Horizon League Tournament Preview For Tuesday, March 4 | Detroit vs NKU | Oakland vs GB
The 2025 Horizon League Tournament kicks off on Tuesday with a trio of opening round games played on campus sites. In a quirky twist, two of Tuesday’s games feature a rematch of a contest that was just played on Saturday. How should bettors handle that unique situation? The GoldSheet team shares its thoughts on handicapping the Horizon League Tournament.
2025 Horizon League Tournament Details
Dates: March 4-11
Broadcast: All opening round games will be on ESPN+. Monday’s semifinals will be on ESPNU and ESPN2, and Tuesday’s championship game will be on ESPN.
Location: Opening rounds are played on campus sites. The semifinals and final will be played in Indianapolis.
Defending Champ: Oakland
#671 Green Bay at #672 Oakland
This is the No. 6 (Oakland) vs No. 11 (Green Bay) opening round game of the Horizon League Tournament with Oakland serving as the home team.
These teams just played in Green Bay on Saturday with Oakland earning an 87-84 win in overtime. The Golden Grizzlies’s last three wins have all come in overtime. Is that a team you’re excited to lay double-digits with right now? No thank you.
As is the case with most games involving Oakland, the key to this one is three-point shooting. Greg Kampe loves to employ a zone defense and he will allow you to shoot the three-pointer while taking away the paint.
It’s been a disastrous first season for Doug Gottlieb in Green Bay, but his style on offense matches up well with what Oakland wants to do. Green Bay finished top-40 in the country in three-point attempts this season. The Phoenix finished 11-for-32 (34.4-percent) from three-point range in Saturday’s overtime loss.
Oakland plays at a bottom-20 pace in the country. If Green Bay can knock down some outside shots, the Phoenix can keep this one interesting, just like they did on Saturday.
#673 Detroit at #674 Northern Kentucky
This is the No. 7 (Northern Kentucky) vs No. 10 (Detroit) opening round game of the Horizon League Tournament with Northern Kentucky serving as the home team.
Early money has shown on the over in this contest, and we’re happy to be the opposition on that move. The closing totals for the first two meetings this season were 135 and 133.5. Both of those regular season meetings stayed under the total. Why are we seeing a total of 140.5 on Tuesday morning?
Northern Kentucky’s biggest issue this season has been defending the three-point line. Opponents are shooting 37.4-percent from three-point range against the Norse, which is nearly four percent above the national average. Well, Detroit does not shoot three-pointers. The Titans are bottom-10 in the country in three-point shot attempts.
Detroit shot 42.6-percent from the floor in the first meeting and 43.4-percent from the floor in the second meeting. They did not eclipse 1.00 point per possession in either contest. Detroit’s offense is last in the Horizon League in efficiency, effective field goal shooting, three-point shooting, two-point shooting and assist rate.
We’re not sure where the support for the over is coming from, but it’s certainly not from us. Recommendation: Under 140.5
#675 IU-Indianapolis at #676 Wright State
This is the No. 8 (Wright State) vs No. 9 (IU-Indy) opening round game of the Horizon League Tournament with Wright State serving as the home team.
This is another conference tournament rematch of a game that was just played on Saturday. IU-Indianapolis earned a 91-84 home win as a four-point ‘dog over the weekend.
In a quirky twist, both teams had to do this exact same thing last year. IU-Indy ended the regular season against Cleveland State, then had to play the Vikings again three days later. Wright State ended the regular season with Northern Kentucky, then had an immediate rematch with the Norse in the tournament. Both teams lost those rematches last year, so neither team is probably thrilled with this scenario.
When it comes to Wright State in the Horizon League tournament, it’s been all-or-nothing in recent years. Over the last decade, the Raiders have made the championship game four times, but have been eliminated in the opening game five times.
Each of the last six meetings between these squads have gone over the total. Those six games have seen an average of 166.5 points per game.
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