| Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Hinkle Fieldhouse |
| Current location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Played | 1980-present |
| Last contest | 2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament |
| Current champion | Butler Bulldogs |
| Most championships | Butler Bulldogs (6) Xavier Musketeers (6) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU |
| Sponsors | |
| Speedway SuperAmerica | |
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The finals of the tournament are typically among the first held before the field for the NCAA tournament is announced.
History and Tournament Format[]
Through 2002, the entire tournament was hosted at a single venue. Beginning in 2003, hosting rights for the quarterfinals and semifinals are awarded to the winner of the regular season championship. The championship game is played at the home arena of the higher remaining seed. This shift in venue selection was due to the tournament championship earned by UIC as a six seed in 2002 and the subsequent non-selection of Butler for the 2002 NCAA tournament in spite of the Bulldogs' 25-5 record, Top of the World Classic Championship, Hoosier Classic Championship, having the nation's most road victories (15), fourth most total victories (25), second-best points-allowed record (57.4), smallest turnover average (10.2), seventh-highest winning percentage (.862), and a 4-1 record against the RPI Top 100 (including eventual national runner-up Indiana).[1] The format now protects the regular season champion by awarding home-field advantage and a double-bye into the semi-finals.
Beginning in 2009, the Horizon League secured an entitlement sponsorship of its men's and women's basketball tournaments with Speedway SuperAmerica, a major gas and convenience store chain throughout the midwest United States, officially changing the name of the tournaments to "The Speedway Horizon League Men's/Women's Basketball Championship".
Horizon League Tournament Championship Game Records[]
| Team | Championships | Years | Runners-Up | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010 | 1992, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009 | 6-6 (.500) | ||
| Xavier | 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 | 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993 | 6-4 (.600) | ||
| Evansville | 1982, 1992, 1993 | 1989, 1994 | 3-2 (.600) | ||
| Milwaukee | 2003, 2005, 2006 | 2004 | 3-1 (.750) | ||
| Detroit | 1994, 1999 | 1988, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2006 | 2-5 (.286) | ||
| Oral Roberts | 1980, 1984 | 1985 | 2-1 (.667) | ||
| UIC | 2002, 2004 | 1997 | 2-1 (.667) | ||
| Loyola | 1985 | 1980, 1982, 1983, 2002 | 1-4 (.200) | ||
| Wright State | 2007 | 1995, 2010 | 1-2 (.333) | ||
| Cleveland State | 2009 | 2008 | 1-1 (.500) | ||
| Green Bay | 1995 | 1998 | 1-1 (.500) | ||
| Dayton | 1990 | 1-0 (1.000) | |||
| Northern Illinois | 1996 | 1-0 (1.000) | |||
| Oklahoma City | 1981 | 1-0 (1.000) | |||
| Saint Louis | 1986, 1987, 1991 | 0-3 (.000) | |||
| Duquesne | 0-0 ( - ) | ||||
| La Salle | 0-0 ( - ) | ||||
| Marquette | 0-0 ( - ) | ||||
| Valparaiso | 0-0 ( - ) | ||||
| Youngstown State | 0-0 ( - ) |
Horizon League Tournament Results[]
| Year | Champion | Champion's Seed | Score | Runner-up | Runner-up's Seed | Most Outstanding Player | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Oral Roberts | 2 | 103-93 | Loyola | 1 | Calvin Garrett, Oral Roberts | Roberts Municipal Stadium - Evansville, IN |
| 1981 | Oklahoma City | 3 | 82-76 | Xavier | 1 | Anthony Hicks, Xavier | Opening Round: Campus Locations Semi-finals: Frederickson Fieldhouse - Oklahoma City, OK Championship:Riverfront Coliseum - Cincinnati, OH |
| 1982 | Evansville | 1 | 81-72 | Loyola | 3 | Brad Leaf, Evansville | Mabee Center - Tulsa, OK |
| 1983 | Xavier | 2 | 82-76 | Loyola | 1 | Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola | Roberts Municipal Stadium - Evansville, IN |
| 1984 | Oral Roberts | 1 | 82-76 | Xavier | 3 | Sam Potter, Oral Roberts | UIC Pavilion - Chicago, IL |
| 1985 | Loyola | 1 | 89-83 | Oral Roberts | 3 | Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola | Mabee Center - Tulsa, OK |
| 1986 | Xavier | 1 | 74-66 | Saint Louis | 2 | Byron Larkin, Xavier | Market Square Arena - Indianapolis, IN |
| 1987 | Xavier | 3 | 81-69 | Saint Louis | 4 | Byron Larkin, Xavier | Market Square Arena - Indianapolis, IN |
| 1988 | Xavier | 1 | 122-96 | Detroit | 6 | Byron Larkin, Xavier | Market Square Arena - Indianapolis, IN |
| 1989 | Xavier | 3 | 85-78 | Evansville | 1 | Tyrone Hill, Xavier | University of Dayton Arena - Dayton, OH |
| 1990 | Dayton | 2 | 98-89 | Xavier | 1 | Negele Knight, Dayton | University of Dayton Arena - Dayton, OH |
| 1991 | Xavier | 1 | 81-68 | Saint Louis | 3 | Jamie Gladden, Xavier | University of Dayton Arena - Dayton, OH |
| 1992 | Evansville | 2 | 95-76 | Butler | 3 | Parish Casebier, Evansville | Riverfront Coliseum - Cincinnati, OH |
| 1993 | Evansville | 2 | 80-69 | Xavier | 1 | Parish Casebier, Evansville | Market Square Arena - Indianapolis, IN |
| 1994 | Detroit | 4 | 72-63 | Evansville | 2 | Andy Elkins, Evansville | Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN |
| 1995 | Green Bay | 3 | 73-59 | Wright State | 8 | Jeff Nordgaard, Green Bay | Nutter Center - Dayton, OH |
| 1996 | Northern Illinois | 3 | 84-63 | Detroit | 5 | Chris Coleman, Northern Illinois | Nutter Center - Dayton, OH |
| 1997 | Butler | 1 | 69-68 | UIC | 3 | Kelsey Wilson, Butler | Nutter Center - Dayton, OH |
| 1998 | Butler | 3 | 70-51 | Green Bay | 4 | Jon Neuhouser, Butler | Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena - Green Bay, WI |
| 1999 | Detroit | 1 | 72-65 | Butler | 2 | Rashad Phillips, Detroit | UIC Pavilion - Chicago, IL |
| 2000 | Butler | 1 | 62-43 | Detroit | 3 | Mike Marshall, Butler | UIC Pavilion - Chicago, IL |
| 2001 | Butler | 1 | 53-38 | Detroit | 2 | LaVall Jordan, Butler | Nutter Center, Dayton, OH |
| 2002 | UIC | 6 | 76-75 (OT) | Loyola | 5 | Cedrick Banks, UIC | CSU Convocation Center - Cleveland, OH |
| 2003 | Milwaukee | 2 | 69-52 | Butler | 1 | Clay Tucker, Milwaukee | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: U.S. Cellular Arena - Milwaukee, WI |
| 2004 | UIC | 2 | 65-62 | Milwaukee | 1 | Armond Williams, UIC | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals: Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN Championship: U.S. Cellular Arena - Milwaukee, WI |
| 2005 | Milwaukee | 1 | 59-58 | Detroit | 3 | Joah Tucker, Milwaukee | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: U.S. Cellular Arena - Milwaukee, WI |
| 2006 | Milwaukee | 1 | 87-71 | Butler | 2 | Adrian Tigert, Milwaukee | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee, WI |
| 2007 | Wright State | 1 | 60-55 | Butler | 2 | DaShaun Wood, Wright State | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: Nutter Center - Dayton, OH |
| 2008 | Butler | 1 | 70-55 | Cleveland State | 2 | Mike Green, Butler | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN |
| 2009 | Cleveland State | 3 | 57-54 | Butler | 1 | Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN |
| 2010 | Butler | 1 | 70-45 | Wright State | 2 | Matt Howard, Butler | Opening Round: Campus Locations Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Championship: Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN |
Post-Season Success[]
Current Horizon League members have made several Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four appearances. Further, current members claim three championships, including Butler in 1924 and 1929[2] and Loyola in the 1963 NCAA Tournament.
The Horizon League currently holds the fourth-best winning percentage among non-BCS conferences in the men's NCAA basketball Tournament (.460, 9th overall amongst the 31 Division I conferences)[3] and is one of only three non-BCS conferences with Sweet 16 teams in four of the last eight years.
Championships and Post-Season Appearances[]
| Season | Season Champion (League record) |
NCAA Bids (seed), advancement |
NIT Bids (seed), advancement |
CBI Bids (seed), advancement |
CIT Bids (seed), advancement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Loyola (5-0) | - | Loyola | Tournament Not Held |
Tournament Not Held |
| 1981 | Xavier (8-3) | - | - | ||
| 1982 | Evansville (10-2) | Evansville (10) | Oral Roberts | ||
| 1983 | Loyola (12-2) | Xavier (12) | - | ||
| 1984 | Oral Roberts (11-3) | Oral Roberts (11) | Xavier, Quarterfinals | ||
| 1985 | Loyola (13-1) | Loyola (4), Sweet 16 | Butler | ||
| 1986 | Xavier (10-2) | Xavier (12) | - | ||
| 1987 | Evansville (8-4) Loyola (8-4) |
Xavier (13), 2nd rnd | St. Louis, 2nd rnd | ||
| 1988 | Xavier (9-1) | Xavier (11) | Evansville | ||
| 1989 | Evansville (10-2) | Evansville (11), 2nd rnd Xavier (14) |
St. Louis, Championship game | ||
| 1990 | Xavier (12-2) | Xavier (6), Sweet 16 Dayton (12), 2nd rnd |
St. Louis, Championship game Marquette | ||
| 1991 | Xavier (11-3) | Xavier (14), 2nd rnd | Butler | ||
| 1992 | Evansville (8-2) | Evansville (8) | Butler | ||
| 1993 | Evansville (12-2) Xavier (12-2) |
Xavier (9), 2nd rnd Evansville (14) |
- | ||
| 1994 | Xavier (8-2) | - | Xavier, Quarterfinals Evansville | ||
| 1995 | Xavier (14-0) | Green Bay (11) Xavier (14) |
- | ||
| 1996 | Green Bay (16-0) | Green Bay (8) Northern Illinois (14) |
- | ||
| 1997 | Butler (12-4) | Butler (14) | - | ||
| 1998 | Detroit (12-2) UIC (12-2) |
UIC (9) Detroit (10), 2nd rnd Butler (13) |
- | ||
| 1999 | Detroit (12-2) | Detroit (12), 2nd rnd | Butler, Quarterfinals | ||
| 2000 | Butler (12-2) | Butler (12) | - | ||
| 2001 | Butler (11-3) | Butler (10), 2nd rnd | Detroit, Semifinals | ||
| 2002 | Butler (12-4) | UIC (15) | Butler, 2nd rnd Detroit | ||
| 2003 | Butler (14-2) | Butler (12), Sweet 16 Milwaukee (12) |
UIC | ||
| 2004 | Milwaukee (13-3) | UIC (13) | Milwaukee | ||
| 2005 | Milwaukee (14-2) | Milwaukee (12), Sweet 16 | - | ||
| 2006 | Milwaukee (12-4) | Milwaukee (11), 2nd rnd | Butler (8) | ||
| 2007 | Butler (13-3) Wright State (13-3) |
Butler (5), Sweet 16 Wright State (14) |
- | ||
| 2008 | Butler (16-2) | Butler (7), 2nd rnd | Cleveland State (6) | Valparaiso (4), 2nd rnd | |
| 2009 | Butler (15-3) | Butler (9) Cleveland State (13), 2nd rnd |
- | Green Bay (2) | - |
| 2010 | Butler (18-0) | Butler (5), Nat'l Runner-Up | - | Green Bay (3), 2nd rnd | - |
See also[]
- List of Horizon League champions
- Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament Locations
- Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament
Notes[]
- ↑ Woods, D. (2009). The Butler Way. Blue River Press: Indianapolis.
- ↑ Butler To Induct Seven Individuals, Two Teams Into Hall of Fame :: National championship basketball squads of 1924 and 1929 to become first teams enshrined
- ↑ NCAA tournament records by conference, through 2009, retrieved 2010-06-21.
External links[]
NCAA Division I men's basketball conference tournaments
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