HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The second road trip of the Horizon League slate takes the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team to Wisconsin, where the Norse will play at Milwaukee in a Thursday night tilt on ESPN3. NKU and Milwaukee will tip off at 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT) at UWM Panther Arena.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (12-6 Overall, 5-1 Horizon League)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers (9-11 Overall, 2-5 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 18 – 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT)
UWM Panther Arena (10,783) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Scott Waras (Play-by-Play)
Radio: ESPN1530 (1530 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Color)
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU used suffocating first-half defense to roll to a 70-55 win over visiting Cleveland State on Monday night.
• The Norse are second in the league standings with a 5-1 mark.
• Dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season, and including the #HLMBB Championship, NKU has won 20 of its last 27 games (.741) against League opponents.
• The Norse are 3-3 all-time versus Milwaukee, with both teams 2-0 on its home court.
• Northern Kentucky is 16th in the nation in 2-point field goal percent (57.6).
• NKU is averaging 16.7 assists per game, a mark that ranks 38th in the nation. It also only commits 11.9 turnovers an outing, which ranks 55th nationally. Combining those two marks results in an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.40, the 26th best in the country.
• NKU forces the 34th-most turnovers per game in the nation (16.1) and allows teams to distribute just 10.8 assists per game.
• NKU is 20th in the country in steals (8.5 spg) and has registered double-digit steals five times on the year, including three times in the last four games.
• NKU's 3-point field goal defense ranks eighth in the nation at 29.1 percent.
• Through games played Jan. 16, NKU sits 71st on KenPom.com, which is tops in the Horizon League. In a recent column on TheAthletic.com, Ken Pomeroy marked NKU's odds at 72 percent to win the Horizon League. Oakland was second with a 35 percent chance.
• The Norse are receiving votes in both the CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll and Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings.
• NKU is one of 16 teams in the country to return at least 70 percent of its production in points (77), rebounds (84) and assists (84).
• F Carson Williams is converting 64.3 percent of his field-goal attempts (101-of-157), a mark that ranks 12th in the country. He is averaging 14.2 ppg.
• F Drew McDonald, the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, leads NKU in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg) and has seven double-doubles, 36th most in the nation.
• G Lavone Holland II is the consummate point guard - scores when needed (13.4 ppg), sets the table for his teammates (4.9 apg) and takes care of the ball (2.0 turnovers per game). His 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 63rd in the country.
• F Jordan Garnett will play in his 100th game as a Norse at Milwaukee.
• G Tyler Sharpe is averaging 6.5 ppg and 1.5 spg in League play.
 
Last Time Out
Mason Faulkner scored eight-straight points, igniting an 11-2 Norse run that broke a 15-15 tie. Sharpe brought similar energy off the bench, converting a pair of threes in the final 2:39 of the first half to help NKU to a 37-21 halftime lead. Cleveland State never seriously threatened the rest of the way, as Northern Kentucky won 70-55.
 
Faulkner scored a game-high 16 points for the Norse.  McDonald narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and eight boards, as did Williams who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sharpe finished with nine points on a trio of threes. McDonald had five assists and Jalen Tate passed out four assists.
 
Scouting Milwaukee
The Panthers have lost three in a row and four of their last five, although the last five games have come on the road. Milwaukee is a bit of an enigma. The team arguably posted the Horizon League's best win this season, winning at Iowa State by 18 (74-56), but in the next game it fell to Concordia (MN), a DIII program, 69-55. Jeremiah Bell and Brock Stull lead the Panthers at 14.3 ppg. Bryce Nze averages 9.4 points and a team-best 7.5 rpg. Brett Prahl also averages 9.4 ppg.
 
Series Stuff
The all-time series is tied at three apiece. Both NKU and Milwaukee have held serve on their home courts and the teams split the two meetings in the Horizon League Championship. However, the Norse have won the last two meetings, topping Milwaukee on Homecoming last season, 69-63, and defeating the Panthers, 59-53, to win the Horizon League Tournament championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.