There are a handful of original Division I college basketball programs who have gone more than seven decades without reaching the NCAA tournament.
Northern Kentucky only had to wait a single year.
In its first year of postseason eligibility after transitioning to Division I, Northern Kentucky edged Milwaukee 59-53 in the Horizon League title game to claimed an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Point guard Lavone Holland II scored a game-high 20 points and forward Drew McDonald added 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Norse never let the Panthers get any close than within three the entire second half.
Northern Kentucky’s surprising title run was aided by a rash of upsets throughout the Horizon League tournament. Regular season co-champs Oakland and Valparaiso and third-seeded Green Bay all suffered quarterfinal upsets, leaving the fourth-seeded Norse (24-10, 12-6) as the highest-seeded team left in the tournament.
Credit Northern Kentucky for taking advantage of the good fortune, beating fifth-seeded Illinois Chicago in the quarterfinals and ninth-seeded Youngstown State in the semis before running into the ultimate cinderella story in Tuesday’s title game. Milwaukee (11-24) finished last in the league in the regular season and lost nine straight entering the tournament, yet the Panthers were one win away from becoming the first team with 20 or more losses to ever secure an NCAA bid.
[Tourney Pick’em is open! Sign up now | Bracket Big Board]
There were a few scary moments for Northern Kentucky, none more nerve-wracking than when Milwaukee twice cut its deficit to three in the final minute. But McDonald answered with a basket in the lane the first time and Holland sank two free throws the second time, enabling Northern Kentucky to close out the win.
Northern Kentucky’s successful season is validation for the school’s decision to tab former Alabama assistant John Brannen as the man to lead the Norse through the transition into Division I. Brannen, a native of Covington, Ky., has engineered an impressive turnaround, going from 9-21 his first year to the NCAA tournament in year two.
What’s especially remarkable about the Norse is they don’t have a player taller than 6-foot-7, nor do they have a senior in their rotation. McDonald is a sophomore and Holland is a junior, which suggests Northern Kentucky could be a Horizon League contender for many years to come.
Northern Kentucky is likely to receive a 14 or 15 seed in the NCAA tournament, which means the Norse could easily come up against in-state juggernauts Louisville or Kentucky in the opening round.
Could the team that made the NCAA tournament in its first year of eligibility also win the first NCAA tournament game it has ever played? It’s a long shot, but the way things have gone in the postseason so far, luck seems to be on Northern Kentucky’s side.
More college basketball content from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
0 comments:
Post a Comment