HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's basketball team is gearing up for its next Horizon League road contest, a 7 p.m. tip at the Wolstein Center against Cleveland State on Thursday, Jan. 17, in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (14-4 Overall, 4-1 Horizon League)
Cleveland State University Vikings (5-14 Overall, 0-6 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 17 – 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN+ with Al Pawlowski (PxP) and Pat Vuyancih (Color)
Radio: ESPN1530 with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU improved to 14-4 after defeating Wright State 68-64 on Friday night.
• The Norse have now won six of their last seven contests, outscoring their opponents 77.0-68.0.
• On Thursday, NKU heads to Cleveland State. NKU is 4-3 all-time against CSU, including a 2-1 mark at the Wolstein Center.
• NKU is averaging 16.5 assists per game, No. 31 in the nation. The Norse also rank 14th in the country in total assists with 297.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 39th in attempts (458) and 38th in made treys (161). The Norse are making 8.9 threes per game, which are the 71st-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 39.7 percent of their shots versus NKU, 34th-best nationally. The Norse are also 55th in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 66.4 points per game.
• The Norse were picked to finish second in the Horizon League, 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 34-11 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 30-15.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 60-25, has won the Horizon League regular season (2018) and league tourney (2017), and has played in both the NCAA Tournament (2017) and NIT (2018). No other team in DI history has accomplished this feat.
• F Drew McDonald leads four Norse averaging double digits on the year at 18.8 points. He also leads NKU at 10.1 rebounds per game (17th in nation). His nine double-doubles rank 15th nationally and he is one of just 19 players to register a triple-double this year.
• In his last 25 games against Horizon League opponents, dating back to March 17, 2017, McDonald has posted a double-double 17 times.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,700 career points (1,770) and 900 career boards (944). He is also tied fifth for career-doubles (43) among active players.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this year. He is making 59.1 percent (65-of-110) of his shots and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) of his threes.
• Since returning from injury six games ago, Tate has averaged 15.5 ppg behind 68.8 percent (33-of-48) field-goal shooting and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) 3-point shooting, while also averaging 4.5 apg.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 13.9 points per game and, in 13 of the team's 18 games has hit at least two threes.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. In his first two seasons as a Norse (61 games), he posted nine combined double-figure scoring games. He already has 13 double-digit scoring outputs this year.
• G Zaynah Robinson is running the show for the Norse and is second on the team at 3.2 assists per game. He is averaging 8.6 points per game.
• G Trevon Faulkner has started the last 11 games for the Norse, playing more than 22 minutes per outing and has dished out 20 assists while committing just seven miscues. In league play, he has nine assists to just one turnover and is averaging 7.2 ppg.
 
Last Time Out
With the game tied at 62 and 1:40 remaining in the contest, Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year McDonald took over. First, McDonald scored on a reverse layup. Then, following a Sharpe steal, McDonald buried a three to put the Norse up five with 40 ticks left and propel NKU to a 68-64 win. After trailing by three, 30-27, at halftime, the Norse exploded for 41 second-half points behind red-hot 68 percent shooting (15-of-22), finishing the game converting 46 percent. NKU's defense held WSU to 42 percent for the contest, including just 20 percent shooting from three. McDonald finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Tate contributed 19 points, seven boards and four assists, while Sharpe finished with 14 points and three dimes.
 
Scouting Cleveland State
A third of the way through its conference slate, Cleveland State sits at 0-6 in Horizon League play and 8-14 overall. The Vikings are led by Preseason All-Horizon League First Team honoree Tyree Appleby, who is averaging 17.8 points and 5.1 assists in all games and 20.2 points and 4.5 assists per game in league contests. CSU allows opponents to score 83.0 points per game while scoring at a 72.2 ppg clip.
 
Series Stuff
NKU and CSU have met seven previous times, all coming as members of the Horizon League. Northern Kentucky owns a 4-3 record in the series and has won four of the last five. However, Cleveland State won the last meeting when it upended NKU as the No. 1 seed in last season's Horizon League Tournament, 89-80.
 
Game Time Change
NKU's game at Youngstown State on Jan. 19, has been moved up to a 1 p.m. tip due to pending winter storms slated to hit Youngstown, Ohio, Saturday evening.