The NKU men play host to Kentucky Wesleyan at 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team begins an important weekend of Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division play Thursday night when Kentucky Wesleyan visits The Bank of Kentucky Center at 7:45 p.m.
NKU also entertains in-state rival Bellarmine at 2 p.m. Saturday in a game that will be nationally televised by CBS College Sports. NKU also will hold a special “Break the Bank” promotion in which all upper-level seats are $1 this Saturday.
NKU enters Thursday with a 9-8 overall record, and the Norse are 2-6 in the GLVC. Kentucky Wesleyan is 18-2 overall, 7-1 in the GLVC. The Panthers are ranked No. 13 in the latest NCAA Division II national poll.
CAGING THE PANTHERS: NKU has beaten Kentucky Wesleyan 11 consecutive times going into Thursday's game. The Panthers have not defeated NKU since Feb. 28, 2004. Norse head coach
Dave Bezold is unbeaten (11-0) against Kentucky Wesleyan.
LONG-RANGE ATTACK: NKU made 13 shots from 3-point range during an 86-79 win at Maryville on Monday afternoon.
Jon Van Hoose made four 3-pointers for the Norse and finished with 14 points off the bench.
Dennis Gagai also provided plenty of long-range fireworks by draining a trio of 3-pointers in the second half.
Corey Sorrell made two 3-pointers and added 15 points for NKU, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
BIG MAN INSIDE:
David Palmer scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead NKU past Maryville. Palmer averages 18.1 points per game and is shooting 56.7 percent from the field. He also has a team-leading 30 blocked shots and averages 7.7 rebounds per game. Palmer has led NKU in scoring 12 times this season. He has topped the team in rebounding in 11 games.
DISHING THE BALL:
Scott Bibbins scored 13 points and dished out 12 assists against Maryville. Bibbins leads NKU with 87 assists this season against just 27 turnovers.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST KWC: On Feb. 14, 2009,
Leslie Malone scored 19 points as NKU posted an 80-67 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Norse shot 61.5 percent from the field in the second half to rally from a 37-33 deficit at the break.
DeAaron Williams added 17 points for NKU, which held Kentucky Wesleyan to just 27.6 percent shooting from the field in the second half. The Norse finished 10-for-23 from 3-point range to defeat the Panthers for the 11th straight time.
SERIES LOWDOWN: While NKU has dominated the series the past five years, Kentucky Wesleyan still owns a 42-29 all-time lead against the Norse. NKU is 20-12 against Kentucky Wesleyan in games played at Highland Heights, Ky. The Norse have not dropped a home game against the Panthers since a 67-66 loss on Jan. 8, 2004, in Regents Hall.
RIVALRY GAME ON SATURDAY: When NKU meets Bellarmine on Saturday, a national television audience will see a rematch of last season's GLVC Tournament championship game. In that contest, NKU posted a 69-47 victory over Bellarmine to earn the GLVC Tournament title at Evansville, Ind.
Bellarmine will enter Saturday's game with a 12-6 overall mark, and the Knights are 5-4 in the GLVC. Bellarmine was picked No. 1 nationally in the preseason NCAA Division II poll. NKU owns a 43-30 lead in the all-time series with Bellarmine, including a 22-13 edge in games played in Highland Heights, Ky.
NKU and Bellarmine have split the past 10 meetings in the series. NKU has won three times at home, once at Bellarmine and once in Evansville, Ind., during the past 10 meetings.
