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Don Owen: Identity crisis aside, Detroit needs no Mercy from NKU in Horizon League Tournament


Talk about an identity crisis. Most people easily recognize the University of Detroit as a one-time power in college basketball. Bring up Detroit Mercy, though, and it’s a different story.

Despite the fact it’s the same school.

Dave DeBusschere played at Detroit prior to becoming an NBA All-Star and later a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Dick Vitale coached at Detroit before he became a television icon. Vitale still refers to it as the “University of Detroit.”

Where’s the Mercy?

NKU’s Trevon Faulkner elevates for a jumper against Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

The University of Detroit actually merged with Mercy College of Detroit in 1990. Instead of simply retaining its well-established identity, those in authority chose to rename the institution the University of Detroit Mercy. A recognized national brand became a discombobulated punchline. And it’s caused plenty of confusion when it comes to college basketball.

Many members of the media still just call it Detroit in recaps. Some newspapers have penned it as Mercy on second reference. Wire services routinely leave out the Mercy in score updates. Most notably, Detroit Mercy’s own athletics website is at detroittitans.com.

Where’s the Mercy?

Identity crisis aside, Detroit Mercy visits BB&T Arena on Tuesday night to meet Northern Kentucky in a Horizon League Tournament quarterfinal game. The Titans have a ton of talent. They’ve won nine of their past 10 games, including a road triumph at Cleveland State.

Detroit…err, I mean, Detroit Mercy enters the Tuesday night game at NKU with a 12-9 overall record. The Titans defeated Robert Morris in the opening round of the Horizon League Tournament by an 83-73 score.

Antoine Davis, the Horizon League’s top scorer at 24.3 points per game, blistered the nets for a tournament-record 46 points in the win over Robert Morris. Davis also buried 10 shots from 3-point range in that victory.

Davis netted 24 points in the first half, passing DeBusschere for third place on the Titans all-time scoring list. The junior guard has scored 2,024 career points and will be a major problem for NKU on Tuesday night.

Detroit Mercy head coach Mike Davis has guided his team to nine wins in the past 10 games. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

His father happens to be Mike Davis, also the head coach of Detroit Mercy. The elder Davis is normally an NKU fan favorite due to his sideline antics. That won’t be an issue on Tuesday night, since the Horizon League is not allowing fans into any of its postseason games.

The Titans lineup also features forward Bul Kuol, an All-Horizon League performer who averages 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He’s drained 50 shots from 3-point range and converted 77.8 percent of his free throws.

Sophomore forward Noah Waterman, a 6-foot-11 transfer from Niagara, averages 11.4 points per game and has knocked down 33 shots from beyond the arc. Matt Johnson earned Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 8.8 points per game off the bench. He’s also made 94.4 percent of his free throws.

That’s not to mention 6-foot-8 forward Chris Brandon, a prodigious leaper who grabbed 13 rebounds and added 10 points against Robert Morris in Detroit Mercy’s first-round win. Brandon’s vertical jump brings back memories of former Detroit All-American Terry Tyler, a 6-foot-7 leaper who amazed folks in the NBA with his ability to elevate.

Where’s the Mercy?

NKU finished the regular season with a 13-10 overall record. The Norse posted an 11-7 mark in the Horizon League and earned a first-round bye with a No. 4 seed.

Due to the unbalanced schedule utilized by the Horizon League, NKU and Detroit Mercy did not meet this season. A year ago, the two teams split, with the home squad winning each game.

Davis scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first contest as Detroit Mercy rallied for a 66-58 win over NKU at Calihan Hall. The Norse jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first half, but Detroit Mercy stormed from behind by shooting 60 percent from the field in the second 20 minutes. Brandon added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Titans.

In the rematch at Highland Heights, Jalen Tate and Tyler Sharpe combined for 41 points and eight assists as NKU cruised to an 84-65 win. The Norse held Davis to 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field. Brandon grabbed 14 rebounds for Detroit Mercy, which lost the battle of the boards by a 38-29 margin.

Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy is pressured by NKU defender Tyler Sharpe last season. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)

So what’s all that mean for Tuesday night? Absolutely nothing. Tate and Sharpe are no longer at NKU. Neither is Dantez Walton. NKU features three battled-tested warriors in Trevon Faulkner, Adrian Nelson and Bryson Langdon who have played key roles against Detroit Mercy in the past.

The remainder of the Norse are talented rookies — including Horizon League Freshman of the Year Marques Warrick — plus a few holdovers who saw limited time against Detroit Mercy last season. That could be problematic against the Davis-led Titans on Tuesday night.

Davis poured in 33 points against NKU the first time he encountered the Norse as a freshman at Calihan Hall. He netted 26 points in the next meeting at BB&T Arena, and then scorched the nets for 30 points in the 2019 Horizon League Tournament at NKU.

Detroit Mercy lost all three of those games. A year ago, Davis scored a total of 27 points in the two games against NKU, but the Titans were able to split the series.

The visitors from the Motor City figure to be a rugged test for NKU on Tuesday night. Not that anything has been easy for the rebuilding-in-progress Norse this pandemic-altered season.

It appears the Las Vegas oddsmakers aren’t on board with the identity thing, either, as they have the game listed as Northern Kentucky vs. Detroit.

Where’s the Mercy?

Don Owen is sports editor of the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Contact him at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport.


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