No. 15 NKU takes on No. 12 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night.
Thurs., Feb. 16
Owensboro, Ky. – Owensboro Sportscenter (5,002)
#15 NKU (19-4, 11-4) at #12 Ky. Wesleyan (19-4, 11-4), 8:30 p.m.
NKU Radio/Internet: WQRT (1160 AM) & www.nkunorse.com
Series Record: KWC leads, 46-33
Last Meeting: KWC 74, NKU 57 (1-26-12)
Norse men's basketball: 40 years of media guide/program covers (PDF)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University faces two difficult games this week, beginning with a Thursday night road contest at Kentucky Wesleyan.
NKU is 19-4 overall, 11-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Kentucky Wesleyan is also 19-4 overall, 11-4 in the GLVC. The Panthers are ranked No. 12 in the NCAA Division II poll, while NKU is No. 15.
On Saturday, NKU plays host to No. 11 Southern Indiana in The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Screaming Eagles, who meet top-ranked Bellarmine on Thursday, are 19-4 overall, 11-4 in the GLVC.
NKU/KWC SERIES: Kentucky Wesleyan owns a 46-33 lead in the all-time series with NKU, including a 74-57 win earlier this season. The Panthers are 29-9 against the Norse in the Owensboro Sportscenter.
NKU head coach
Dave Bezold has six of the nine Norse victories in the Owensboro Sportscenter against Kentucky Wesleyan. Former Norse head coaches Mote Hils, Mike Beitzel and Ken Shields each recorded one road win against the Panthers.
GOING FOR 20: NKU needs just one victory to reach the 20-win mark for the fifth time in the past six years. The Norse have won at least 20 games 13 times in the program's history.
FAULKNER ON A ROLL: NKU junior guard
Ethan Faulkner has scored in double figures the past seven games. He netted a career-high 19 points last Saturday as the Norse won their fourth straight game with an 85-72 victory over Saint Joseph's.
For the season, Faulkner averages 9.9 points per game and leads NKU with 98 assists. He is also shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 86.9 percent from the free-throw line.
RACK IS BACK: NKU senior guard
Tony Rack averaged 14.5 points per game last week as the Norse swept past then-No. 22 Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's. Rack scored 15 against Saint Joseph's on Saturday, including 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.
WHO IS THAT GUY?: Junior guard
Antonio Bumpus made his NKU debut on Saturday and finished with nine points. Bumpus, a transfer from Utah State, was 7-for-8 from the line and added three rebounds.
MOTOR CITY REJECTOR: NKU senior center
DeAndre Nealy finished with three blocked shots against Saint Joseph's, bringing his season's total to 68 rejections. The all-time NKU single-season record for blocked shots is 73, set by Patrick Holt during the 1985-86 campaign.
Nealy, who has twice this season blocked a Norse single-game record eight shots, leads the GLVC in shooting from the field at 63.8 percent. The Detroit, Mich., native is No. 2 in the GLVC in blocked shots (2.96 bpg) and No. 6 nationally in that category.
YOUNG NORSE SLAYER: Kentucky Wesleyan All-America candidate Anthony Young poured in 29 points to ignite the Panthers' 74-57 win over NKU earlier this season. Young averaged 24.5 points and 7.8 rebounds against NKU last season in four games. He netted 36 points against the Norse in the GLVC Tournament as Kentucky Wesleyan posted a 91-89 overtime win.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST KWC: On Jan. 26 in a battle of teams ranked in the nation's top 10, No. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan walked out of The Bank of Kentucky Center with a 74-57 victory over No. 9 NKU. The Panthers shot 57.8 percent from the field, clamped down defensively on the Norse in the second half and won for the first time in NKU's 9,400-seat arena.
The Panthers received big contributions from the backcourt duo of Kreig Oxley (15 points) and Brandon Johnson (13 points, eight assists) to complement the offensive skills of Young. NKU trailed by just a point at the half, but Kentucky Wesleyan used a 16-7 run to open up a 52-42 lead on Young's layup with 14:09 remaining.
The Panthers held NKU to just 27.6 percent shooting from the field in the second half, including a 1-for-12 effort from 3-point range.
All-time results vs Kentucky Wesleyan (33-46)
Date Opponent Score Site
---- -------- ----- ----
1/6/73 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 98-131 Owensboro, Ky.
1/30/74 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 70-80 Highland Hts., Ky.
1/8/75 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 92-107 Owensboro, Ky.
1/14/76 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 73-62 Highland Hts., Ky.
1/5/77 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 74-58 Highland Hts., Ky.
2/12/77 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 85-96 Owensboro, Ky.
2/11/78 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 64-60 Owensboro, Ky.
2/27/78 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 79-71 Highland Hts., Ky.
2/10/79 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 61-74 Owensboro, Ky.
2/26/79 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 93-83 Highland Hts., Ky.
1/5/80 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 60-59 Highland Hts., Ky.
2/25/80 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 78-101 Owensboro, Ky.
12/15/80 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 43-65 Owensboro, Ky.
2/28/81 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 74-64 Highland Hts., Ky.
1/18/82 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 57-67 Owensboro, Ky.
2/26/83 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 86-73 Highland Hts., Ky.
12/16/83 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 49-68 Owensboro, Ky.
1/5/85 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 60-69 Owensboro, Ky.
1/22/85 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 71-75 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/18/86 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 67-79 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/6/86 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 91-90 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/8/87 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 58-70 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/12/87 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 52-63 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/7/88 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 103-102 OT Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/11/88 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 93-85 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/21/89 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 71-84 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/9/89 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 97-100 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/18/90 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 47-117 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/11/90 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 88-106 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/19/91 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 77-89 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/16/91 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 65-85 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/18/92 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 114-109 O2 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/15/92 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 75-101 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/30/93 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 81-91 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/25/93 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 62-65 Owensboro, Ky.
*12/20/93 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 72-94 Highland Hts., Ky.
*3/5/94 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 83-94 Owensboro, Ky.
*12/29/94 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 87-90 OT Owensboro, Ky.
*3/4/95 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 100-99 O3 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/1/96 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 81-79 Highland Hts., Ky.
*3/2/96 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 74-80 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/2/97 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 74-75 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/8/97 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 79-73 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/31/98 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 55-62 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/19/98 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 83-76 Highland Hts., Ky.
*11/30/98 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 77-86 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/28/99 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 65-69 Owensboro, Ky.
2/26/99 vs Kentucky Wesleyan L 70-111 Evansville, Ind.
*1/31/00 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 64-75 Owensboro, Ky.
3/11/00 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 62-66 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/20/01 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 106-86 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/15/01 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 57-80 Owensboro, Ky.
3/2/01 vs Kentucky Wesleyan L 67-84 Evansville, Ind.
3/10/01 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 57-59 Owensboro, Ky.
*12/6/01 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 62-64 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/16/02 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 76-99 Owensboro, Ky.
*12/5/02 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 74-73 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/15/03 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 68-71 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/8/04 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 66-67 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/28/04 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 66-87 Owensboro, Ky.
*11/26/04 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 79-67 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/5/05 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 73-66 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/5/06 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 71-63 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/18/06 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 59-57 Owensboro, Ky.
*1/18/07 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 76-65 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/15/07 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 67-49 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/19/08 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 69-62 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/21/08 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 78-63 Owensboro, Ky.
3/15/08 vs Kentucky Wesleyan W 61-55 Allendale, Mich.
*1/4/09 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 72-60 Owensboro, Ky.
*2/14/09 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 80-67 Highland Hts., Ky.
*1/21/10 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 67-62 Highland Hts., Ky.
*2/13/10 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 60-80 Owensboro, Ky.
3/6/10 vs Kentucky Wesleyan L 76-81 Springfield, Ill.
*1/22/11 at Kentucky Wesleyan W 91-82 OT Owensboro, Ky.
*2/10/11 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN W 76-60 Highland Hts., Ky.
3/4/11 vs Kentucky Wesleyan L 89-91 OT St. Louis, Mo.
3/12/11 vs Kentucky Wesleyan W 76-74 OT Louisville, Ky.
*1/26/12 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN L 57-74 Highland Hts., Ky.
Overall: 33-46
Conference: 23-29
Home: 22-13
Away: 9-29
Neutral: 2-4
