HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –Northern Kentucky University, through its media rights holder Norse Sports Properties, announces a three-year partnership with the Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance (KEMI), which includes the naming rights to NKU's four-team round-robin men's basketball tournament scheduled for Nov. 16-18 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights.
 
The event, which features the Norse, UNC Asheville, Coastal Carolina and Manhattan, will be called the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome KEMI on board as a corporate sponsor," said Ken Bothof, Northern Kentucky University's Director of Athletics. "Partnering with KEMI aligns two organizations which share the common thread of servicing the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the surrounding region. We look forward to working with them to advance both NKU and KEMI."

"Northern Kentucky has a strong business climate and employment is on the rise," said Brandon Voelker, chairman of the board of directors for KEMI. "We believe our investment with NKU will have a lasting impact both with the University and in the community, and we look forward to the growth that will come through this partnership."
 
All four teams in the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic have demonstrated recent success, with each program playing in the NCAA Tournament within the last four seasons. Northern Kentucky was the last to accomplish the feat, playing in the 2017 NCAA tournament after winning the Horizon League Tournament. UNC Asheville took part in the 2016 version, while both Coastal Carolina and Manhattan were in the 2015 field.
 
NKU is coming off of back-to-back 20-win seasons, which includes a Horizon League tournament title in 2017 and regular-season crown in 2018. In addition to competing in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the Norse reached the NIT in 2018.
 
Tickets for each day of the event can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
 
Also included in the partnership with KEMI are the naming rights for Northern Kentucky's matchup at Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Russ Potts Productions, Inc., (RPPI) assisted in the organization and coordination of the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic.

About Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance
Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance (KEMI) is the largest provider of workers' compensation insurance in Kentucky, providing coverage to more than 23,000 policyholders in all 120 counties of the state.
 
Learn more about us at www.kemi.com or access our free workplace safety resources at www.worksafeky.com.