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Northern Kentucky basketball to face top-seeded Houston in Midwest Region in Birmingham

james weber, cincinnati enquirer
·6 min read

As fans of the NCAA Tournament growing up, players on the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team know that one of the most popular parts of March Madness for fans is rooting for the big upset.

Only one time in the men’s NCAA Tournament has a 16-seed defeated a No. 1-seed in the first round. Just five years ago, in 2018, Maryland-Baltimore County knocked off Virginia.

The Norse will vie to be the second when the 16th-seeded NKU team takes on top seed Houston in the Midwest Region first round Thursday.

NKU earned the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region and will play No. 1 seed Houston in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Birmingham. Tipoff time is 9:20 p.m. It will be the second game of the evening session following the 6:50 p.m. tipoff between Iowa and Auburn.

“That’s awesome that we’ll have that support,” said NKU sophomore Sam Vinson. “I hope a lot of Norse Nation people come down, support us. They know we’re going to need them and then we’ll pick up some fans that have probably never even heard of us, it's an awesome feeling.”

NKU players concede the Cougars will be a heavy favorite on paper and in the betting odds, so they plan to play pressure-free as the underdog.

“Every year, the No. 1 seed is always supposed to move on,” said NKU junior guard Marques Warrick, the team’s leading scorer. “So the pressure’s not really on us and that’s what we want.”

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Northern Kentucky's pod for first two rounds

Also in NKU’s pod in Birmingham are No. 8 seed Iowa and No. 9 seed Auburn, who also play on Thursday. NKU will play the winner of that game on Saturday if they beat Houston.

Marcus Sasser, seen here at UC Jan. 8, leads the Cougars as one of the top players in the country. He missed the AAC final against Memphis Sunday with a groin injury.
Marcus Sasser, seen here at UC Jan. 8, leads the Cougars as one of the top players in the country. He missed the AAC final against Memphis Sunday with a groin injury.

The Norse have NCAA tournament experience

NKU, 22-12 overall, is in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last seven seasons after winning the Horizon League Tournament on Tuesday in Indianapolis. NKU defeated Cleveland State 63-61 in the championship game after ousting regular-season champion Youngstown State 75-63 in the semifinals on Monday.

NKU was a two-time national runner-up in NCAA Division II in 1996 and 1997. In its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, NKU fell 79-70 to Kentucky in Indianapolis. Two years later, the Norse lost 72-57 to Texas Tech in Tulsa. NKU also qualified for the NCAA tourney in 2020 after winning the Horizon League tournament, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

NKU has played two other teams in this year's NCAA Tournament field, losing at home vs. Mid-American Conference champion Kent State 79-57 on Nov. 7, and 67-52 at Conference USA champion Florida Atlantic Dec. 21.

Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Trevon Faulkner (22) celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Cleveland State Vikings to win the Horizon League Championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Trevon Faulkner (22) celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Cleveland State Vikings to win the Horizon League Championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

Houston Cougars, NKU's first round opponent

Houston (31-3) is the No. 1 seed and goes into the tournament as the runner-up of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars went 3-0 against the UC Bearcats this season, including a decisive win in Saturday’s conference semifinals.

Leading the Cougars is Marcus Sasser, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who is the AAC Player of the Year. He is averaging over 17 points per game, shooting over 38 percent from 3-point range and averaging over 3 assists. Sasser was a starter on Houston’s 2021 Final Four Team. He missed the AAC final Sunday with a groin injury.

Sasser’s injury potentially leaves his availability for the NKU game in doubt. NKU head coach Darrin Horn believes he will play, but said the Cougars, as a No. 1 seed, are “more than a one-man team.”

Horn is not an expert on this year’s Houston roster yet, but he knows Sasser’s credentials and that the Cougars are a tough-minded team whose identity is based on defense and rebounding.

“What you work for is to be on the biggest stage in college basketball and get a ton of national exposure, not only for your program, but for our great university,” Horn said. “We don't take that lightly. But I think the most important thing is that once it's time to play, they're prepping like you would any other game, because at the end of the day, regardless of matchup, if you don't play your best basketball, you don't have any shot.”

He also noted that the Norse played a lot of games on Thursday during league play to start the two-game Horizon League weekend, so that will help the team’s routine in preparation.

“The staff will immediately try to get a familiarity with Houston and the things that are going to be important,” Horn said. “Again, the most important thing to us is that we play our best. I think it's two teams that have been built on defense, They’re extremely aggressive on the defensive end. Total respect for Kelvin Sampson and what he's done with that Houston program. We’re going to have to be ready to play a very physical game.”

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This year's Norse team has a lot of Kentucky roots

NKU is built on Kentucky guys. Horn was a standout player at Tates Creek High School in Lexington. Faulkner was 2018 Kentucky Mr. Basketball at Mercer County. Marques Warrick was a star player at Henry Clay High School in Lexington. Vinson won the 2021 Sweet 16 state championship with Highlands.

Faulkner, in his fifth year on the team, is the only player who was part of the roster during NKU’s last NCAA tourney trip in 2019. He took advantage of a bonus fifth year allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so he could get one last chance at the Big Dance.

Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Trevon Faulkner (22) and Northern Kentucky Norse guard Sam Vinson (2) celebrate after defeating the Cleveland State Vikings to win the Horizon League Championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
Mar 7, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northern Kentucky Norse guard Trevon Faulkner (22) and Northern Kentucky Norse guard Sam Vinson (2) celebrate after defeating the Cleveland State Vikings to win the Horizon League Championship at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

“I’m really blessed and thankful for the opportunity, and I hope the guys that haven't been there just enjoy it,” Faulkner said. “Just the work that we put in all year. I've been through that with my guys and I know we’re gonna be ready when the time comes. We've been in many different situations. We have very talented guys.”

Vinson is used to being an underdog. That 2021 Highlands team was not the favorite to win the Ninth Region, or the Sweet 16 once the Bluebirds got there. And the Norse were the four seed entering the Horizon League Tournament.

Vinson said representing his hometown and Northern Kentucky at the Big Dance is special.

“I really want to make my footprint here,” he said. “I'm trying to leave my legacy and see what we can do.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKU basketball back in NCAA Tournament, will face No. 1 seed Houston