Clinch HL tourney first round bye
It surely wasn’t the prettiest win. It wasn’t quite the commanding triumph they were expecting. But is was exactly the win they needed at just the right time.
Thursday night the short-staffed Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team rode a dominant first half of play to their seventeenth win of the season, toppling Robert Morris, 70-60, at the Colonials’ UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, PA.
The Norse (17-13, 12-7 HL) pounded their hosts (10-20, 6-13 HL) in the first half, cruising to a 42-23 lead at the half on the strength of 51.6% shooting from the field. In winning their third straight game and sixth of their last seven, the Norse have captured no worse than fifth place in the final Horizon League regular season standings.
Securing fifth place in the conference assures the Norse a First Round Bye in the upcoming conference tournament. However, only the top four seeds are guaranteed a Home game to kick off the three-game blitz that concludes March 12 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis.
Despite capturing the much-needed win, the game still featured its fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly for the defending Horizon League champions:
The Good:
- The Norse needed the win, and they got it – on the road and without starting post Keeyan Itejere – where they have a dismal 5-10 record on the season
- As a team, the Norse shot 57.6% from the field in the first half
- The Norse carried a 19-point lead into the second half
- Their 16-of-17 effort from the free throw line was good for 94.1%
- The Colonials turned the ball over 19 times Thursday, gifting the Norse 22 points off turnovers
- Senior guard and NKU all-time scoring leader Marques Warrick poured in 28 points, extending his school record to 2,168 points while bumping his season scoring average to 19.3 points per game
- With just 32 more points – and at least two more games to play – Warrick can eclipse the 2,200 points mark
- The 28-point effort gave Warrick his 17th game of 20+ points in a game this season
- Senior wing Trey Robinson continues to play above his season scoring average (10.5 ppg), netting 18 points to go along with his 5 rebounds and 3 steals – Robinson has averaged 13.7 ppg in his last 9 games
- Grad senior guard Michael Bradley added 15 points while hitting 4-of-9 three-pointers
- In the past two games, Bradley has hit 8-of-14 treys, good for 57% from long range
The Bad + The Ugly:
- Late in the second half, the Norse went nearly four minutes (5:03 to 1:33) without scoring, allowing the home team to keep the final score somewhat respectable
- The Norse were outrebounded, 34-31…
- …and scored just 7 points the last 7 minutes of the game
- During a time where the Norse could have given their starters a break to rest, due to a combination of recent injuries and defections, Head Coach Darrin Horn had to feed four starters 34 minutes or more
- Sophomore wing LJ Wells, who went into the road game averaging 15 points his previous 5 games, hit just one basket from the field all night, finishing with 4 points
- The Norse were outscored 37-28 in the second half
- In the entire second half, the Norse hit just 7 shots, shooting just 28% from the field – the definition of ugly
- With sophomore post Itejere still injured and sidelined – and sophomore post Cade Meyer leaving the team – the Norse visibly struggled to keep the less talented Colonials off the rebounding glass. This should bring up serious concerns about their depth moving forward
With a short turnaround, little rest and a short bench, the Norse must now play at Wright State on Saturday evening at the Nutter Center in Dayton. The Norse and Raiders (17-13, 12-7) have identical overall and conference records, but the Raiders have been the more inconsistent team of late, winners of 5 of their last 8 and haven’t defended their home turf (8-6) as fiercely as they have in seasons past.
The Raiders do, however, have the nation’s #6 rated scoring offense at nearly 86 points per game, and all five starters average at least 11.8 ppg. Additionally, they have two potential Horizon League All-First Team players in Trey Calvin (19.4 ppg) and Tanner Holden (16.1 ppg).
If the Norse can drop the Raiders on their home court, they will lay claim to the #4 seed in the conference tournament, granting them both a First Round Bye and home court advantage.
Much of this game will come down to…
- how efficiently Head Coach Darrin Horn’s “Fist Defense” can slow down a frenzied Wright State attack
- how fresh the Norse come in
- how Horn handles his roster rotation
- how well the Norse freshmen guards handle the pressure of a must-win game on national TV when pressed into service
- and whether the Norse will have a healthy Itejere. The Marquette transfer gives the Norse much needed length, which will be sorely needed against a very talented team that routinely outrebounds its opposition
Saturday’s game (March 2 – 7:00pm EST) can be watched/streamed on ESPN+ or heard on the Radio at ESPN 1530 AM. For those who follow, Wright State is currently favored by 7.5 points on their home court. Tune in!
