INDIANAPOLIS — For the third time since transitioning to Division I, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team is going to the Big Dance!
The Norse defeated Cleveland State 63-61 in the Horizon League championship game at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
Marques Warrick led NKU with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Fort Thomas native Sam Vinson had 16 points and 5 rebounds in the win.
A No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, NKU knocked off No. 5 Oakland and top-seeded Youngstown State for a matchup with No. 3 seed, Cleveland State. The two teams had split their regular season games.
This will be Northern Kentucky's first tournament appearance since 2019, when they fell to No. 3 Texas Tech in the first round. That Red Raiders team went to the National Championship.
NKU just barely missed the tournament last season, falling to Wright State 72-71 in the Horizon League championship game. In 2020, head coach Darrin Horn's first season, NKU won the Horizon League tournament but couldn't go to the NCAA tournament due to COVID-19.
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