HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Fresh off of its Horizon League-opening win against IUPUI on Friday night, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team welcomes UIC to BB&T Arena for a Sunday evening tilt. The game, set for a 6 p.m. start, will air regionally on FOX Sports Ohio.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (11-3 Overall, 1-0 Horizon League)
UIC Flames (7-7 Overall, 1-0 Horizon League)
Sunday, Dec. 30 – 6 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports Ohio* with Brady Laber (PxP) and Brad Redford (Color)
Radio: 55KRC with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
* Please use the Fox Sports Ohio Channel Finder to determine which channel the game is on in your market and with your provider.
** The game will also be available via ESPN+, but is blacked out in the FOX Sports Ohio market.
 
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Sunday is Kids Day at BB&T Arena. The first 500 kids will receive a Victor E. Viking drawstring bag and mascot basketball will take place at halftime.
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU moved to 11-3, its best 14-game start to a season in the DI era, with a 92-77 win over IUPUI to open Horizon League play.
• The Norse host UIC, which was picked to finish third in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and started league play with a buzzer-beating overtime three to defeat Wright State, 75-72, Friday night.
• NKU is 9-0 at BB&T Arena this season and is 32-4 at home since the start of the 2016-17 campaign.
• At home this season, the Norse average 81.4 points per game and give up just 60.9 ppg.
• The Norse were picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, receiving 356 points and 10 first-place votes. Wright State was picked first with 377 points.
• NKU is coming off a 22-10 campaign in which it won the Horizon League regular-season title with a 15-3 mark and played in the NIT.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 31-10 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 28-13.
• NKU is averaging 16.4 assists per game, No. 47 in the nation. The Norse also rank 13th in the country in total assists with 229.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 19th in attempts (364) and 25th in made treys (128). The Norse are making 9.1 threes per game, which are the 67th-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 38.9 percent of their shots versus NKU, 34th-best nationally. The Norse are also 62nd in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 66.0 points per game.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 57-24, has won the Horizon League regular season (2018) and league tourney (2017), and has played in the NCAA Tournament (2017) and NIT (2018).
• F Drew McDonald leads four Norse averaging double digits on the year at 18.7 points. He also leads NKU at 9.7 rebounds per game (23rd in nation). His seven double-doubles rank ninth nationally and he is one of just 16 players to register a triple-double so far this year.
• McDonald has registered a double-double in three-straight games.
• In his last 21 games against Horizon League opponents, dating back to March 17, 2017, McDonald has posted a double-double 15 times.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,600 career points (1,693) and 800 career boards (898).
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 14.3 points per game.
• Sharpe has made at least two 3-pointers in each of the last 10 games, including eight with at least three made treys.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. In his first two seasons as a Norse (61 games), he posted nine combined double-figure scoring games. He already has 11 double-digit scoring outputs this year.
• G Zaynah Robinson is running the show for the Norse and has a team-best 3.4 assists per game. He is averaging 9.4 points per game.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this year. He's registered 31 assists to only 15 turnovers and is making 52.0 percent (39-of-75) of his shots.
• G Trevon Faulkner has started the last seven games for the Norse, playing nearly 22 minutes per outing and has dished out 17 assists while committing just seven miscues. He handed out a career-best six assists against IUPUI.
 
Last Time Out
Five Norse reached double figures, including a 24-point, 12-rebound performance from McDonald, as Northern Kentucky started the Horizon League schedule with a 92-77 victory over IUPUI. NKU used a 17-2 run midway through the first half to take a comfortable lead, as the advantage never dipped to single digits the rest of the way. NKU converted 54 percent (29-of-54) from the floor, including 43 percent (9-of-21) from three. Stingy 3-point defense, which has been a staple for Northern Kentucky, limited IUPUI to 24 percent (5-of-21) from long range. The Jaguars made 45 percent (30-of-67) from the field. Sharpe also reached double figures with 16 points. Walton contributed 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Tate and Adrian Nelson chimed in with 10 apiece.
 
Scouting UIC
UIC moved to 7-7 on the season and 1-0 in the Horizon League courtesy of a buzzer-beating three in overtime from Travell Washington to propel the Flames to a 75-72 win. Marcus Ottey had 23 points and eight rebounds, while Tarkus Ferguson finished with 18 points, 10 boards and six assists. Washington closed the game with 13 points.
 
Ottey averages a team-best 16.3 points per game, while UIC also receives double-figure scoring contributions from Ferguson (15.9), Godwin Boahen (14.6) and Jordan Blount (11.5). The Flames, who allow 78.2 points per game while tallying 77.6, are riding a three-game winning streak.
 
Series Stuff
NKU is 5-1 all-time against UIC, including wins in all three games between the teams at BB&T Arena. In the three home wins, NKU has outscored UIC, 258-202 (86-67.3 ppg). Northern Kentucky has won four in a row in the series.