INDIANAPOLIS – Fresh from a dramatic overtime victory at UIC, Northern Kentucky's men's basketball team travels to IUPUI for a Horizon League showdown at Indiana Farmers Coliseum at noon Saturday.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (7-9 Overall, 3-4 Horizon League)
IUPUI Jaguars (1-16 Overall, 0-7 Horizon League)
Saturday, Jan. 20 – 12 p.m. (ET)
Indianapolis, Ind.; Indiana Farmers Coliseum (6,800)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 55KRC
Stats: Live Stats
Digital Program: NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 10 
 
Fast Break Points
•  NKU finishes a four-game road swing Saturday at IUPI and then returns home for five straight outings. The Norse are aiming for a third win in four games when they tip off against the Jaguars.
 
• Three Norse home games in January were not played due to COVID-19 implications: Jan. 6 versus IUPUI, Jan. 8 versus UIC and Jan. 10 versus Wright State. One of the games has been rescheduled at BB&T Arena. NKU hosts the Raiders at 7 p.m. Jan. 25.
 
• 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, 15 games into 2021-22, the Norse rank 12th (36.8%) per KenPom.com. The payoff for attacking the offensive glass: NKU's 207 second-chance points this season. That's an average of 12.9 points a game.
 
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is eighth in offensive rebounds (14.1 orpg), 22nd in steals (9.4 spg), 33rd in total steals (150) and 35th in made threes (9.4).
 
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 12th in offensive rebounding percentage (36.8%) and 26th in defensive steal percentage (12.4%).
 
• 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, leads NKU in scoring (14.3 ppg). He has averaged 18.6 points in NKU's last five games.
 
• G Trevon Faulkner, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team selection, contributes a team-second 12.1 points. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 12 of his 15 games this season.
 
• G Sam Vinson, a four-time Nike Horizon League Men's Freshman of the Week, set career highs in points (24), field goals made (9), field goal attempts (18) and free-throw attempts (8) at UIC.
 
• F Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree with a 3.42 GPA in Organizational Leadership, posted his seventh career double-double at Youngstown State (10 pts, 11 reb).
 
• F Chris Brandon has averaged 10.8 rebounds in NKU's last four games and 7.1 boards on the season. His 3.1 offensive rebounds per game rank 27th nationally.
 
Last Time Out
Northern Kentucky rallied from a five-point overtime deficit to beat UIC 74-70 and snap the Flames' three-game winning streak, Jan. 20 at Credit Union 1 Arena. After Trey Robinson's potentially game-winning, buzzer-beating basket was waved off in regulation, UIC scored five straight points to begin overtime. Sam Vinson (24 points) and Marques Warrick (19 points) combined for nine straight points and the Norse prevailed in their comeback bid.
 
Scouting IUPUI
The Jaguars enter the NKU game on an 11-game skid and have won just one game this season (Nov. 23 against Division III Spalding). IUPUI (1-16, 0-7 Horizon League) has been outscored by an average of 17.1 points in its 17 games. In the last four games alone, opponents have outscored the Jaguars by an average of 31 points.
 
IUPUI ranks last in Division (358th) per KenPom.com in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, or points scored per 100 opponents, adjusted for opponent. IUPI's tally is -29.66. B.J. Maxwell leads the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game. He's also IUPUI's leading rebounder (4.4 rpg).
 
The Jaguars are 341st in the NCAA in assists per game (9.8), 344th in turnovers per game (16.6), 348th in assist-turnover ratio (0.59), and 349th in average defensive rebounds (20.6) and field goal percentage (37.4).
 
Series Stuff
NKU is 9-4 all-time against IUPUI. The Norse lost the teams' last two meetings, both in January of 2021 at BB&T Arena, by a combined seven points. NKU's last victory over the Jaguars was Feb. 14, 2020. Jalen Tate scored 31 points in an 84-70 win at NKU.