Northern Kentucky punches NCAA ticket. See other Kentucky schools that will join them.

Cameron Drummond

For the fourth time in seven seasons, the Northern Kentucky’s men’s basketball team has won its conference tournament.

The Norse won yet another Horizon League Tournament championship on Tuesday night, defeating Cleveland State, 63-61, in the title game at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Northern Kentucky (22-12) was the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Cleveland State was the No. 3 seed.

With the win, NKU secures the Horizon League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Norse ripped off three wins in the Horizon League Tournament to win the championship, including a semifinal upset over No. 1 seed Youngstown State.

In Tuesday’s title-winning game, junior guard Marques Warrick (a former Lexington high school star at Henry Clay) led all players with 18 points, including four late free throws, to help the Norse to victory.

Warrick is NKU’s season leader in minutes per game, three-pointers made, free-throws made and points per game.

With NKU’s championship game win, a prestigious streak stays alive for the commonwealth: Since 1964, every NCAA men’s basketball Tournament has featured at least one team from Kentucky.

The 2023 edition of the Big Dance will represent NKU’s third trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Norse lost in the first round of both previous tournament trips against Kentucky (2017) and Texas Tech (2019). NKU also qualified in 2020 but the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of the pandemic.

Tracking Kentucky schools on the road to the NCAA Tournament

Here’s a check-in (in alphabetical order) with all eight NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs in Kentucky as the NCAA Tournament field comes into picture.

Bellarmine

▪ Record: 15-18 overall, 9-9 ASUN.

▪ Next game: N/A.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: None. Bellarmine was in the third season of its four-year transition period after moving from Division II to Division I. As such, head coach Scott Davenport’s Knights are still ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

But unlike last year — when Bellarmine stunningly won the ASUN Tournament and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament had to go to regular-season champion Jacksonville State — the Knights’ season has already come to an end.

No. 8 seed Bellarmine lost in the ASUN Tournament quarterfinals at No. 2 seed Liberty.

But before their season ended, the Knights provided the first buzzer-beating moment of conference tournament season.

In a first round ASUN Tournament win over North Florida, graduate student guard Juston Betz made a turnaround jumper with 0.4 seconds left to win the game.

Eastern Kentucky

▪ Record: 20-13 overall, 12-6 ASUN.

▪ Next game: N/A.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: None. EKU’s season came to an end Thursday night with a loss at Liberty in the ASUN Tournament semifinals.

EKU will remain without an NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

Oscar Tshiebwe has helped lead a late-season resurgence for Kentucky.
Oscar Tshiebwe has helped lead a late-season resurgence for Kentucky.

Kentucky

▪ Record: 21-10 overall, 12-6 SEC.

▪ Next game: SEC Tournament quarterfinal, about 9 p.m. Friday

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: Kentucky will enter the SEC Tournament in Nashville on a high after closing the regular season with an impressive road win at Arkansas.

The Cats got a career-high 37 points from Antonio Reeves in the win, which came without star freshman guard Cason Wallace.

Wallace, along with experienced backcourt players CJ Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler, are all injury concerns for the Wildcats ahead of the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky is the No. 3 seed for the SEC Tournament and will play No. 14 seed LSU, No. 11 seed Georgia or No. 6 seed Vanderbilt on Friday night in the tournament’s final quarterfinal.

Kenny Payne will need a miracle run in the ACC Tournament to lift his Louisville Cardinals into the NCAA Tournament this season.
Kenny Payne will need a miracle run in the ACC Tournament to lift his Louisville Cardinals into the NCAA Tournament this season.

Louisville

▪ Record: 4-28 overall, 2-18 ACC.

▪ Next game: N/A.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: Louisville’s disastrous season under first-year head coach Kenny Payne finally came to an end Tuesday night with an 18-point loss to Boston College in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

Now, all eyes will turn to the transfer portal and the recruiting trail to see how Payne — or another coach — attempts to turn around the worst team in school history.

No. 5 seed Southeast Missouri State knocked off No. 1 seed and tournament favorite Morehead State on Friday night in Evansville, Ind.
No. 5 seed Southeast Missouri State knocked off No. 1 seed and tournament favorite Morehead State on Friday night in Evansville, Ind.

Morehead State

▪ Record: 21-11 overall, 14-4 OVC.

▪ Next game: N/A.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: None. On paper, Morehead State had the most direct path of any Kentucky-based school to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

But the Eagles lost at the first time of asking in the OVC Tournament, dropping a semifinal game against Southeast Missouri State.

Two of Morehead State’s five losses to OVC opposition this season came to SEMO.

Murray State

▪ Record: 17-15 overall, 11-9 MVC.

▪ Next game: N/A.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: None. The Racers’ season ended Friday night in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament quarterfinals: No. 7 seed Murray State lost to No. 2 seed Drake, 74-62.

It was a season of transition for the Racers after a switch in valleys from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Missouri Valley Conference.

Steve Prohm’s second turn as Murray State head coach saw Murray State win their first ever game in the MVC Tournament with a commanding win over Valparaiso before the defeat to Drake.

Prohm returned to Murray State after six seasons as the head coach at Iowa State.

During the 2021-22 season, Murray State went 18-0 in league play in its final season in the OVC before winning the OVC Tournament, as well as an NCAA Tournament first-round game against San Francisco.

Northern Kentucky

▪ Record: 22-12 overall, 14-6 Horizon League.

▪ Next game: TBD, NCAA Tournament.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: Northern Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament hopes usually hinge upon winning the Horizon League Tournament, so it’s a good thing the Norse have somewhat perfected this task.

Northern Kentucky has now won the league tournament in four of the past seven seasons after winning the Horizon League Tournament on Tuesday night. The Norse beat Cleveland State in the championship game, 63-61.

Northern Kentucky was the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Cleveland State was the No. 3 seed.

NKU junior guard Marques Warrick (a former Lexington high school star at Henry Clay) leads Northern Kentucky in minutes per game and points per game.

Warrick had a game-high 18 points against Cleveland State.

NKU will be making its third NCAA Tournament appearance later this month.

Western Kentucky Coach Rick Stansbury missed several games this season because of health concerns but is back to try to lead the Hilltoppers to a postseason run.
Western Kentucky Coach Rick Stansbury missed several games this season because of health concerns but is back to try to lead the Hilltoppers to a postseason run.

Western Kentucky

▪ Record: 16-15 overall, 8-12 Conference USA.

▪ Next game: vs. Texas-El Paso, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, first round of C-USA Tournament.

▪ NCAA Tournament outlook: Western Kentucky’s only shot at making the Big Dance is to win its conference tournament.

This will be an uphill battle for the Hilltoppers: As of Tuesday afternoon, six other Conference USA teams are ranked above them in KenPom.

Western Kentucky hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2013.

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