Green Bay has won three straight Horizon League tournaments, and the league spent the offseason trying to figure out who could end that run. Almost every other team lost its best players, two programs have new coaches, and Northern Illinois joins from the MAC, making it a 12-team league.
The Big Picture
If you look at last year's best players, you’ll see most of them are elsewhere. Jenna Guyer, Izabella Zingaro, Colbi Maples, Alana Nelson, Casey Santoro, Sophia Gregory, and Karina Bystry were all among the league's top players, and none will play a Horizon game this season. Green Bay is still the safest pick because Maddy Skorupski returned for another year, and Meghan Schultz is ready to take the next step. Where the rest finish depends on how quickly the newcomers fit, and that will take until January to sort out.
Rosters and coaches turned over almost everywhere. Cleveland State has eight transfers, Northern Kentucky rebuilt around junior college and international signees, and Purdue Fort Wayne has one regular back. Teams that kept a core, like Youngstown State, Oakland, and Robert Morris, are best positioned heading into the season. Nobody at the bottom has an obvious edge.
Skim Milkey's Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Green Bay
2 - Youngstown State
3 - Oakland
4 - Robert Morris
5 - IU Indy
6 - Northern Illinois
7 - Cleveland State
8 - Milwaukee
9 - Detroit Mercy
10 - Wright State
11 - Purdue Fort Wayne
12 - Northern Kentucky
Skim Milkey's Preseason All-Conference Team
Makayla Jackson, G, Detroit Mercy
Jorey Buwalda, F, Green Bay
Maddy Skorupski, G, Green Bay
Meghan Schultz, F, Green Bay
Hailey Smith, G, IU Indy
Olivia Smith, G, IU Indy
Nevaeh Wingate, F, Northern Illinois
Angie Smith, G, Oakland
Layla Gold, G, Oakland
Makenzie Luehring, G, Oakland
Mackenzie Blackford, G, Robert Morris
Myriam Traore, F, Robert Morris
Erica King, G, Youngstown State
Jada Leonard, G, Youngstown State
Sarah Baker, F, Youngstown State
Green Bay
Record: 25-9, 17-3 Horizon (1st, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Kayla Karius, 3rd season, 54-15 (5th overall, 91-44)
Green Bay beat Purdue Fort Wayne 73-48 in the semifinals and Youngstown State 57-49 in the final for its third straight tournament title, then lost to Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kayla Karius was the league's Coach of the Year, and four Phoenix starters played every game. Three of them are no longer in the program. Player of the Year Jenna Guyer averaged 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, Carley Duffney added 7.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, and Kamy Peppler gave Green Bay 6.5 points and 4.5 assists a night. Ellie Buzzelle and Lily Hansford are also gone.
Maddy Skorupski is back for a graduate season after averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 38 percent from three, and she made the All-League Second Team. Meghan Schultz averaged 12.2 points in just 20.6 minutes, earning her a Third Team spot. Jorey Buwalda, also a Third Team selection, arrives from Milwaukee after posting 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, filling the rebounding role Guyer provided. Gracie Grzesk averaged 6.4 points, and Kristina Ouimette averaged 5.7 points, and both are back. Julianna Ouimette, Kallie Peppler, Madison Hoffmann and Maren Westin also return from last year’s squad.
McKenna Johnson transfers in from Butler, where she scored 6.3 points a game, and Elisa Mevius comes over from Oregon after a knee injury ended her season after two games, in which she averaged 12.5 points. She also won 3x3 gold for Germany at the 2024 Olympics. Sophie Lahti is a redshirt junior forward who also joins the squad, and the freshmen are Ady Ketterhagen, Riley Ketterhagen, Kyrin Lile, and Lillie Johnson.
I'm picking the Phoenix first because Skorupski, Schultz, and Buwalda all earned All-League honors last season, and Karius has already shown she can reload after losing a Player of the Year. Skorupski is the engine and the league's most complete guard, and Schultz scores efficiently in limited minutes. The question is the backcourt next to Skorupski, since Peppler's 4.5 assists have to come from somewhere and the likely replacements have mostly played off the bench. Grzesk and Ouimette have real minutes behind them, and Mevius is the wild card. If her knee holds up, Green Bay gets a veteran with international experience on top of an already deep roster. Until someone beats them in March, they're the team to pick.
Players to watch: Meghan Schultz, Jorey Buwalda, Maddy Skorupski, Elisa Mevius
Youngstown State
Record: 25-10, 15-5 Horizon (2nd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Melissa Jackson, 3rd season, 37-29 (8th overall, 109-98)
Youngstown State beat Wright State 76-60 in the first round of the Horizon Tournament and reached the final before losing to Green Bay. The Penguins then won a WNIT game and reached the Super 16 in Melissa Jackson's second season, where they lost to Marshall. Jackson used the same five starters all year, and two of them are gone. Casey Santoro, a sixth-year guard and All-League Second Team pick, graduated after averaging 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Sophia Gregory, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks before transferring to Liberty.
Sarah Baker, a redshirt freshman, earned All-Freshman honors and led the returners at 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds. Erica King and Danielle Cameron started every game in the backcourt, with King scoring 9.8 points and handing out 2.7 assists, while Cameron averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds as a freshman. Paulina Hernandez, the league's Sixth Player of the Year, blocked 1.7 shots a game and shot 39 percent from the perimeter in 16 minutes off the bench. Hayden Barrier, Dacia Lewandowski, and Brooke Adkins return behind them, though none averaged more than 2.8 points.
Jada Leonard arrives from Cleveland State after making the All-Defensive Team and averaging 11.8 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.9 steals, and Gemma Walker comes over from Saint Francis (Pa.). Mia Kalich might be their biggest portal get. She was a Division II All-American at Seton Hill, averaging 14.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists; she led the country with 125 steals and won the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year award. Evelyn McKnight and Kaitlyn Turinsky are this year's freshmen.
I have them second because three starters return from a team that reached the final, and Leonard and Kalich fill the two biggest holes. Leonard can run an offense and create turnovers as Santoro did, and Kalich's numbers at Seton Hill show she can cover the rebounding gap Gregory left, which worries me most. Baker and Hernandez are young enough to keep improving, and King and Cameron now have a full season of starting experience together. How Kalich handles the jump from Division II will decide whether the Penguins can push Green Bay.
Players to watch: Sarah Baker, Jada Leonard, Mia Kalich, Paulina Hernandez
Oakland
Record: 10-21, 7-13 Horizon (8th)
Coach: Keisha Newell, 2nd season, 10-21 (9th overall, 140-105)
Keisha Newell's first season at Oakland was up-and-down, with plenty of scoring and not enough defense. The Golden Grizzlies went 7-13 in league play, then lost 81-80 in overtime to Cleveland State in the first round of the Horizon Tournament. Cali Denson, who averaged 11.2 points in nine games, left the program, and Filippa Goula, who scored 9.0 points with 2.9 assists and started 28 games, graduated. Jazzy Dupree-Hebert, Aalyssa Rogers and Kyra Lawrence are also off the roster.
Makenzie Luehring won Freshman of the Year and became the first freshman in program history to make the All-League First Team, averaging 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Layla Gold scored 9.6 points with 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks; Lianna Baxter scored 8.8 points with 5.3 rebounds; and Angie Smith scored 10.4 points in 21 games, and each started at least 20 games. Sereniti Roberts-Adams started nine games and averaged 3.9 points and 4.5 rebounds, and Karinna Trotter and Ilris Aworet fill out the frontcourt.
The transfer class starts with Berlynn Carlson, who averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman at Mount St. Mary's. Samone Andrews comes from Rochester Christian, where she averaged 13.8 points per game, made the WHAC All-Defensive First Team, and Ella Riggs arrives from Purdue Fort Wayne. Cece Bonner, Sheridan Beal, Milagros Morell, and Alessia Reale are the freshmen.
I have Oakland third because Luehring is a Player of the Year contender, and Andrews and Carlson give her more help than she had last year. Luehring, Gold, Baxter, and Smith all started at least 20 games, so the core knows each other, and Andrews adds a defensive-minded guard to the lineup. Last year, the problem was stopping the opponent, and if Newell improves on defense, this team could finish higher than I have it.
Players to watch: Makenzie Luehring, Layla Gold, Angie Smith, Samone Andrews
Robert Morris
Record: 18-12, 11-9 Horizon (6th)
Coach: Chandler McCabe, 3rd season, 33-28
Chandler McCabe won 18 games and went 11-9 in league play, but the Colonials lost 73-43 at Purdue Fort Wayne in the first round of the Horizon Tournament. Three of the five regular starters are gone. Aislin Malcolm, an All-League Third Team guard, averaged 12.0 points and 2.4 assists; Bailey Kuhns scored 9.8 points and grabbed 5.1 rebounds; and Jada Lee gave Robert Morris 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. Noa Givon also scored 6.0 points and is no longer on the roster.
Myriam Traore made the All-League Third Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.4 points and 4.9 rebounds, with a block per game and 36 percent from three. Eva Levingston, an All-Defensive Team pick, added 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, and Ava Leroux averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench. Mallory Daly and London Creach are back, though neither averaged more than 1.2 points.
McCabe added six players from the portal. Mackenzie Blackford, who started 25 games and scored 10.3 points at Duquesne, is the transfer to watch, and Timberlynn Yeast comes from Marshall after averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Meghan Murray transfers from Kent State, Maeva Fotsa from Austin Peay, and Page Greenburg from George Mason. The freshmen are Teigh Yeast, Sira Diarra, and redshirt freshman Sanai Troutman.
I have the Colonials fourth because they have one of the league's best juniors in Traore, a rebounder in Levingston, and guards in Blackford and Yeast who can create. The offense was the problem last year, and losing Malcolm makes it worse, so the six portal additions have to score better than the players they replace. Leroux's minutes should grow, and McCabe has more returning production than most of the teams around her. If the new guards fix the offense, Robert Morris can finish higher.
Players to watch: Myriam Traore, Mackenzie Blackford, Eva Levingston, Timberlynn Yeast
IU Indy
Record: 14-17, 9-11 Horizon (7th)
Coach: Kate Bruce, 5th season, 47-74 (11th overall, 181-117)
IU Indy went 9-11 in league play, beat Northern Kentucky 74-72 in the first round of the Horizon Tournament, and then lost at Purdue Fort Wayne. All-League Third Team guard Nevaeh Foster, who led the team with 12.0 points, transferred to UIC, and Sydney Bolden, who scored 6.2 points with 1.6 steals and started 18 games, graduated.
Olivia and Hailey Smith lead the way. The twins from Fishers transferred from Ball State a year ago, and Olivia scored 10.9 points with 1.8 steals, while Hailey added 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. Destini Craig averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20 starts, and Ariana Williams added 5.4 points per game off the bench. Kamara Mills hit 35 percent from three, Julia Hall started 18 games as a freshman, and E'Zaria Adams and Kaylin Moorehead return in smaller roles. Hailee Brennen comes from New Orleans after starting 14 games and leading her team with 20 blocks; Olivia Flynn comes from Western Michigan; and Reagan Sipla, a 6-1 guard, comes from Quinnipiac. Mylie Wilkison, Swynn Jackson and Emmy Lowe are the freshmen.
IU Indy sits fifth because it brings back four of its top six scorers, including both Smiths, and Brennen gives it a forward who has played big minutes. The twins combined for 21.5 points and nearly ten rebounds a night, and both averaged more than 1.8 steals. Nobody on the roster has shown she can score 15 a night now that Foster is gone, and the outside shooting is seemingly thin. That is why I stop at fifth place for them. If one of the Smiths takes a step, the Jaguars can crack into the top third.
Players to watch: Olivia Smith, Hailey Smith, Destini Craig, Hailee Brennen
Northern Illinois
Record: 7-23, 4-14 MAC (11th)
Coach: Jacey Brooks, 2nd season, 7-23 (6th overall, 86-55)
The Huskies went 7-23 in their last season in the MAC, tied for 11th, missed the eight-team conference tournament, and joined the Horizon on July 1 as the league's 12th team. Jacey Brooks loses four rotation players. Nadechka Laccen scored 10.2 points; Maria Serracanta gave NIU 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 34 minutes a night; Teresa Mbemba scored 6.5 points; and Marta Hermoso scored 4.1 points.
Nevaeh Wingate led the team at 13.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, and Emilie Sorensen made the MAC All-Freshman Team while starting all 30 games, averaging 9.8 points in 33 minutes a night and shooting 38 percent from three. Freshman Sa'Mahn Johnson scored 7.1 points mostly off the bench, and Cyra Conwell and Lexi Kerstein return. Brooks added four transfers. Leah Middleton scored 6.4 points a game at Binghamton; Ashlynn Brooke comes from Ball State; Atarah Walker arrives from SUNY Niagara after averaging 9.1 points and 9.1 rebounds for a team that won the NJCAA Region III Division II title; and Anna Stromberg is a junior from Radford. Alecia Doyle, a graduate guard, transferred in from SEMO two years ago and did not play last season. Fiona Madigan, Laniah Davis, Emma Close, and Komari Booker are the freshmen.
I'm picking NIU sixth. A 7-23 team shouldn't land that high, but Wingate and Sorensen are a better-scoring duo than most teams around them, and Walker could help on the glass after a 9.1-rebound season at the junior college level. The Huskies lost Serracanta's playmaking, so one of the transfers has to give Brooks a point guard who can run the offense. Adjusting to a new league is tough, and the Huskies have a lot of new pieces to blend in at once.
Players to watch: Nevaeh Wingate, Emilie Sorensen, Atarah Walker, Sa'Mahn Johnson
Cleveland State
Record: 26-10, 13-7 Horizon (3rd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Bob Dunn, 1st season, 0-0
Cleveland State beat Oakland 81-80 in overtime in its first Horizon Tournament game and won 26 games overall. The Vikings beat Middle Tennessee 66-56 in the WNIT Super 16, then lost 71-53 to Arkansas State in the Great Eight. Chris Kielsmeier then left for Texas State. Bob Dunn was an assistant at Cleveland State from 2021 to 2023 and again in 2024-25 and spent last season at Penn State. He takes over a roster that lost its top four scorers: Izabella Zingaro (17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds), Colbi Maples (16.0 points), Jada Leonard (11.8 points), and Macey Fegan (9.1 points, 6.5 rebounds). Ayisse Magassa, who scored 4.0 points, is also gone.
No returning player averaged more than 3.7 points per game. Sarah Hurley started 20 games and averaged 3.7 points and 3.9 rebounds; Paula Pique started 15 games and averaged 3.2 points and 1.5 steals; and Hanna Medina Kajevic, Sur Lozano, and Queen Ruffin are back as well, though they barely played.
Dunn has filled the roster with transfers. Annika Corcoran scored 6.6 points at Sam Houston, Chloe Oliver started 16 games at Stony Brook, and Brianna Barr-Buday comes from St. Bonaventure; Macie Taylor from Miami (OH), Alexa Hocevar from Toledo, Fatou Sane from Duquesne, and Silvia Gonzalez from George Washington join them. Tiyahna Trottier arrives from Division II Minot State, where she averaged 10.4 points and shot 47.6 percent.
I have Cleveland State seventh, which feels low for a program that won 26 games and reached the WNIT Great Eight. But the top four scorers are gone, nobody returning has led this league, and Dunn has to turn eight new players into a team in his first year as head coach. The roster has the numbers to be deep, but nobody on it has carried a Horizon team yet. If Corcoran and Trottier hit, the team can finish in the top half.
Players to watch: Annika Corcoran, Tiyahna Trottier, Chloe Oliver, Sarah Hurley
Milwaukee
Record: 8-24, 4-16 Horizon (10th, tie)
Coach: Kyle Rechlicz, 15th season, 197-237
Milwaukee went 4-16 in league play and lost its play-in game 69-67 to Detroit Mercy, finishing 8-24. Kyle Rechlicz lost the two players who scored the most. Jorey Buwalda, who averaged 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, transferred to Green Bay, and Grace Lomen, who averaged 10.3 points and shot 37 percent from three, graduated.
Payton Rechlicz started all 30 games, and Madison Fitzgibbon started 20; both averaged 4.9 points a night, with Fitzgibbon shooting 39 percent from three. Tierney Madigan averaged 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds, and Kendall Barnes averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds as freshmen, and Jada Williams started 27 games and scored 3.8 points. Izzy Pugh, from New Zealand, scored 3.5 points; Rita Gomes, from Portugal, hit 36 percent from the three-point line; and Valerie Cassidy-De Falco, Sophia Rampulla, and Cece McNair are all back.
Olivia Olson, a Wisconsin native, sat out last season, and Lizzy Favret, a 6-3 post, has not logged any Division I minutes. Jaeda Murphy is the lone transfer after averaging 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists at Mississippi Valley State. Kylie Butler and Nataya Donaldson are the freshmen.
I have Milwaukee eighth because it returns almost everyone, which counts for something in a league this unknown, and Murphy gives it a lead guard. Eight returners scored between 3.3 and 4.9 points a night, so the roster is deep but lacks a go-to scorer, and Murphy's 9.3 points is the highest scoring mark anyone on it has posted. Fitzgibbon, Madigan and Barnes are sophomores now and should improve. Losing Buwalda's rebounding hurts, and no one has yet shown they can average 10 or more points over a season.
Players to watch: Jaeda Murphy, Payton Rechlicz, Madison Fitzgibbon, Tierney Madigan
Detroit Mercy
Record: 7-24, 4-16 Horizon (10th, tie)
Coach: Kiefer Haffey, 2nd season, 7-24 (6th overall, 68-82)
Kiefer Haffey's first season ended with a 69-67 play-in win over Milwaukee and a first-round loss at Green Bay, and the Titans finished 4-16 in league play. Haffey was promoted from associate head coach and had won 61 games in four seasons as head coach at Concordia. Four of the top five scorers are gone: Jasmine Edwards (11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds), Aaliyah McQueen (10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds), Nisea Burrell (7.2 points), and Myonna Hooper (6.3 points). Kailee Davis, who scored 5.4 points, is also gone.
Makayla Jackson led the returners at 10.6 points and 2.0 steals and started 24 games. Maya Anderson averaged 5.4 points; Anna Lassan started 15 games and averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds; Naïma Diawara scored 3.7 points with 2.7 rebounds as a freshman; and Addisen Mastriano shot 41 percent from three.
Haffey remade the rest of the roster. Paula Lopez started 29 games and scored 7.9 points at Buffalo, and Marie Outlay comes from Division II Roosevelt, where she scored 11.8 points, grabbed 88 steals, and was the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Stephanie Utomi and Stacy Utomi both transfer from Mercer, and Colleena Bryant is a Detroit native who didn't play as a freshman at Saint Mary's. The freshmen are Alonna Divine, Audrey Tchako Tchako, Cameron McMaster, Nina Rodriguez, and Marianna Jones.
I think Detroit Mercy will improve this year, and I’m picking them ninth. Jackson and Lopez give them backcourt starting experience, and Outlay adds scoring to replace what Edwards and McQueen left. Edwards' 8.1 rebounds is the biggest hole, and Lassan's rebounding and Outlay's activity have to cover some of it. It's a lot of new pieces for a team that won seven games, so I'm not ranking them higher, but Haffey now has a full offseason to build the roster he wants.
Players to watch: Makayla Jackson, Marie Outlay, Paula Lopez, Stephanie Utomi
Wright State
Record: 10-22, 6-14 Horizon (9th)
Coach: Kari Hoffman, 6th season, 50-102 (11th overall, 156-140)
Wright State went 10-22, finished 6-14 in league play, and lost 76-60 to Youngstown State in the first round of the Horizon Tournament. Then the best players left. Breezie Williams scored 12.4 points with 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals; Claire Henson added 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds; Lauren Scott scored 8.9 points; Chloe Chard Peloquin posted 7.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in five games; and Ellie Magestro-Kennedy scored 7.3 points. That is five of the top six scorers, leaving Kari Hoffman to rebuild a team that struggled in her fifth season.
Rylee Sagester returns after scoring 6.9 points, making 37 percent of her shots from behind the arc, and starting 19 games. Abbie Riddle averaged 6.8 points in 17 games, and Grace Okih started 17 games and grabbed 4.1 rebounds. Maja Dilen, Olivia Brown, and Elaina Rager are back, with Brown averaging 3.3 points and 2.0 assists.
The transfer class is a bit better than I expected. Allie Daniels averaged 8.3 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds at West Virginia Wesleyan as a freshman, and Megan Campbell scored 11.9 points at Tiffin, so both come from Division II. Jasmine Fearne started 16 games at Bowling Green and scored 4.7 points a game, and Jayden Terry arrives from Louisiana Tech after shooting 52.6 percent in 29 games. The freshmen are Rowan Klesmit, Sydney Williams, Paula Sevilla, and Megan Ganschow.
I have the Raiders tenth this year. None of the returning players have been double-digit scorers, with Sagester's 6.9 points the best mark, so the Division II transfers have to produce right away. Sagester is a real shooter, Daniels gives them a rebounder, and Campbell's 11.9 points is the best scoring average among the newcomers. Wright State was 10-22 with Williams and Henson, so the climb is harder without them. It's enough for a better year, but I'm not ready to put them above the teams with reliable scorers.
Players to watch: Rylee Sagester, Abbie Riddle, Allie Daniels, Megan Campbell
Purdue Fort Wayne
Record: 21-14, 12-8 Horizon (4th, tie, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Kate Peterson Abiad, 1st season, 0-0 (16th overall, 206-252)
Maria Marchesano left for her alma mater, Butler, after Purdue Fort Wayne went 12-8 in league play, reached the Horizon Tournament semifinals and the WNIT Super 16. Kate Peterson Abiad takes over as head coach after a two-year stint as an assistant at Green Bay. Peterson Abiad is familiar with the league, having held the head job at Cleveland State for 15 years and winning two Horizon League titles. However, she returns as head coach with a rebuild ahead of her. Alana Nelson scored 16.3 points, Lili Krasovec 11.4, Jordan Reid 10.5, Rylee Bess 9.0, and Lauren Lee 5.6; all started at least 17 games but did not return to the roster. Hillary Offing, who scored 4.1 points, is also gone.
Nika Lokica, a Croatian guard, is the only regular back, averaging 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while starting 17 games. Bailee Duck, Avery Wagner, and redshirt senior Alyssa Berry are also back, with Wagner averaging 2.1 points and 0.7 blocks as a freshman. Berry played two games last season after a year at Morehead State and was an NJCAA All-American at Hill College, where she averaged 17.4 points. Riley Pepple, a Fort Wayne native, joins the team this year without any college experience.
Peterson Abiad brought in four transfers. Amaris Timmons, a junior forward, scored 6.3 points on 55.7 percent shooting at Langston after starting at Kentucky State. Hiba Malkawi is a fifth-year guard with three previous stops, and Meegan Fahy comes from SIUE. Madison Lewis arrives from Eastern Kentucky after earning NJCAA First Team All-American honors at Wabash Valley, where she was the Great Rivers Player of the Year. Claire Gregwer joined the program in January but did not play last season; she averaged 19.3 points and 12.8 rebounds at Aquinas in 2024-25, made the WHAC First Team, and set a program record with 370 rebounds. Alivia Bolinger, Maddie Lepley and Karis Thomas are the freshmen.
I have Purdue Fort Wayne eleventh. Peterson Abiad knows the league as well as anyone; still, she's starting over after losing a top-five group that combined for more than 50 points a night, with the leading returner averaging 4.5 points. The four transfers and Gregwer have to carry the team, and most come from lower levels of competition. I'd watch Timmons early on, but anyone on this team could spark something.
Players to watch: Amaris Timmons, Nika Lokica, Hiba Malkawi, Claire Gregwer
Northern Kentucky
Record: 15-17, 12-8 Horizon (4th, tie)
Coach: Jeff Hans, 3rd season, 26-38 (16th overall, 365-80)
Northern Kentucky went 12-8 in league play, hosted the first round of the Horizon Tournament as the No. 4 seed, and lost 74-72 to IU Indy, and then the portal took the team apart. Karina Bystry, an All-League Second Team guard who scored 14.8 points as a freshman, left, and so did Maddie Moody, who averaged 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. Mya Meredith, Taysha Rushton and Abby Wolterman also moved on, along with Mia Jordan, Kamora Morgan and Kylee Hunt.
Noelle Hubert started 13 games last season and shot 38 percent from three; Anna Hamilton scored 2.0 points and shot 40 percent from three; and Caroline Eaglin and Alma Rashelbach are the other returners.
Hans went after junior college and international players. Kennedy Younkin comes from East Tennessee State, which won the Southern Conference regular season. Dženifera Rieksta averaged 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds at Vincennes and was All-Region 24. Sara Basaran, a Swedish forward, scored 13.1 points with 8.2 rebounds at Collin College and was an NJCAA Third Team All-American. Lucía Auza started 25 games for Eastern Arizona's national champions, who went 33-2, and Sofija Todorović comes from Cloud County after playing for Serbia at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket. The freshmen are Ema Mačkić, Gaia Castelli, Maya Layton, and Ya Ida Sköld.
I have Northern Kentucky last. It lost its top five scorers, and nearly all the replacements are newcomers from junior college and overseas. The returners combined for about six points a night, so the offense will rest on Basaran and Rieksta, who put up 13.1 and 12.1 points in junior college. That is hard to project to this league, so I expect growing pains. Hans owns a 365-80 career record, though, and several newcomers come from winning teams, so this could look extremely wrong by January.
Players to watch: Kennedy Younkin, Dženifera Rieksta, Sara Basaran, Lucía Auza
Horizon League Round-Up
Green Bay is a clear favorite, and Youngstown State is the only team I'd trust to challenge it. Oakland and Robert Morris have the best chance to crash that group, with Luehring and Traore among the league's best players. After that, the table is a bunch of coin flips. IU Indy, Northern Illinois, and Cleveland State could all finish anywhere from fifth to ninth, and I wouldn't be shocked if Milwaukee or Detroit Mercy beat one of them. Purdue Fort Wayne and Northern Kentucky have the biggest rebuilds, and neither has a clear scorer yet. Both tied for fourth a year ago, which shows how fast a roster can change in the portal era. The league has lost most of its stars, so someone new will need to take over as the league's best player.
Editor's Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Horizon regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 12 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 11th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 11th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
