Northern Kentucky University students are challenging conference rival Wright State University to a Reverse Penny Wars, leading up to the Horizon League showdown on Friday, Feb. 28 at BB&T Arena.
NKU’s Student Government Association connected with its counterpart at Wright State to plan the philanthropy event the week leading up to Friday’s game. Both universities are raising funds for local hospitals – NKU’s proceeds will benefit Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital while Wright State’s funds will go to Dayton’s Children’s Hospital.
It’s a Reverse Penny Wars in an effort to raise more money. Silver coins and dollars add to the total while pennies subtract from the total.
“Our goal is to raise $1,000, so we wanted to make it easy for people to donate the most. This is a fun way for students to join the community in philanthropy, and I am proud to plan the first penny war with Wright State,” said Lauren Goodwin, NKU SGA Philanthropy and Service chair. “Both universities hope this event becomes an annual tradition. It is a great way to turn an intense rivalry into something that benefits others!”
The NKU Men’s Basketball team and Wright State have battled in the Horizon League since the Norse joined in 2015. NKU won the league tournament championship in 2017 and 2019, earning an NCAA tournament berth. Wright State won in 2018.
“We are excited about this opportunity to generate positivity around a rivalry that can often be visceral. People can either donate at our table in the Student Union through Friday, or they can contribute to our Penny Wars online. I hope Norse Nation turns out to help us beat Wright State at philanthropy before we beat them at basketball,” said SGA President Jarett Lopez.
The matchup against Wright State is the last regular-season game and senior night. Fans are encouraged to join the team in wearing white for the game. To pack BB&T for a whiteout, there are giveaways and specials for this game:
• NKU Water Bottle: The first 1,000 fans get a white NKU water bottle.
• NKU T-shirt: The first 2,000 fans also get a white Norse basketball shirt.
• Kenton County Night: residents can get a $9 tickets at the box office.
• Food Friday: Mention the promo at the box office for a $14 ticket, which includes a $5 concessions voucher.
Special promotions aimed at getting students to the game include a rally towel for the first 1,000 attendees. Friday also marks the final #1K41K promotion where one lucky student will win $1,000 dollars if 1,000 students are in attendance. Students must check-in at the entrance with their all-card to be counted and eligible for the prize.
Tip-off for the nationally-televised ESPNU broadcast is 7 p.m. All giveaways are on a first-come first-served basis.
To participate in the Reverse Penny Wars, just visit the online portal and donate before Friday evening.
Great and a great rivalry. WSU had a great first half but missed too many freethrows down the late stretch to give NKU a fighting chance. WSU should have put the game away and cruised to an easy win!