No. 3 Wright State advanced to the Horizon League Tournament semifinals on Friday night with a 66-59 win over Youngstown State. Wright State will take on No. 2 Detroit on Saturday. Detroit is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last six games against Wright State.
No. 4 Green Bay earned a trip to the semifinals against No. 1 Valparaiso with a 64-63 win Friday night over Illinois-Chicago. Valparaiso was 2-0 SU and ATS against Green Bay this season.
The winners of these two semifinal matchups will meet in the Horizon League Tournament Final on Tuesday night.
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No. 4 Green Bay and No. 5 Illinois-Chicago both won their first-round matchups in Tuesday’s Horizon League action, setting the stage for the two teams to square off in the second round on Friday. Green Bay is 14-5 SU and 12-7 ATS in its last 19 games against Illinois-Chicago.
Tuesday’s third winner, No. 6 Youngstown State, punched its ticket to a second-round matchup Friday against No. 3 Wright State. Wright State is 5-2 SU in its last seven games against Youngstown State, but just 1-6 ATS over that span.
No. 1 Valparaiso awaits the winner of the Green Bay vs. Illinois-Chicago game while No. 2 Detroit will face the winner of the Youngstown State vs. Wright State game.
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Nine teams will take the court in this year’s Horizon League Tournament, but barring any major surprises this conference tournament should be a two-horse race between the betting favorites.
The clear favorite to win is No. 1 Valparaiso going off at -160 to win the Horizon League Tournament at 5Dimes. Valparaiso’s main competition should be No. 2 Detroit (+190); by earning the top two seeds in the conference, both of these teams earn an automatic trip to the conference’s semifinals on Saturday.
Valparaiso finished the 2012-13 regular season with a 24-7 SU and 18-10 ATS record, ending the year with four straight wins and a 14-2 SU run. Valparaiso won the regular season conference title with a 13-3 record, one win ahead of Detroit’s 12-4 conference mark.
No. 4 Green Bay (+1500) should kick off the tournament with a win Tuesday going up against lowly No. 9 Milwaukee. Milwaukee (+75000) went just 3-13 in the conference this season with just eight wins (8-23) on the season overall.
No. 5 Illinois-Chicago (+5000) will look to buck a losing trend against No. 8 Cleveland State (+25000) on Tuesday. While Cleveland State isn’t expected to do any damage in this conference tournament, it is 12-0 SU and 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games against Illinois-Chicago including a season sweep this regular season.
Wrapping up Tuesday’s conference-opening action, No. 6 Youngstown State takes on No. 7 Loyola of Chicago (+9000). Youngstown State has won each of its last four games against Loyola of Chicago straight up.
Wednesday, No. 3 Wright State (+1800) will take on the winner of the Loyola of Chicago vs. Youngstown State game for a bid to face Detroit in the semifinals, while the two other first-round winners meet for a chance to take on Valparaiso.
Horizon League Conference Tournament Odds - courtesy of 5Dimes:
Valparaiso -160
Detroit +190
Wisconsin Green Bay +1500
Wright State +1800
Illinois-Chicago +5000
Youngstown State +5000
Loyola of Chicago +9000
Cleveland State +25000
Wisconsin Milwaukee +75000
Tuesday, March 5 – First Round
8:00 PM ET – No. 9 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 Green Bay (Game 1)
8:00 PM ET – No. 8 Cleveland State vs. No. 5 Illinois-Chicago (Game 2)
7:05 PM ET – No. 7 Loyola of Chicago vs. No. 6 Youngstown State (Game 3)
Friday, March 8 – Second Round
6:00 PM ET - Game 3 Winner vs. No. 3 Wright State (Game 4)
8:30 PM ET - Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner (Game 5)
Saturday, March 9 - Semifinals
6:00 PM ET - Game 4 Winner vs. No. 2 Detroit
8:30 PM ET - Game 5 Winner vs. No. 1 Valparaiso
Tuesday, March 12 - Championship Game
9:00 PM ET - Semifinal Winners
