HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The 2016-17 campaign is squarely in the review mirrors, but the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team thrust itself right into the national conversation in March, the most prestigious time of year for college basketball.
 
During the course of the season, NKU reached unprecedented heights as a Division I program, wasting little time in its brief DI tenure to let the college basketball world know that it is ready to compete nationally. From the program's first Horizon League Championship to pushing national-powerhouse Kentucky to the closing minute on CBS in the NCAA Tournament to individual all-league and all-tournament performances, the Norse are ready for the country to #takenotice.
 
This two-part series relives NKU's accomplishments this season. Today's article examines the team successes, while a subsequent article will be released next week breaking down the individual player highlights from this past year.
 
Battle of the Boards
Right out of the gates, Northern Kentucky established itself as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, winning the rebound battle in 12 of the first 13 games of the season. Along the way, the Norse bested Power-5 foes Illinois (plus-11) and then-No. 11/13 West Virginia (plus-5), while the only time they failed to win the rebound battle, versus NCAA tournament-qualifier NC Central, they tied on the glass. NKU finished the season ranked No. 46 in both rebound margin (plus-4.4) and total rebounds (1,339).
 
Toughness at the Tarkett
NKU traveled to local-foe Miami (Ohio) for the RedHawks' Tarkett Sport Classic. Head Coach John Brannen touted the multi-team event as an opportunity to experience a set-up that would mimic the Horizon League tournament and the Norse quickly proved they were fast learners. After dropping the opening game to Austin Peay, the Norse regrouped to defeat Delaware, 74-53, and host Miami, 79-70, to tie APSU for the tourney crown. The latter two victories pushed Northern Kentucky to a 3-2 record, marking the first time in the Division I era NKU had a winning record.
 
Non-Conference Winning Streak
Following a set-back to the NC Central Eagles, the Norse rebounded, and in a big way. Drew McDonald was unstoppable in a midweek game at Morehead State. The sophomore big man went 12-of-14 from the floor en route to 32 points and 11 rebounds. He led five Norse in double figures as NKU pulled ahead in the closing minutes for an 84-79 win. That victory began a six-game winning streak that included triumphs over Norfolk State, Eastern Illinois, SEMO, Eastern Washington and Brescia. The Norse were 9-3.
 
Nation Takes Notice
At 9-3 overall, and coming off of a 70-48 drubbing of a respected Eastern Washington club, the Norse earned their first national-ranking in the DI-era, earning a spot at No. 24 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Norse stayed for two weeks, but eventually dropped out.
 
However, the Norse catapulted back into the rankings when the final poll was released at the conclusion of March Madness. Winning 12 of its final 15 games, which included a Horizon League Tournament Championship and respect-garnering NCAA Division I Championship First Round matchup with Kentucky, was enough to push NKU to a program-best No. 21 in the final mid-major poll released by CollegeInsider.com.
 
Next Man Up Mentality
Part of what made Northern Kentucky so tough during the season was it's ability to get production all across the lineup. That was never more evident than at the beginning of the Horizon League slate. Cole Murray and Lavone Holland II each had 21 points in the league-opening win at Detroit Mercy. After a setback to Oakland, freshman Mason Faulkner stepped up in a big way. He netted 24 points in lifting NKU past Youngstown State.
 
McDonald promptly followed suit against Cleveland State in front of a raucous crowd at BB&T Arena, in what may go down as one of the single-best individual performances in Norse history. The Cold Spring, Kentucky, native dropped 30 points in the first half alone on his way to a 37-point outburst, going 11-for-15 from the floor, including 5-of-6 from three, and 10-of-11 at the line. McDonald added 10 boards to complete the double-double.
 
On the season, 10 Norse players combined for 114 double-figure scoring outputs, including 30 efforts of 20 or more and two of 30 or more. Additionally, McDonald, Carson Williams and Jeff Garrett combined for 18 double-figure rebounding games and 16 double-doubles.
 
Streaking Down the Stretch
Following three-straight setbacks that resulted in a 3-4 Horizon League record, the Norse continued to show how special this team could be. Back-to-back wins over Detroit Mercy and UIC kicked off an end-of-the-year run that resulted in NKU winning 12 of its final 15 games.
 
Northern Kentucky then fell at Valparaiso, but won its next four. After suffering its last regular-season blemish at Youngstown State, NKU won its last three, with all three coming against teams in the top six of the League standings. The Norse first toppled Wright State, who was a game ahead of NKU at that point, for the second time in 17 days before taking down UIC and then delivering a "take-notice" kind of victory over then-Horizon League front-runner Valpo.
 
Those three wins were promptly followed by three-straight in the Horizon League Championship to give the Norse their second six-game winning streak of the year.
 
Support of Norse Nation
There was clearly excitement for this Norse team, as season-ticket sales were up over 20 percent from the previous year. But, Northern Kentucky's success continued to draw support from the local community. On the season, NKU averaged 2,824 folks per game, but that number ballooned to 3,315 during League play to make BB&T Arena one tough place to play.
 
Horizon League Champions
Playing its best basketball at the end of the season was always one of the team goals. The Norse certainly attained that mark. After watching each of the other top-3 seeds fall before even taking the court, Northern Kentucky knew its work was cut out for the tournament. And, it had to play Wright State for the third time in 29 days.
 
NKU ignored the old adage of how difficult it is to defeat and team three times in one year with an 82-77 win thanks to 17 points from Williams and 16 from Holland. Holland narrowly missed a double-double after dishing out nine assists in the game as well. The junior guard then helped McDonald lead NKU past Youngstown State nearly 24 hours later. The duo combined to score 46 points in the 84-74 victory.
 
Holland came through in the title game, tallying a game high 20 points in guiding NKU to its first-ever Horizon League Championship. McDonald chipped in 14 points and 12 boards to help the Norse down Milwaukee, 59-53. Holland earned tourney MVP honors and was joined on the all-tourney team by McDonald.
 
Seventh Team Ever!
Northern Kentucky joined a rare club when it won the 2017 Horizon League Championship.  Dating back to 1953, only six other teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament in its first season eligible after reclassifying to Division I. Seattle was the first in 1953, while Memphis (1955) and Morehead State (1956) followed soon after. Massachusetts won its league title in 1962 and Long Beach State won its conference crown in 1970. Since then, only the 2009 North Dakota State achieved the feat before Northern Kentucky did so this year. Technically, UL Lafayette also reached the tourney in 1972, but its season was vacated and doesn't officially count.
 
NCAA Tourney Bound
The Horizon League Championship meant the Norse earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. Amazingly, NKU qualified for the tournament in its first season eligible, meaning the Norse went just four years between NCAA Championship appearances during the reclassification process. Northern Kentucky earned the No. 15-seed in the South Region and faced Commonwealth-foe and two-seed Kentucky in the opening round in Indianapolis.
 
Recognition Comes Pouring In
In the hours and days following Northern Kentucky's Horizon League Championship, local, regional and national media outlets sought interviews with Brannen and members of the team. From interviews with local icons that included Lance McAlister, Paul Daugherty and Brad Johansen and live interviews on Fox 19 to national radio broadcasts on CBS Sports Radio, ESPN Sports Radio and NBC Sports Radio, NKU became a national story.
 
Coach Brannen and senior Cole Murray were also invited to join Greg Gumble, Clark Kellog and Seth Davis live on Inside College Basketball, which aired live on CBS prior to the B1G Conference Semifinal on Saturday, March 11.
 
On campus, the Norse received plenty of recognition as well. Hundreds of people turned out to welcome the Horizon League Champions back from Detroit after winning the league title. A return trip that was even covered live over the final few miles by Chopper 9 (WCPO). Then, nearly a thousand members of Norse Nation joined the team for the selection show, which aired on CBS with live cameras in the room to catch the immediate reaction when NKU learned its NCAA fate.
 
NCAA Tourney Recap
The Commonwealth of Kentucky was on full display when Northern Kentucky squared off against Kentucky in a primetime slot on CBS that drew a viewership of 4.93-million viewers. The Norse showed they were ready to compete on the national landscape. Holland scored a game-high 22 points, including a ferocious dunk coming off of a drive through the lane. Williams shot 7-for-10 from the floor, scoring 21 points and narrowly missing the double-double with nine rebounds. McDonald, who scored 14 points in the game, brought the Norse within seven with just over 32-seconds left and NKU remained within striking distance through the final minute in the 79-70 setback.