HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Reigning champion Northern Kentucky begins its title defense on Saturday, March 3, when it takes the court in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament as the No. 1 seed. NKU awaits its opponent, which will be the winner of Friday night's clash between No. 8 Cleveland State and No. 9 Youngstown State. Tip-off between the Norse and either the Vikings or Penguins is set for 8 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
 
Game Information
No. 1 Northern Kentucky University Norse (22-8 Overall, 15-3 Horizon League)
No. 8 Cleveland State University Vikings (9-22 Overall, 6-12 Horizon League) or
No. 9 Youngstown State University Vikings (8-23 Overall, 6-12 Horizon League)
Saturday, March 3 – 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Little Caesars Arena (20,491) in Detroit
TV: ESPN3 with Will Haskett (Play-by-Play) and Tim Doyle (Color)
Radio: FOXSports1360 (1360 AM) with Jim Kelch (Play-by-Play) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU defeated IUPUI, 75-56, Sunday afternoon to claim the Horizon League Regular Season Championship outright.
• NKU won the league with a 15-3 mark and earned the overall No. 1 seed for #MotorCityMadness.
• NKU is only the second team (NDSU) to win a league regular season title, conference tournament championship and participate in the NCAA tournament in its first two years eligible at the DI level.
• The Norse await the winner of No. 8 Cleveland State and No. 9 Youngstown State, which play in the opening round Friday night.
• NKU swept the two schools during the regular season and own all-time marks of 4-2 and 7-9 against Cleveland State and Youngstown State, respectively.
• Dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season, and including the #HLMBB Championship, NKU has won 30 of its last 39 games (.769) 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 46-19 record (.708).
• Northern Kentucky is 20th in the nation in 2-point field goal percent (56.6).
• NKU is averaging 16.4 assists per game, a mark that ranks 30th in the nation. It also only commits 12.4 turnovers an outing. Combining those two marks results in an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33, the 37th-best in the country.
• NKU forces the 73rd-most turnovers per game in the nation (14.5) and allows teams to distribute just 11.1 assists per game.
• NKU's plus-13.0 scoring margin is the 14th best in the nation.
• NKU's 3-point field goal defense ranks 9th in the nation at 30.7 percent.
• Through games played Feb. 23, NKU sits 84th on KenPom.com, which tops the Horizon League.
• The Norse are 18th in the CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll and receiving votes in the Mid-Major Madness Power Rankings.
• All-Horizon League First Team member F Drew McDonald has been on an absolute tear in registering double-doubles. He has 14 in the last 20 games and 16 total on the year, 11th-most in the nation. McDonald leads NKU in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg).
• G Lavone Holland II earned All-Horizon League Second Team honors and is the only player in the league to average double digits in scoring (13.7 ppg) and at least four rebounds (4.2 rpg) and four assists (4.4 apg).
• F Jalen Tate earned both Horizon League All-Defensive and All-Freshman honors as the motor that makes NKU's nationally-ranked defense move. He leads NKU in steals (41) and blocks (19).
• McDonald and F Carson Williams were both named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team.
• Williams is converting 60.8 percent of his field-goals, averaging 12.5 ppg.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second in the nation among walk-ons with 198 points.
 
Last Time Out
Suffocating defense from the Norse held IUPUI to just 30.2 percent (16-of-53) shooting for the game, which included a slim 20.8 percent (5-of-24) in the opening half, en route to a 75-56 road win that delivered Northern Kentucky its first Horizon League Regular Season Championship. NKU forced 18 turnovers, 14 of which came via steals.
 
Holland had a game-high 17 points, adding three assists and four steals. McDonald tallied his league-leading 16th double-double with 15 points and 11 caroms. Dantez Walton chipped in 11 points. Tate stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, two rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals. Williams chimed in with eight points and nine boards.
 
Scouting CSU/YSU
Cleveland State and Youngstown State enter Motor City Madness as the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, respectively. The two teams meet Friday, March 2 at 8 p.m., with the winner advancing to face NKU on Saturday.
 
Cleveland State went 9-22 overall and 6-12 in league play. The Vikings average 69.0 ppg, but surrender 75.6. Kenny Carpenter paces CSU's offense at 12.7 ppg, while freshman Tyree Appleby averages 11.3 ppg and 3.8 apg. Bobby Word also scores at a double-figure clip, posting 11.0 ppg.
 
Youngstown State finished the year 8-23 overall, including a 6-12 mark in the Horizon League. YSU's offense pours in 75.5 ppg. However, the Penguins give up 83.1 ppg, second worst in the league. Cameron Morse (15.5 ppg) and Braun Hartfield (13.7 ppg) are the only two players to post double-digit scoring averages, but five other Penguins average at least 6.0 ppg.
 
Series Stuff
Northern Kentucky swept the season series against both CSU and YSU. NKU is 4-2 all-time against Cleveland State, winning each of the last four meetings. The Norse are 7-9 versus Youngstown State, which includes three-straight wins. NKU and YSU met in last year's Motor City Madness semifinals, where the Norse picked up an 84-74 victory.
 
Regular-Season Champions
In just its second season of NCAA Division I eligibility, Northern Kentucky has won the Horizon League regular season title. NKU finished the conference schedule with a 15-3 mark, its winningest conference season at the DI level to date. In fact, NKU only had four seasons at the DII level with more league wins when it posted 16 in 1994-95, 1996-97, 1999-2000 and 2002-03.
 
Unprecedented Success
Since gaining active status as Division I members prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Northern Kentucky has strung together a level of success seen only one other time in a program's first two seasons as active DI members. The Norse join North Dakota State as the only two teams to win a league regular-season championship, league tourney title and reach the NCAA Tournament in their first two years with active Division I membership. The Summit League's North Dakota State achieved all three in its first season (2008-09), before failing to post a winning record in its second season. NKU won the tourney title and played in the NCAA tournament in its first season (2017) and won the regular-season crown in year two (2018). The Norse still have a chance to add to their resume with the league tournament and at least the NIT on the horizon.
 
It should also be noted that Long Beach State won four-consecutive Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West) regular season titles and earned appearances in the NCAA tournament, but the Big West did not sponsor a league tourney until the mid-1970's. And, Florida Gulf Coast won the Atlantic Sun Tournament and made the NCAA tourney in its second season, when it reached the Sweet 16, but the Eagles did not win a regular-season crown during that time.