HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's basketball faces Eastern Kentucky in nonconference action on Saturday, Dec. 8, with tip-off schedule for 6 p.m.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (8-2 Overall, 0-0 Horizon League)
Eastern Kentucky University Colonels (5-4 Overall, 0-0 OVC)
Saturday, Dec. 8 – 6 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN+ with Greg Stotelmyer (PxP) and Doug Sallee (Color)
Radio: ESPN1530 with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU is off to its best start of the Division I era, sitting at 8-2 following Tuesday night's 78-65 loss at Cincinnati.
• NKU will meet up with EKU for the ninth time in program history, with seven of the nine coming in Richmond, Kentucky. The Colonels lead the series 5-3, but NKU dominated last year's meeting, 91-63.
• NKU is 2-2 on the road this year, with both losses coming to AAC members currently ranked in the top-50 of Ken Pomeroy's rankings - Cincinnati is No. 33 and UCF is No. 46.
• NKU is averaging 17.1 assists per game, No. 32 in the nation. The Norse also boast the fifth-best assist rate (assists per field-goals made) in the nation at 67.0.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 15th in attempts (261) and eighth in made treys (98). The Norse are making 9.8 threes per game, which are the 37th-most nationally.
• NKU is forcing teams into 15.6 turnovers per game, the 77th-most in the country. As part of the defensive pressure, NKU's 80 total steals are the 17th-most.
• Foes are also converting just 37.6 percent of their shots versus NKU, 19th-best nationally. The Norse are also 44th in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 64.3 points per game.
• 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 and played in the NIT.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 54-23, 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 17.9 points. He also leads NKU at 9.6 rebounds per game (33rd in nation). His four double-doubles rank 18th in the country and he is one of just 13 players, and one of only three forwards, to register a triple-double so far this year.
• McDonald also just earned his second Horizon League Player of the Week award of the year after averaging 16.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last week, which included a triple-double at MSU.
• McDonald is chasing NKU's all-time rebound record. He is second with 858 boards and needs just two rebounds to break LaRon Moore's Norse record, 859.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 13.7 points per game. However, over the last five games the junior guard has upped that averaged to 17.2 ppg on the strength of 50 percent (19-of-38) shooting from 3-point range.
• Sharpe is also getting it done on the defensive end, as his 21 steals on the season are the 20th-most in the country.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. He's shooting 50.6 percent (45-of-89) from the floor and 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from three.
• G Zaynah Robinson is running the show for the Norse and has a team-best 3.7 assists per game. He is also second on the team in steals, registering 15 on the year.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this year. He's registered 28 assists to only 12 turnovers and is making 51.6 percent (32-of-62) of his shots.
 
Last Time Out
With the game tied at 13, Cincinnati put together a 14-point run and held Northern Kentucky at bay throughout the rest of the game to hand the Norse just their second loss of the season in the 78-65 setback. NKU converted 40 percent (6-of-15) of its field goals and 44 percent (11-of-25) of its 3-point tries, while UC made 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from the floor and just 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from three. The Bearcats went 26-of-33 (78.8 percent) at the charity stripe, but the Norse only made 6-of-15 (40 percent). Sharpe was 6-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three en route a team-best 16 points. Tate added 13 points, while McDonald added eight points and eight rebounds.
 
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky is 5-4 and coming off of a 79-77 home win against NKU's former Atlantic Sun-foe USC Upstate, which is now a member of the Big South. The Colonels score at an 81.6 points per game clip, but are allowing 82.4 ppg. On the season, EKU is making 40 percent of its field goals and 31.1 percent of its threes. Opponents are shooting 46 percent against Eastern Kentucky, but just 32.9 percent from long range. Nick Mayo is the only Colonel averaging double figures, but he is scoring at a high 24.1 points per game rate. He's also pulling down 9.0 rpg.
 
Series Stuff
NKU is 3-5 all-time versus EKU, but won the only meeting between the two teams as Division I foes with last season's 91-63 route in Highland Heights. Northern Kentucky dominated the paint to the tune of a 64-22 advantage, while also getting out in transition and outscoring Eastern Kentucky 21-4 in fastbreak points. McDonald had a game-best 23 points and nine rebounds. Walton also chipped in 10 points.