HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team will play its second contest of a three-game road swing when it takes on North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, North Carolina, at 7 p.m. Monday night.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (1-3 Overall, 0-0 Horizon League)
North Carolina A&T State University Aggies (0-7 Overall, 0-0 MEAC)
Monday, Nov. 30 - 7 p.m. (ET)
Ellis F. Corbett Center (5,700) in Greensboro, N.C.
TV: N/A
Radio: 55KRC (550 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Analysis)
 
Fast Break Points (140 Characters or Less)
• NKU made No. 23 Xavier uncomfortable all evening in a 78-66 setback in its last outing, falling to 1-3 on the year.
• Northern Kentucky converted 9-of-22 3-point attempts (40.9%) and recorded six blocks against XU.
• Led by Jalen Billups' 10 swats on the year, NKU is now averaging 5.0 blocks per game.
• Three Norse have led NKU in scoring through the first four games, White (WVU, XU), Billups (Tiffin) & Holland (MSU).
• According to kenpom.com, NKU has played the 6th toughest schedule with games vs. West Virginia (17th) & XU (18th).
• F Jalen Billups led the nation w/ 69.6% shooting last year, setting NKU's single-season record. He's opened this year at 65.4% (17-26).
• Billups ranks among NKU's all-time leaders in FG % (2nd, .635), blocks (5th, 102) & blocks per game (11th, 1.1).
• Billups and G Tyler White are climbing NKU's all-time scoring list. Billups ranks 35th w/ 865 points & White is No. 40 (804).
• White poured in a career-high 25 points against No. 23 Xavier. He shot 7-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 at the line.
• White led NKU in made 3's (66) in '14-15 & is 13th in NKU's record books with 147-career treys.
• In the last three games G Lavone Holland II has averaged 10.7 points, 9.0 rebounds & 6.7 assists per game.
• Holland is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game
• G Cole Murray has had the hot hand from long range, shooting 53.3% (8-of-15) from behind the arc this year.
• F/C Drew McDonald is averaging 5.5 ppg behind 50% (8-for-16) shooting as just a freshman.
 
Scouting North Carolina A&T
North Carolina A&T has had a tough start to the season, losing all seven of its games thus far. The Aggies opened the season with blowout losses to Purdue and Florida and followed with a home loss to Division III Roanoke College. Losses to Buffalo, Niagara and Virginia Tech preceded Saturday's loss at North Dakota State.
Bruce Beckford is the unquestioned leader for NC A&T, averaging 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, which includes a 38-point, 16-rebound effort against Roanoke College. Sam Hunt is second on the team in scoring at 8.0 points per game, but has missed two of the last three games, and Jamin Lackey is second in rebounding (3.3 rpg).
 
Series Stuff: North Carolina A&T
Northern Kentucky leads the all-time series, 1-0, after winning last season's meeting, 68-55, at BB&T Arena. Cole Murray went off for 21 points behind 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, all from behind the arc.  Jalen Billups added 13 points and five boards. Bruce Beckford led NC A&T with 19 points and five rebounds. The Norse outshot the Aggies 49-41 percent and never trailed in the contest.
 
Last Time Out: No. 23 Xavier
Northern Kentucky never backed down in nationally-televised game at No. 23 Xavier last Monday. Tyler White exploded for a career-high 25 points against the Musketeers, who entered the national rankings earlier in the day following a road thrashing of Michigan. NKU kept the game close early, trailing by just one, 24-23, following a Drew McDonald layin 10-minutes into the game. XU scored 10-straight before NKU rebounded to pull within four, 39-35. Xavier scored the final four points of the first half and worked to take as much as 17-point lead mid-way through the second stanza. But, the Norse refused to go away. White when on a personal 7-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits, 74-65, with two minutes remaining. However, Xavier sealed the game at the charity stripe. The Norse forced the Musketeers to shoot just 39 percent for the game and kept pace at 38.6 percent, including 40.9 percent from three.