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NKU opens season against Ball State on Nov. 25; Thomas More’s McNutt earns conference honor


NKyTribune staff

Northern Kentucky University will play host to Ball State to open the season at 6 p.m. on Nov. 25 at BB&T Arena.

NKU and Ball State are meeting for the second straight season. A year ago, the Norse’s Trevon Faulkner netted 17 points as NKU pulled out a 59-57 win over Ball State at Muncie, Ind.

Ball State finished with an 18-13 overall record last season. NKU posted a 23-9 record and captured the Horizon League Tournament championship.

A pair of Sunday road tilts also await NKU in December. The Norse travel to Indianapolis to play Butler on Dec. 6, and then visit Kent State on Dec. 13. The game against Butler is slated for a 2 p.m. start and will be carried on Fox Sports 1.

NKU’s Trevon Faulkner goes inside for a basket against Milwaukee. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

This will be NKU’s first-ever meetings with both Butler and Kent State.

NKU will also hit the road UT Chattanooga on Nov. 28. The Norse play host to Tennessee Tech on Dec. 3 at BB&T Arena. Those two schools have released their non-conference schedules and list NKU as an opponent.

NKU welcomes back Faulkner, who averaged 11.9 points per game. The Mercer County graduate also collected 41 steals and is considered one of the top defenders in the Horizon League.

Also returning for NKU is junior forward Adrian Nelson, who averaged 6.3 rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-7 Nelson also shot 68.4 percent from the field. Junior point guard Bryson Langdon is also back after dishing out 101 assists and scoring 7.6 ppg.

Among the NKU newcomers are Darius Harding, who averaged 19.3 points per game at Motlow State last season. Redshirt freshman John Harge and transfer guard Carlos Hines — who averaged 12.9 points per game at Northern Arizona two years ago — could also make an immediate impact.

Freshmen Marques Warrick, Trey Robinson and David Böhm are other newcomers of note.

During the last four years, NKU is 95-39 overall and has won five of the last eight Horizon League championships (two regular season, three tournament). The Norse also boast the Horizon League’s best winning percentage during that time at .763 (81-20).

THOMAS MORE PLAYER HONORED: Thomas More’s Briana McNutt has been named the Mid-South Conference women’s basketball Player of the Week. McNutt led the Saints to a 64-61 road victory over No. 3 Marian (Ind.) on Sunday. She scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in that victory. McNutt also collected a steal in the final seconds to ice the win.

Thomas More is 4-0 and will play host to Martin Methodist at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Connor Convocation Center.

(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications, Thomas More and staff reports)


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