Originally scheduled for a 7:30 PM tip, Saturday’s matchup between the Norse and the Raiders has been moved to 1:00 PM to avoid inclement weather and ensure the safety of fans and players. NKU travels to the Nutter Center as a 3.5-point underdog according to Vegas odds. ESPN gives Wright State a 75% chance to win, while KenPom projects the Raiders as five-point favorites.

Series History:

Wright State leads this rivalry series 32-18 all time.

Last season the road team won both matchups.

NKU Update:

The Norse sit at 14-7 on the year, and just 6-4 in an extremely competitive Horizon League. NKU’s last game was a heartbreaking loss to Robert Morris in OT last Saturday, so the Norse should be hungry to get a win and well rested. The Norse are 171st in the country per Kenpom.com. NKU is currently just 1.5 games out of first place in the league which just so happens to be occupied by Wright State. That means that there is everything to play for right now! Finally, the Norse are the only team in the country with 4 guys adding 14+ points per game and they have one of the nations best 6th men in Donovan Oday!

WSU:

Wright State is coming off a bad loss to a Cleveland State team ranked at the bottom of the conference and they did so at the Nutter Center. We all know coach Sargent will have them angry and ready to come out and make some noise.

Wright State is currently, as I mentioned above, leading the Horizon League with a 7-2 record in Horizon league play. They have a 12-8 record on the year overall, and enter today with a 7-3 home record. They are 145h on Kenpom with a highly efficient offense and a defense that is a bit suspect at times.

Three Keys:

Which team starts hot? This is a massive opportunity for both teams to get back on the right track quickly, and someone is leaving here on a 2 game skid. Early momentum is going to be vital to controlling the game.

Who wins the battle in the paint? NKUgets 47% of their scoring from inside the arc, while giving up 48% of their points down low. Wright State, however, does very well at scoring in the patient (53% of their scoring from inside the 3 point arc), good for 63rd in the country. That presents a significant concern for NKU and their suspect interior defense. Neither team rebounds the ball extremely well, however, WSU is good about keeping teams off the offensive glass, so second chance buckets will be hard to come by for NKU.

Pace – Which team is able to control the pace tonight, NKU is the fastest team in the Horizon league averaging 71.4 possessions per game, while Wright State likes to slow the game down, playing just 68.6 possessions per game. Those 3 possessions may not seem like much, but they can be a significant swing in a game. Whoever can get his game playing at their pace will have a significant advantage.

Projected NKU Rotation:

The Norse will likely maintain the same rotation we’ve seen the majority of the year and starts should be:

Ethan Elliott: 5/2/5, 1 steal, 1 turnover per game

Dan Gherezgher: 16/3/2, 1 steal and 2 turnovers per game

Tae Dozier: 8/4/2, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 turnover per game

Kael Robinson 15/4/2, 1 steal and 2 turnovers per game

LJ Wells: 14/8/2, 1 steal, 1 block and 2 turnovers per game

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the man who is arguably NKU’s best player, just off the bench: Donovan Oday. DO averages 18/4/2, 2 steals and 2 turnovers per game.

Other key minutes: Donovan Rakotonanahary, Ryan Tolliver, and Bryce Darbyshire

WSU Rotation:

Starters from last game:

Sam Alamutu: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a turnover. He doesn’t shoot much at all from deep and will look to get to the rim. His minutes have been very sporadic.

Dominic Pangonis: 9/3/1, 1 steal, 1 turnover per game. He has recently come on and has been in double figures 6/8 of their last games. He can hit from 3, but does not do it frequently.

Kellen Pickett: 7/5/1, 1 block, 1 turnover per game. 3x Horizon League Player of the week this year. he is great on offense, but does struggles to translate that to defense.

Solomon Callaghan: 10/2/1 and 1 turnover per game. He is the main spacing threat for WSU and will look to fire, even if it’s not going in.

TJ Burch: 11/2/3/3, 2 turnovers per game. He appears to be growing into the guy for WSU, he likes the ball in his hand and will look to get him into ball screens often.

Bench:

Michael Imariagbe: 12/6/2, 1 block and 2 turnovers on the year. He is a physical big man and will look to impose his will down low. Fouls can be a problem and something NKU should look to exploit.

Michael Cooper: 15/3/3, 1 steal and 1 turnover per game. He is the Raider’s best offensive weapon and has started most of the year, however, hasn’t started the last two.

Logan Woods: 7/2/2, 1 steal and 1 turnover per game. He is a catch and shoot threat but doesn’t defend well.

Gametime:

NKU tips off at 1PM today and everything is on ESPN+, or catch the radio broadcast on Fox 1360!