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No. 7 Northern Kentucky Norse (18-13, 10-10 HL) at No. 4 Oakland Golden Grizzlies (16-15, 12-8 HL)

OU Credit Union O’rena – Auburn Hills, Michigan | Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 7:00 PM EST | ESPN+

Welcome to Conference Tournament Season! As Coach Horn says, all that matters are the games in March!

NKU enters play as the 7 seed this year at 18-13 overall and 10-10 in Horizon play. Oakland, despite a strong start, ended up as 16-15 overall, and 12-8 in Horizon play. NKU and Oakland did play twice with Oakland winning both times. The first game was in November, and was a bit of a tossup if NKU would’ve executed down the stretch. The second matchup saw NKU play without multiple starters. Since that 2nd game with NKU, Oakland’s season has gone off the rails a bit. Instead, they slid behind both Robert Morris and crosstown rival Detroit Mercy late in the year. The culprit has been defense: over their last seven games, opponents are averaging more than 83 points per game, up from 78 in the first 13 conference games. 

NKU, on the other hand, has won 4 of 6, and came within a few posessions of a 6-game winning streak. Wednesday night presents an opportunity for NKU to continue a trend of not losing 3 times in 1 season to the same team.

NKU will look to avenge the two losses this year and prevent a three game sweep from occurring on Wednesday night. Coach Darrin Horn has never lost to the same opponent 3 times in 1 year. He is 2-0 in similar circumstances, beating Detroit Mercy in 2022 and then Wright State in 2024. Both teams are desperate, and both will look to attack early to get going.

Three Keys to the Game:

Fouls

• I know I’m a broken record this year, however, it rings true yet again tonight. NKU must limit how much they foul Oakland tonight, or Brody Robinson will go for a high point total (again). Robinson is the best player in the Horizon League at getting to the free throw line. He has attempted 254 on the year. The first matchup saw Oakland attempt 29 free throws. Robinson went 8-8 that night. The second matchup saw Oakland take 24 attempts from the stripe, and Robinson took 11 of them.

Take Good Shots

• NKU takes 45.3% of their shots from deep. That’s 58th in the country. Against Oakland this year, however, they are 6-26, and then 9-40. That’s a total of 23% from deep over the two games this year. This is a combination of Oakland’s zone, which up until lately had been stifling. Now, the Norse will look to not settle for the easy shot and take the best look they can get.

Rebound the Ball

• Oakland allows offensive rebounds at a 34.6% rate, which is 330th in the nation. The Norse pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and 40 total rebounds in the Feb 1 matchup. That was after a 13/38 performance in Highland Heights in December. The Norse were out rebounded in both matchups though, and that allowed Oakland to take advantage on second chance points.

Rotation

Last matchup for Oakland saw just an 8 man rotation, however, two of those guys (Houge (11), and Thurmon (5)) played less than 15 minutes.

Starters:

• Isaac Garrett: 29 minutes, 14 points/7 rebounds/2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers per game
• Tuburu Naivalurua: 32 minutes, 14/6/2, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover per game
• Michael Houge: 27 minutes, 13/5/1, 1 steal, 2 turnovers per game
• Ziare Wells: 27 minutes, 10/5/2, 1 steal, 1 turnover per game
• Brody Robinson: 36 minutes, 17/3/7, 1 steal, 2 turnovers per game

Bench

• Khoi Thurmon: 12 minutes, 3/1/1, 1 steal, 1 turnover per game
• Brett White II: 24 minutes, 9/3/1, 1 steal per game
• Warren Marshall IV: 13 minutes, 4/2/0, 1 steal, 1 block per game