The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball team returns to BB&T Arena to open the home portion of its Horizon League schedule Thursday night versus Youngstown State. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m., as the contest is part of a doubleheader with the NKU women’s team.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (10-5 Overall, 1-1 Horizon League)
Youngstown State University Penguins (7-8 Overall, 1-1 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 5 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
BB&T Arena (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (play-by-play) and Brad Redford (analysis)
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)
Fast Break Points
• Following a 1-1 trip to Detroit where the Norse closed with a 76-65 setback to Oakland, NKU returns to BB&T Arena for its Horizon League home opener against Youngstown State on Thursday.
• NKU and YSU split last season’s meetings, with each team holding serve at home. NKU’s 84-64 win on Jan. 14 provided the Norse with their first-ever Horizon League victory.
• Even though the season isn’t even at the halfway point, NKU has already surpassed last season’s win total (9).
• The Norse have established themselves as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, winning the rebounding battle in 13 of 15 games. They have only lost the rebound battle once and are averaging 40.5 rpg (28th in the nation).
• NKU’s prowess on the boards has kept its opponents to an offensive rebounding percentage of 26.3 percent (55th in the nation according to KenPom.com), while Northern Kentucky has impacted the game on its offensive glass at 35.1 percent (37th nationally).
• Northern Kentucky surged into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time ever on Dec. 19 at No. 24. The team was ranked for two-straight weeks and is still receiving votes.
• F Drew McDonald recorded his fifth double-double of the season and 10th of his career with 13 points and 10 boards against Oakland.
• McDonald and G Lavone Holland II are tied for the team-lead in scoring (15.5 ppg). Holland leads the team in assists (3.7 apg), while McDonald paces the team in rebounding (7.7 rpg).
• With 14 points at Oakland, Holland has now reached double-figures in 11 of the last 12 games.
• F Carson Williams, a two-time Horizon League Freshman of the Week honoree, is averaging 14.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg over the last five games.
• Williams is fourth for NKU in scoring (11.1) and third in rebounding (6.0).
• F Jeff Garrett hauled in eight rebounds at both Detroit Mercy and Oakland. He has grabbed at least eight boards in a game six different times this year.
• G Mason Faulkner chipped in a career-high 10 points at Oakland, marking the second-straight game the freshman has established new career-highs in scoring.
Norse women host Cleveland State in League home opener
Northern Kentucky women’s basketball will play its first game of 2017 on Thursday when the Norse welcome Horizon League foe Cleveland State to BB&T Arena. Thursday’s game will be carried on the ESPN3 platform with Andrew Kappes on play-by-play for the Norse while Karmen Graham will serve as analyst. Fans can stream the game live on computers, tablets and smart phones through WatchESPN and the ESPN App.
Northern Kentucky (4-10, 0-2 HL) vs. Cleveland State (6-6, 1-0 HL)
Thursday, Jan. 5 – 5 p.m. ET
Highland Heights, Ky. – BB&T Arena
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse dropped their second Horizon League game, falling to Milwaukee on the road, 72-44. The Norse had a much stronger second half after trailing 41-14 in the first, and capped off the contest on a 14-6 fourth quarter showing. Junior forward Kasey Uetrecht led the Norse in scoring with 19 points while Mikayla Terry led NKU with seven rebounds and a pair of assists. Milwaukee took over with hot shooting from 3-point range as the Panthers drilled 12 3-pointers, all in the first three quarters.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings sit at 6-6 overall and won their only League matchup of the season, downing Youngstown State in the HL opener, 71-68. In that game, Cleveland State was led by 27 points from Preseason All-HL selection Ashanti Abshaw paired with a double-double from rookie guard Jade Ely, who hauled in League Freshman of the Week honors for her 15 points and 15 rebounds. On the season, Abshaw has been dropping 18.7 points per game, making her the League’s second-leading scorer as well as 37th in the nation. Running the Viking offense is Khayla Livingston, who dishes out 4.8 assists per game to rank fourth in the League and 65th in the country.
Matched up with the rest of the Horizon League, Cleveland State sits in the middle of the pack statistically in nearly every category, averaging 63.9 ppg while allowing 69.6 points a contest. The Vikings’ standout stat line is that CSU leads the League in fewest fouls, and is ranked 23rd in the nation in that respect.
NKU holds a 3-1 record all-time against the Vikings, with just one game in the series played prior to the Norse joining the Horizon League last season. The lone loss came in a 64-62 upset on Senior Night last year, which NKU avenged by handing Cleveland State a 71-59 loss in the first round of the 2016 Horizon League Tournament.
HOME SUPPORT: Northern Kentucky currently ranks 90th in the nation and second in the Horizon League in average attendance for home games. When playing at BB&T Arena, the Norse have pulled an average of 2,129 fans per game for a total of 10, 645 throughout the four home contests. The most attended game of the year thus far was the Nov. 30 tilt against Stetson, which drew a crowd of 5,332. That number ranks fourth in BB&T Arena history for an NCAA basketball game.
From NKU Athletics