Northern Kentucky University men?s basketball will look to extend a six-game winning streak this weekend as the Norse continue play in the Horizon League.
THIS WEEK: NKU plays at IUPUI (13-9) 7 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis, then plays at Illinois-Chicago 4 p.m. Sunday.
It is the first set of rematches in the Horizon League schedule.
IUPUI is led by junior guard Camron Justice, who averages 19.5 points per game. Justice was Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 2015, graduating from Knott County Central with over 3,500 career points before playing at Vanderbilt for two seasons.
In their first meeting, both teams had five players in double figures in the fast-paced game. NKU forced 26 turnovers against the Jaguars in a 92-77 win and limited Justice to 12 points.
HORIZON UPDATE: At the halfway point of the Horizon League schedule, the Norse have a two-game lead on second-place Wright State and Oakland, who are 6-3 overall. IUPUI and Detroit Mercy are 5-4.
Wright State, NKU?s travel partner, will also play in IUPUI and UIC this weekend. Detroit and Oakland host the league?s bottom two teams, Cleveland State (1-8, 6-16) and Youngstown State (2-7, 6-16), and can both put pressure on the Norse with two-game sweeps.
In the latest projected bracket from ESPN expert Joe Lunardi (Jan. 29), he projects NKU to be the Horizon League tournament champion and earn a 13 seed, playing No. 4 seed Louisville.
NET RESULTS: NKU is ranked 90th in the official NCAA NET rankings of Jan. 30. The NET replaces the RPI this year as the primary computer metric used for the NCAA Tournament pairings. Wright State is the second-highest Horizon League team at 148, and IUPUI is 187. Last-place Cleveland State is 292.
In the latest projected bracket from ESPN expert Joe Lunardi (Jan. 29), he projects NKU to be the Horizon League tournament champion and earn a 13 seed, playing No. 4 seed Louisville.
DEFENSE: In NKU?s first nine league games, the Norse only allowed three players to score more than 20 points, all on the road. Detroit Mercy?s Antoine Davis, a superstar freshman averaging over 27 points per game, had 33 in NKU?s win at Detroit Jan. 5. Oakland?s Xavier Hill-Mais scored 32 in NKU?s only league loss in Michigan. Cleveland State?s Rashad Williams scored 23 in NKU?s win at CSU Jan 17.
INJURIES: Zach Malecki, the head trainer for the basketball team, has been busy lately as several key NKU players have been battling injuries.
Drew McDonald injured his left ankle in the first half of NKU?s win over Green Bay Jan. 24. He came back briefly but missed most of the second half.
He came back Saturday and posted 30 points and 13 rebounds in NKU?s win over Milwaukee.
?Drew is on one leg. For him to do what he did tonight, you have to be special,? Brannen said after the Milwaukee game. ?You have to have special talent and mental toughness. You have to buy into our teammates and the program. You can?t do that unless you?re all the way in. That commitment level to his teammates, to the Northern Kentucky jersey, it?s special.?
THIS WEEK: NKU plays at IUPUI (13-9) 7 p.m. Friday in Indianapolis, then plays at Illinois-Chicago 4 p.m. Sunday.
It is the first set of rematches in the Horizon League schedule.
IUPUI is led by junior guard Camron Justice, who averages 19.5 points per game. Justice was Kentucky Mr. Basketball in 2015, graduating from Knott County Central with over 3,500 career points before playing at Vanderbilt for two seasons.
In their first meeting, both teams had five players in double figures in the fast-paced game. NKU forced 26 turnovers against the Jaguars in a 92-77 win and limited Justice to 12 points.
HORIZON UPDATE: At the halfway point of the Horizon League schedule, the Norse have a two-game lead on second-place Wright State and Oakland, who are 6-3 overall. IUPUI and Detroit Mercy are 5-4.
Wright State, NKU?s travel partner, will also play in IUPUI and UIC this weekend. Detroit and Oakland host the league?s bottom two teams, Cleveland State (1-8, 6-16) and Youngstown State (2-7, 6-16), and can both put pressure on the Norse with two-game sweeps.
In the latest projected bracket from ESPN expert Joe Lunardi (Jan. 29), he projects NKU to be the Horizon League tournament champion and earn a 13 seed, playing No. 4 seed Louisville.
NET RESULTS: NKU is ranked 90th in the official NCAA NET rankings of Jan. 30. The NET replaces the RPI this year as the primary computer metric used for the NCAA Tournament pairings. Wright State is the second-highest Horizon League team at 148, and IUPUI is 187. Last-place Cleveland State is 292.
In the latest projected bracket from ESPN expert Joe Lunardi (Jan. 29), he projects NKU to be the Horizon League tournament champion and earn a 13 seed, playing No. 4 seed Louisville.
DEFENSE: In NKU?s first nine league games, the Norse only allowed three players to score more than 20 points, all on the road. Detroit Mercy?s Antoine Davis, a superstar freshman averaging over 27 points per game, had 33 in NKU?s win at Detroit Jan. 5. Oakland?s Xavier Hill-Mais scored 32 in NKU?s only league loss in Michigan. Cleveland State?s Rashad Williams scored 23 in NKU?s win at CSU Jan 17.
INJURIES: Zach Malecki, the head trainer for the basketball team, has been busy lately as several key NKU players have been battling injuries.
Drew McDonald injured his left ankle in the first half of NKU?s win over Green Bay Jan. 24. He came back briefly but missed most of the second half.
He came back Saturday and posted 30 points and 13 rebounds in NKU?s win over Milwaukee.
?Drew is on one leg. For him to do what he did tonight, you have to be special,? Brannen said after the Milwaukee game. ?You have to have special talent and mental toughness. You have to buy into our teammates and the program. You can?t do that unless you?re all the way in. That commitment level to his teammates, to the Northern Kentucky jersey, it?s special.?
