The Northern Kentucky men’s basketball is headed to Detroit for the 2016 Little Caesar’s Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship, where it will face Milwaukee Saturday in the opening round.
NKU, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, will tip off against the fifth-seeded Panthers at 2:30 p.m. in historic Joe Louis Arena.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (9-20 Overall, 5-13 Horizon League)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (19-12 Overall, 10-8 Horizon League)
Saturday, March 5 – 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Joe Louis Arena (20,027) in Detroit, Mich.
TV: ESPN3 with Will Haskett (Play-by-Play) and David Kaplan (Analysis)
Radio: FOXSports 1360 (1360 AM) with Andrew Kappes (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Analysis)
Fast Break Points
• NKU exceeded the preseason poll, finishing eighth in #HLMBB action after being picked 10th.
• NKU closed the regular-season at 9-20 overall and 5-13 in #HLMBB action, finishing eighth outright in the League standings.
• NKU plays five-seed Milwaukee in the opening round of #MotorCityMadness at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
• NKU and Milwaukee split the regular-season series, with each team holding serve at home.
• G Lavone Holland II led NKU against Milwaukee with 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the two contests.
• NKU has three wins over teams in the RPI top-200 this year, the most in any season since beginning the reclassification process.
• F Drew McDonald was named to the #HLMBB all-freshman team after averaging 12.8 points & 7.7 boards with five double-doubles in league play.
• McDonald is also a two-time #HLMBB Freshman of the Week recipient and is averaging 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in the last 20 games.
• G Cole Murray has had the hot hand from long range, shooting 44.9% (75-of-167) from behind the arc this year, No. 17 in the nation.
• Murray’s 75 threes is the 16th most in a single season for a Norse. He needs six more to move into the top-10.
• F Jalen Billups led the nation w/ 69.6% shooting last year, and is shooting 59.7% (142-238) this year.
• Billups ranks among NKU’s all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .623), blocks (4th, 131) & blocks per game (11th, 1.1).
• Billups and G Tyler White are climbing NKU’s all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 20th w/ 1,182 points & White is No. 23 (1,091).
• Holland is third on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) and rebounds (4.7 rpg), but leads NKU in assists (4.1 apg).
• White (102) and Holland (112) gave NKU two players with 100 assists or more in a year for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
From NKU Athletics