When the NCAA men's basketball Division II Tournament pairings were announced Sunday, Northern Kentucky University coach Ken Shields was dumbfounded how Indianapolis edged his team for the Great Lakes Regional No. 1 seed.
Sure, Indianapolis beat NKU in both regular-season meetings. But after dropping three of its last five games, including an 86-75 shocker to SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday, Shields figured Indy had lost its hold on the top spot.
''I don't think the selection committee ever expected (Indianapolis) to get beat,'' he said. ''I really, truthfully think they had their minds made up ahead of time.''
A No. 1 seed would have allowed NKU (26-4) to play host to the regional, but instead the Norse will travel to Indianapolis' Nicoson Hall. NKU, the national runner-up last year, earned a first-round bye and will play 5:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of Southern Indiana and Quincy.
Of the two possible Friday opponents, SIU (23-4) appears to be the tougher draw.
NKU split its regular-season series with the Eagles, falling 116-111 in overtime on the road Saturday. The Norse beat Quincy (21-8) in the teams' only meeting, 76-73, on Jan. 11.
NKU, SIU and Indy all tied for the Great Lakes Valley Conference title at 16-4.
