Date: December 6th, 2017

Time: 7:00 PM

Opponent: Northern Kentucky (6-2, 0-0 Horizon)

Place: Freedom Hall

Television: none

Webcast: ESPN 3

Radio online: 640WXSM.com

NKU 2016-2017 Schedule

NKU 2016-2017 Roster

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If you don't mind I'll add this here to keep the discussion in one place. Individual stats have not all been changed to reflect the Morehead game, but are accurate enough to give you the picture.

Outside of Xavier and Kentucky this is the best team on our OOC slate. They are as good as any team we will face in the SoCon (higher ranked in both College Insider and KenPom than all SoCon teams). We need to make a statement here. Especially since we were humiliated last time. But we should expect a 40 minute dogfight to do it.

NKU is currently 6-2 and ranked 10th in the College Insider Mid Major poll. Last year’s Horizon tournament winner and 70-79 NCAA loser to Kentucky is much improved this year. The only blemishes on their record are a 2 point road loss at Memphis (4-1) and a 2 point neutral site loss to Vermont (5-1 and ranked 2nd by College Insider). They have wins over Iona (at home, 85-72), JMU (neutral, 87-78) and 2-6 Morehead State (road, 86-49). Their last 2 home games have really fattened up their stats as they abused a bad DIII team in Berea College by 112-33, and crushed an unusually weak Morehead State team 86-49.

Drew McDonald 6-7 250 F/C JR. is the preseason POY by Horizon league voters. Lavone Holland 6-1 185 G Sr. was the Horizon Tournament MVP and is pre season 2nd team all-conference. 6-5 230 So. F Carson Williams was Horizon League all-freshman.

They don’t have much length. But there is solid muscle and physicality. 6-7 250; 6-6 230; 6-6 220 3 guys 6-5 (205 to 220). 7 foot 225 freshman Chris Vogt rarely plays. Mladen Armus was effective against them hauling in 10 rebounds and 7 points in 25 minutes. He is longer than they are, just as athletic and every bit as physical. Peter Jurkin didn’t play much but got 4 points and 3 rebounds in only 8 minutes.

Sizewise this team also provides opportunities for 6-4 Bo Hodges and 6-6 Andre Edwards – NKU is more physical inside than Fordham, but Hodges and Edwards should be physical and athletic enough themselves. Bo did fairly well as a first game freshman last time around: 23 minutes, 7 points on 3-9 FG% and 1-3 FT’s, 6 rebounds with an assist and 2 steals. He’s been improving since. Edwards didn’t play, but looks like he should match up well.

Our guards were not in sync last time, the first game of the season. They’ve been improving and need to continue to do so. Jalan McCloud and Obi-Rapu were in their first game as Bucs. Devontavius wasn’t hitting. Even Desonta, who played a solid game, had not yet found his 3 point range ( he was 0-12 for the first 3 games; but 8-12 for the last 4).

The Norse stats look very different than last year.
Scoring and scoring margin is way up this year (85.3 ppg, 38th in D1, with a margin of 22.5, 8th in D1, but again these were twisted by an amazingly weak opponent in Berea College 112-33, and an 86- 49 drubbing of a weak 2-6 Morehead State team).
Rebounding margin is way down to +0.1 rebounds. ETSU outrebounded them by 3 last time and averages +2.5.
Turnover margin is vastly improved with +6.6, 7th in D1. They did about the same against us as the Bucs made 6 more turnovers than they did last time, 20 to 14. The Bucs have improved enough to slide their turnover margin into positive territory, +0.6, but it's still a trouble spot.
They hold opponents to .401 from the field (scoring .497 themselves, 39th in D1). They hold opponents to .265 from 3, 14th in D1 (5.3 makes) and hit .349 (9.1 makes).
Last time ETSU was a pitiful 2-18 from 3 (.111%) while the Norse shot a fairly weak percentage (.273) but still made 9 total 3’s in 33 attempts. Both teams will probably be shooting better this time.

Last time 6-7 250 McDonald led them with 22 points on 4-12 from 3 and 10 rebounds. 6-1 Guard Holland got 16 points (0-7 from 3), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers and 3 steals. 6-6 230 Carson Williams got 15 points (0-1 from 3) 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. 6-1 guard Mason Faulkner got 9 points (3-6 from 3), 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers and 2 steals. 6-6 220 F Jeff Garrett got 6 points (0-0 from 3), 7 rebounds and 1 block.

The path to a win seems pretty clear here:
Win the turnover battle; like Fordham, the turnover’s are NKU’s key to victory.
Hit three’s – you're not going to win many games going 2-18 from 3. Even if the Bucs just hit their average of 7 makes per game, that alone would add 15 points to our total and bring us to within 3 of NKU. NKU excels at defending 3's, being 14th in D1, holding opponents to .265 from 3. But the Bucs need to do better here if they want to go anywhere this year.
Dominate the boards.

And fan support!! This is our building!!

Front Court
#34 6-7 250 F/C Jr. Drew McDonald, 26.4 minutes, 15.0 ppg, .300 from 3 (1.9 of 6.3); but he shot .384 last year. Expect him to recover that stroke soon), 6.8 rebounds
#23 6-6 230 F So Carson Williams, 26.0 minutes, 13.3 ppg, 0.3 3’s, 5.4 rebounds, 0.6 blocks
#1 6-5 220 F Sr Jordan Garnett, 28.7 minutes, 10.1 ppg, .462 from 3 (1.7 of 3.7), 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals
#5 6-5 170 F Fr Jalen Tate, 21.1 minutes, 7.0 ppg, 0.1 3’s, 1.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals
#4 6-6 220 F Jr Jeff Garrett, 11 minutes, 5.9 ppg, no 3’s, 6.1 rebounds (!)


Guards
#30 6-1 185 Sr Lavone Holland II, 28.0 minutes, 14.5 ppg, .395 from 3 (2.1 of 5.4), 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals
#11 6-1 165 So Mason Faulkner, 22.1 minutes, 5.7 ppg, .400 from 3 (1.4 of 3.7), 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists
#32 6-5 205 So Dantez Walton, 17.9 minutes, 7.0 ppg, .267 from 3 (1.1 of 4.3), 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals
#15 6-1 185 So Tyler Sharpe, 6.8 minutes, 4.2 ppg, .250 from 3 (0.7 of 2.7), 0.3 rebounds
#3 5-10 185 So Tre Cobbs, 9.6 minutes, 3.8 ppg, 0.2 3’s, 0.6 rebounds

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Basketba...m&lp=2&p=1

Doesn’t look like #fillfreedom is having much success. Still tons of tickets left...

It's Northern Kentucky. They might be a good team, but Joe fan has never heard of them.

Hopefully a good walkup crowd.

(12-06-2017 12:17 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  It's Northern Kentucky. They might be a good team, but Joe fan has never heard of them.

Hopefully a good walkup crowd.

The same Northern Kentucky that transitioned through the A-Sun like a speeding locomotive?

Superfan is in the building

Jermaine Long ughhhhhh

Great start bucs. McDonald's rear riding the pine helps. Gotta keep him in foul trouble.

Edwards sitting on the bench with his warm-ups on not looking like he's in the plan for tonight.

(12-06-2017 07:29 PM)MTBuc Wrote:  Edwards sitting on the bench with his warm-ups on not looking like he's in the plan for tonight.

I dont think he came into the Fordham game until the late 1st qtr.. I bet he comes in at some point

Excellent first half. Bucs are coming along


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I'm a little surprised NKU kept McDonald on the bench so long. They really let the game get out of hand there.

I’m away on business travel tonight. So disappointed I couldn’t watch the 1st half asskicking! Keep it up, Bucs!

The refs just screwed us hard

Someone tell me these refs have no affiliation with the SoCon!

What happened? I can’t watch/listen where I’m at.

2 bad blocking calls on ETSU. 2 goal-tending calls on Jurkin. The first one was questionable. The second was absurd. That's just part of it.

They’ve been bad both ways but that last goal tending call on Jurkin was undescribably bad. Jurkin was 2 feet from the guy so the ball could not have had the trajectory to be trending down.

(12-06-2017 08:25 PM)shampoo Wrote:  What happened? I can’t watch/listen where I’m at.

I feel bad for you Shampoo, this has been one of, if not, our best efforts of the season. Typical referee blown calls that let the opponent get back in the game, but we've answered the storm.