Unbeaten NKU (6-0) faces extremely tall UCF inside attack on Saturday night in Orlando

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

An extremely tall task looms for Northern Kentucky University on Saturday night as the unbeaten Norse (6-0) meet the University of Central Florida at 6 p.m. in Orlando.

UCF features 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall, a shot-blocking specialist who has rejected 14 shots in five games this season. The Knights also start 6-foot-11 Collin Smith in the frontcourt, giving UCF an intimidating defensive presence inside.

Throw in 6-foot-9 reserve Chad Brown — who has seven blocks this season in just 81 minutes of action — and it’s understandable why opponents are shooting just 38 percent from the field against the 4-1 Knights.

Fall averages 10.0 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game, but he is shooting just 21 percent (4-for-19) at the free-throw line. Senior guard B.J. Taylor leads UCF in scoring (16.6 ppg), while junior guard Aubrey Dawkins is netting 15.8 ppg. Junior guard Terrell Allen (11.6 ppg) is also scoring in double figures.

UCF captured the Myrtle Beach Invitational championship last week by defeating Western Kentucky, 78-62, in the title game. Dawkins scored 21 points to lead the Knights in the finale, while Fall added 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Dawkins was named the three-day tournament’s most valuable player.

NKU is off to its best start since the 2011-12 campaign, when the Norse began the season with 13 consecutive wins. That was also NKU’s final season of competition at the NCAA Division II level.

Senior forward Drew McDonald leads NKU in scoring (19.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.2 boards per contest). The 6-foot-8 McDonald poured in 31 points during an 89-83 win over Coastal Carolina in the final game of the KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic at BB&T Arena on Sunday. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and was named the most valuable player of the three-day event.

McDonald, who was also tabbed the Horizon League’s co-Player of the Week, is shooting 55.9 percent from the field and is 10-for-24 from 3-point range. He enters Saturday’s game with 37 career double-doubles and has scored 1,547 points. The Newport Central Catholic graduate is also No. 2 in Norse history with 823 rebounds and is nearing LaRon Moore’s school-record 859 boards.

Sophomore guard Jalen Tate earned all-tournament honors during last weekend’s KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic. Tate averages 11.7 ppg and has made 51.1 percent of his shots from the field. He has also dished out a team-leading 23 assists this season.

Junior forward Dantez Walton is scoring at an 11.7 ppg clip, and he leads NKU in 3-pointers made with 16. Walton also averages 6.3 rebounds per contest and is third on the team with 15 assists.

Junior guard Tyler Sharpe averages 11.0 points per contest and leads NKU with 17 steals. Sharpe scored 15 points in the win over Coastal Carolina and buried four 3-pointers in that game.

As a team, NKU is shooting 50.1 percent from the field. The Norse have limited the opposition to 36.2 percent shooting from the field. NKU enters Saturday as one of the nation’s best 3-point shooting teams, ranking 12th with 58 made treys and 15th with 159 attempts. 

NKU is also ranked No. 24 in this week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll.

This will mark the first meeting between NKU and UCF on the basketball court. UCF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Knights posted a 19-13 record last season and dropped a pair of games to American Athletic Conference foe Cincinnati.

Saturday, Nov. 24
CFE Arena (10,000), Orlando, Fla.
NKU (6-0) at Central Florida (4-1), 6 p.m.
NKU Radio: 55KRC (550 AM)

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport