Horizon League Conference Tournament Preview: Prediction, Odds, Standings and Schedule

The college basketball regular season is wrapping up, which means conference tournaments are beginning to get set. One of the first conference tournaments that we'll get to watch is the Horizon League.

Cleveland State are Purdue Fort Wayne are the regular season co-champions, and now the Vikings will try to win the tournament for the second year in a row. They defeated Oakland in the finals last season.

Let's take a look at the tournament odds via WynnBET Sportsbook, as well as the schedule, prediction, and a dark horse team to keep an eye on.

Horizon League Tournament Odds

• Cleveland State +275
• Oakland +375
• Wright State +400
• Northern Kentucky +500
• IPFW +550
• Detroit +1500
• Youngstown State +3000
• Illinois-Chicago +7500
• Robert Morris +10000
• Wisc-Milwaukee +20000
• Wisc-Green Bay +30000
• IUPUI +50000

Horizon League Tournament Standings and Bracket

Here's a look at the standings and bracket for the Horizon League Tournament:

Cleveland State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Northern Kentucky, and Wright State will have an automatic bye to the quarterfinals, and the rest of the teams will battle it out in a preliminary round for the right to advance.

Horizon League Tournament Schedule (Dates, Times, Channel)

The Horizon League Tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 1.

The Quarterfinals will begin on March 3, and then the semi-finals will take place on March 7 and the championship game will tip-off at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 8 on ESPN.

The first two rounds of the tournament will be available to watch on ESPN+, and the two semi-final games will air ESPN U and ESPN 2.

Horizon League Tournament Prediction and Pick

As the odds suggest, any of the top five teams in the Horizon League have a legitimate shot to win it all. When you look at each team's statistics, it also makes sense as all five teams are neck-and-neck in most major categories.

While it might be the square play, I think Cleveland State at +275 is the bet to make. All four other teams have a major weakness in one major area, while Cleveland State is as well-rounded of a team you'll find in the Horizon League.

Oakland ranks 220th in effective field goal percentage, Wright State is 235th in defensive efficiency, Northern Kentucky is 264th in turnovers per possession, and Purdue Fort Wayne is 296th in rebounding. Cleveland State doesn't rank worse than 200th in any of those categories, while also ranking 36th in effective field goal percentage.

They also have the championship experience of winning this tournament last year, which could prove invaluable.

Lean: Cleveland State +275

Horizon League Tournament Dark Horse

If you're looking for a team that's not in the top five on the odds list that could make a Cinderella run, take a peak at Youngstown State. The team is solid in a few key areas, including 110th in effective field goal percentage, 130th in rebounding rate, and they're the top team in the country at not turning the ball over, ranking 95th in the country in turnovers per possession.

Youngstown State struggles on defense, ranking 262nd in defensive efficiency, but if they can sharpen up their play in their own end, they could be an interesting play at +3000 (bet $100 to profit $3,000).

It also already has wins over Oakland, Wright State, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Detroit this season.

Check out Iain's detailed betting record here.