaged 12.0, 11.7, and 9.4 points, respectively, last season, and all three stand between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-8 which could cause matchup problems for some teams. I'll see the Ramblers season debut on Nov. 11 when they travel to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini. They also travel to Kansas State and host DePaul at home. The Ramblers have also nabbed a few transfers during the offseason. This includes Devin Hill from DePaul and Cully Payne from Iowa. Both players will become eligible for the 2012-2013 season.
7. Wright State Raiders
Losing your top scorer always hurts. Losing your top four scorers hurts much more. Cole Darling is the leading returning scorer for the Raiders, after averaging 4.3 points last season. It won't be an easy start either for Wright State, playing at Ohio State and Florida within the first ten days of the season. After a very respectable 19-14, including a 10-8 conference record last season, the Raiders will be lucky to reach .500 this season. They also play Cincinnati during non-conference play. One thing that Wright State does have going for them though is the future. They only have one senior on their roster, Johann Mpondo. While they will be very inexperienced this season, plenty of players will get quality playing time this season, which bodes well for the future of Wright State basketball.
8. Green Bay Phoenix
The Phoenix return three starters from last year's team, but lose their two leading scorers. Brennan Cougill is a transfer from Iowa, who will be eligible to play after sitting out last season. Cougill is 6-foot-9, 265 pounds but has a smooth stroke from the outside. Illinois State transfer Terry Johnson also is eligible for Green Bay, although his contributions to the team are unknown. Green Bay also adds freshman Aaron Armstead from Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago. Green Bay has a relatively difficult non-conference schedule, with games at Indiana State, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Marquette. Green Bay finished four games below .500 last season, so a .500 winning percentage this season seems like a reasonable goal for the team.
9. UIC Flames
Illinois-Chicago only won two conference games last season, tying them for last with Youngstown State. There is a good chance that will be the case again this season. The Flames top returning scorer is Hayden Humes, who averaged 5.7 points last season. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds. 6-foot-9, 282-pound Darrin Williams could also make an impact in the paint for UIC. The Flames had the lowest RPI of any team in the nation last year to beat a BCS conference team. UIC took down Illinois at the United Center last December, but they do not face off with the Fighting Illini this year. Instead, a game at Dayton appears to be the toughest of UIC's pre-Horizon League contests.
10. Youngstown State Penguins
Youngstown State returns three starters from last year's 9-21 squad, but lose top scorer Vytas Sulskis. Damian Eargle returns after averaging 11.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in the disappointment that was last season. The Penguins have a very easy non-conference schedule, although even that might not help them much. A game at Penn State should be their toughest one, but even that isn't considered a tough game since Penn State lost almost their entire team from last season. The Penguins had trouble shooting last season, something that needs to change for any improvement this year. Their top free throw shooter from last season that returns only shot 67.6%, while the best three-point shooter was only 39.2%. Don't expect a big season from the Penguins.