Horizon League
From Free net encyclopedia
The Horizon League is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States. It was formed in 1979 as the Midwestern City Conference and became known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (or MCC) in 1985. It changed its name again in 2001 so it would not be confused with the Mid-Continent Conference, another Division I conference which also used the acronym MCC. The Horizon League is generally considered one of the top mid-major conferences in the country.
The Horizon League does not sponsor football, although member Youngstown State has a football team in the Gateway Football Conference of Division I-AA, and Butler competes in the Pioneer League. Men's Volleyball is also not sponsored, although Loyola competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Charter members included Butler, Evansville, Loyola, Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts and Xavier.
The Horizon League has become one of the top performing mid-major conferences in men's college basketball. In just the last 12 years it has sent 17 teams to the NCAA tournament and picked up 8 wins, including two "Sweet 16" appearances. The Horizon League has been a multi-bid conference seven times, including receiving three bids in 1998.
In 2005, the Horizon League enjoyed one of its best years ever on the national stage, highlighted by 12 seed Milwaukee's advancement to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament with victories over #19 Alabama and #7 Boston College before falling to then-#1 and eventual national runner-up Illinois.
In 2006, Milwaukee once again advanced to the "Big Dance" with the Horizon League's automatic bid, and was awarded an 11 seed, opposite sixth seed #20 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference. For the second straight year and third time in the last four years, the league had a team advance past the first round as UWM downed OU, 82-74. Milwaukee fell to the eventual national champion Florida Gators in the second round of the tournament.
A Horizon League school has now won at least one NCAA Tournament game six times in the last nine years. Two Horizon League schools (Butler in 2003 and Milwaukee in 2005) have advanced to the Sweet 16 in the last four seasons, making the Horizon League one of just eight conferences to have a team in the Sweet 16 in at least two of the last four years. Milwaukee’s success in the tourney over the last two seasons is unprecedented for any current league member. Until Milwaukee added a win this season to its two tourney wins a season ago, no current Horizon League school had ever won three NCAA tourney games in a two-year span. Among all-time members, only Xavier has ever accomplished the feat, winning two games in the 1990 tourney and one win in the 1991 tournament.
As stated on their official website, the recent success of Horizon League athletic teams on the national stage has heightened the visibility of the league and its member schools and has quickly moved the Horizon League closer to its stated goal of becoming one of the nation's top 10 athletic conferences.
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Member Schools
There are nine member schools of the Horizon League:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler University | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1855 | Private/Non-sectarian | 4,415 | 1979 |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland, Ohio | 1870 | Public | 16,000 | 1994 |
| University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, Michigan | 1878 | Private/Catholic | 6,000 | 1980 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1870 | Private/Catholic | 14,764 | 1979 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | 1965 | Public | 24,353 | 1994 |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1968 | Public | 5,657 | 1994 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1956 | Public | aprox. 28,000 | 1994 |
| Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | 1964 | Public | 16,729 | 1994 |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | Public | 12,698 | 2001 |
Men's Basketball Champions
| Season | Regular Season Champion | Tournament Champion | # of NCAA bids | # of NIT bids |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Loyola | Oral Roberts | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | Xavier | Oklahoma City | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | Evansville | Evansville | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | Loyola | Xavier | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | Oral Roberts | Oral Roberts | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | Loyola | Loyola | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | Evansville/Loyola | Xavier | 1 | 1 |
| 1988 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 | 1 |
| 1989 | Evansville | Xavier | 2 | 1 |
| 1990 | Xavier | Dayton | 2 | 2 |
| 1991 | Xavier | Xavier | 1 | 1 |
| 1992 | Evansville | Evansville | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | Evansville | Evansville | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | Xavier | Detroit | 0 | 2 |
| 1995 | Xavier | UWGB | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | UWGB | Northern Illinois | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | Butler | Butler | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | Detroit/UIC | Butler | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | Detroit | Detroit | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 | Butler | Butler | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | Butler | Butler | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | Butler | UIC | 1 | 2 |
| 2003 | Butler | Milwaukee | 2 | 1 |
| 2004 | Milwaukee | UIC | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 | 1 |
Former Conference Members
- University of Dayton (Atlantic 10) - 1987-1993
- Duquesne University (Atlantic 10) - 1992-1993
- University of Evansville (Missouri Valley) - 1979-1994
- La Salle University (Atlantic 10) - 1992-1995
- Marquette University (Big East) - 1988-1991
- Northern Illinois University (MAC) - 1994-1997
- University of Notre Dame (Big East) - 1982-1995 in all sports except football (Independent) and basketball
- Oklahoma City University (NAIA) - 1979-1985
- Oral Roberts University (Mid-Continent) - 1979-1987
- Saint Louis University (Atlantic 10) - 1981-1991
- Xavier University (Atlantic 10) - 1979-1995
Conference Stadiums
| School | Football stadium | Stadium capacity | Basketball arena | Arena capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | Butler Bowl | 19,000 | Hinkle Fieldhouse | 11,043 |
| Cleveland State | Non-football school | N/A | Wolstein Center | 13,610 |
| Detroit | Non-football school | N/A | Calihan Hall | 8,837 |
| Loyola | Non-football School | N/A | Joseph J. Gentile Center | 5,200 |
| Milwaukee | Non-football school | N/A | U.S. Cellular Arena (men) J. Martin Klotsche Center(women) | 10,783 5,000 |
| UIC | Non-football school | N/A | UIC Pavilion | 8,000 |
| Wisconsin-Green Bay | Non-football school | N/A | Resch Center | 9,729 |
| Wright State | Non-football school | N/A | Nutter Center | 11,019 |
| Youngstown State | Arnold D. Stambaugh Stadium | 20,630 | Beeghly Center | 7,500 |