BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Northern Kentucky kept it interesting, but in the end, was unable to top No. 1 seed Houston. The Norse fell 63-52 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars entered the tournament with the bettors on their side. They're the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and the favorite to win the national championship. As significant underdogs, the Norse said they arrived with "no pressure."
Highlands High School grad Sam Vinson said the lack of pressure meant they'll play loose — and he was right. The Norse had no fear, scoring first on a Xavier Rhodes layup. Back-to-back threes gave them an 8-7 lead.
The game remained close in the first half, with NKU down by only three as the two sides went back to the locker room. While Northern Kentucky shot only 33.3% to Houston's 46%, turnovers gave them life. The Norse got nine points off of turnovers.
All-American Marcus Sasser didn't return for the Cougars in the second half after aggravating a groin injury. The game was all tied up with 15 minutes to go, but Houston went on an 11-2 run to create some separation. Houston got the first double-digit lead of the game with seven minutes left, leading 53-43.
NKU never gave up, though, and kept the game close with some second-chance opportunities and a few free throws. Unfortunately for the Norse, the shots just weren't falling. NKU went 5-34 from the 3-point line during the game and struggled to score in the final minutes.
Only one No. 16 seed has pulled off an upset in the first round: UMBC topped the No. 1 overall seed, Virginia, exactly five years ago.
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