Northern Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Brannen announced the team’s non-conference schedule and the slate features four teams NKU played a season ago and three traditional national powers.
“I’m excited for the non-conference schedule that we’ve put together,” said Brannen. “We wanted to schedule a slate of games that would challenge our team and prepare us to enter our first season in the Horizon League.”
In a return game from last season, Northern Kentucky will head to Morgantown, West Virginia, on Friday, Nov. 13, to square off against the Bob Huggins-led West Virginia Mountaineers to kick off the 2015-16 season. NKU and WVU met last season at BB&T Arena, with the Mountaineers pulling away in the second half en route to a 67-42 decision.
The Norse return home for consecutive games against Tiffin on Nov. 17 and in-state foe Morehead State on Nov. 21. NKU and MSU also squared off a season ago in a tilt where Tyler White poured in 24 points en route to an 83-60 Northern Kentucky victory in Morehead, Kentucky.
A short trip across the Ohio River then awaits NKU, as the Norse will take on Xavier on Monday, Nov. 23. The matchup against the Musketeers is the first since the 1978-79 campaign.
Following a break for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Northern Kentucky remains on the road for contests at North Carolina A&T and Eastern Illinois. The Norse put away NC A&T in last year’s home opener, 68-55.
Three of the next four games on the docket will be held at BB&T Arena. The Norse will sandwich home games against Norfolk State on Dec. 13 and Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 19 around a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a matchup with the Michigan Wolverines.
The Norse and Wolverines will play on Dec. 15. The homestand concludes on Dec. 23 when IU-Kokomo comes to Highland Heights.
The non-conference slate wraps-up with a trip to Toledo on Dec. 30.
NKU will also play an exhibition contest at BB&T Arena against Ohio Northern on Friday Nov. 7.
For information on season tickets, please visit NorseTickets.com.
NKU women release schedule
Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team released its 2015-16 non-conference schedule featuring eight home games, three games against teams that advanced to postseason competition in 2015 and two more against opponents that reached conference championship finals.
“We are very excited about the non-conference schedule that we have put together,” said head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “It’s a schedule that is challenging and one that our fans will enjoy. To be able to host 17 home games is outstanding and the fact that we are bringing a Big East and an SEC powerhouse to BB&T Arena is great for everyone involved.
“The game plan is to put together a nonconference schedule that will prepare us for our first season in the Horizon League, which is very well respected and has been well represented in postseason play. With that in mind, we like the challenges that we will face early on in our season.”
The season opens on Friday, Nov. 13, at Miami (Ohio) after the teams took a year off in their rivalry series last year. The Redhawks took both ends of the home-and-home series across the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
The Norse open the home portion of the schedule two days later against Indiana State. NKU will put its five-game winning streak against the Sycamores on the line when they face off for the first time since the 1982-83 season. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, NKU heads across the Ohio River to take on Cincinnati for the fourth-consecutive year. NKU has won the last two meetings between the teams, both taking place at BB&T Arena.
Thanksgiving week will see back-to-back home games against Big East foe Marquette (Nov. 21) and Tennessee Tech (Nov. 27). NKU took a 77-68 victory over Marquette in the first meeting between the teams last season on the strength of a career-high 29-point performance from Christine Roush. Another long dormant series, NKU and Tennessee Tech’s only previous meeting came in 1982, a 69-60 victory for the Norse in Regents Hall.
NKU’s final nonconference road trip of the season will take the Norse to Pittsburgh to meet Robert Morris on Nov. 29. The Colonials finished last season with a 17-15 record and reached the Northeast Conference championship game. In 2013, Kayla Thacker poured in 20 points to push the Norse to a 71-62 victory over Robert Morris.
On Dec. 2, Northern Kentucky opens a five-game nonconference home stretch by welcoming Kentucky to Highland Heights for the first time since 1981. Kentucky was a semifinalist in last year’s SEC Championship and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and took an 82-64 victory over the Norse in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 3.
Three days later, the Norse welcome in IPFW in hopes of avenging a 65-59 loss to the Mastadons last year.
Following final exams, NKU brings in West Virginia State (Dec. 13) and Indiana University Kokomo (Dec. 16) before closing out the nonconference schedule on Dec. 19 against Women’s NIT participant Akron. The Zips finished 21-14 last season, including a win over NKU, and advanced to the Mid-American Conference championship game.
NKU has not hosted Akron since the 1982-83 season.
From NKU Athletics