The 51ΑΤΖζ menβs basketball team is one win away from its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
51ΑΤΖζ rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit for an 82-75 win over Northern Kentucky in Monday nightβs Horizon League Tournament semifinals at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.
The sixth-seeded Panthers face regular season champion Oakland in the Horizon tourney finals 6 p.m. tonight, with the winner securing an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
For those who want to see the game in-person, a Championship Fan Bus leaves from the Klotsche Center 11 a.m., and itβs free to the first 50 51ΑΤΖζ students, who should have their student ID card. Students will still have to purchase tickets at the stadium, and the bus will return to Milwaukee after the game.
Faizon Fields had 16 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks for the Panthers. βFaizon was huge. It seemed like every big rebound that we needed, he got it,β 51ΑΤΖζ coach Bart Lundy said. BJ Freeman led 51ΑΤΖζ with 27 points, including 22 in the second half.
51ΑΤΖζ (20-14, 12-8 Horizon) has secured its second consecutive 20-win season under second-year coach Lundy. 51ΑΤΖζ is riding a six-game winning streak, its longest run of victories since 2014. Itβs also 51ΑΤΖζβs first trip to the Horizon League finals since the Panthers nearly completed a miracle run as an 11-win 10th seed in 2017.
Top-seeded Oakland (22-11, 15-5 Horizon) reached the Horizon League title game with a 74-71 win over Cleveland State. The Golden Grizzlies swept the regular-season series against 51ΑΤΖζ, but both games were close, with Oakland winning 100-95 at home on Jan. 4 and 91-87 on Jan. 27 in Milwaukee.
Read more about Mondayβs win and .
