HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Following yesterday's thrilling last-second victory, the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team faces league rival and fellow regular-season co-champion Wright State in the title match of the Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championship. ESPN will air the game at 7 p.m.
 
Game Information
No. 2 Northern Kentucky University Norse (25-8 Overall, 13-5 Horizon League)
No. 1 Wright State University Raiders (21-12 Overall, 13-5 Horizon League)
Tuesday, March 12 – 7:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN with Rich Hollenberg (PxP) and Fran Fraschilla (Color)
Radio: ESPN1530 with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Steve Moeller (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
How to Purchase Tickets
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Use promo code TEAMG.
 
March Madness Central
Want more information on fan gatherings in Detroit or watch parties in Northern Kentucky? Visit NKUNorse.com/MarchMadnessCentral.
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU advanced to the #MotorCityMadness Championship game with a 64-63 win over Oakland Monday night, which featured a game-winning three from Drew McDonald with 1.6 seconds left.
• NKU is set to face Wright State in the title game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 12, pitting the regular-season co-champions and the last two tournament champions head-to-head in the Motor City Madness Championship match.
• NKU is 11-24 all-time against Wright State, with Tuesday's game serving as the rubber match for the season series as both teams won on their own home court this year.
• With a DI-era record 25 wins, NKU has secured a third-straight 20-win season for the first time in the DI era and just the third time in program history.
• NKU is averaging 16.9 assists per game, No. 14 in the nation. The Norse also rank No. 8 in total assists with 559 and have nine games where they've handed out at least 20 dimes.
• NKU's 61.6 assist rate (assists per field-goals made percentage) ranks No. 9 in the country.
• The Norse also rank No. 35 nationally in 3-point defense, holding opponents to just 31.3 percent.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 45-15 against Horizon League competition, the best of any league school against the rest of the conference. Wright State is next at 43-17.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 71-29, 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 in its first two years of active status.
• McDonald took a pass from Jalen Tate and buried the game-winning trey with 1.6 seconds left to send the Norse the league tournament title game.
• McDonald is the #HLMBB Player of the Year and the 16th player in league history to earn three first team all-league honors. He leads NKU in scoring (19.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg).
• McDonald is NKU's all-time leading scorer (2,048) and rebounder (1,067), and is one of five active players in Division I basketball with at least 2,000 career points and 1,000 career boards. He is tied-seventh among active players with 48 career double-doubles.
• Tate collected his second-straight Horizon League All Defensive Team nod.
• Tate is averaging 13.9 points behind 54.9 percent (150-of-273) shooting, which ranks 37th nationally.
• Tate scored 14 points and added five assists, including the game-winning dime, and five steals to his stat line in Northern Kentucky's semifinal win over Oakland Monday night.
• G Tyler Sharpe is second in scoring for NKU, pouring in 14.2 points per game and, in 24 of the team's 33 games, has hit at least two threes. His 84 made threes on the season rank 77th nationally.
• Sharpe buried a career-best six 3-pointers and scored 25 points versus Detroit Mercy.
• F Dantez Walton is averaging 10.9 points, 5.2 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 21 double-digit scoring outputs in 33 games this year, including a career-best 20 points at IUPUI.
• In the last nine games, G Trevon Faulkner has made 25-of-39 field goals (64.1 percent), averaging 6.8 ppg. He posted a career-high 20-point showing, in which he converted 8-of-13 field goals, against Detroit Mercy.
• C Chris Vogt has averaged 10.8 points behind 65.2 percent (19-of-29) shooting, while also contributing 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, in the last four games.
 
Last Time Out
A late McDonald three with just 1.6-seconds left in regulation gave NKU a 64-63 win over No. 3 Oakland, which came out firing on all cylinders and built a 17-point lead in the first half. The Norse completely erased the deficit and later led by as many as 11 points, but the Golden Grizzlies stormed back with a 13-0 run to go ahead 63-61 before McDonald's heroics. After Jaevin Cumberland broke a 61-all tie with a pair of free throws, Tate took the in-bounds pass, raced up the court, drawing two defenders, and found McDonald, who's shot swished through with 1.6 seconds remaining.
 
McDonald led NKU with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Tate tallied 14 points, five assists and five steals. Sharpe chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Walton and Vogt added eight points each. The Norse shot 39 percent (26-of-66) for the game and held the Golden Grizzlies to 35 percent (20-of-57). NKU also had 15 assists with just nine turnovers, while Oakland had 19 assists but 18 turnovers that the Norse converted into a 28-11 advantage in points off miscues. NKU also held a decisive advantage in points in the paint, 40-14, and fast-break points, 25-12.
 
Scouting Wright State
NKU's run of playing hot teams of late continues as the Norse square off against Wright State, which enters at 21-12 overall and 13-5 league mark, but has won three-straight and 13 of its last 15. The Raiders boast a stingy defense, allowing teams to score just 67.1 points per outing, while they put up 73.5 ppg. Three Raiders average double figures, led by Loudon Love at 15.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Bill Wampler contributes 14.8 ppg and Cole Gentry adds 11.6.
 
Raiders' names littered the league's postseason awards. Love was named to the first team. Wampler to the second. Mark Hughes and Parker Ernsthausen were placed on the all-defensive team. Malachi Smith got a nod on the league's all-freshman team and Scott Nagy was tabbed coach of the year.
 
Series Stuff
Wright State owns a commanding 24-11 lead in the all-time series, but the series is nearly even at 5-4 in favor of the Raiders during the DI era. The two teams split the regular-season meetings, with the home team holding serve with four-point wins on their home turf. NKU and WSU have only met once in Motor City Madness, with the Norse pulling out an 82-77 win to open the 2017 Motor City Madness en route to the tournament title.
 
In the two games this year, McDonald has averaged 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Sharpe contributed 15 ppg, while Tate (12.5) and Walton (11.5) also contributed double figures. On the flip side, Wampler paced Wright State at 19.0 ppg, which included a whopping 29 in the Raiders' home win. Love averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Gentry contributed 10 ppg.