Sansom Sports Media

Writing this piece feels incredibly bittersweet. On one hand, we’ve reached my favorite time of the year; on the other, tonight likely marks the final NKU home game of the season. This year has shown tremendous progress, and I want to sincerely thank all of you for your engagement. Launching Valhalla Voice this season has me more excited than ever for the future of Norse athletics coverage! Rest assured, I’ll be back with consistent newsletters and fresh content once the madness of the season winds down.

As for tonight, the Norse still have everything to play for. In college basketball, the only thing that truly matters is March, and NKU controls its own destiny for the No. 6 seed—a win tonight guarantees it.

Around the Horizon:

• Cleveland State @ RMU – 1:00, ESPN+
• Purdue Fort Wayne @ IU Indy – 2:00, ESPN+
• Youngstown Sate @ Green Bay – 2:00, ESPN+
• Detroit Mercy @ Oakland – 3:00, ESPN+

The Path to a Home Game

While a win secures the 6th seed, the Norse will need a little help from across the league to climb any higher. To snag the No. 5 seed and host a game next week at Truist Arena, we need a “perfect storm” of results:

1. NKU defeats Wright State
2. IU Indy upsets Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW)
3. Oakland defeats Detroit Mercy
4. Green Bay defeats Youngstown State (YSU)

Friday’s tournament simulations put the odds of the Norse hosting at roughly 6%. It’s a narrow window, but as we know with Horizon League basketball, anything can happen on the final day of the regular season. Depending on how the chips fall, potential tournament opponents for the Norse include Green Bay, PFW, Detroit Mercy, or Oakland.

We’ll have a much clearer picture of the bracket as scores roll in throughout the day tomorrow. Until then, let’s focus on taking down the Raiders and protecting home court one last time.

Wright State V. NKU

When NKU last faced Wright State at the Nutter Center on January 24th during the “Snowpocalypse of 2026” that forced an earlier tipoff. In a game that wasn’t as close as the 88-8- final line, the Raiders walked away with an 88-80 victory. Despite a stellar 30-point explosion from the Norse’s Dan Gherezgher, NKU was ultimately undone by Michael Imariagbe, who dominated the floor with a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Coming into tonight’s rematch, Wright State has already wrapped up the Horizon League regular-season title, sitting at 14-5 in conference play. Because this matchup carries significantly less weight for the Raiders, there’s a chance they might pull back on their rotations and rest key contributors. How exactly they will manage their minutes, however, remains to be seen.

Three Keys to the Game

Control the Fouls: NKU has struggled with high foul rates all season, and the first matchup against WSU highlighted this perfectly. In that game, the Norse conceded a staggering 36 free-throw attempts while drawing only 15 fouls themselves (resulting in just 16 free-throw attempts). That massive disparity led to WSU outscoring NKU 29-11 at the charity stripe, undoubtedly the deciding factor of the game.

Manage the Three-Point Line: The Norse love to let it fly from deep, but Wright State defends the perimeter exceptionally well, allowing just 34% of opponents’ total shots to come from three-point range (and taking only 34% of their own shots from deep). NKU cannot afford to rely solely on the deep ball tonight. Instead, they need to exercise patience, passing up quick outside looks for higher-quality, cleaner shots inside.

Disrupt the Raider Offense: The Raiders boast a highly efficient offense, ranking 67th nationally with a 54% effective field goal percentage. They shoot 36.1% from beyond the arc and 54% inside it – both top-90 marks in the country – while hitting 75% of their free throws (112th nationally). NKU’s defense faces a tough task: they must force contested jumpers all night while maintaining the discipline to keep WSU off the free-throw line.

Wright State Rotation:

Again, there could be rotation if the Raider staff wants to give rest to players. However, I’m working off the assumption they’ll continue as they did previously.

All Stats are: minutes, points/rebounds/assists, steals/blocks/turnovers (if applicable). 2pt%/FT%/3pt%.

Starters (from previous game)

• Kellen Pickett – 22 minutes, 8/5/1, 1 block, 1 turnover. 54%/66%/29% shooting
• Michael Imariagbe – 24 minutes, 12/7/2, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers. 57%/70%/17% shooting
• Dominic Pagonis – 28 minutes, 9/3/1, 1 steal, 1 turnover. 47%/76%/39% shooting
• TJ Burch – 24 minutes, 12/2/4, 3 steals, 2 turnovers. 45%/70%/33% shooting
• Solomon Callagan – 28 minutes, 10/2/1, 1 turnover. 42%/93%/39% shooting

Bench (played 5+ minutes in previous game)

• Andrea Holden – 14 minutes, 6/4/0, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover. 60%/72%/0% shooting
• Bryan Etumnu – 13 minutes, 4/31, 1 turnover. 38%/56%/29%
• Michael Cooper – 26 minutes, 13/3/2, 1 turnover. 44%/81%/34% shooting
• Logan Woods – 19 minutes, 6/2/2, 1 steal, 1 turnover. 46%/64%/34% shooting