JABIN E. BOTSFORD/Herald

Junior forward Teeng Akol fights for a loose ball at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against North Texas on March 6 in Hot Springs, Ark. Akol scored 23 points to help WKU beat North Texas 74-70 to win the Sun Belt’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be WKU’s 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 2009.