HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Kennesaw State will make its way to Highland Heights, Ky., for the Atlantic Sun Conference home opener for the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team. Tayler Persons leads the Norse in scoring at 12.7 points per game and Tyler White is coming off of a 20-point showing against Lipscomb on Saturday.

Northern Kentucky University Norse (6-10 Overall, 0-1 Atlantic Sun)
Kennesaw State University Owls (5-12 Overall, 0-1 Atlantic Sun)
Wed., Jan. 14 - 7:00 p.m. (ET)
The Bank of Kentucky Center (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (play-by-play) and Amber Stocks-Whitford (analysis) 
Radio: ESPN 1530 (AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)

Fast Break Points

• As A-Sun  members, NKU is 3-1 versus KSU. The Norse are 4-1 all-time vs. the Owls.
• Northern Kentucky is 4-3 at home this season, while Kennesaw St. is 1-9 on the road. KSU's road win came at Youngstown St., where NKU lost.
• The Norse enter A-Sun league play ranked second in shooting (44.5 percent) and turnovers (11.4).
• F Jalen Billups ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .608), blocks (10th, 75) & blocks per game (12th, 1.0).
• #DiaperDandy G Tayler Persons leads NKU in scoring (12.7 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.2).
• Persons is 10th in the A-Sun in scoring and third in assists. He is also 12th in steals and 24th in rebounding.
• In the last eight games, Persons is averaging 15.1 ppg, while White is at 12.3 and Billups at 11.0.
• Billups leads the league in field goal percentage (64.2) and G Anthony Monaco is 5th in the A-Sun in 3-point percentage (42.2).
• G Tyler White has started the last six games and leads NKU in made threes (30). He's t-18th with AC Kevin Schappell with 106-career treys.

Scouting Kennesaw State

Kennesaw State enters with a 5-12 overall record and 0-1 mark in the A-Sun after dropping a 68-65 decision at USC Upstate to open league play. Nigel Pruitt earned A-Sun Player of the Week after dropping in 32 points in the loss at Upstate. He is second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. Yonel Brown leads the Owls at 14.8 ppg.

KSU averages just 63.1 points per game, second worst in the A-Sun, and surrenders a league-worst 74.8 ppg. 

The Norse and Owls have played two common opponents, Chattanooga and Youngstown State. KSU won both games, while NKU dropped both.

Series Stuff - Kennesaw State

The two teams split last seasonís series, with each team winning on its home court. NKU claimed an 82-69 win on Jan. 18 after placing five players in double-figures and shooting 55.0 percent from the floor. Jordan Jackson and Todd Johnson tallied 18 points each in that game. KSU rallied from a 11-point second-half deficit to claim the second game of the series, 69-67. Daniel Camps led four Norse in double-figures.

NKU leads the all-time series 4-1, including a 3-1 record as members of the A-Sun.

Last Time Out: Lipscomb

After connecting on three of its first four field-goal attempts, Northern Kentucky struggled to find offense until about the ten-minute mark of the second half. Lipscomb had built a 20-point lead that it did not surrender. Tyler White scored 17 of his team-high 20 points after intermission. Jalen Billups tallied 14 points and Tayler Persons tacked on 10 in the outing.

Billups Is Rewriting Career Marks

Redshirt junior forward Jalen Billups is leaving his mark on NKU's record books. He ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG percent (2nd, .608), blocks (10th, 75) and blocks per game (13th, 1.0).

Billups connected on 65.1 percent (54-of-83) of his shots during the 2011-12 campaign, a mark that ranks third in NKU's single-season records list. So far this season, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native is 61-of-95 for 64.2 percent, a total that leads the A-Sun and ties DeAndre Nealy as the sixth-best single season mark. His 9.1 points per game average is second-most on the team.

Billups dropped a double-double against Youngstown State, where he totalled 12 points and 10 boards. The last double-double registered by a Norse came from Billups when he put up 12 points and 12 rebounds versus East Tennessee State last season (2/6/14).

Point Person(s)

Guard Tayler Persons has emerged as one of NKU's leaders as a true freshman. Persons has recorded double-digit scoring efforts in nine of the last 11 games, including a career-high 30 points at Chattnooga. The 30-point effort against the Mocs, coupled with a 16-point, eight assist effort at Morehead State, led to both A-Sun Newcomer and Mid-Major Madness Freshman of the Week honors. He tallied a then-career-high 23 points to lead NKU past Idaho, 79-74. Persons' efforts against EWU and Idaho garnered him A-Sun Newcomer of the Week honors. 

Persons has made his presence felt all over the court for the Norse. He leads Northern Kentucky in scoring (12.7 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) and is third on the squad in rebounding at 4.0 rpg.

White Hot

Junior guard Tyler White was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 10.8 points per game. His efforts landed him a spot on the College Sports Madness A-Sun preseason all-conference third team. 

The native of Lima, Ohio, poured in a career-high 24 points, including 19 in the first half, in NKU's win at Morehead State. He also connected on a career-best five threes in the game. He tallied his second 20-point effort at Lipscomb (Jan. 10). White is third on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game.

Whiteís four 3-pointers at Lipscomb catapulted him into the top-20 all-time at NKU. His 106 made threes tie assistant coach Kevin Schappell for 18th.