2022-23 #HLMBB Season Preview

2022-23 #HLMBB Season Preview

Bookmark and Share

#HLMBB Standings | #HLMBB Statistics | #HLMBB Weekly Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS – The 2022-23 men's basketball season begins on Monday as all 11 #HLMBB teams begin their journeys to #REACHtheHORIZON this March in Indianapolis. Full team previews can be found on HorizonLeague.com and on social media by following @HorizonLeague. 

#HLMBB NEWS & NOTES
  • Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis is on the brink of being one of the most prolific scorers in NCAA history. He begins the 2022-23 season just 180 points from the becoming the Horizon League’s all-time leading scorer and is 266 points from becoming the 11th player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year sits 933 points away from Pete Maravich’s NCAA record of 3,667. Davis was also named one of the 20 candidates for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, recognizing the top points guard in Division I men’s college basketball by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

  • Five Horizon League schools were ranked in the first CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll with the co-Preseason favorites both ranked inside the top-25 as Purdue Fort Wayne led the way at No. 17 followed closely by Northern Kentucky at No. 19. Oakland, Wright State and Youngstown State each received votes in the initial poll.  

  • The Mastodons were tied for No. 1 in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and received 17 first-place votes. Purdue Fort Wayne won a share of the regular season title last season in just its second year in the HL as they finished 15-6 during League play. Back for the ‘Dons is Preseason First Team selection Jarred Godfrey and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year Deonte Billups. Overall, Purdue Fort Wayne returns over 77 percent of its scoring from a season ago. 

  • Northern Kentucky also tied for the top spot in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and earned 15 first-place votes. Last season, the Norse reached its third championship game in four years and is the only team to earn three consecutive semifinal appearances since the championship moved to Indianapolis. NKU placed a League-high three players on Preseason All-League Teams as Marques Warrick earned first team honors, while reigning Freshman of the Year Sam Vinson and fifth-year senior Trevon Faulkner were tabbed to the second team.

  • Wright State, the defending tournament champions, are coming off a season where they won the program’s first NCAA Tournament game over Bryant in Dayton. The hero in last season’s championship game, Trey Calvin, was tabbed to the Preseason All-League Second Team along with new teammate Amari Davis who returns to the HL after beginning his college career in Green Bay and earning Freshman of the Year honors in 2020.

  • The Golden Grizzlies return Preseason All-League First Team selection Jalen Moore who finished second in the country in assists per game last season after leading the country the prior season. Oakland’s Greg Kampe enters his 39th season at the helm of the Oakland men’s basketball program. He is the second-longest tenured active coach in Division I, only behind Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 45 seasons). Kampe’s 664 career wins rank 12th among active Division I coaches. 

  • Youngstown State ended the 2021-22 campaign with a winning record for the third-straight season. It marked the first time since 1982-85 that the Penguins posted three consecutive winning campaigns. YSU’s Dwayne Cohill was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team after averaging 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season and leads a group that returns seven letterwinners and three starters.

  • First-year head coach Daniyal Robinson takes over a Cleveland State program that is coming off its second-straight co-regular season championship in 2021-22. The Vikings return five players from last year’s squad and adds nine newcomers. Deante Johnson leads the core of returners after being named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team for the second-straight year. Deshon Parker also returns after starting at the point guard spot in 29 of 31 games last season. 

  • Led by 13th-year head coach Andy Toole, the RMU returns four starters and five letterwinners in 2022-23. Spear was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team after pacing the Colonials in both scoring (14.7) and rebounding (7.7), while leading #HLMBB in field goal percentage at 55.1 percent.

  • Milwaukee is set to start its first season under new head coach Bart Lundy. The Panthers will enter the 2022-23 season with very few familiar faces from a year ago, as MKE returns only four players including Vin Baker Jr. having played in 27 games a season ago. The roster includes 13 total newcomers.

  • Will Ryan is in year three in Green Bay and will look to 2021-22 All-Freshman Team selection Cade Meyer to lead a Phoenix team that has 10 new players including true freshman Donovan Short who was rated as the No. 9 player in his class in Wisconsin.

  • IUPUI’s Matt Crenshaw enters his second season at the helm of his alma mater. Crenshaw’s retooled roster boasts a pair of Division I transfers, four junior college transfers and four true freshmen in the 10-man recruiting class. It’s highly likely that all five starters will be newcomers in the season opener on Monday night. The Jags return just 9.1 points per game from a season ago.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Monday, Nov. 7
Oakland vs. Defiance, 5:30 PM (ESPN+)
Milwaukee vs. MSOE, 6:00 PM (ESPN+)
Purdue Fort Wayne at Michigan, 6:30 PM (BTN+)
Robert Morris at Ohio State, 7:00 PM (Big Ten Network)
Green Bay at Indiana State, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Northern Kentucky vs. Kent State, 7:00 PM (Bally Sports Ohio)
Cleveland State vs. Notre Dame (OH), 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Youngstown State at Canisius, 7:30 PM (ESPN3)
IUPUI at Iowa State, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)

Tuesday, Nov. 8
Milwaukee at Purdue, 6:30 PM (Big Ten Network)
Detroit Mercy vs. Rochester, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Wdnesday, Nov. 9
Wright State vs. Davidson, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
RMU vs. Pitt Greensburg, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Youngstown State vs. Tennessee at Martin, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
IUPUI at Drake, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)

Thursday, Nov. 10
Cleveland State at Cincinnati, 8:00 PM (ESPN+)

Friday, Nov. 11
Detroit Mercy at Boston College, 1:00 PM (ACC Network Extra)
Bowling Green at Oakland, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Saturday, Nov. 12
Green Bay at Georgetown, 11:00 AM
Cleveland State at Ohio, 1:00 PM (ESPN+)    
Wright State at Louisville, 1:00 PM (ACC Network Extra)
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. SIUE, 1:00 PM (ESPN+)
Northern Kentucky vs. UC Clermont, 2:00 PM (ESPN+)
Milwaukee vs. Cardinal Stritch, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)

Sunday, Nov. 13
Oakland vs. Oklahoma State, 3:00 PM (ESPN+)
Youngstown State at Notre Dame, 4:00 PM    

Monday, Nov. 14
Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Manchester, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
IUPUI at Chicago State, 8:00 PM

Tuesday, Nov. 15
Youngstown State vs. Grace Christian, 11:00 AM (ESPN+)
Wright State vs. Bowling Green, 7:00 PM (ESPN+)
Green Bay at Wisconsin, 9:00 PM (Big Ten Network)