📍 Highland Heights, Kentucky
🏀 Home of Northern Kentucky Norse basketball
For hundreds of years, the Viking Norsemen plundered and pillaged northern Europe. These brutish pirates handily dealt with anyone who opposed them, a tradition that lives on in the spirit of friendly competition at Northern Kentucky University. Like the Vikings they’re named for, the NKU Norse are the dominant force in the northern region of the Bluegrass State, metropolitan Cincinnati’s most successful team this side of the Ohio River.
NKU has one of the most unique monikers in sports, adopting the nickname “Norsemen” – later shortened to “Norse” – when athletics first began in 1971. The team mascot, Victor E. Viking, was introduced in 2005 and plays off of the mythological imagery. Originally taking on a menacing demeanor, he now features a softer look with stereotypical blonde hair stuffed inside an ironclad helmet.
The Norse play their home games at Truist Arena, which has undergone several name changes since opening in 2008. Known to fans as “The Bank”, the arena seats 9,400 – although for most games, parts of the upper deck are closed off. Regardless, the spacious venue fills up nicely on gamedays, with the Norse often giving ride-or-die NKU fans plenty to cheer about.
An accomplished program at the Division II level, the Norse appeared in two consecutive National Championship Games in 1996 and ’97. In 2012, the team began transitioning up to Division I and qualified for March Madness during their first year of eligibility in 2017 – not an easy feat. A rather roomy and in-depth Hall of Fame is tucked away on the concourse, featuring trophies and memorabilia not just from men’s basketball, but from all Northern Kentucky athletic programs.
Truist Arena also has its own beer garden in the north endzone, an apropos addition to the Norse’s abode. Additionally, a full bar and wide spread of food is available inside “The Vault”, an exclusive space for NKU donors.
When it comes time for player introductions, the Norse are summoned to the court by the sounding of the Gjallarhorn. An important part of Norse mythology, the horn was said to be sounded by the god Heimdall to signal the start of Ragnarök. Back in the real world, this elaborate prop inaugurates each NKU men’s and women’s basketball game and gives fans a chill down their spines in anticipation of the night ahead.
An up-and-coming name in the mid-majors, the Northern Kentucky Norse are a force to be reckoned with in the Horizon League. They’ve got the venue to match, a modern and commodious college basketball arena that rivals that of some high-major schools and will certainly only work to help the Norse throughout the bright future that lies ahead.
Info Invasion
Parking: Welcome Center Garage, free
Nearby Venue(s): Fifth Third Arena, Cintas Center
In the Area: Check out the Newport Aquarium
Stadium51 