CLEVELAND — The Cleveland State Vikings are still celebrating one day after punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
CSU beat Oakland 80-69 in the 2021 Horizon League Championship on Tuesday night to seal the deal. The Vikings will be making just their third trip to the Big Dance in program history.
Jim Donovan caught up with Vikings Head Coach Dennis Gates on Wednesday. The team did not return to Cleveland after the big win at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Instead the Vikings will stay in Indianapolis, waiting for the official selection show on Sunday evening.
"The first thing we started doing is calling each other champ. 'What’s up champ? How you doing champ?' No one has gone by their legal name. Right now, we are enjoying the moment," Gates told Jimmy.
The Vikings will find out their first opponent in the upcoming NCAA Tournament this Sunday at 6 p.m. when the entire field is revealed.
Watch Jim and Coach Gates talk about March Madness, what this win means to the program and the Vikings message to all their fans back in northeast Ohio in the player above or below.
More Vikings stories:
- Time to go dancing! Cleveland State beats Oakland to capture Horizon League Championship and punch ticket to NCAA Tournament
- Former Cleveland State basketball star Ken 'Mouse' McFadden remembers 1986 Sweet 16 team, looks ahead to Vikings' Horizon League title game
- Cleveland State rallies to beat Milwaukee 71-65 to advance to Horizon League Championship
- Cleveland State forward Al Eichelberger re-lives improbable 3-pointer that helped Vikings advance in Horizon League Tournament, talks March Madness
