HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's basketball sits atop the Horizon League standings, but five teams are within just two games of the Norse, including NKU's Thursday night opponent Detroit Mercy. The Norse and Titans are set to square off at BB&T Arena at 7 p.m.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (18-6 Overall, 8-3 Horizon League)
University of Detroit Mercy Titans (9-14 Overall, 6-5 Horizon League)
Thursday, Feb. 7 – 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN+ with Brady Laber (PxP) and Brad Redford (Color)
Radio: FOXSports1360 with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. The first 500 students in attendance will receive an NKU Norse koozie. The game is part of Homecoming Week festivities on NKU's campus, and the Top Ten Homecoming Royalty finalists will be announced at halftime. Student organizations will also take part in the annual Norse helmet decorating competition, and their helmets will be on display in the Braxton Beer Garden.
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU dropped to 18-6 overall and 8-3 in the Horizon League after falling at UIC, 69-67, on Sunday.
• NKU is 6-1 all-time against Detroit Mercy, and has won the last five in the series, including a 95-73 win at Calihan Hall earlier this season in which six Norse scored in double figures.
• NKU is riding a 17-game home winning streak, tied with Kansas and Rider for the sixth longest in the country.
• NKU is averaging 16.7 assists per game, No. 22 in the nation. The Norse also rank eighth in the country in total assists with 400 and have seven games where they've handed out at least 20 dimes.
• NKU's 62.1 assist rate (assists per field-goals made percentage) ranks 11th in the country.
• While already being one of the nation's best teams at sharing the ball, in the last four games the Norse have upped their assists to 18.3 apg.
• NKU is letting it fly from 3-point range, ranking 40th in attempts (595) and 30th in made treys (216). The Norse are making 9.0 threes per game, which are the 67th-most nationally.
• Foes are converting just 40.8 percent of their shots versus NKU, 48th-best nationally. The Norse are also 82nd in scoring defense, allowing teams to post 67.6 points per game.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 38-13 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 35-16.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 64-27, 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 ranks fifth all-time at NKU in scoring with 1,867 points as a Norse. Craig Sanders ('98-02) is NKU's career leader with 2,007 points.
• McDonald needs just one rebound for his 1,000th career board. Only five other players in the history of the Horizon League have secured 1,000 boards in their career.
• McDonald leads four Norse averaging double digits on the year at 18.9 points. He also leads NKU at 9.9 rebounds per game (20th in nation). His 11 double-doubles rank 16th nationally and he is one of just 20 players to register a triple-double this year.
• McDonald is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 1,800 career points (1,885) and 900 career boards (999). He is also tied-sixth in career double-doubles (45) among active players.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second on the team in scoring, pouring in 14.6 points per game and, in 19 of the team's 24 games has hit at least two threes.
• In the last six games, Sharpe has made 20-of-39 from 3-point range His 65 made threes on the season rank 53rd in the country.
• G Jalen Tate is averaging 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this year. He is making 55.7 percent (98-of-176) of his shots.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. In his first two seasons as a Norse (61 games), he posted nine combined double-figure scoring games. He has 16 double-digit scoring outputs in 24 games this year, including a career-best 20 points at IUPUI.
 
Last Time Out
Northern Kentucky put together a second-half rally in a comeback bid following a cold-shooting first half, but a UIC three with 2.5 seconds left dropped the Norse, 69-67. NKU converted just 32 percent from the floor in the opening stanza, while UIC made 50 percent. The Norse flipped the script in the second half, converting 49 percent to the Flame's 41 percent. McDonald gave NKU a one-point lead with a minute remaining, but Jamie Ahale knocked down a corner three to sink the Norse. Sharpe led NKU with 20 points, his second 20-point effort in a row, and McDonald added 18 points and nine boards. Tate also reached double figures with 12 points.
 
Scouting Detroit Mercy
Detroit Mercy sits at 9-14 overall and, at 6-5 in league play, is tied with IUPUI and UIC for fourth in the Horizon League standings. The Titans have lost four of their last five games, with two of those losses coming on the road at UIC and IUPUI. Detroit Mercy is just 3-9 on the road this year, but two of the three road wins came during league play against Youngstown State and Cleveland State. Freshman sensation Antoine Davis leads Detroit Mercy, the Horizon League and ranks second in the country in scoring at 27.1 ppg. He is the nation's leader in 3-point field-goals made (102) and 3-pointers per game (4.64). Josh McFolley averages 12.3 ppg and 6-8 forward Willy Isiani has contributed 9.7 ppg on the strength of 41.5 percent shooting from three since beginning play for the Titans six games ago.
 
Series Stuff
Northern Kentucky is 6-1 all-time versus Detroit Mercy, winning five-straight games in the series and holding a 2-1 mark against the Titans at BB&T Arena. The Norse snapped Detroit Mercy's hot 3-0 start to the Horizon League slate with a 95-73 win at Calihan Hall earlier this season. Drew McDonald and Tyler Sharpe both recorded 20-point performances with 23 and 20, respectively, as six Norse reached double figures in scoring. Detroit Mercy's freshman phenom Antoine Davis scored a game-high 33.