Pregame Preview: Northern Kentucky (12-15, 7-9 Horizon) at Wright State (13-15, 7-10 Horizon)
Heading into the season both of these teams were projected to finish top five in the league. With just a handful of games remaining, they both will be fighting for seeding within 6-8, with no chance of securing a first-round bye. Let's take a quick look at what happened in the previous matchup on January 18th, before diving into the scouting report ahead of the Friday night rematch.
First Half Breakdown (Wright State 40, Northern Kentucky 33)
Key Moments:
- Wright State Takes Control: A sequence of plays, including a layup by Brandon Noel and a fastbreak bucket by Michael Imariagbe, helped Wright State jump out to an early 11-5 lead.
- NKU Fights Back: Dan Gherezgher and Keeyan Itejere scored inside, cutting the lead to 14-12.
- Keaton's Game: Norris drilled a three, giving Wright State a 17-12 edge.
- Dilling’s Three Keeps NKU in It: Josh Dilling knocked down a deep three, pulling NKU within four points (25-21).
- Wright State Extends Lead Before Half: Jack Doumbia hit a layup and a free throw, pushing Wright State’s lead to 38-33. Doumbia scored again on a jumper before the buzzer, making it 40-33 at halftime.
Second Half Breakdown (Wright State 38, Northern Kentucky 37)
Key Moments:
- Wright State Pushes Ahead: Andrew Welage drained a three, extending the lead to 54-43, marking their largest lead of the game at 11 points.
- NKU Makes a Run:
- Dilling hit another three-pointer (58-50).
- Pettus scored inside at (58-52).
- Dilling hit a fastbreak three, trimming the lead to just three points (65-62).
- Final Stretch - Wright State Closes Strong:
- Keaton Norris hit a jumper.
- Brandon Noel’s layup and free throw (73-68) secured the lead.
- Keeyan Itejere dunked (73-70, 1:04) but Norris hit clutch free throws.
Overall Summary
Wright State executed well, particularly in rebounding (41-29) and scoring efficiency, maintaining control for most of the game. Keaton Norris (21 points, career-high) and Jack Doumbia (15 points, 8 rebounds) led the way, while NKU struggled from the free-throw line (22-32). Despite NKU making a late push, Wright State’s shooting and defense held firm, securing the win.
WSU Scouting Report
#14 Brandon Noel: Redshirt Junior Forward 6'8"
Season Averages (33.9 MIN, 18.9 PPG, 8.0 REB, 1.7 AST)
Noel is second in the Horizon League in scoring and one of the best post players where he shoots at a 57.3% clip. He posts up 50% of the time on the right block so that he can dribble into the middle of the paint before turning back to shoot using his right hand. He has no problem going to the middle and scoring, but will always shoot the ball with his right hand even if that is less advantageous. Noel will also shoot over three three-pointers a game at 35.5%, with most of them coming in spot up shots or in transition.
#3 Alex Huibregtse: Redshirt Senior Guard 6'3"
Season Averages (34.2 MIN, 13.4 PPG, 3.3 REB, 3.1 AST)
Huibregtse has been dealing with ongoing back issues and could be the leading reason for his poor offensive output recently. In his last five games, he is averaging just 7 points on 26.6% from the field. Despite recent struggles he is still 3rd in the league in three-point percentage at 37.3. He is mostly used as a catch-and-shoot player, and will routinely take shots from a couple feet behind the arc. However, Northern Kentucky can exploit his poor defense, with opposing players shooting 44 FG% and 38.5 3FG% against him. NKU scored 10 of their 70 points on Huibregtse in the first matchup.
#23 Jack Doumbia: Senior Wing 6'6"
Season Averages (23.8 MIN, 12.1 PPG, 6.0 REB, 1.7 AST)
Doumbia was the second-leading scorer in the previous matchup, scoring 15 points (7-15 FG) off the bench for the Raiders. One of the few WSU players that rarely shoots 3's (3-12 on the season), he thrives in transition, creating scoring opportunities at the rim or from mid-range.
#4 Keaton Norris: Redshirt Junior Guard 6'0"
Season Averages (31.0 MIN, 7.8 PPG, 2.9 REB, 4.5 AST)
WSU struggled in the loss to Green Bay and a key part of that was Norris missing the game due to illness. He is the point guard and facilitator for this team, but lit up the Norse a month ago going for a career-high 21 points on 8-11 shooting. With a 2.61 AST/TO ratio he is constantly putting his teammates in great position to score.
#13 Solomon Callaghan: Redshirt Freshman Guard 6'2"
Season Averages (21.8 MIN, 6.4 PPG, 1.4 REB, 1.1 AST)
With Huibregtse struggling and Norris missing the Green Bay game, Callaghan has set career-highs in back-to-back games. He has started his last four games and played 39 minutes in the OT loss to Milwaukee scoring 16 points (6-7 FG). He followed that game up with 21 points (7-12 FG) vs Green Bay. He did not score in the game vs NKU, but is another solid catch and shoot shooter for the Raiders. The lefty has some growing offensive confidence and something NKU will have to attempt to slow down, especially if Norris cannot play.
#21 Logan Woods: Redshirt Sophomore Guard 6'5"
Season Averages (24.4 MIN, 7.2 PPG, 2.2 REB, 1.7 AST)
Woods fouled out in 11 minutes against Green Bay, and was the only WSU starter that did not score against NKU. On the season, Woods is a 48% three-point shooter (36-75) and is the definition of a catch-and-shoot player, with just five of his 75 attempts coming off the dribble. Northern Kentucky can neutralize him by running him off the three point line.
Dominate the Free Throw Line
Northern Kentucky has struggled from the free-throw line as a team this season, shooting 66%—the worst mark in the league. However, this game may very well be decided by free-throw shooting.
In the previous matchup, NKU went 22-32 from the line, doubling WSU in free-throw attempts (16). With Green Bay hitting 26 of 34 free throws en route to its first conference win of the season, WSU has now seen its opponents make more free throws than they have attempted in four of their last six games. That six-game stretch does not include the first matchup between the Norse and Raiders.
First-year head coach Clint Sargent had this to say about his team's free-throw discrepancy after the Green Bay loss:
"That’s been an issue for us—guarding the ball without fouling. That really shifted the momentum in the game."
Similar Teams with Similar Struggles
Despite their contrasting styles of play and coaching philosophies—WSU prioritizing offensive firepower and NKU focusing on a stifling defense—both teams find themselves toward the bottom of the conference standings.
According to KenPom, Wright State ranks 8th in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency in conference play. On the flip side, Northern Kentucky ranks 9th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency.
While their overall conference numbers are underwhelming, both teams excel in certain areas. Wright State leads the conference in three-point percentage (38.9%), which will be a focal point of NKU’s defensive game plan. Meanwhile, Northern Kentucky remains one of the league’s most disruptive defenses, ranking 3rd in defensive turnover percentage.
