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

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Northern Kentucky University is back in the NCAA Tournament for the third time and now they know their dance partner.

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.

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.

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.

This story was provided by our media partner Cincinnati Enquirer.

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