By sports reporter Terry Boehmker, NKyTribune
During the last two weeks of the regular season, the men’s and women’s basketball teams from Thomas More and Northern Kentucky will compete for advantageous spots in conference playoff brackets.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference, of which Thomas More is a member, only allows the top eight teams in the final standings to compete in its tournaments. The Saints were tied for ninth place in the women’s rankings and fourth place in the men’s standings on Tuesday.
Teams from Northern Kentucky compete in the postseason playoffs of the Horizon League, which consists of all 11 members. The top five teams receive byes, which advance them to the quarterfinals. The Norse men finished eighth on Tuesday, while the women were tied for fifth.
Thomas More’s tenure as a G-MAC provisional member is coming to an end. The Saints will not be able to participate in the NCAA Division II playoffs until the following year, but they are able to play in the conference tournaments.
Unfortunately, with three games left, the TMU men’s team is 16-8 overall and 11-6 in the league. Wyatt Vieth and Casey George, two seniors for the Saints, are in their last year of eligibility. George’s scoring average of 14.6 is the highest on the club.
In Brian Neal’s first season as head coach, the TMU women must have a strong finish to secure one of the eight spots in the G-MAC tournament. Following back-to-back victories, the Saints’ current records are 7-10 in conference games and 10-15 overall. They play opponents that are currently ahead of them in the conference standings in their last two games.
Rylee Turner, a graduate of Newport Central Catholic, and Sereniti Webb, a graduate of Simon Kenton, are the Saints’ top scorers, averaging 9.2 and 11.8 points per game, respectively.
There are four Horizon League games left for both the NKU men’s and women’s teams. The ladies will play the second-ranked team in the conference, Ft. Wayne, at home on Thursday. The men travel to Wright State, which is ranked eighth, on Friday.
In terms of field goal percentage (49.0%), rebounds per game (6.2), and scoring average (15.3%), NKU guard Trey Robinson is in the top 10 in the Horizon League men’s division.
