2026 Horizon League men's basketball tournament
| 2026 Horizon League men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2025–26 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Site | Campus sites (Play-in and first round) Corteva Coliseum Indianapolis, Indiana (Second round onwards) |
| Television | ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPN |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oakland | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | – | 7 | .462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Milwaukee | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Morris | 2 | – | 1 | .667 | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 2 | – | 1 | .667 | 8 | – | 5 | .615 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue Fort Wayne | 2 | – | 1 | .667 | 7 | – | 6 | .538 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Mercy | 2 | – | 1 | .667 | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wright State | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Kentucky | 1 | – | 2 | .333 | 9 | – | 4 | .692 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Bay | 1 | – | 2 | .333 | 6 | – | 7 | .462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland State | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 4 | – | 9 | .308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IU Indy | 0 | – | 3 | .000 | 4 | – | 9 | .308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Horizon League tournament winner As of December 20, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament will be the final event of the 2025–26 men's basketball season for the Horizon League. It will be held from March 2–10, 2026; play-in and first-round games will be played at the home courts of the higher seeds, with all remaining games at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.[1] The winner will receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The tournament is sponsored by Barbasol for the fourth consecutive year.[2]
The tournament will adopt a new format in 2026; instead of a traditional 11-team bracket with reseeding after each round, the new format includes a play-in for the bottom two teams by conference record, then a ten-team first round on campus sites. The five winners then advance to the final three rounds at Corteva Coliseum. The bottom two teams by seeding play in the second round, while the remaining three teams are reseeded into the semifinals, with the winners advancing to the finals.[3]
Seeds
All of the teams in the conference will participate in the tournament, with the bottom two teams starting in the play-in round. The bracket is reset after each round so that the lowest remaining seed always plays the highest.
| Seed | School | Conf | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | − | ||
| 2 | − | ||
| 3 | − | ||
| 4 | − | ||
| 5 | − | ||
| 6 | − | ||
| 7 | − | ||
| 8 | − | ||
| 9 | − | ||
| 10 | − | ||
| 11 | − |
Schedule
| Game | Time | Matchup | Score | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play-in – Monday, March 2 | ||||
| 1 | 7:00 pm | No. 11 at No. 10 | – | ESPN+ |
| First round – Wednesday, March 4 | ||||
| 2 | 7:00 pm | Winner Game 1 at No. 1 | – | ESPN+ |
| 3 | 7:00 pm | No. 9 at No. 2 | – | |
| 4 | 7:00 pm | No. 8 at No. 3 | – | |
| 5 | 7:00 pm | No. 7 at No. 4 | – | |
| 6 | 7:00 pm | No. 6 at No. 5 | – | |
| Second round – Sunday, March 8 at Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| 7 | TBD | TBD vs. TBD | – | ESPN+ |
| Semifinals – Monday, March 9 at Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| 8 | 7:00 pm | TBD vs. Winner Game 7 | – | ESPN2/ESPNU |
| 9 | 9:30 pm | TBD vs. TBD | – | ESPN2/ESPNU |
| Championship – Tuesday, March 11 at Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN | ||||
| 10 | 7:00 pm | Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 | – | ESPN/ESPN2 |
| Play-in and first-round game times are local. Second-round, semifinal and championship game times are Eastern. Rankings denote tournament seed | ||||
Bracket
| Play-in March 2 Campus site | First round March 4 Campus sites | Second round March 8 Indianapolis, IN | Semifinals March 9 Indianapolis, IN | Championship March 10 Indianapolis, IN | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "2026 Barbasol Horizon League Men's & Women's Basketball Championships". Horizon League. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "Barbasol Extends Title Partnership Agreement with Horizon League". Horizon League. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Gentile, Drew (September 26, 2025). "Horizon League details reasons for changes to postseason tournament". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2025.