HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Seniors Cole Murray, Matt Rosenwinkel and Dean Danos will be honored for their time as Norse when the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team takes to the court for the final time during the 2016-17 season. Horizon League-leading Valparaiso comes to BB&T Arena for a 1 p.m. (ET) matinee on Sunday, Feb. 26.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (20-10 Overall, 11-6 Horizon League)
Valparaiso University Crusaders (24-6 Overall, 14-3 Horizon League)
Sunday, Feb. 26 - 1:00 p.m. (ET)
BB&T Arena (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: Spectrum Sports/ESPN3 with Neil Sika (play-by-play) and Dave Cecutti (analysis)
Radio: FOXSports 1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Steve Moeller (analysis)
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU earned its 20th win of the season with a 90-82 decision over UIC at BB&T Arena on Friday night.
• NKU's win coupled with Green Bay's loss, moves the Norse into a tie with the Phoenix for third in the Horizon League standings with one game left. NKU was picked to finish 7th in the Horizon League in the preseason poll.
• Northern Kentucky will finish no worse than fourth-place in the Horizon League and can finish as high as third. It has also guaranteed itself either the three- or four-seed in Motor City Madness.
• The Norse have won eight of their last 10 games, which includes a 5-0 mark at BB&T Arena.
• NKU sits at 20-10 on the season, and has established a new Division I-era record for wins, topping the 13 recorded in the 2014-15 season as a member of the Atlantic Sun.
• NKU's 20 wins are 11 more than it had last year, a turnaround that tied for the second-best in the nation based on wins alone. According to the NCAA, which also considers losses, NKU is fourth at plus-11.
• The Norse close the season with a stretch of five games in 11 days. They are 3-1, with wins over Cleveland State, Wright State and UIC.
• NKU concludes the regular-season with Valparaiso on Sunday at 1 p.m. Valpo is currently first in the League standings.
• Three senior Norse will be honored pregame on Sunday - Cole Murray, Matt Rosenwinkel and Dean Danos.
• The 70-point plateau is key for NKU this year. Northern Kentucky is 17-4 when scoring at least 70 points and 13-2 when holding opponents to 70 or fewer points.
• F Drew McDonald dropped 27 points and grabbed nine boards versus UIC. He has a team-high 10 double-doubles on the year, while also leading NKU in scoring (16.3) and rebounding (7.7).
• F Cole Murray went for 16 points on Friday. He is tied-third on the team in scoring at 10.8 ppg, ranks No. XX nationally with 93 made threes this year and No. XX in 3-point shooting percent, converting 41.5 percent. He has made a triple in 29-of-30 games.
• F Carson Williams collected his third Horizon League Freshman of the Week honor after securing his fourth double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 boards against YSU and career-high 22 points at Cleveland State. He is fourth on the team in scoring (10.4) and second in rebounding (6.0).
• G Lavone Holland II tallied 19 points against UIC, marking the second-straight game with the total. He is second on the team at 13.8 ppg, but has a team-high 116 assists.
• G Mason Faulkner is averaging 7.8 ppg on the year, including 11.1 ppg in Horizon League play.
 
Scouting Valpo
Preseason No. 1 Valparaiso sits atop the Horizon League standings with one game left on the docket. Alec Peters, the preseason player of the year and projected NBA draft pick, averages a team-best 23.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. However, Peters missed the first game of his career Friday night at Wright State. The Crusaders erased an eight-point halftime deficit to the Raiders en route to an 84-74 win. Shane Hammink is second in scoring at 15.6 ppg and Tevonn Walker is third at 11.1 ppg.
 
All-Time Series
Despite just a two-year history in the series, Valparaiso holds a 3-0 lead on Northern Kentucky. The Crusaders staked claim to 65-58 win in Valparaiso, Indiana earlier this year. The Norse were within one with three minutes to play, but struggled to score down the stretch. Holland and Drew scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, in the game.
 
Last Time Out
McDonald dropped a game-high 27 points and narrowly missed the double-double with nine rebounds, as Northern Kentucky closed out the back-and-forth affair with a 90-82 victory. Holland scored 19 points for the second-straight game, while Murray and Faulkner gave the Norse four players in double-figures with 16 and 13, respectively. The game featured 10 ties and 23 lead changes, but Holland put the Norse ahead for good with a pair of free throws at the 1:17 mark and NKU outscored UIC 10-2 down the stretch.