HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Less than 24 hours after tipping off against Oakland in an overtime triumph, Northern Kentucky returns to BB&T Arena to host Detroit Mercy in the finale of a five-game home stand. The Norse have won six straight games, and seven of their last eight.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (12-9, 8-4 Horizon League)
Detroit Mercy Titans (8-11, 5-4 Horizon League)
Saturday, Feb. 5 | 7 p.m. (ET)
Highland Heights, Ky. | BB&T Arena (8,427)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FOXSports1360
Stats: Live Stats
Digital Program: NKU Men's Basketball Weekly – Week 12
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU has won six straight games and seven of its last eight by clamping down defensively and mounting big runs. The Norse have held their last six opponents to an average of 62.2 points, nearly eight points below their average allowance for the season (69.9).
 
• The Norse today will aim for a seventh straight win. The last time that happened was in 2011-12 when NKU's final Division II team started 13-0.
 
• NKU has been an offensive rebounding juggernaut 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, 21 games into 2021-22, the Norse rank 10th (36.3%) per KenPom.com. The payoff for attacking the offensive glass: NKU's 277 second-chance points this season. That's an average of 13.2 points a game.
 
• In the national statistical rankings, NKU is ninth in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), 13th in steals per game (9.5), 16th in total steals (200) and 33rd in made threes per game (9.3).
 
• According to KenPom, NKU ranks 10th in offensive rebounding percentage (36.3%) and 15th in defensive steal percentage (13.1%).
 
• NKU was picked to finish third in a tightly contested #HLMBB preseason poll.
 
• NKU is riding a streak of five straight seasons with a winning percentage, beginning with the 2016-17 team. NKU has won the Horizon League regular season twice (2018, 2019) and league tourney three times (2017, 2019, 2020). The Norse have qualified for either the NCAA Tournament (2017, 2019, 2020) or NIT (2018) every year except 2021.
 
• G Marques Warrick, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year, leads NKU in scoring (14.3 ppg). He has averaged 16 points in NKU's last four games.
 
• G Trevon Faulkner, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team selection, contributes a team-second 12.9 points. He has made at least one 3-pointer in 17 of his 20 games this season.
 
• G Sam Vinson has been named Nike Horizon League Men's Freshman of the Week six times. He ranks 12th nationally in total steals (48) and 14th in steals per game (2.3).
 
• F Adrian Nelson, a Horizon League All-Academic honoree, has 658 career rebounds. He's eight boards shy of tying Chris Wall (1985-89) as NKU's No. 8 all-time leading rebounder.
 
• F Chris Brandon recorded his first Norse double-double in Friday's overtime defeat of Oakland (15 points, 13 rebounds). He played his first three seasons of college hoops at Detroit Mercy.
 
• G Bryson Langdon tied a career high with seven rebounds in the OT win over Oakland. He had seven assists and just one turnover.
 
Last Time Out
For the second straight game, NKU bounced back from a 14-point deficit to defeat the Horizon League leader. First it was Cleveland State in a 78-72 triumph Jan. 30, and then it was Oakland in an 87-78 overtime thriller Feb. 4. Trevon Faulkner (26 points, nine rebounds) and Chris Brandon (15 points, 13 rebounds) combined for five straight points at the start of overtime and NKU maintained the lead until the final buzzer. The Norse outscored Oakland 17-8 in the extra period and ended overtime on a 7-0 run. Sam Vinson added 20 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds. The win was NKU's sixth straight.
 
Scouting Detroit Mercy
Horizon League preseason player of the year Antoine Davis averages an NCAA-second 23.5 points while shooting 40.6% from the field and 88% from the free-throw line. The guard - son of coach Mike Davis - has scored 2,463 career points, the most in the country among active players. His 339 career 3-pointers are tied for 25th in NCAA history. Grad student D.J. Harvey scored a career-high 20 points in the team's 90-59 Friday loss at Wright State, during which the Raiders held a 48-18 advantage in points in the paint. Detroit Mercy (8-11, 5-4 Horizon League) is 3-11 on the road this season.
 
Series Stuff
NKU leads the series 10-2. The Norse have won the last two meetings and nine of the last 10. The teams' most recent clash was March 2, 2021, a Horizon League Tournament nail-biter. The Norse narrowly escaped with a 70-69 win, thanks in part to Marques Warrick's 20 points. Former Titans player Chris Brandon, now with the Norse, scored six points in that game.