HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's basketball team wraps up its nonconference slate with an inaugural game against Indiana at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (4-6 Overall, 0-2 Horizon League)
Indiana Hoosiers (9-2 Overall, 1-1 Big Ten)
Wednesday, Dec. 22 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Bloomington, Ind. | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: 55KRC
Stats: Live Stats
Digital Program:
NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 6
Fast Break Points
• In its lone game last week, NKU battled back to force overtime at Eastern Kentucky but fell 81-68 after being outscored 17-4 in the extra period.
Marques Warrick scored 22 points in the loss.
• Wednesday's outing marks the first meeting between the NKU and Indiana hoops programs. It's also the Norse's final nonconference clash before 20 Horizon League games.
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is seventh in steals (10.6 spg), 20th in made threes (10.3), 27th in offensive rebounds (13.5 orpg) and 25th in total steals (106).
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 20th with a 13.3% steal rate on defense and 16th in offensive rebound rate (36.6%).
• NKU returned 91% (1,626-of-1,784) of its scoring, 87% (757-of-872) of its rebounding and 85% (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 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, has scored in double figures six times this season.
• 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 2.3 made treys per game check in at 154th nationally and he's averaging a team-second 12.1 points.
• G
Sam Vinson has started all 10 games and earned three #HLMBB Freshman of the Week honors this season. Vinson is ninth nationally in steals per game (2.6) and 12th in total steals (26).
• F
Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree with a 3.42 GPA in Organizational Leadership, is shooting 64.7% (33-of-51). His 3.4 offensive boards per game rank 18th nationally.
• G
Hubertas Pivorius is the reigning #HLMBB Freshman of the Week. He has converted 47.9% (23-for-48) of his 3-point attempts, good for 17th in the nation.
• G
Bryson Langdon dished out a season-high eight assists against Alice Lloyd and is averaging 3.1 on the season. His assist-to-turnover ratio (1.72) ranks 184th nationally.
Last Time Out
Marques Warrick (22 points) knotted the game at 66 in overtime, but Eastern Kentucky rattled off seven straight points and maintained control in an 81-68 win. The Norse missed six of their seven field goal attempts in OT, including all four from 3-point range.
Bryson Langdon (13 points) finished as NKU's second-leading scorer.
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten), winners of two straight, rank second nationally and lead the Big Ten in defensive field goal percentage (35.0%) and defensive rebounds per game (31.8). All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis averages a league-fourth 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds while contributing 3.3 blocks. The latter stat is 11th in the nation and tops in the Big Ten. Mike Woodson's team is 8-0 at home thus far.
#NorseUp
