Trending
INDIANAPOLIS -- The stage is set.
With just a month left of the regular season, the postseason picture is clearing up a bit for the Horizon League.
YSU's pair of teams find themselves in differing positions as the conference tournament draws near. The Youngstown State men (12-10, 6-6) likely are headed toward a home matchup in the opening round before hypothetically playing on the road in the quarterfinals, while the women (18-3, 12-2) are in position for a first-round bye and then hosting a quarterfinal matchup.
Men's Outlook
YSU's men haven't given up hope of sneaking into the top four and securing that ever-important first-round bye. The Penguins are tied with Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 6, though the Mastodons have the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.
Both teams are within striking distance of No. 5 Detroit Mercy (8-10, 5-3) and No. 4 Northern Kentucky (11-9, 7-4).
YSU dropped its home encounter with NKU in a heartbreaker Jan. 13, a 68-67 decision, but can rectify it in the regular season finale Feb. 26.
The Penguins' first matchup with UDM, a road contest, was canceled and deemed a no-contest by the Horizon League due to COVID-19 protocol within the Titans' program. Detroit Mercy will visit the Beeghly Center next Friday, Feb. 11.
Aiding in the Penguins' quest to make up that ground is an eased schedule. Five of YSU's final nine contests are at home, and five of the contests are against teams behind YSU in the current standings.
Youngstown State visits IUPUI (2-17, 0-8), the league's last-place team, Thursday and then UIC (7-12, 3-7) on Saturday for a two-game road swing, before the Michigan schools -- UDM and Oakland -- visit next week.
Women's Outlook
Youngstown State still sits in first place, but after Sunday's loss to Oakland, the race for No. 1 has tightened.
The Penguins hold a one-game lead over preseason favorite IUPUI, and the Jaguars (14-5, 11-3) defeated YSU in overtime at the Beeghly Center last month.
The schedule also becomes more difficult this month, as YSU will play all but two of its final eight games away from Beeghly. That begins with a trip to Wisconsin this week to take on Green Bay (10-5, 6-3) and Milwaukee (8-11, 7-5) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. YSU defeated both of those teams at home back in early December, and did so without the services of Lilly Ritz.
Next week will feature one of the bigger matchups of the remaining games, as the Penguins travel to rival Cleveland State (13-4, 8-3) for what should be an intense meeting Feb. 11.
CSU sits at fourth in league play, while Northern Kentucky (15-4, 9-3) is third and could pose a serious threat for any team during next month's postseason tournament.
The Norse will visit Beeghly on Feb. 18. The initial meeting set for Jan. 9 in Highland Heights, Ky., was canceled and deemed a no-contest due to COVID-19 protocol within NKU's program.
Behind those top four, Oakland, Green Bay and Milwaukee are still lurking and seeking to jump into contention for a first-round bye.
Others Key Matchups This Week
On the women's side, Robert Morris (9-10, 7-7) is fresh off an upset of Oakland, and pays Milwaukee a visit Thursday night. An upset there could help knock UWM out of the top four picture.
Oakland and IUPUI square off Friday, a decision that could help YSU either way by knocking Oakland back a game or helping to create separation between the Penguins and Jaguars.
On Saturday, NKU visits Cleveland State and RMU visits Green Bay.
As for the men, first-place Oakland (16-5, 9-1) takes on NKU on Thursday, and a Golden Grizzly win would put YSU in a better position to unseat the Norse. Detroit Mercy and Wright State (12-10, 9-4), fifth and third in the standings, respectively, also play that night.