NKU punches ticket to NCAA tournament (2024)

DETROIT – The tallest player for the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team is listed as 6-foot-7.

Yet the Norse are in the NCAA tournament in their first year of eligibility, showing a heart bigger than their height chart and making converts of much of Greater Cincinnati in the process.

NKU outfought yet another bigger opponent Tuesday night, holding off 10th-seeded Milwaukee 59-53 to win the Horizon League championship and the conference’s automatic bid to March Madness.

This all comes despite an average team height of 6-3 that makes the Norse one of the shortest teams in Division I.

"Toughness is our second core value and it showed tonight," NKU coach John Brannen said. "We knew that it was going to be a possession game. So for the first time all season we put the top key on the board before the game as being to hit the offensive glass. And it worked."

NKU (24-10) will probably land a No. 15 seed in the big tournament. CBS and ESPN predicts NKU could play either of the commonwealth’s powerhouse teams in Kentucky or Louisville in the first round in Indianapolis next weekend.

The win marked the sixth straight win and the 12th in the last 14 games for NKU (24-10). It also capped a strong run in the school’s first year of eligibility for the NCAA tourney after a four-year probationary period that came following the school’s move up from Division II.

And while they would face a major size disadvantage in those matchups, that would be nothing new for the Norse. Tuesday night, the Panthers (11-24) listed two players at 6-8 or taller.

Yet the Norse outrebounded Milwaukee 38-30, and kept man defensive pressure throughout the game.The Norse outrebound their opponents by 4.6 boards per game, which turns into extra possessions. That differential is in the top 50 in the country, and NKU’s rebounding total overall is also in the top 52 nationally.

"It was a point of emphasis to dominate the glass," said sophom*ore center Drew McDonald, who hauled in 12 boards to go with 14 points. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound sophom*ore was named to the All-Tournament team. "To us, size is just a number.

"If you would have told me as a kid that I would be playing on an NKU team going to March Madness, I'd have said you were crazy. This has always been a dream of mine, and here we are," said McDonald, who played locally at Newport Catholic and whose parents both were student-athletes for NKU.

Also helping is true point guard in LaVone Holland II. He has range (he went 2-for-6 from beyond the arc Tuesday) but also can get to the rim almost at will. That gives NKU an option if the offense breaks down late in the shot clock possession.

He took over late in the second half Tuesday to claim tournament MVP honors with 20 points and 4 assists, and hit several key shots to answer any Milwaukee run.

Holland averaged 18.2 points and 6.6 assists during the current five-game win streak.

"Tonight, we just fell back onto our core values which are trust, toughness and sacrifice," said Holland, who also is a Kentucky native.

Said McDonald: "I was on the floor when LaVone came back in the game in the second half and I could see it was locked in LaVone. And when we have that, we have the best player in the league."

The Norse's “big men"also can do more than just go inside and pound the glass. That's especially true for McDonald, who did hit a huge post up hook over a taller defender in the final minute to stem the Panthers' final push.

"They called the play in the huddle and it's been the go-to play for me all year long," McDonald said. "I'm just glad my coaches and teammates have trust in me."

But McDonald does more than post up. He put that on display in a breakout game Monday night in the semis and then followed up Tuesday. He hit two treys in the game, including a big one that stemmed a Milwaukee run in the second half.

Another key advantage for the Norse is their depth. “Strength in numbers” is a major team rallying cry, and Brannen routinely goes nine or 10 deep in a rotation. Overall, eight players average more than 10 minfautes a game, and six get more than 18 minutes.

NKU Notes

• NKU alum Christopher Boggs sponsored a trip for nearly 70 students to see the finals Tuesday. He paid for the bus (even renting a second bus for overload), hotel rooms, game tickets and pizza for the students, who were due to arrive in Detroit at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Boggs said he spent nearly $12,000 on the endeavor, which included a trip for the semis Monday.

“Isn’t this amazing? This is the least I could do – I love NKU and what it did for me,” Boggs told The Enquirer Tuesday as the bus arrived in downtown Detroit..

• Tuesday’s event was the last basketball game to be played at the venerable arena, which is being turned over to creditors by the city of Detroit as part of a bankruptcy settlement. The arena has long been home to the Detroit Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups while playing there.

The Red Wings and Detroit Pistons move into a new Little Caesars Arena elsewhere in downtown Detroit next season.

N. KENTUCKY 59, MILWAUKEE 53

Percentages: FG .356, FT .778.

3-Point Goals: 4-19, .211 (Stull 2-4, Barnes 1-2, Wichmann 1-7, Bell 0-1, Johnson 0-1, B.Prahl 0-1, Haas 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 6 (0 PTS).

Blocked Shots: 0.

Turnovers: 6 (Wichmann 2, Bell, Haas, Nze, Stull).

Steals: 4 (Barnes, Haas, Johnson, Stull).

Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .415, FT .750.

3-Point Goals: 6-21, .286 (Holland 2-6, Murray 2-6, McDonald 2-7, Faulkner 0-1, Walton 0-1).

Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 11 (0 PTS).

Blocked Shots: 4 (Murray 2, Holland, Williams).

Turnovers: 11 (Holland 3, Faulkner 2, Gillis 2, Williams 2, Murray, Walton).

Steals: 3 (Holland 2, Williams).

Technical Fouls: None.