See what seed Northern Kentucky drew and who the Norse will play in the NCAA Tournament
Just three years into its tenure as a full-time Division I program, the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team is dancing in March for the second time.
On Sunday night NKU was awarded the No. 14 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Norse will face No. 3 seed Texas Tech on Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They enter that matchup having won five straight and eight of their last 10 games.
After splitting the Horizon League’s regular-season title with Wright State, Northern Kentucky bested the Raiders for the bigger prize. The Norse dominated Wright State in the league tournament finals to secure an automatic bid to the big dance for the second time in three years.
Two years ago, in the first season it was eligible for the NCAA Tournament, NKU won the Horizon League championship and earned a No. 15 seed. The pesky Norse put up a fight against second-seeded Kentucky in the first round, cutting an 18-point deficit down to seven late, before falling to the Wildcats, 79-70.
This year, the Norse will be gunning for more than a respectable showing against a blue blood. NKU’s first NCAA Tournament win would serve as a fitting cap to the career of the most decorated player in program history.
Senior forward Drew McDonald lived up to the hype this season. Named the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year after earning first-team all-league honors as a sophomore and junior, McDonald put up gaudy numbers in his senior campaign and was voted Player of the Year ahead of the Horizon League Tournament. In the semifinals, he saved the season by nailing a game-winning three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left as the Norse edged Oakland, 64-63.
A 6-foot-8 inside-outside threat and a double-double machine, McDonald helped NKU to a 26-8 overall record by averaging 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The Newport Central Catholic graduate stamped his name in the NKU record book as he registered 12 double-doubles and had the program’s first triple-double since 2001 in a 93-71 win over Morehead State, going for 12 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
McDonald scored 20 or more points nine times this season and topped the 30-point mark twice. He shot 45.2 percent from three-point range in league play.
McDonald will end his career as NKU’s all-time leading scorer. The Norse hope he’ll also end it as the linchpin of their first squad to taste victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday
No. 14 seed Northern Kentucky vs. No. 3 seed Texas Tech
When: 1:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Tulsa, Okla.
TV: TNT
This story was originally published March 17, 2019 at 6:37 PM.