Northern Kentucky basketball ready for top-seeded Houston
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Darrin Horn has been part of March Madness upsets and other triumphs for 30 years.
Horn, Northern Kentucky University’s head men’s basketball coach, is commemorating the 30th anniversary of his first trip to the NCAA Tournament, when he was a standout player at Western Kentucky University. WKU went 26-6 that season, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Horn and the Hilltoppers went to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons. His senior year, WKU went 27-4 and upset Michigan in the first round of the 1995 tournament.
Horn has become a successful college coach since his playing days and hopes to use his three-plus decades of winning experience to lead the Norse to what would be a massive upset of No. 1-ranked Houston Thursday in their NCAA Tournament opener.
Horn was head coach at WKU, leading the team to two NIT berths and the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2008. WKU went 29-7 and went to the Sweet 16 as the 12 seed. He went to South Carolina and was 60-63 in four seasons there. He then went to the University of Texas as an assistant coach to Shaka Smart, helping the Longhorns play in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT.
NKU’s win over Cleveland State in the Horizon League Tournament was Horn’s 250th in his 13th season as a head coach. Horn is 250-155 overall, including 79-44 at NKU.
'It was always a dream of mine':NKU basketball players talk about going to the Dance
A look at the Norse in 'The Big Dance':NKU basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament
“I played in it in 1993 and was fortunate to advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a player,” Horn said Wednesday. “And I think the thing that you learn being a part of the tournament is how impactful it is to so many people, and what it means to the people around you: Family, friends, university, campus and program, the area that you're from. There's not really much you can do at the university level to get your program and your school the kind of publicity and attention and spotlight that this tournament brings. And there's a lot of hard work that goes into that.”
NKU arrived in Birmingham Tuesday, had a full practice Wednesday in UAB’s arena, then came to Legacy Arena for press conferences and a public shootaround.
All preparation for the Norse (22-12, the 16th seed in the Midwest Region) is to try to upset the top-seeded Cougars (31-3), who are one of the favorites to win the national championship. Tipoff is 9:20 p.m. Eastern at Legacy Arena.
“It's a new experience for a lot of us,” said junior guard Marques Warrick. “But we're happy to be here, fortunate, and blessed to be here.”
NKU vs. Houston:Television and live stream for NCAA Tournament first-round game
Jason Williams:Don't forget Northern Kentucky Norse in NCAA Tournament. They're Cincinnati's team, too
Houston star Marcus Sasser injury update
Houston’s star senior guard Marcus Sasser will be a game-time decision for the NKU game.
Sasser is UH’s leading scorer at 17.1 points per game. He was named first team All-American this week by the Associated Press and is a semifinalist for the Naismith Award for national player of the year.
Sasser strained his groin Saturday against the UC Bearcats in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament and did not play in the final, a loss to Memphis.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said Sasser did shooting drills on Wednesday in UH’s full practice but didn’t go full speed. Sasser did the same at UH’s public shootaround at Legacy Arena.
“It's one of those infamous game-time decisions, I guess,” Sampson said. “We'll see. I mean, if it had been up to Marcus he might have tried to play Sunday. Sometimes as a coach you have to save them from themselves. I'm not going to jeopardize he or our team, but Marcus and I have the kind of relationship where he will do what I ask him to do.”
Said Horn: “Sasser is fantastic, without question. They are much more than him. They are number one for a reason.”
NKU defense will be a big key vs. Houston
Sampson said he expects the Norse defense to frustrate his players at times. NKU’s matchup zone and the way the team executes it can be hard to scout for, Sampson said. Houston’s head coach said the Cougars didn’t play anyone this season with a similar scheme, and that the only team he could remember who played similar defense was Mick Cronin’s UC Bearcat teams.
“It's a matchup zone: switching, stripping, grabbing, turn you over,” Sampson said. “They force you to play in a way you haven't seen before. You know, it doesn't matter who plays against them, you are going to have possessions where you look lost because they don't do anything that has anything to do with the plays or sets or actions that we've run this year.”
Said NKU sophomore guard Sam Vinson: “We're going to try to do the same thing we have been doing all year. We're known for our defense. We like to dictate what other teams do, get aggressive, try to get out in passing lanes and get some steals. We're coming in with the same mindset to get out in defense and try to get after them a little bit.”
UH junior point guard Jamal Shead said the Cougars respect what the Norse have done this year.
“They are really good at what they do," Shead said. "They really move the ball. They know their strengths and they really play together. You can tell those guys have a lot of good chemistry just by on film, how they play together. Everybody shares the ball well, nobody looks selfish. They look like a really solid team.”
Houston's defense a tough matchup for Northern Kentucky
Houston’s aggressive style of defense and rebounding is also hard for opponents to prepare for.
“It's just hard when you're watching film to find a possession when they are not at a high level doing what they do well,” Horn said. “For us the two biggest challenges are going to be on the glass and taking care of the basketball. It's a challenge for us every game with how we're built, especially when you go against somebody who is literally the best in the country at those two things."
Said Warrick: “We’re locked in. Just another team we got to play with more at stake. We are coming in with the same mentality. They are the one seed. Nobody is picking us to win. That makes it a lot easier on us. We're going to let loose.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northern Kentucky vs. Houston in NCAA Tournament: Norse are ready
