MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Northern Kentucky's men's basketball team continues its road trip with a Saturday evening showdown at Robert Morris. The Norse and Colonials tip off at 7 p.m. at the UMPC Events Center.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (6-8 Overall, 2-3 Horizon League)
Robert Morris Colonials (2-14 Overall, 0-7 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 15 – 7 p.m. (ET)
Moon Township, Pa. | UMPC Events Center (4,000)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 55KRC
Stats: Live Stats
Digital Program: NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 9
 
Fast Break Points
•  NKU's last game ended in thrilling fashion. Adrian Nelson converted a game-winning layup via Sam Vinson's underneath out-of-bounds pass with 1.4 seconds left for a 68-67 Norse triumph over Youngstown State at the Beeghly Center. The victory snapped NKU's 0-5 start in road contests and was a welcome result after two cancelled games and a postponement due to COVID-19 implications.
 
• NKU's cancellations 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 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, 14 games into 2021-22, the Norse rank 14th (36.3%). The payoff for attacking the offensive glass: NKU's 196 second-chance points this season. That's an average of 14 points a game.
 
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is 20th in steals (9.6 spg), 20th in made threes (10.1), 13th in offensive rebounds (13.9 orpg) and 37th in total steals (134).
 
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 14th in offensive rebounding percentage (36.3%) and 24th in defensive steal percentage (12.5%).
 
• NKU was picked to finish third in a tightly contested #HLMBB preseason poll.
 
• 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 17.7 points in the last three games.
 
• G Trevon Faulkner, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team selection, averages a team-second 13.2 points. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 11 of his 13 games this season.
 
• G Sam Vinson has earned four Nike® Horizon League Men's Freshman of the Week honors. His 2.3 steals per game rank 17th nationally and his 32 overall steals rank 23rd.
 
• F Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree with a 3.42 GPA in Organizational Leadership, had his first double-double this season at Youngstown State (10 pts, 11 reb).
 
• F Chris Brandon has averaged 8.0 rebounds in NKU's last three games.

Last Time Out
Youngstown State mounted an 8-1 run for a 67-66 lead with 8.7 seconds to play in Thursday's thriller at the Beeghly Center. Sam Vinson found Adrian Nelson on an underneath out-of-bounds play and Nelson converted the pass to the game-winning layup with 1.4 seconds remaining. NKU shot 46.9% in the second half of its 68-67 victory, including a 41.7% mark from the perimeter.
 
Nelson notched his seventh career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) on a night Marques Warrick scored 20 points, Sam Vinson added 13 points and a career-best eight rebounds, and Trevon Faulkner contributed 13 points. NKU prevailed in a game featuring three ties and eight lead changes.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
The Colonials (2-14, 0-7 Horizon League) lost at home Thursday to Wright State in a 75-73 nail-biter buoyed by 14 ties and 19 lead changes. Robert Morris has lost five straight games, but the last four were by an average of 3.3 points. Season scoring leader Rasheem Dunn (12.8 ppg) left the program Jan. 6. Senior forward Kahliel Spear (12.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) leads a Colonials group searching for its first conference victory.
 
Series Stuff
NKU is 2-0 all-time against Robert Morris. Both games came last season in the Colonials' first year in the Horizon League. The Norse defeated Robert Morris on back-to-back nights on the Colonials' court, first with an 81-76 victory on Jan. 22, 2021 and then with a 79-74 overtime triumph on Jan. 23, 2021. NKU rallied from a 17-point first-half deficit in the latter game.