HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Two-thirds of the Horizon League season is in the books for the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team, which plays host to Milwaukee on Thursday, Feb. 8. The contest is part of a doubleheader with the Norse women's team, which welcomes Oakland to BB&T Arena at 5 p.m. The men's game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (17-7 Overall, 10-2 Horizon League)
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Panthers (13-13 Overall, 6-7 Horizon League)
Thursday, Feb. 8 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
BB&T Arena (9,400) in Highland Heights, Ky.
TV: ESPN3 with Brady Laber (Play-by-Play) and Brad Redford (Color)
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
Tickets: Ticketmaster
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU jumped out to a 22-point lead in the first half and rolled to a 78-61 win at Cleveland State.
• The Norse are tied for first in the Horizon League standings with Wright State at 10-2.
• NKU is one of 11 teams in the country to use the same starting lineup in every game.
• Dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season, and including the #HLMBB Championship, NKU has won 25 of its last 33 games (.758) against League opponents.
• Since navigating the transition period and earning active Division I status prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU has posted a combined 41-18 record (.695),
• NKU is 4-3 all-time versus Milwaukee, which includes a 91-64 win in the first meeting this year.
• Northern Kentucky is 17th in the nation in 2-point field goal percent (57.2).
• NKU is averaging 17.0 assists per game, a mark that ranks 26th in the nation. It also only commits 12.3 turnovers an outing, which ranks 92nd nationally. Combining those two marks results in an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.39, the 27th-best in the country.
• NKU forces the 47th-most turnovers per game in the nation (15.3) and allows teams to distribute just 11.2 assists per game.
• NKU is 28th in the country in steals (7.8 spg), registering double-digit steals seven times this year.
• NKU's 3-point field goal defense ranks 22nd in the nation at 31.0 percent.
• Through games played Feb. 5, NKU sits 74th on KenPom.com, which is tops in the Horizon League.
• The Norse are 21st in the CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll and receiving votes in the Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings.
• F Drew McDonald was named the Horizon League Player of the Week after a dominating 26-point, 16-rebound effort at YSU and 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists at CSU.
• McDonald has been on an absolute tear in registering double-doubles. He has nine in the last 14 games and 11 total on the year, 17th-most in the nation. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year leads NKU in scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg).
• G Lavone Holland II runs the show for the Norse. He averages 13.5 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
• F Carson Williams is converting 62.8 percent of his field-goal attempts (125-of-199), a mark that ranks 14th in the country. He is averaging 13.2 ppg.
• G Tyler Sharpe is averaging 8.4 ppg and is shooting 51 percent in League play, while leading NKU - one of the nation's highest-ranked teams in steals - with 15 thefts during that time.
• G Mason Faulkner has reached double figures in three of the last four games, averaging 12.3 ppg during that span.
• HC John Brannen, last year's Horizon League Coach of the Year, picked up his 50th win as a head coach against Youngstown State. NKU's win at Cleveland State was his 50th at the helm of the Norse (50 at NKU, one at Alabama).
 
Last Time Out
A 10-0 run late in the first half allowed NKU to build a 22-point lead at 35-13 with 4:14 to play until halftime. Cleveland State was unable to overcome the deficit and never cut the margin to single digits, as NKU claimed a 78-61 win last Saturday. Holland led all scorers with 21 points. He also added five rebounds and three assists. McDonald added 19 points, seven rebounds and career-high seven assists. Faulkner finished with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including a 3-of-3 performance from behind the arc. Sharpe contributed 12 points, and Williams had six points and season-high 11 rebounds.
 
Scouting Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 13-13 overall and 6-7 in the Horizon League, good for sole possession of fifth in the league standings. The Panthers have been on a roll since falling to NKU, 91-64, on Jan. 18, winning four of their last five games, which includes a victory over then-league leader Wright State. Jeremiah Bell averages 13.6 ppg to pace the Panthers, but that mark swells to 15.7 ppg in Horizon League play. Brock Stull (13.4 ppg) and Bryce Nze (10.4 ppg) also average double figures. As a team, Milwaukee posts 68.7 ppg and surrenders 69.3 ppg.
 
Series Stuff
Thanks to a 91-64 victory at UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee on Jan. 18, Northern Kentucky leads the all-time series, 4-3, and has won three in a row against the Panthers. The Norse posted a dominant first half in January's meeting, leading 49-23 at intermission thanks to blistering shooting (56 percent) and stellar defense that held Milwaukee to just 30 percent in the half. Holland and McDonald both posted double-doubles in the game. Holland recorded 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, while McDonald had a game-high 25 points and 12 boards. Sharpe also kicked in a career-best 19 points.