Game NotesChampionship BracketHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - March Madness is set to begin for the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team on Tuesday, March 3, when it hosts Lipscomb in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Championship at Regents Hall. This marks the first time NKU will take part in the A-Sun tourney after becoming eligible to participate in the event following a reclassification to NCAA Division I. The Norse earned the No. 4 seed after taking care of business against USC Upstate on Saturday, which guaranteed the first-round home game on Tuesday. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.
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Northern Kentucky University Norse (13-16 Overall, 7-7 Atlantic Sun)
Lipscomb University Bisons (13-16 Overall, 7-7 Atlantic Sun)
Tues., March 3 - 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Regents Hall (1,346) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Betsy Ross (play-by-play) and Brad Redford (analysis)
Radio: 55KRC (550 AM) with Richard Skinner (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)
Fast Break Points
- Todd Johnson's career-night helped NKU down USC Upstate (84-65) for the second time this season.
- NKU clinched a share of fourth in A-Sun with Lipscomb, but the Norse hold the tie-break & earned the No. 4 seed in the A-Sun tourney.
- The Norse were picked to finish 5th in the A-Sun this season by both the coaches & media, NKU's highest A-Sun preseason rank to date.
- At 7-7 in conference play, the Norse finished t-4th with Lipscomb and surpassed the preseason prognostications.
- The Norse play Lipsomb in the 4/5 game of the A-Sun Championship. Because NKU is the higher seed, it will host the game.
- Tuesday's game is both the first post-season contest for NKU and the first time NKU will host a postseason game in the DI era.
- Sitting at 13-16 overall, NKU has surpassed its win total from both the 2012-13 (11) and 2013-14 seasons (9).
- In 4 of the last 5 games a Norse has recorded a double-double, Persons (twice), Chad Jackson and Jalen Billups.
- G Tayler Persons leads NKU in scoring (13.1 ppg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.0).
- F Jalen Billups ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .634), blocks (t-6th, 92) & blocks per game (12th, 1.0).
- Billups leads the league and ranks third nationally (ESPN) in field-goal percentage (69.7), a mark that currently tops NKU's record books as well.Â
- Billups is averaging 13.6 ppg in A-Sun games behind 74.5 percent shooting, which leads the league by nearly 20 percent.
- Billups also ranks fifth in the league in blocks (1.2) and rebounds (5.7), while also ranking third in rebounding (7.1) in A-Sun games.
- G Chad Jackson and Billups are climbing NKU's all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 39th with 807 points & Jackson checks in at No. 41 (792).
- White has started 17-of-the-last-18 games. He also leads NKU in made 3's (61) & is 13th in NKU's record books with 137-career treys.
- G Todd Johnson had a career-night versus USC Upstate, tallying career-highs in points (24) and made threes (8).Â
A-Sun Championship
Northern Kentucky defeated USC Upstate, 84-65, to earn a share of fourth-place in the A-Sun standings with Lipscomb. NKU and Lipscomb split the regular-season meetings this year, which meant the second tie-breaker had to be implemented. Both NKU and Lipscomb went 0-2 against top-seeded North Florida and second-seeded FGCU. However, NKU won both matchups with USC Upstate this season, while Lipscomb went 1-1 against the Spartans.
Having earned the No. 4 seed, the Norse host the Bisons in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Championship.
This marks the first postseason contest for NKU as an NCAA Division I program and the first time the Norse will host a postseason game since reclassifying two years ago.
NKU In Conference Tourneys
Northern Kentucky has a rich tradition in conference tournaments since first participating in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament in the 1997-98 season. In the final 10 GLVC tourneys for the Norse, NKU won the championship twice (2003, 2009) and finished runner-up three times (2005, 2007, 2012).
Doubling Down
Down the final stretch of the regular-season, Northern Kentucky had a player record a double-double in four of final five contests. Tayler Persons started the stretch with consecutive double-doubles against Stetson (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Jacksonville (31 points, 12 rebounds). The Norse missed a double-double performance against North Florida, but Chad Jackson followed with 11 points and 13 boards at Kennesaw State to get NKU back on track. Jalen Billups then closed the regular-season with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort against USC Upstate. The Norse now have six double-doubles on the year. Persons, Jackson and Billups have each posted two double-doubles on the year and have record all six of NKU's double-doubles.
Scouting Lipscomb
Lipscomb finished the regular season at 13-16 overall and 7-7 in the A-Sun, with both records being identical to NKUís. Lipscomb picked up the No. 5 seed after defeating Kennesaw State, 94-75, last Saturday. After starting conference play at 4-0, Lipscomb has lost seven of its last 10 league games. Lipscomb boasts the third-highest scoring offense in the conference (72.4 ppg), but its defense surrenders the most points in the league (75.1 ppg) The Bisons are led by Josh Williams, who averages 17.2 points per game. Williams' average jumps to 20.2 points per game against A-Sun foes.
Series Stuff: Lipscomb
NKU and Lipscomb split the season series this year, with each team holding serve on its home court. Lipscomb won the conference opener, 80-61, in Nashville, but Northern Kentucky avenged the early loss with a 77-60 victory in early February. Against the Bisons this season, Tyler White averaged 19 points per game, while Jalen Billups averaged 14 points and five boards. At 22.5 points per game, Josh Williams led the offensive output for Lipscomb. The Norse are 3-6 all-time against the Bisons, including a 2-4 mark since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in the 2013-14 season.
Last Time Out: USC Upstate
Todd Johnson exploded for a career-high 24 points thanks to a career-high eight three pointers to help Northern Kentucky drop USC Upstate, 84-65, in the regular-season finale. Johnson was unconscious from the field, connecting on 8-of-10 shots from three. Tyler White chipped in 19 points and drew the assignment of guarding A-Sun scoring leader Ty Greene. With 7:16 left on the clock and NKU leading, 63-60, the Norse went on a tear, outscoring the Spartans 17-2 over the next five minutes to put the game away. Tayler Persons fed Jalen Billups for a thunderous alley-oop during the spurt, but it was senior Jordan Jackson who capped the game with a rim-shaking two-handed jam before exiting the game to a standing ovation. Jordan and fellow senior Chad Jackson were honored for their commitment to the program in a pregame ceremony. The victory put NKU into a tie for fourth in the A-Sun with Lipscomb.
