2026 Horizon League women's basketball tournament
| 2026 Horizon League women'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 | Green Bay (19th title) |
| Winning coach | Kayla Karius (2nd title) |
| MVP | Jenna Guyer (Green Bay) |
| Television | ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN+ |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay † | 17 | – | 3 | .850 | 25 | – | 8 | .758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 15 | – | 5 | .750 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Kentucky | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 12 | – | 8 | .600 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Morris | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 18 | – | 12 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IU Indy | 9 | – | 11 | .450 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakland | 7 | – | 13 | .350 | 10 | – | 21 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 4 | – | 16 | .200 | 8 | – | 24 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Mercy | 4 | – | 16 | .200 | 7 | – | 24 | .226 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Horizon League tournament winner As of March 10, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament was the final event of the 2025–26 women'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 tournament winner was Green Bay. The Phoenix received the conference's automatic berth to 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 play in the second round, while the other three teams are 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 | Green Bay | 17–3 | ||
| 2 | Youngstown State | 15–5 | ||
| 3 | Cleveland State | 13–7 | ||
| 4 | Northern Kentucky | 12−8 | 1–1 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne | 1–1 vs. Youngstown State |
| 5 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 12−8 | 1–1 vs. Northern Kentucky | 0–2 vs. Youngstown State |
| 6 | Robert Morris | 11−9 | ||
| 7 | IU indy | 9–11 | ||
| 8 | Oakland | 8−12 | ||
| 9 | Wright State | 6–14 | ||
| 10 | Milwaukee | 4–16 | 2–0 vs. Detroit Mercy | |
| 11 | Detroit Mercy | 4–16 | 0–2 vs. Milwaukee |
Schedule
| Game | Time | Matchup | Score | Attendance | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-In Round – Monday, March 2 Campus Site | |||||
| 1 | 7:00 pm | No. 11 Detroit Mercy at No. 10 Milwaukee | 69–67 | 462 | ESPN+ |
| First Round – Wednesday, March 4 Campus Sites | |||||
| 2 | 7:00 pm | No. 11 Detroit Mercy at No. 1 Green Bay | 57–81 | 1,916 | ESPN+ |
| 3 | 7:00 pm | No. 9 Wright State at No. 2 Youngstown State | 60–76 | 2,007 | |
| 4 | 7:00 pm | No. 8 Oakland at No. 3 Cleveland State | 80–81OT | 501 | |
| 5 | 7:00 pm | No. 7 IU Indy at No. 4 Northern Kentucky | 74–72 | 892 | |
| 6 | 7:00 pm | No. 6 Robert Morris at No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne | 43–73 | 640 | |
| Second Round – Sunday, March 8 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 7 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne vs. No. 7 IU Indy | 85–49 | ESPN+ | |
| Semifinals – Monday, March 9 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 8 | 12:00 pm | No. 1 Green Bay vs. No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne | 73–48 | ESPN+ | |
| 9 | 2:30 pm | No. 2 Youngstown State vs. No. 3 Cleveland State | 60–55 | ESPN+ | |
| Final – Tuesday, March 10 Indianapolis, IN (Corteva Coliseum) | |||||
| 10 | 12:00 pm | No. 1 Green Bay vs. No. 2 Youngstown State | 57–49 | ESPN2 | |
| Play-In and First Round game times are local standard time; Second Round, Semifinal and Final game times are Eastern Daylight Time. Rankings denote tournament seed | |||||
Bracket
| Play-In Round March 2 Campus Site ESPN+ | First Round March 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 | Green Bay | 81 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Milwaukee | 67 | 11 | Detroit Mercy | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Detroit Mercy | 69 | 1 | Green Bay | 73 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Youngstown State | 76 | 5 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 85 | 5 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 48 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Wright State | 60 | 7 | IU Indy | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Cleveland State | 81* | 1 | Green Bay | 57 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Oakland | 80 | 2 | Youngstown State | 49 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Northern Kentucky | 72 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | IU Indy | 74 | 2 | Youngstown State | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Cleveland State | 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 73 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Robert Morris | 43 | |||||||||||||||||||||
* denotes overtime period
Game summaries
Play-In Round
| No. 10 Milwaukee 67, No. 11 Detroit Mercy 69 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 11–17, 20–20, 24–16, 12–16 | ||
| Pts: Buwalda (19) Rebs: Buwalda (12) Asts: Buwalda, Fitzgibbon (4) |
Pts: Edwards, Jackson (17) Rebs: McQueen (8) Asts: Jackson (5) | |
| Game 1 | ||
First Round
| No. 1 Green Bay 81, No. 11 Detroit Mercy 57 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–13, 27–12, 18–14, 19–18 | ||
| Pts: Guyer (25) Rebs: Skorupski (10) Asts: Skorupski (10) |
Pts: Edwards (17) Rebs: Edwards (12) Asts: Burrell (5) | |
| Game 1 | ||
Kress Events Center
Green Bay, WI Attendance: 1,916 Referees: Morgan Taylor, Xiomara Cruz-Johnson, Kelsey Reynolds |
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 2 Youngstown State 76, No. 9 Wright State 60 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–16, 10–13, 23–14, 23–17 | ||
| Pts: King (19) Rebs: Hernandez (7) Asts: Gregory, Santoro (6) |
Pts: Williams (14) Rebs: Henson (10) Asts: Williams (3) | |
| Game 2 | ||
Beeghly Center
Youngstown, OH Attendance: 2,007 Referees: Robert McDow, Matt Balster, Kristie Watkins-Day |
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 3 Cleveland State 81, No. 8 Oakland 80 (OT) (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 8–19, 21–12, 24–20, 19–21, Overtime: 9–8 | ||
| Pts: Zingaro (29) Rebs: Zingaro (10) Asts: Fegan (5) |
Pts: Luehring (39) Rebs: Goula (8) Asts: Goula (8) | |
| Game 3 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 4
7:00 p.m. |
| No. 4 Northern Kentucky 72, No. 7 IU Indy 74 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 13–10, 22–26, 19-21 | ||
| Pts: Meredith (16) Rebs: Meredith (8) Asts: Bystry (6) |
Pts: O. Smith (20) Rebs: H. Smith (9) Asts: H. Smith (3) | |
| Game 4 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 4
8:00 p.m. |
| No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 73, No. 6 Robert Morris 43 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–10, 20–19, 22–6, 18–8 | ||
| Pts: Reid (15) Rebs: Krasovec (9) Asts: Lee, Lokica (3) |
Pts: Traore (12) Rebs: Levingston (7) Asts: Kuhns (6) | |
| Game 5 | ||
Hilliard Gates Sports Center
Fort Wayne, IN Attendance: 640 Referees: Robert Miles, Rachael Wood, Mark Berger |
Second Round
| No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 85, No. 7 IU Indy 49 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–10, 26–14, 26–12, 20–13 | ||
| Pts: Offing (14) Rebs: Nelson, Krasovec (10) Asts: Riggs (4) |
Pts: H. Smith (20) Rebs: Williams (6) Asts: O. Smith (4) | |
| Game 1 | ||
Semifinal Round
| No. 1 Green Bay 73, No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne 48 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–9, 21–14, 25–12, 14–13 | ||
| Pts: Duffney (20) Rebs: Skorupski, Schultz (10) Asts: Skorupski (8) |
Pts: Reid (14) Rebs: Krasovec, Reid, Nelson (4) Asts: Lee (3) | |
| Game 1 | ||
March 9
2:30 p.m. |
| No. 2 Youngstown State 60, No. 3 Cleveland State 55 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–12, 10–11, 11–17, 25–15 | ||
| Pts: Cameron (16) Rebs: Gregory (9) Asts: Santoro (6) |
Pts: Zingaro (19) Rebs: Zingaro (14) Asts: Maples (7) | |
| Game 2 | ||
Final Round
| No. 1 Green Bay 57, No. 2 Youngstown State 49 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 9–11, 16–17, 15–11, 17–10 | ||
| Pts: Guyer (21) Rebs: Peppler, Skorupski (6) Asts: Peppler (8) |
Pts: Hernandez (12) Rebs: Santoro (9) Asts: King (4) | |
| Championship | ||
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". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved March 14, 2026.