HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's basketball team embarks on its second game in January when it plays at Youngstown State at 7 p.m. Thursday. The game is the first of four straight Norse road outings.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (5-8 Overall, 1-3 Horizon League)
Youngstown State Penguins (9-7 Overall, 3-3 Horizon League)
Thursday, Jan. 13 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Youngstown, Ohio | Beeghly Center, (6,300)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: ESPN1530
Stats: Live Stats
Digital Program: NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 9
 
Fast Break Points
• Northern Kentucky returns to action for the first time since Jan. 1 following the cancellation of two games and the postponement of a third. The cancellations, due to COVID-19 implications, were Jan. 6 versus IUPUI and Jan. 8 against UIC. The postponement was Jan. 10 against Wright State. The game against the Raiders at BB&T Arena has been rescheduled for Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
 
• NKU's first game in 12 days is also the start of a four-game road swing. After Youngstown State, the Norse play at Robert Morris, UIC and IUPUI.
 
• NKU has been an offensive rebounding tour de force under Darrin Horn. The Norse were 117th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (29.7) in 2019-20, Horn's first season at the helm. NKU ascended to No. 15 (34.9%) in 2020-21. Now, 13 games into 2021-22, the Norse rank 15th (36.1%). The payoff for attacking the offensive glass: NKU's 182 second-chance points this season. That's an average of 14 points a game.
 
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is 13th in steals (9.9 spg), 17th in made threes (10.2), 13th in offensive rebounds (13.8 orpg) and 38th in total steals (129).
 
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 15th in offensive rebounding percentage (36.1%) and 22nd in defensive steal percentage (13%).
 
• NKU was picked to finish third in a tightly contested #HLMBB preseason poll.
 
• NKU finished third in last year's Horizon League standings based on win percentage, marking its sixth-straight Top 3 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 an All-Freshman and All-League Third Team honoree, has averaged 17.3 points in the last six games.
 
• G Trevon Faulkner, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team selection, averages a team-best 13.2 points. His 2.4 made 3-pointers per game rank second in the Horizon League.
 
• G Sam Vinson has earned four Nike® Horizon League Men's Freshman of the Week honors. His 2.3 steals per game rank 15th nationally and his 30 steals this season rank 33rd.
 
• F Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree with a 3.42 GPA in Organizational Leadership, averages 8.3 rebounds (ranking 64th nationally) with 3.3 offensive boards (23rd).
 
Last Time Out
Sam Vinson's 3-pointer with 18:29 remaining gave NKU a 17-point lead over Milwaukee, but the Panthers mounted a furious comeback en route to a 61-55 victory at BB&T Arena. The Norse went cold in a nearly eight-minute scoring drought in the second frame. Marques Warrick manufactured a 7-0 run to end the drought but Milwaukee outscored the Norse 24-8 the rest of the way to claim the win. Vinson contributed a career high 18 points in NKU's loss.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
After going 6-1 in December, the Penguins have lost three of their four games in January - including an overtime thriller against Cleveland State on Jan. 9. Shemar Rathan-Mayes scored a career-high 21 points in the 86-80 defeat. Senior forward Michael Akuchie leads Youngstown State in dual categories (13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds) and enters the NKU game three points shy of the 1,000 career points milestone. Akuchie is five rebounds away from becoming the fourth Penguins player in program annals to amass 700 career rebounds.
 
Series Stuff
NKU is 12-10 all-time against Youngstown State, with wins in eight of the last nine meetings. The lone loss in that stretch is the most recent. One day after defeating the Penguins 79-64 at BB&T Arena on Dec. 19, 2020, Youngstown State turned the tables in a 70-60 victory. Naz Bohannon (19 points), Michael Akuchie (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Shemar Rathan-Mayes (13 points) propelled the Penguins to 45 second-half points and snapped the Norse's eight-game series winning streak.