2026-27 Horizon League: MMH Top 10 Players
2026-10-09
The Horizon League has high-level talent at several positions, but the team picture is unusually fluid. MMH’s top 10 prioritizes projected 2026–27 impact, not just last season’s scoring averages or the official preseason team.
1. Kellen Pickett — Wright State (F)
The league’s preseason Player of the Year offers the rare combination of size, mobility, finishing and expanding offensive usage. His sophomore leap is the biggest single variable in Wright State’s repeat bid.
2. Marcus Hall — Green Bay (F)
Hall averaged 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds last season and made better than 40 percent of his threes. His efficiency gives the Phoenix a high floor even while the guard rotation changes.
3. CJ O’Hara — Wright State (G)
The former Green Bay scorer averaged 14.1 points and gives the Raiders a direct, downhill offensive option. How he fits into an already successful defensive structure will define his ceiling.
4. Danilo Jovanovich — Milwaukee (F)
He produced 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game before injury interrupted his season. A healthy return gives Milwaukee a significant scoring and rebounding boost.
5. Ace Valentine — Robert Morris (G)
Valentine arrives from UMBC with experience creating shots for himself and others. His playmaking next to Livingston should stabilize a team replacing several leading scorers.
6. DeAndre Craig Jr. — Purdue Fort Wayne (G)
Craig averaged 14.0 points and 2.6 assists last year. He is the proven shot creator in a Mastodons group that has to integrate substantial new supporting talent.
7. Orlando Lovejoy — Green Bay (G)
Lovejoy brings a senior-level perimeter scoring and creation option to a Green Bay roster with many newcomers. The Hall–Lovejoy partnership could be one of the conference’s most important combinations.
8. Darius Livingston — Robert Morris (G)
The sophomore is already a dangerous perimeter shooter and is poised for greater responsibility. His improvement as a primary creator would make the Colonials considerably harder to guard.
9. Dominic Pangonis — Wright State (G)
Pangonis connects the Raiders’ offense with his size and passing, and provides lineup flexibility at 6-foot-7. His value is greater than a scoring average alone can capture.
10. Ethan Elliott — Northern Kentucky (G)
Elliott was a high-assist, low-turnover organizer as a freshman and gives the Norse continuity at a position where many league rivals are starting over.
Just outside the Top 10
Tyler Spratt (Detroit Mercy): Promising all-freshman guard who should play a larger role. Chandler Jackson (Milwaukee): Versatile forward who carried extra responsibility during last season’s injury wave. Uzziah Buntyn (Northern Illinois): One of the first players to watch as NIU adapts to a new offense and conference. Eric Acker (Northern Kentucky): Experienced scoring and creation option.
MMH editorial rankings as of October 9, 2026. The Horizon League’s official all-conference picks are a separate voting result, not this ranking. Source context: current school rosters, official preseason poll and 2026–27 Blue Ribbon yearbook.