HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The first road match of the 2019-20 season for the Norse pits the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team against Missouri at the Tigers' Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri. An 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT) tip-off is slated for the event.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (1-0 Overall, 0-0 Horizon League)
University of Missouri Tigers (1-0 Overall, 0-0 SEC)
Friday, Nov. 8 – 8:00 p.m. (ET) /7:00 p.m. (CT)
TV: SEC+ with Ben Arnet (Px) and Jarrett Sutton (Color)
Radio: 55KRC (550AM) with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU opened the 2019-20 season with a 105-55 victory over UC Clermont, dominating nearly every statistical category in the process. The Norse moved to 11-0 all-time versus the Cougars
• Northern Kentucky travels to Missouri for a Friday night tilt.
• This is the first meeting between the two schools, and is one of eight first-time opponents for NKU.
• NKU ushers in the Darrin Horn era, as the Kentucky native is just the sixth head coach in the 49th season of the program. In his 10th year as head coach, Horn has a career record of 172-111.
• NKU is coming off of its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years, where it fell 72-57 to No. 3 Texas Tech, which finished as the national runner-up.
• NKU has been the dominant team in the Horizon League over the last three seasons, amassing a 46-15 mark against league foes while winning four of the combined six league championships (regular season and tournament).
• With a DI-era record 26 wins last year, NKU secured a third-straight 20-win season for the first time in the DI era and just the third time in program history.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 73-30 (.709), has won the Horizon League regular season twice (2018, 2019) and league tourney twice (2017, 2019), and has played in both the NCAA Tournament (2017, 2019) and NIT (2018). No other team in DI history has registered this level of accomplishments in its first three years with active status.
• The Norse took a summer tour to the U.S. Virgin Islands, going 3-0 against the UVI and BVI National Teams.
• G Bryson Langdon led five Norse in double figures with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point land, in NKU's win over UC Clermont.
• G Tyler Sharpe, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second-Team honoree, opened the season stuffing the stat sheet against the Cougars, posting 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Sharpe was second in scoring for NKU last year, pouring in 14.4 points per game and, in 26 of the team's 35 games hit at least two threes. His 90 made threes on the season ranked 70th nationally.
• Early in his third season at NKU, Sharpe needs just two more points to move into the program's top-50 all-time scorers.
• G Trevon Faulkner is one of four returning starters for NKU this year. He, along with newcomer W Karl Harris, turned in 14-point efforts in Northern Kentucky's opening game.
• G Jalen Tate collected his second-straight Horizon League All-Defensive Team nod to end last year and earned distinction as a preseason all-league first-team honoree this year.
• Tate averaged 13.7 points behind 53.9 percent (159-of-295) shooting, which ranked 54th nationally, during his redshirt-sophomore campaign.
• Tate, who was recently named to the Lou Henson Award Watchlist, opened the season with eight points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals against UCC.
• F Silas Adheke earned his first career start versus UC Clermont. He registered a career-high 13 points behind 6-for-7 shooting.
• F Dantez Walton averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He joins Sharpe and Tate as returning Norse who averaged double-digits in scoring.
• Walton registered his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds in the league championship game against Wright State.
• A senior for the Norse, Walton added nine points and nine boards in NKU's season-opening win.
 
Last Time Out
Tied at 10 early in the contest, Northern Kentucky went on a quick 15-2 spurt and never saw its lead shrink to double figures. The Norse led by 25 at half and then outscored the Cougars by another 25 in the second stanza in claiming a 105-55 win against UC Clermont. Langdon dropped 20 points in his Norse debut, converting 7-of-10 field goal attempts. Sharpe added 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Faulkner and Harris chipped in 14 points, while Adheke registered a career-high 13. Walton contributed nine points and nine boards and Tate stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Northern Kentucky dominated nearly every statistical category in the win.
 
Scouting Missouri
Missouri ran away with an 82-42 home win against Incarnate Word on Wednesday night. The Tigers were led by preseason all-SEC second team selection Jeremiah Tilmon's 16 points. Xavier Pinson contributed 15, while Javon Pickett chimed in with 10. Stingy defense from the Tigers held the Cardinals to just 27 percent (15-of-56) shooting, including a paltry 17 percent (2-of-12) from long range.
 
Series Stuff
Mizzou is one of eight first-time opponents for the Norse this season, joining Arkansas, Ball State, Coppin State, Illinois State, Midway (Ky.), Texas Southern and UNC Greensboro. NKU is 0-3 all-time versus the SEC, which includes a pair of losses to Kentucky (including 2017 NCAA Tournament) and one to Texas A&M.