HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Horizon League slate turns to the back-half of the schedule for the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team, which kicks off the final nine games with a road trip to IUPUI on Friday, Feb. 1. The Norse and Jaguars are set to tip at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (18-4 Overall, 8-1 Horizon League)
IUPUI Jaguars (13-9 Overall, 5-4 Horizon League)
Friday, Feb. 1 – 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN+ with Greg Rakestraw (PxP) and Bob Lovell (Color)
Radio: ESPN1530 with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU improved to 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Horizon League after defeating Milwaukee, 73-60, on Saturday night.
• The Norse have now won 10 of their last 11 contests and are off to their best start since 2011-12, the last year of DII competition when NKU also started 18-4 through its first 22 games.
• NKU is 7-1 all-time against IUPUI, has won the last six in the series, including all three in the DI era.
• NKU catapulted into the two mid-major polls this week. After sitting just on the outside in the receiving votes category the last two weeks, the Norse moved to No. 20 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll and No. 21 in The Other Top-25 Poll, which is presented by Mid-Major Madness.
• NKU is averaging 16.5 assists per game, No. 29 in the nation. The Norse also rank ninth in the country in total assists with 364 and have seven games where they've handed out at least 20 dimes.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 36th in attempts (554) and 25th in made treys (203). The Norse are making 9.2 threes per game, which are the 51st-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 40.1 percent of their shots versus NKU, 33rd-best nationally. The Norse are also 67th in scoring defense, allowing teams to post just 66.8 points per game.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 38-11 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 34-15.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 64-25, 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 19.2 points. He also leads NKU at 10.1 rebounds per game (18th in nation). His 11 double-doubles rank 14th nationally and he is one of just 19 players to register a triple-double this year.
• In his last 29 games against Horizon League opponents, dating back to March 17, 2017, McDonald has posted a double-double 19 times.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,800 career points (1,853) and 900 career boards (984). He is also sixth in career double-doubles (45) among active players.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this year. He is making 56.1 percent (88-of-157) of his shots.
• Since returning from injury 10 games ago, Tate has averaged 14.8 ppg behind 58.9 percent (56-of-95) field-goal shooting, while also averaging 5.7 rpg. This stretch includes Tate's first career double-double, 13 points and 10 boards against Milwaukee.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 14.1 points per game and, in 17 of the team's 22 games has hit at least two threes. In the last four games, he has made 12-of-23 from deep.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. In his first two seasons as a Norse (61 games), he posted nine combined double-figure scoring games. He has 14 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 8.5 points per game overall.
• G Trevon Faulkner has started the last 15 games for the Norse, playing more than 22 minutes per outing and has dished out 22 assists while committing just nine miscues. In league play, he has 11 assists to just three turnovers and is averaging 5.4 ppg.
• C Chris Vogt had a career night versus Green Bay. He posted his first career double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds, both career-highs. He also made nine field goals and dished out three assists, also career marks.
 
Last Time Out
An 18-2 run to open the second half erased a four-point Norse deficit and pushed NKU in front, 48-36. Northern Kentucky never led by double figures the rest of the way in a 73-60 win over Milwaukee. The Norse converted 44.4 percent of their shots, including 50 percent (12-of-24) from three, and held the Panthers to just 36.9 percent shooting and 36.4 percent from long range. McDonald paced the Norse with a career-high six threes on his way to a 30-point, 13-rebound double-double. Tate also registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 caroms, while Walton and Sharpe contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Scouting IUPUI
IUPUI comes into the Friday's matchup with a 13-9 overall record and 5-4 mark in league play, but the Jaguars have won their last two contests and three of the last four. They are currently tied with Detroit Mercy in fourth in the league standings. IUPUI is a tough out on its home court, posting an 8-2 mark at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Camron Justice enters as one of the league's most-prolific scorers, ranking third at 19.5 ppg. Jalen Minnett is averaging 11.0 ppg on the year and, while his overall scoring sits at 7.6 ppg, D.J. McCall has upped his productivity to 10.6 ppg in league play. The Jaguars average a league-high 37.7 rpg in conference play.
 
Series Stuff
NKU leads the all-time series 7-1 and has won six-straight in a history that dates back as early as 1981. The Norse have won all three in the Division I era, including last year's regular-season finale at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Northern Kentucky secured a 92-77 victory in the Horizon League opener this year, with Drew McDonald's 24 points and 12 rebounds pacing five Norse in double figures.