2026 Horizon League men's basketball tournament
| 2026 Horizon League men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2025–26 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Site | Campus sites (first two rounds) Corteva Coliseum Indianapolis, Indiana (final three rounds) |
| Champions | Wright State (4th title) |
| Winning coach | Clint Sargent (1st title) |
| MVP | T J Burch (Wright State) |
| Television | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+ |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State † | 15 | – | 5 | .750 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Morris | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Mercy | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakland | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Kentucky | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 11 | – | 22 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IU Indy | 3 | – | 17 | .150 | 7 | – | 25 | .219 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Horizon League tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament was the final event of the 2025–26 men's basketball season for the Horizon League. It was held from March 2–10, 2026; play-in and first round games were played at the home courts of the better seeds, with all remaining games held at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1] The winner, Wright State, received the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The tournament was sponsored by Barbasol for the fourth consecutive year.[2]
The tournament adopted a new format in 2026; instead of a traditional eleven-team single elimination bracket, the new format included reseeding after each round. The event started on campus sites with a play-in round for the bottom two teams (by conference record), followed by a ten-team first round. The five remaining teams then advanced to the final three rounds held at Corteva Coliseum. The bottom two teams by seeding played in the second round, while the other three teams were forwarded into the semifinals, with those winners advancing to the final.[3]
Seeds
All of the teams in the league participated in the tournament, with the bottom two teams starting in the play-in round. The bracket was reset after each round so that the highest remaining seed always played the lowest.
| Seed | School | League Record |
Tiebreaker (1) |
Tiebreaker (2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wright State | 15–5 | ||
| 2 | Robert Morris | 13−7 | ||
| 3 | Detroit Mercy | 12−8 | 1–1 vs. Wright State | |
| 4 | Oakland | 12−8 | 0–2 vs. Wright State | 3–1 vs. Milwaukee/Youngstown State |
| 5 | Green Bay | 12−8 | 0–2 vs. Wright State | 2–2 vs. Milwaukee/Youngstown State |
| 6 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 11−9 | ||
| 7 | Northern Kentucky | 10–10 | ||
| 8 | Milwaukee | 8−12 | 2–0 vs. Youngstown State | |
| 9 | Youngstown State | 8−12 | 0–2 vs. Milwaukee | |
| 10 | Cleveland State | 6−14 | ||
| 11 | IU Indy | 3−17 |
Schedule
| Game | Time | Matchup | Score | Attendance | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In Round – Monday, March 2 Campus Site | |||||
| 1 | 7:00 pm | No. 11 IU Indy at No. 10 Cleveland State | 93–101 | 1,684 | ESPN+ |
| First Round – Tuesday, March 3 Campus Site | |||||
| 2 | 8:00 pm | No. 6 Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 5 Green Bay | 56–64 | 2,067 | ESPN+ |
| First Round – Wednesday, March 4 Campus Sites | |||||
| 3 | 7:00 pm | No. 10 Cleveland State at No. 1 Wright State | 61–90 | 3,713 | ESPN+ |
| 4 | 7:00 pm | No. 9 Youngstown State at No. 2 Robert Morris | 53–68 | 3,537 | |
| 5 | 7:00 pm | No. 8 Milwaukee at No. 3 Detroit Mercy | 63–84 | 3,131 | |
| 6 | 7:00 pm | No. 7 Northern Kentucky at No. 4 Oakland | 85–84 | 1,942 | |
| Second Round – Sunday, March 8 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 7 | 3:30 pm | No. 5 Green Bay vs. No. 7 Northern Kentucky | 76–96 | ESPN+ | |
| Semifinals – Monday, March 9 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 8 | 7:00 pm | No. 1 Wright State vs. No. 7 Northern Kentucky | 103–90 | ESPNU | |
| 9 | 9:30 pm | No. 2 Robert Morris vs. No. 3 Detroit Mercy | 64–70 | ESPN2 | |
| Final – Tuesday, March 10 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 10 | 7:00 pm | No. 1 Wright State vs. No. 3 Detroit Mercy | 66–63 | ESPN | |
| Play-In and First Round game times are Eastern Standard Time; Second, Semifinal and Final Round game times are Eastern Daylight Time. Ranking denotes tournament seed. | |||||
NOTE: Bracket is reseeded upon completion of First Round games.
Bracket
| Play-In Round March 2 Campus Site ESPN+ | First Round March 3–4 Campus Sites ESPN+ | Second Round March 8 Indianapolis, IN ESPN+ | Semifinals March 9 Indianapolis, IN ESPNU/ESPN2 | Final March 10 Indianapolis, IN ESPN | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Wright State | 90 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Cleveland State | 101 | 10 | Cleveland State | 61 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | IU Indy | 93 | 1 | Wright State | 103 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Robert Morris | 68 | 5 | Green Bay | 76 | 7 | Northern Kentucky | 90 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Youngstown State | 53 | 7 | Northern Kentucky | 96 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Detroit Mercy | 84 | 1 | Wright State | 66 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Milwaukee | 63 | 3 | Detroit Mercy | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Oakland | 84 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Northern Kentucky | 85 | 2 | Robert Morris | 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Detroit Mercy | 70 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Green Bay | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Game summaries
Play-In Round
| No. 10 Cleveland State 101, No. 11 IU Indy 93 | ||
| Scoring by half: 45–36, 56–57 | ||
| Pts: 23 – Tied (3) Rebs: 8 – J. Lipscomb Asts: 12 – P. Ryan |
Pts: 23 – Tied (3) Rebs: 10 – F. Woodward Asts: 10 – J. Edwards | |
| Game 1 | ||
First Round
| No. 5 Green Bay 64, No. 6 Purdue Fort Wayne 56 | ||
| Scoring by half: 34–22, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: 19 – M. Hall Rebs: 5 – Tied (4) Asts: 8 – P. Ruedinger |
Pts: 15 – C. Hadnott II Rebs: 5 – Tied (2) Asts: 5 – C. Hadnott II | |
| Game 5 | ||
Kress Events Center
Green Bay, WI Attendance: 2,067 Referees: Bryan Anslinger, Anthony Burris, Luke Schumer |
ESPN+
|
| No. 1 Wright State 90, No. 10 Cleveland State 61 | ||
| Scoring by half: 37–32, 53–29 | ||
| Pts: 18 – K. Pickett Rebs: 7 – M. Cooper Asts: 4 – L. Woods |
Pts: 15 – P. Ryan Rebs: 7 – P. Ryan Asts: 1 – Tied (5) | |
| Game 1 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 2 Robert Morris 68, No. 9 Youngstown State 53 | ||
| Scoring by half: 28–23, 40–30 | ||
| Pts: 24 – R. Prather Jr. Rebs: 11 – D. Goode Asts: 4 – D. Livingston |
Pts: 18 – V. Salaridze Rebs: 9 – V. Salaridze Asts: 3 – J. Nelson | |
| Game 2 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 3 Detroit Mercy 84, No. 8 Milwaukee 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 38–24, 46–39 | ||
| Pts: 17 – T. Nadeau Rebs: 8 – R. Kalambay Asts: 3 – Tied (2) |
Pts: 13 – S. Konneh Rebs: 9 – S. Konneh Asts: 3 – E. Pippa-White | |
| Game 3 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 4 Oakland 84, No. 7 Northern Kentucky 85 | ||
| Scoring by half: 31–37, 53–48 | ||
| Pts: 36 – B. Robinson Rebs: 8 – T. Naivalurua Asts: 5 – I. Garrett |
Pts: 19 – D. Oday Rebs: 11 – L. Wells Asts: 4 – Tied (3) | |
| Game 4 | ||
OU Credit Union O'rena
Auburn Hills, MI Attendance: 1,942 Referees: Randy Richardson, Luke Schumer, Sutton Simon |
Second Round
| No. 5 Green Bay 76, No. 7 Northern Kentucky 96 | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–36, 46–60 | ||
| Pts: 18 – Tied (2) Rebs: 4 – Tied (2) Asts: 10 – P. Ruedinger |
Pts: 26 – L. Wells Rebs: 9 – L. Wells Asts: 9 – E. Elliott | |
| Game 1 | ||
Semifinal Round
| No. 1 Wright State 103, No. 7 Northern Kentucky 90 | ||
| Scoring by half: 46–44, 57–46 | ||
| Pts: 25 – M. Cooper Rebs: 10 – M. Imariagbe Asts: 3 – Tied (3) |
Pts: 24 – K. Robinson Rebs: 7 – T. Dozier Asts: 7 – E. Elliott | |
| Game 1 | ||
March 9
9:30 p.m. |
| No. 2 Robert Morris 64, No. 3 Detroit Mercy 70 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–33, 28–37 | ||
| Pts: 14 – D. Goode Rebs: 10 – D. Goode Asts: 7 – N. Chitikoudis |
Pts: 21 – O. Lovejoy Rebs: 10 – L. Geeter Asts: 6 – O. Lovejoy | |
| Game 2 | ||
Final Round
| No. 1 Wright State 66, No. 3 Detroit Mercy 63 | ||
| Scoring by half: 26–29, 40–34 | ||
| Pts: 19 – T. Burch Rebs: 7 – Tied (3) Asts: 3 – Tied (2) |
Pts: 26 – O. Lovejoy Rebs: 9 – L. Geeter Asts: 3 – O. Lovejoy | |
| Championship | ||
Awards and honors
All-Tournament Team
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| T J Burch MVP | Wright State |
| Michael Cooper | Wright State |
| Legend Geeter | Detroit Mercy |
| Orlando Lovejoy | Detroit Mercy |
| L J Wells | Northern Kentucky |
MVP denotes Most Valuable Player (Valeo)
References
- ^ "2026 Barbasol Horizon League Men's & Women's Basketball Championships". Horizon League. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "Barbasol Extends Title Partnership Agreement with Horizon League". Horizon League. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Gentile, Drew (September 26, 2025). "Horizon League details reasons for changes to postseason tournament". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2025.