HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky is set to square off against Green Bay when it hosts its Horizon League foe at BB&T Arena on Thursday night in a regionally televised contest on FOX Sports Ohio. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (16-4 Overall, 6-1 Horizon League)
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (10-10 Overall, 3-4 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 24 – 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: FOX Sports Ohio* with Brady Laber (PxP) and Brad Redford (Color)
Radio: FOXSports1360 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.
 
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. The first 500 students will receive a foam Norse helmet and pizza.
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU's coaches will participate in Suits and Sneakers Week (Jan. 21-27) for Coaches vs. Cancer.
• NKU improved to 16-4 and claimed sole possession of first in the Horizon League standings after defeating Youngstown State 82-74 and Oakland defeated Detroit Mercy on Saturday afternoon.
• NKU made 50.9 percent of its shots, moving to 7-1 in games where it makes at least 50 percent from the floor.
• The Norse have now won eight of their last nine contests and are off to their best start since 2011-12, the last year of DII competition where NKU also started 16-4 through its first 20 games.
• NKU is 3-3 all-time against Green Bay and has won the last three in the series.
• NKU is averaging 16.4 assists per game, No. 31 in the nation. The Norse also rank 11th in the country in total assists with 327 and have seven games where they've handed out at least 20 dimes.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 26th in attempts (513) and 24th in made treys (184). The Norse are making 9.2 threes per game, which are the 52nd-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 40.4 percent of their shots versus NKU, 44th-best nationally. The Norse are also 74th in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 67.2 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.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 36-11 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 32-15.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 62-25, 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 19.1 points. He also leads NKU at 10.2 rebounds per game (16th in nation). His 10 double-doubles rank 13th nationally and he is one of just 19 players to register a triple-double this year.
• In his last 27 games against Horizon League opponents, dating back to March 17, 2017, McDonald has posted a double-double 18 times.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,800 career points (1,812) and 900 career boards (966). He is also tied fifth for career double-doubles (44) among active players.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this year. He is making 58.6 percent (78-of-133) of his shots.
• Since returning from injury eight games ago, Tate has averaged 15.4 ppg behind 64.8 percent (46-of-71) field-goal shooting, while also averaging 5.3 rpg.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 14.3 points per game and, in 15 of the team's 20 games has hit at least two threes. In the last two games, he' made 8-of-14 from deep.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 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 3.1 assists per game. He is averaging 9.1 points per game overall, but in the last two games averaged 13.0 points behind 7-for-10 three-point shooting.
• G Trevon Faulkner has started the last 13 games for the Norse, playing more than 22 minutes per outing and has dished out 22 assists while committing just eight miscues. In league play, he has 11 assists to just two turnovers and is averaging 6.1 ppg.
 
Last Time Out
After YSU scored to claim a 56-55 lead with 11:36 remaining, McDonald converted a turnaround jumper from the baseline to ignite a 14-4 Norse run over the next 3:50. McDonald had six points during the run, while Robinson totaled five and Sharpe drilled a shot-clock beating three. The Norse never looked back in finishing off the Penguins 82-74. McDonald had a game-high 23 points on efficient 8-for-10 shooting, which included making all six shots inside the arc, and secured seven rebounds. Sharpe and Tate added 13 points and Robinson just missed double figures with nine. Northern Kentucky shot a blistering 61 percent (14-of-23) in the second half en route to 51 percent (29-of-57) shooting for the game.  Youngstown State made 45 percent (24-of-53) in the contest, but NKU dominated the glass (36-24) and points in the paint (40-28).
 
Scouting Green Bay
Green Bay enters at 10-10 overall and 4-3 in league play, most recently ending a three-game skid with a 90-85 home win over UIC. The Phoenix sit amid a crowded pack in the league standings, tied with Wright State and Milwaukee, but just one game back of Oakland and Detroit Mercy which are 5-2 and a game ahead of IUPUI and UIC at 3-4. Redshirt senior Sandy Cohen III paces a trio of Phoenix averaging double digits with 17.2 points per game. He also leads Green Bay in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and assists (4.8 apg). In Horizon League games, Cohen's scoring elevates to 20 ppg and rebounding rises to 7.1 rpg. In all games, JayQuan McCloud averages 14.8 ppg and ShanQuan Hemphill contributes 11.6 ppg for a Green Bay team that averages a league-high 84.9 ppg. The Phoenix, however, also surrender a league-worst 83.0 ppg.
 
Series Stuff
Northern Kentucky and Green Bay are tied 3-3 all-time in the series, with all six matchups coming as members of the Horizon League. The series has been marked by streaks, with the Phoenix winning the first three games and the Norse claiming each of the last three.