Doug Gottlieb & The Green Bay Phoenix vs. Darrin Horn & The Northern Kentucky Norse. Win or Go Home
Sunday March 8, 2026
Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
3:30 PM ET (minimum 30 minutes between the women’s game and the tip of the NKU/GB game, so expect it to tip late).
ESPN+
NKU travels up I-74 to face off with the Green Bay Phoenix in the second round of the Horizon League tournament. This year, the tournament, as you may have noticed, was revamped a bit. There was one play-in game on Monday 3/2 between team 10/11, there were then the full first round games where every team (other than the play-in loser) played. The teams are then re-seeded into 1-5, and the 4/5th highest remaining teams have to play in the “second round” in Indianapolis! NKU is the lowest seed remaining as the 7 seed. Green Bay is the 5, so both of them fall into this matchup. The winner wins the right to play Wright State on Monday at 7:00 ET. The late game will feature RMU (2) and Detroit Mercy (3). The championship game will be on Tuesday 3/10 at 7:00 on ESPN. I’ll be in Indianapolis for the entirety of the men’s tournament, and I also plan to catch some of the women’s tournament as I’m able! Unfortunately the Norse didn’t qualify on the women’s side.
The Norse are 0-2 on the year vs. the Phoenix this year. However, coach Horn is officially 3-0 all-time against teams who have beaten the Norse twice within the year. He’ll look to make that 4-0 on Sunday afternoon.
The first matchup with GB in Wisconsin resulted in NKU trailing by as many as 18 points and, despite a heroic effort from Donovan Oday (31 points), the Norse fell 80-78.
The second matchup with GB at Truist Arena saw the Norse and Phoenix play an OT thriller! Green Bay won 87-84. NKU went down by double digits, clawed back, however, NKU allowed some guys to get clean looks from deep and Preston Ruedinger hit an open 3 to give the Phoenix a narrow victory. Of note, this was the first game that Kael was sidelined with his ankle injury, as well as the first game that LJ and Ethan returned after their respective injuries.
The Three Keys:
Yes, I know two of the three are the exact same as the previous matchup. Had NKU done well at either, The Norse would’ve won those.
Starting Strong: NKU has come out flat in both matchups this year, trailing by double digits on both occasions before fighting back to make it a competitive game. The Norse have to come out better tonight. This is March basketball, and while leads can shift, double digit deficits can be impossible to dig out of.
Rebounding: Green Bay rebounds just 25.3% of their available missed shots, which is good for 333rd in the country. The Norse have to play physical and make sure they prioritize rebounding the basketball on the defensive side, which is a weakness for the Norse. On the other side, NKU does well, rebounding 31.7% of their missed shots, which is a relative strength for the Norse; however, Green Bay allows just 29.1% of missed opponent shots to be rebounded. Can the Norse rebound better than they did last time? The Phoenix out rebounded the Norse 41-29, including a staggering 13 offensive rebounds, resulting in 19 second half points. NKU also had multiple opportunities to “just grab the ball” and would’ve beaten Green Bay.
Fouls/Free Throws: NKU committed “just” 17 fouls, and drew 21 from the Phoenix, however, they faltered at the free throw line, shooting just 14-22 (64%) at the line, crumbling down the stretch and going 2-5 in overtime. Green Bay was 16-22 on the night, which, in an OT game can be the difference between a win and a loss. Overall, Green Bay sends teams to the free throw a ton, ranking 253rd in that stat on the year, however, they also draw fouls at an even more impressive rate (42nd nationally). The Norse will get to the FT line, they will send Green Bay to the FT line, but they must limit their fouls, and cannot have a repeat of Wednesday night’s performance from the stripe.
Green Bay’s Rotation:
Starters:
All Stats are in minutes per game, points/rebounds/assists, followed with other stats.
Caden Wilkins: 22, 7/3/1, 1 turnover. He shoots 41% from deep
Marcus Hall: 35, 14/5/2, 2 turnovers. He shoots 41% from deep
Justin Allen: 26, 14/4/2, 1 turnover. He shoots 24% from deep
C.J. O’Hara: 32, 14/4/1, 1 steal, 2 turnovers. He shoots 30% from deep
Preston Ruedinger: 35, 12/4/5, 1 steal, 1 turnover. He shoots 42% from deep and 91% from the FT line
Rotation:
Ramel Bethea: 13, 4/3/0, 1 block, 1 turnover per game. He does not shoot from deep, but converts 74% of his shot attempts
LeBron Thomas: 12, 4/2/1, 1 turnover per game. He shoots 11% from deep
Takeaways:
The Norse’s pace could greatly impact a Green Bay team playing a 7 man rotation. Green Bay is the 7th slowest team in the country overall and the 5th slowest on offense. The Norse have an opportunity to get up and down and fatigue the Phoenix. However, they have to do it with high IQ shots or the Norse will struggle. I do not expect turnovers to play a large role here, as Green Bay doesn’t force turnovers at a high rate, and they do well at not turning the ball over. NKU does force a high % of turnovers, so if they are able to speed Green Bay up, turnovers could be an advantage.
Updated Horizon League Bracket
Who’s headed to Indy on Sunday?!
Here’s an updated look at the bracket and where things stand!
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