In a typical year, every Division I conference’s postseason tournament winner is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But this year, new questions are emerging.
What if the best team in the conference is shut down because of coronavirus concerns and can’t play in its postseason tournament? What if that happens to the best four teams?
Commissioner Julie Roe Lach said the Horizon League decided to maintain the traditional structure for its 2021 conference tournament.
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“We have built a tournament structure that prioritizes safety and provides a meaningful competitive experience for our student athletes,“ Roe Lach told The Enquirer. “What does a meaningful season look like? What is really going to be impactful for our student athletes? It’s such a big part of the student athlete experience having that culminating time (of a conference tournament).”
In three of the last five seasons, the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team has won the Horizon League Tournament and clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament field. Head coach Darrin Horn has said that the Norse’s goal this year is to return to the tournament and win the first NCAA Tournament game in the program’s history as a Division I school.
NKU’s road to get there will be the same as always.
“We knew from the outset that since it wasn't going to be a regular season, it made sense for all 12 teams to be able to have a chance,” Roe Lach said. “Our student athletes, our coaches and our administrators have all really expressed their commitment and belief of how meaningful the Horizon League Tournament is.”
While the Horizon League Tournament isn’t changing, many other conference tournaments are. The Big South will hold its tournament at on-campus venues. The Patriot League split its 10 teams into three “mini-conferences” and will send just eight teams to the conference tournament. The Sun Belt is expected to have several of the league’s 12 teams unable to play in the postseason.
In the Horizon League, all 12 teams will qualify for the Horizon League Tournament, as in prior years. The fifth seed through the 12th seed will play first round games on campus sites with the higher seed hosting. The top four seeds receive a bye to the second round and will host the winners from the four first round games.
Then the semifinals and finals will take place at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis on March 8 and 9.
Roe Lach confirmed that the postseason tournament winner will clinch a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
“If a team isn’t cleared and the entire team is out (for the conference tournament), our athletic directors, coaches and student athletes knew going in that if that happens, it’s really unfortunate but that team is ineligible for our tournament,” Roe Lach said. “If they’re not able to play, we’re not going to be postponing games. We’ve got to honor the dates that we set.”
The one significant change to the 2021 Horizon League Tournament is its duration. This year, the first round games will take place on Feb. 25. The second round games will not occur until March 2, allowing traveling teams to follow a strict coronavirus protocol, Roe Lach said. After that, teams will have a six-day break before the semifinals in Indianapolis.
“You’ve got first rounds at the campus of the higher seed and then you’ve got a break so the teams can go test at their campuses multiple times before they play the next game,” Roe Lach said. “Then, they can test at their campuses multiple times before they come to Indianapolis for the semifinals. Then of course there will be a very aggressive testing process we’ll have in Indianapolis along with other different safety protocols.”
NKU (9-8, 7-5 Horizon League) jumped to third place in the conference with two wins last weekend against Illinois-Chicago. The Norse have won four straight games, advancing from a team slated to play a first round road game in the Horizon League Tournament to a team that could host a second round matchup on March 2.
The Norse play fifth place Milwaukee on the road on Friday and Saturday. After those two games, NKU has only four games remaining until the end of the regular season.
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