Northern Kentucky basketball back in NCAA Tournament after winning Horizon League title

James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer

March 7, 2023 at 10:03 PM·4 min read

Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Trey Robinson (1) celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Cleveland State Vikings to win the Horizon League Championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

For the third time in their NCAA Division I history, the Northern Kentucky University Norse men’s basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament.

NKU defeated Cleveland State 63-61 in the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament Tuesday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis. NKU led by five in the closing seconds when CSU hit a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds to go, and the Norse closed out the game.

NKU is 22-12 overall and won the title after tying for second place in the regular season with a 14-6 record.

A look at the Norse in 'The Big Dance':NKU basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament

The Norse won the Horizon League tournament title for the fourth time in the past seven seasons, first since 2020, when the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NKU will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, when the Norse lost to Texas Tech in the first round.

Where will Northern Kentucky be seeded in the NCAA Tournament

Bracketologists suggest that NKU will be a 16-seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament. Youngstown State, the regular season champion, was a 16-seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest projection for ESPN. YSU, who NKU defeated in Monday night's semifinals, finished with a 24-9 record.

NKU could play in the First Four next week at University of Dayton Arena against another 16 seed. Those games are Tuesday and Wednesday, and there are lots of other conference tournaments this week which could affect NKU’s seed.

The Norse will know their opponent and destination when the bracket is announced Sunday, but the Norse can worry about that later as they will have five days to enjoy their tournament championship.

NKU led 52-45 with 10 minutes left in the second half, then didn’t make a field goal for over six minutes. The Vikings only scored five points in that stretch themselves.

Cleveland State got to within two before NKU put the game away

With NKU leading 52-50, Trey Robinson made a shot. CSU picked up the ball at midcourt after a scramble for the ball. A Viking had a wide-open layup in transition, but Chris Brandon came from behind to block it.

NKU got the ball back. Highlands grad Sam Vinson hit an 18-foot jumper, and NKU led 56-50 with 2:36 to play.

After a 3-pointer by CSU, senior Xavier Rhodes hit a turnaround three to beat the shot clock, and NKU led 59-53.

Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Marques Warrick (3) celebrates with his teammates after being named tournament MVP for the Horizon League tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

With NKU leading 59-56, Tristan Enaruna missed a shot in the lane with 33 seconds to play. Junior guard Marques Warrick hit four-straight free throws to clinch the game for the Norse, who won the rubber match with the Vikings after the teams had played two one-point decisions during the season. Each team won by one on its home floor, and this neutral-site rematch came down to the final minutes.

Vinson finished with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists for the Norse. Warrick led NKU with 18 points. Trey Robinson, a Hamilton grad, had 12 points.

NKU withstood a first-half surge by the Vikings when NKU’s top post player, Chris Brandon, was on the bench with two early fouls.

Cleveland State went on a 10-2 run, with three baskets by 6-foot-8 junior Enaruna, a first team all-league pick in the Horizon League who had previously played in the NCAA Tournament while playing for both Iowa State and Kansas. Enaruna led CSU with 17 points.

Cleveland State's Tristan Enaruna (13) shoots against Northern Kentucky's Sam Vinson (2) and Chris Brandon (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game for the Horizon League men's tournament championship Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Indianapolis.

CSU led 23-19 after that run, and 28-25 after a putback by. But NKU finished the half with an 8-2 run to lead 33-30 at the half. Sam Vinson had a 3-pointer, and Marques Warrick hit three free throws.

Sam Vinson and Marques Warrick had 10 points apiece in the half. Enaruna had 11 for the Vikings. Brandon led NKU with nine rebounds and added six rebounds.

The big key in the first half was NKU forcing 11 turnovers, getting nine steals.

CSU took a 44-43 lead in the second half after a 14-10 run, six of them from Enaruna. NKU took a 47-44 lead on baskets by Chris Brandon and Trey Robinson.

After a CSU free throw, Vinson made a layup in transition. On CSU’s next trip, Vinson stole the ball. After a missed a shot, Vinson got the offensive rebound and passed to Trey Robinson for an open 3-pointer, and NKU led by seven, 52-45, with 10:18 to play.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NCAA Tournament berth for NKU basketball after Horizon title

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Where will Northern Kentucky be seeded in the NCAA Tournament

Cleveland State got to within two before NKU put the game away

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