After earning an NCAA Tournament berth in their first year of eligibility, could a win in the Big Dance be on the horizon for the Northern Kentucky Norse?
The Northern Kentucky Norse have been eligible for the NCAA Tournament for just three seasons since transitioning from Division II in 2012. The first two have been pretty successful. The Norse won the 2016 Horizon League tournament in their first season of eligibility. In their debut, the Norse battled No. 2 seed Kentucky falling 79-70.
Last season coach John Brannen’s team earned its first regular-season conference championship but were upset in the first round of the conference tournament. However, they did earn a bid to the NIT where they played Louisville neck-and-neck for three quarters before losing by eight.
Continuing their short run of success took a hit this summer with the loss of Lavone Holland to graduation and Carson Williams decided to transfer. The hits kept coming when the guy Brannen had pegged to replace Holland at point guard, junior-to-be Mason Faulkner asked for his release.
The defections leave Northern Kentucky thin in the backcourt with juniors Tyler Sharpe and Dantez Walton as the only two guards who saw more than 10 minutes per game last season. Senior Tre Cobbs is the only other experienced guard on the roster but he only saw action in 16 games last year.
More from Busting Brackets
- NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for top-100 SG Larry Johnson
- Oregon Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24
- Big East Basketball: Ranking all head coaches going into 2023-24 season
- Florida State Basketball: Is Seminoles roster good enough to win in 2023-24?
- SEC Basketball: 10 potential additions for the league if they ever expanded
There are plenty of options to help the backcourt among newcomers the Norse can expect in 2018. Paul Djoko is a 6-4 guard from France who redshirted last season and the recruiting class includes three players that could see time at the guard position. Led by the 2018 Mr. Basketball in Kentucky, 6-4 Trevon Faulkner who averaged 26 points and nine rebounds last season. Joining Faulkner will be 6-1 Jared Grubb and 6-5 swingman Bryant Mocaby.
While there is now depth in the Norse backcourt, Brannen still needed some experience, something he got when grad transfer Zaynah Robinson decided to join the Norse. Robinson averaged over 13 points and four assists at Norfolk State last season.
The frontcourt is in similar shape as the backcourt. NKU returns leading scorer, senior Drew McDonald who nearly averaged a double-double with 17 points and 9.6 rebounds last season. Sophomore Jalen Tate is the only other who saw meaningful minutes for the Norse in 2017-18. When he was on the floor Tate did a little bit of everything. He averaged over five points, two rebounds, two assists, and 1.4 steals per contest.
Silas Adheke is a redshirt-sophomore from East Florida State junior college. Adheke is an athletic big man who averaged seven points and six rebounds for an East Florida State team that finished 30-5. At 6-9 Adheke has the ability to stretch the floor as he shot 44% from beyond the arc last season. Adrian Nelson is a 6-6 swingman who led his team to back-to-back regional championships in Ohio, scoring 21 points and nine rebounds in the semifinals versus the No.1 team in the state.
Next: ACC Preseason rankings for 2018-19
There are a lot of variables involved, as there always are, but if Walton and Tate can take a step forward, Robinson can add the stability Brannen is hoping for and guys like Faulkner, Nelson and Adheke can make an impact, the Norse could take the next step in their development, success in the NCAA Tournament.