The Jambar
With March around the corner, the Horizon League is preparing for its annual men’s and women’s Barbasol Horizon League Championships March 4-11.
11 universities will have a chance to reach the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournament round of 64, with Selection Sunday taking place at 6 p.m. March 16. For Youngstown State University men’s and women’s basketball programs, the hope is to be a participant within the bracket.
The Jambar will attempt to predict the seeding and potential winner of the Horizon League tournament with the conclusion of its regular season March 1. The top-five teams will receive a bye for the tournament, while seeds six through 11 will have to play the first round.
The semifinal and championship rounds will be held at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.
If the season ended today, Robert Morris University would be named the 2025 men’s Horizon League regular season champions, while the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay would earn the title on the women’s side. Both teams would earn the No. 1 seed.
In the tournament, the Youngstown State men’s program would be slotted as the third seed and earn a bye until March 6 for the Horizon League Quarterfinals. The women’s program is currently slotted as the eighth seed in the tournament prior to games against RMU and Cleveland State University.
The women’s program will host a home playoff game as the No. 8 team in the tournament against No. 9 Oakland University.
The Jambar feels that the women’s team will fall in the first round in Beeghly Center by a final of 64-58. However, for the men’s program, it will receive a bye-week and play at home against the highest remaining seed from the first round.
No. 6 Oakland would play No. 11 Green Bay, who is currently 3-26 overall. The Golden Grizzlies will go on to win the matchup and play Youngstown State.
The YSU men’s squad will get the job done with a final score of 77-74 in Beeghly Center.
With YSU moving on, it would play the second-lowest remaining seeded team — if RMU wins against its potential opponent. There is a scenario where YSU could be the highest remaining seed in the tournament if No. 1 RMU and No. 2 CSU fall in potential matchups.
The magic for YSU will run out in Indianapolis if the University of Wisconsin–Milwakuee maintains its No. 4 seeding mark. With the team’s height differential, YSU will come close but lose, 78-70.
With the conclusion of the men’s and women’s tournament, Robert Morris is projected to win the tournament against the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and automatically qualify for the NCAA first round.
Green Bay is projected to play Duke University on the women’s side, but The Jambar predicts Cleveland State will claim the Horizon League tournament victory and automatic entry.
For a complete list of standings, turn to page 15 of this week’s Jambar.