The Northern Kentucky Norse have finally gotten a bit of a break, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Fresh off of their two toughest buy games of the year, the Norse had three days without a game. I’m sure that while they weren’t playing, practice was as intense, or more intense than it had been this year. The Norse fell to Saint Louis 125-63, and despite it being a game they were expected to lose, there are always things to clean up when you lose by 60+.

NKU will now play their home opener, almost two weeks into the season when they host the Central Michigan Chippewas from the MAC. This is a return from last years game in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan where the Norse were victorious, winning 90-66. This year’s game will be closer than the one a season ago.

Central Michigan was 10-21 last season, and underwent a bit of an overhaul this season. They returned 7 players, with 8 new guys coming into the team. In today’s era, that’s a rarity, and it’ll help the chemistry of the roster. That’s likely part of why they have jumped out to a 3-0 start with a win over Louisiana Monore, non D-1 Alma, and Youngstown State. They have scored 83 or more points in every game this season and are yet to allow more than 80 points on the year.

The Chippewas will look to slow it down on offense and they play at the no. 188 pace nationally.

CMU Starters:

Their previous game saw Keenan Garner, Conrad Luczynski, Jaxson Whitaker, Jalen Kampen, and Phat Phat Brooks start. However, Jake Bascon, Brock Mendoza, and Jayson Petty all played more minutes than Lucczynski who battled foul trouble.

Full Rotation for CMU:

Phat Phat Brooks is averaging 27 minutes per game while putting up 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and turning it over 3 times per game. He is shooting 68% from the field, 82% from the free throw line, and 75% from deep. After transferring from Michigan a year ago, he averaged 11/3/4 per game at CMU last year.

Jalen Kampen is playing 24 minutes per matchup, averaging 10/4/1, and turning it over 1 time per game. He is shooting 53%/86%/56%. The 6’4′ sophomore returned to the Chippewas for his sophomore season after playing 20 games last year.

Keenan Garner is a 6’7′ junior who is putting up 10/7/2 per game. He is adding a steal and 2 turnovers as well. He is shooting 50%/58%/43% this season. He started 18 games last season, averaging 8/5. He’s playing 24 minutes per matchup.

Jaxson Whitaker is putting up 7 points and 2 assists across 34 minutes per game. He is shooting 45% from the field, 100% from the stripe, and 36% from deep.

Jayson Petty is a 6’3″ guard from Phoenix who comes into the program from Kansas City. He averaged 11/4/2 last year and is putting up 9 points, 4 rebounds this season.

Conrad Luczynski is a 7’2′ senior who is averaging 10/6/2, 2 blocks, a steal and 3 fouls per game. He transferred up from Division 2 program Lenoir-Rhyne University this year. He’s playing 17 minutes per game.

Jake Bascom is a 6’6′ freshman who is averaging 8/4 this year. He’s playing 17 minutes per game. The Rockford, Michigan native has taken 2 threes this year but is yet to make one.

Brock Mendoza (no relation to the Heisman QB) is a 6’10’ senior who transferred in this year from Pima Community College in Arizona. Last year, he averaged 13/9 and blocked 2 shots per game. He was also a threat to hit a deep ball. This year, he is averaging 6/3/1 and blocking 2 shots per game. He averages 16 minutes per game.

Uchenna Amene is a 6’1′ sophomore who redshirted last year. In 12 minutes per game, he is averaging 3/3/1, a steal and 2 fouls per game.

Jayden Hackett is a 6’5′ senior from Green Bay, Wisconsin who is averaging 4/1 on the year in 12 minutes. He spent last year at Juco Milwaukee Area Technical College where he was All-American first team.

No one else is averaging more than 6 minutes per game.

Keys to the Game:

Rebounding: The Norse are doing well at rebounding on both sides of the ball in thir non-buy games. They out rebounded UTEP 39-33 to open the year, and 29-26 against South Dakota. The Chippewas are a great rebounding team, getting 37.9% of their missed shots (62nd nationally). Where they struggle is on the defensive side of the ball, giving up offensive rebounds 32% of the time. The battle of the boards may be the deciding factor here.

Pace: Northern Kentucky loves to run. Central Michigan prefers to be more methodical on offense. Which team can dictate the pace of the game? There will be significant pressure on Willie, BJ, Eric, and Ethan (if playing) to push the ball quickly.

Turnovers: NKU has averaged 18.3 turnovers per game to just 12 assists. Those numbers are, quite frankly unacceptable. The Norse are no. 330 in the nation in turnover % while also not forcing turnovers on defense, where they are no. 342. Central Michigan does turn it over, but nowhere near as much as NKU. One caveat is that their turnover numbers were much better against USD and UTEP than they were against A&M and SLU.

Three Point Shooting: NKU is shooting 30.1% from deep. They’re only taking 35% of their chances from deep, but that number is concerning. They need to look for open, in rhythm shots or put the ball on the court and play within the offense. Central Michigan is shooting 44% from deep (13th nationally), but only takes 34.5% of their shots from deep. The Norse will need to run the Chippewas off the line all afternoon.

Prediction: NKU 84, Central Michigan 77