Busting Brackets
Fansided

Horizon League Tournament: Northern Kentucky wins title

By Doug Winkey

Dec 23, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse forward Drew McDonald (34) boxes out West Virginia Mountaineers forward Nathan Adrian (11) during the second half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse forward Drew McDonald (34) boxes out West Virginia Mountaineers forward Nathan Adrian (11) during the second half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Horizon League Tournament title game saw Milwaukee challenge Northern Kentucky for an NCAA bid.

It’s safe to say the Horizon League Tournament is one of the wilder ones so far this season. The top three seeds all lost early in the tournament, which left NKU as the top team left playing 10th seeded UWM. The Norse led going into half time in a game few would have predicted when things started. The game was tight down to the end, but the school from Highland Heights, KY, will represent the Horizon League this season.

The Northern Kentucky Norse are a young, hungry team. Their advanced numbers are nothing special, but that doesn’t mean that they are talentless. They also have few nonconference matchups to boast (they lost badly to both Illinois and West Virginia), but got hot at the right time through the middle of winter. NKU went 10-1 since February 4th.

Drew McDonald leads the team with 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. Three other players score average 10 or more points for a squad that goes nine or ten deep many nights. The Norse combine for 46% from the field, 35% from three, and 67% from the charity stripe. I can’t wait to see how this young group responds to the pressures of the Big Dance; only three Norse are in their junior year or older. That makes them an underdog against most any potential draw, but a power school can just as easily overlook the Norse on Selection Sunday

Next: Who will win Big Sky Tournament?

Head coach John Brannen has done something truly unique. He has a young squad in their first NCAA appearance ever in its first season of eligibility. A Cinderella upset is unlikely, but we should all tip our hats to Northen Kentucky for a magical run to this point.