HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky hosts Alice Lloyd (Ky.) on Sunday, Dec. 12, in a 2 p.m., matchup inside of BB&T Arena.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (3-5 Overall, 0-2 Horizon League)
Alice Lloyd Eagles (11-0 Overall, 4-0 River States)
Sunday, Dec. 12 – 2 p.m. (ET)
Highland Heights, Ky. | BB&T Arena (8,427)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FOXSports1360
Stats: Live Stats
Purchase Tickets: Ticketmaster
Digital Program: NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 5
 
Fast Break Points 
• NKU stopped a four-game skid with a 75-62 win over Canisius.
• NKU and Alice Lloyd have never met on the hardwood, but the Norse are 3-1 against first-time foes already this year with wins over Wheeling, EMU and Canisius and a loss at DePaul.
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is 23rd in offensive rebounds (13.5 orpg), 38th in made threes (9.6), 65th in steals (8.6 spg) and 94th in blocks (4.0 bpg).
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 35th with a 12.2 percent steal rate on defense and 15th in offensive rebound rate (37.0 percent).
• NKU returned 91 percent (1,626-of-1,784) of its scoring, 87 percent (757-of-872) of its rebounding and 85 percent (4,294-of-5,075) of its minutes from last season's team. NKU's returning points production is the 18th-most in the country.
• NKU was picked to finish third in a tightly contested #HLMBB preseason poll that saw five teams receive a first-place vote.
• NKU is the only Horizon League men's basketball program to reach at least the semifinals of the league tournament championship each of the last three seasons.
• NKU finished third in the Horizon League standings based on win percentage last year, marking its sixth-straight top-three league finish.
• NKU has been one of the most dominant teams in the Horizon League over the last four seasons, amassing a 73-30 (.709) mark against league foes while winning five of the combined 10 league championships (two regular season and three tournament).
• NKU is riding a streak of five-straight seasons with a winning percentage beginning with the 2016-17 team, and NKU is a combined 110-55 (.667), has won the Horizon League regular season twice ('18, '19) and league tourney thrice ('17, '19, '20), and has qualified for either the NCAA Tournament ('17, '19, '20) or NIT ('18) every year except '21.
• G Marques Warrick, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year and all-freshman and all-league third team honoree, registered 10 20-point performances last year. He's had two such performances already this year, 23 points at DePaul and a career-high 30 versus Canisius.
• G Trevon Faulkner earned a spot on the All-Horizon League Second Team last year and reprised the role on the Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team this year.
• Faulkner's 42.2 percent 3-point field-goal shooting ranks 68th in the country, while his 2.71 made treys per game checks in 74th.
• G Sam Vinson is already making an impact in a Norse uniform, as the freshman point guard has started all eight games and has won two #HLMBB Freshman of the Week honors. He is averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
• F Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree that sports a 3.42 GPA in Organizational Leadership, is shooting 61 percent (28-of-46) on the year. His 3.88 offensive rebounds per game are the 7th-most in the nation.
• G Hubertas Pivorius earned his first start against WIU and poured in 20 points with four made treys. He is converting 44 percent 3-point shooting and has three starts on his ledger.
• G Bryson Langdon is shooting 49 percent from the field and is averaging 5.9 points per game.
• G Trey Robinson has been disruptive on the defensive end, averaging 1.30 spg. Robinson scored 16 points on the strength of 4-for-7 three-point shooting at PFW.
 
Last Time Out
The trio of Warrick (30 points), Vinson (17) and Faulkner (14) provided the offensive fire power, Nelson supplied the rebounding (14 boards), and the Norse defense shutdown Canisius in a 75-62 win Wednesday night. Warrick, Vinson and Faulkner combined to shoot 22-of-35 (63 percent) from the field and 9-of-18 (50 percent) from three.
 
Scouting Alice Lloyd
Alice Lloyd enters the weekend sporting a perfect 11-0 record, although the Eagles play at Brescia Saturday afternoon before facing the Norse. Five players average double-digit scoring for ALC, Damon Tobler (13.2 ppg), Will Philpot (12.7), Ben Soumahoro (12.2), Noah Young (10.7) and Bryce Slone (10.2). Consequently, the Eagles' potent offense averages 79.3 ppg.
 
Series Stuff
This is the first meeting between Northern Kentucky and Alice Lloyd. There are six first-time opponents on NKU's schedule this year and it is 3-1 so far. The Norse also play Wheeling (W, 82-54), Eastern Michigan (W, 74-73), DePaul (L, 68-77), Canisius (W, 75-62) and Indiana for the first time ever.