JABIN E. BOTSFORD/Herald

Head Coach Ray Harper is hugged by freshman guard Derrick Gordon (left) and senior guard Kahlil McDonald (right) at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against North Texas on March 6 in Hot Springs, Ark. 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.