The
Stetson men's basketball team (7-10, 4-2) returns home on Thursday, looking to
extend its three-game win streak against Northern Kentucky (4-9, 2-3). The Hatters and the Norse will square off at
7:00 p.m. at the Edmunds Center in the first ever meeting between the two teams.
The three straight victories for the Hatters mark the
longest streak of the season for Stetson, and the first three-game win streak
in a season since 2008-09. The team has
also won three road games in a row with victories over Kennesaw State, ETSU,
and most recently USC Upstate. That feat
hasn't been achieved since 2005-06.
"We're excited about what we accomplished on the road,"
Stetson head coach Casey Alexander said on Wednesday. "It's hard to walk away
with a sweep from those two places. Not many teams will do it, so we did
ourselves a favor there. I think it gives us a lot of confidence. It helps us
keep momentum. Now the important thing is to capitalize on it, playing home
games."
The first of two home contests this weekend will bring
first-year Atlantic Sun Conference member Northern Kentucky to the Edmunds
Center for a 7:00 p.m. contest on ASun.TV and HatterVision. The Norse, in their first year of NCAA
Division I play after moving up from the Division II ranks, are 4-9 on the season,
but 2-3 in A-Sun action.
"They've had a chance to win every conference game they've
played," Alexander said of NKU. "Every game, they've had a chance to win in the
last minute. They're a team that is unconventional as far as how we're going to
have to guard them. [They use] a five out motion with guys who really play well
together. They share the ball well, play hard, and so it will be a real test
for us defensively. That will largely determine how we play in the game."
With a rich tradition that saw the Norse reach 13 NCAA
Division II Tournaments, NKU has battled through 10 straight road games to
start the season, before playing its last three at home. The Norse are averaging only 56.1 points per
game, but are holding their opponents to just 59.7 points per contest and an
A-Sun best 53.4 points in league play.
The game will be featured on HatterVision and ASun.TV with
Robbie Aaron and Ryan Rouse on the call.
WSBB 1230 AM, 1490 AM, and www.MyAM1230.com
will also feature live audio of the game.
Live Stats, the @StetsonMBB Twitter feed, and Hat-Alerts are also
available for in-game updates.
