Jon Van Hoose tied a GLVC Tournament record with 13 treys in three games.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University faces Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion Findlay in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Saturday night in Louisville, Ky.
Fourth-seeded NKU (23-6) plays fifth-seeded Findlay in the Midwest Regional at 8:30 p.m. in Knights Hall. NKU is ranked No. 11 in the Division II national poll after finishing as the runner-up in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
Findlay is 23-6 after winning the GLIAC Tournament championship. The Oilers have won seven consecutive games entering the NCAA Division II Tournament and are ranked 25th in the national poll.
Top-seeded Bellarmine is the host and plays No. 8 seed Lewis in the first round. The NKU/Findlay winner takes on either Bellarmine or Lewis in the regional semifinals Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The regional title game is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m.
THE SERIES: NKU is 4-4 all-time against Findlay. The teams have met twice in the NCAA Division II Tournament and split those two games. In 2003, Findlay posted an 80-76 win over NKU in the first round of the Great Lakes Regional at Houghton, Mich.
In 2007, NKU halted Findlay's 59-game home winning streak with a 60-56 victory in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Regional at Findlay, Ohio. In both NCAA Tournament meetings, the lower seed won. NKU was the No. 3 seed in 2003, while Findlay was seeded No. 6. In 2007, Findlay was the No. 1 seed, and NKU was the No. 4 seed.
NKU and Findlay first met during the 1971-72 season and split a pair of games. They did not play again until the 2002-03 campaign, when the teams again split two meetings. NKU won the regular-season game, and Findlay later eliminated the Norse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA HISTORY: This is the 13th time NKU has earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Norse finished as national runner-up in both 1996 and '97. NKU is 17-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The Norse lost twice in the 1978 NCAA Division II Tournament as a consolation game was conducted during that era.
AGAINST THE MIDWEST REGION FIELD: This season, NKU is 2-1 against Kentucky Wesleyan, 2-0 against Indianapolis, 0-2 against Bellarmine, 2-0 against Lewis and 1-2 against Southern Indiana.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: NKU standouts
Eshaunte Jones and
DeAndre Nealy were both named to the GLVC's all-tournament team last week. Jones, who buried a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of NKU's 72-70 win over Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tournament semifinals, averages 10.9 points per game going into the Midwest Regional.
Nealy has an NKU single-season record 85 blocked shots and averages 10.0 points per contest. During the GLVC Tournament, Nealy blocked 10 shots, and he is No. 7 nationally in rejections at 2.9 per contest. He is also No. 1 in the GLVC in field-goal percentage (.651).
VAN HOOSE TIES RECORD: NKU senior guard
Jon Van Hoose tied the GLVC Tournament record by making 13 shots from 3-point range in the three games. Jason Genova of Lewis also made 13 treys during the 2008 GLVC Tournament.
Van Hoose averages a team-leading 12.5 points per game entering the NCAA Tournament. He is 102-for-219 (.466) from 3-point range this season. His 102 treys (3.5 per game) are No. 1 in the nation entering the NCAA Tournament.
TREY-RIFFIC: NKU enters the NCAA Tournament No. 2 in the nation in 3-point shooting at 43.0 percent.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST FINDLAY: On Nov. 17, 2007, in the championship game of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic, Findlay posted a 66-53 win over NKU in Regents Hall.
Josh Bostic scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and finished with four steals for Findlay. Bostic also dished out three assists and made a pair of 3-point shots. Findlay dominated the boards, finishing with a 30-16 rebounding advantage, and the Oilers shot 54.5 percent from the field.
Anthony Teague came off the bench and scored 13 points to lead NKU, while Mark Hawkins added 12 points.
NCAA DIVISION II MIDWEST REGIONAL
(at Louisville, Ky.)
Saturday, March 10
GAME 1 - #3 Hillsdale vs. #6 Indianapolis – noon
GAME 2 - #2 Southern Indiana vs. #7 Kentucky Wesleyan – 2:30 p.m.
GAME 3 - #1 Bellarmine vs. #8 Lewis – 6 p.m.
GAME 4 - #4 Northern Kentucky vs. #5 Findlay – 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 11
Semifinal 1 (Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner), 5 p.m.
Semifinal 2 (Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner), 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 13
Championship, 7 p.m.
NKU ALL-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS (17-13 overall)
3/4/78 vs ISU-Evansville L 78-86 Charleston, Ill.
3/5/78 vs Saint Joseph's L 87-93 Charleston, Ill.
3/11/95 vs Quincy W 97-91 Cincinnati, Ohio
3/12/95 vs Southern Indiana L 94-102 Cincinnati, Ohio
3/8/96 vs Northern State W 82-71 Evansville, Ind.
3/9/96 at Southern Indiana W 99-87 Evansville, Ind.
3/20/96 vs Cal State Bakersfield W 56-55 Louisville, Ky.
3/21/96 vs Virginia Union W 68-66 Louisville, Ky.
3/23/96 vs Fort Hays State L 63-70 Louisville, Ky.
3/7/97 vs Quincy W 82-54 Indianapolis, Ind.
3/8/97 vs Oakland (Mich.) W 101-87 Indianapolis, Ind.
3/19/97 vs Texas A&M-Commerce W 79-67 Louisville, Ky.
3/20/97 vs Lynn (Fla.) W 79-58 Louisville, Ky.
3/22/97 vs Cal State Bakersfield L 56-57 Louisville, Ky.
3/5/98 vs Ferris State W 78-63 Owensboro, Ky.
3/6/98 vs Southern Indiana L 66-81 Owensboro, Ky.
3/10/00 vs Northern Michigan W 89-57 Owensboro, Ky.
3/11/00 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 62-66 Owensboro, Ky.
3/8/01 vs Grand Valley State W 106-102 Owensboro, Ky.
3/9/01 vs Southern Indiana W 93-92 OT Owensboro, Ky.
3/10/01 at Kentucky Wesleyan L 57-59 Owensboro, Ky.
3/14/03 vs Findlay L 76-80 Houghton, Mich.
3/10/2007 vs Drury W 73-68 Findlay, Ohio
3/11/2007 at Findlay W 60-56 Findlay, Ohio
3/13/2007 vs Grand Valley State L 42-66 Findlay, Ohio
3/15/2008 vs Kentucky Wesleyan W 61-55 Allendale, Mich.
3/16/2008 at Grand Valley State L 58-62 Allendale, Mich.
3/14/2009 vs Lake Superior State L 72-75 2OT Findlay, Ohio
3/12/2011 vs Kentucky Wesleyan W 76-74 OT Louisville, Ky.
3/13/2011 at Bellarmine L 82-87 Louisville, Ky.
