Horizon League Conference Tournament Odds: Cleveland State the Favorite to go Back to the NCAA Tournament

*All odds courtesy of BetMGM

It is fitting that college basketball conference tournament play kicks off on March 1. This is March, after all.

The Horizon League is one of the first conferences to kick off its tournament, and the field is pretty wide open.

The Cleveland State Vikings are the favorites to take home this year's crown, but plenty of teams will have a chance to spoil their party behind them.

It is important to note that the first two rounds of the tournament are played at the higher seed's home court. This is something to keep in mind if you are looking at taking a longshot to win the tournament.

For a full conference tournament preview click here.

1. Cleveland State (19-9 overall, 15-6 Horizon) +210 

Cleveland State won the regular season title for the second year in a row. The Vikings also won last year's conference tournament. They have the most pressure heading into he week as it is their auto-bid to lose.

2. Wright State (18-13 overall, 15-7 Horizon) +375

This is a veteran-led team that relies on three upperclassmen for the majority of its scoring. That's likely why Wright State finds itself with the second-highest odds despite finishing fourth in the conference.

3. Northern Kentucky (18-11 overall, 14-5 Horizon) +400

This is the hottest team in the Horizon right now and a team nobody wants to face in the bracket. The Norse have won six of their last seven and 13 of their last 15.

4. Purdue-Fort Wayne (20-10 overall, 15-6 Horizon) +500

The Mastodons struggled during the first half of their season but turned things around for the closing stretch of their season. They've won their last nine games to close out the regular season.

5. Oakland (19-11 overall, 12-7 Horizon) +500

This was the team that many would have said could give Cleveland State a run for its money about a month ago, but things have changed drastically since then. The Grizzlies closed out their season losing three of their last four. They are still the highest-ranked Horizon team on KenPom.

6. Detroit Mercy (13-14 overall, 10-7) +1200

This is where the conference drops off from its contenders. However, the Titans have the most exciting player in the conference in Antoine Davis.

7. Youngstown State (18-13 overall, 12-9 Horizon) +2200

Youngstown went just 2-8 against the league's top five teams. They will have to turn that around if they want to compete for the crown.

8. Illinois-Chicago (13-15 overall, 9-10 Horizon) +3300

UIC leaves this conference after this season for the Missouri Valley. Do they have one last run in them?

9. Robert Morris (7-23 overall, 5-16 Horizon) +15000

Robert Morris does not have a win against the league's top five and is coming off four-straight losses. The Colonials would need a miracle.

10. Milwaukee (10-21 overall, 8-14 Horizon) +20000

Hopes were high heading into the season as Patrick Baldwin Jr. was the highest-rated recruit in the school's history. A string of injuries as well as poor play has completely sunken Milwaukee's ship.

11. Green Bay (5-24, 4-16 Horizon) +25000

Luckily, Green Bay has IUPUI in the same conference or that record would look much worse.

12. IUPUI (3-25, 1-16 Horizon) +50000

Is it fair to call IUPUI the laughing stock of college basketball? Maybe they aren't the worst team, but they made the most headlines. Two of those three wins came against Division II programs. Reports are they'll have just five guys available for the tournament.