Pregame Preview: Northern Kentucky (7-2, 1-0) at Purdue Fort Wayne (4-6, 0-1)
Purdue Fort Wayne rolls into Saturday led by Jon Coffman, now in his 12th season at the helm. Coffman took over in 2014 after three years as an assistant and has since become the winningest coach in program history, entering the year with a 198–155 record. His teams usually play with pace, freedom, and pressure, and this one is no different.
This matchup has all the ingredients for a high-possession, fast-paced game. Both teams are among the best transition offenses in college basketball, with NKU ranking ninth nationally at 20.22 fast-break points per game and PFW close behind at 19.1, good for 16th. Unless somebody suddenly digs in defensively, both sides have the firepower to push toward 90 points each.
PFW’s problem has been on the other end. They’ve been one of the weakest defensive teams in Division I so far, giving up 42.4% from three (third-worst nationally) and 60.6% on twos. They’re also struggling on the glass. Three of their four wins came against non-D1 opponents, and those are the only games in which they’ve won the rebounding battle. Overall they sit at –48 on the season in rebounding margin, and when you remove the three non-D1 matchups, that number drops to –90. NKU has to view that as a chance to steal extra possessions and control this game.
The Mastodons rely heavily on the three, with 37.4% of their total points coming from deep. They do however force turnovers at a high level, ranking 11th in the nation in turnover margin (+5.8) and matching NKU’s chaos creation with 11.0 steals per game. NKU, meanwhile, sits ninth nationally in steals (11.1) and forces 16.67 turnovers a night, so this game could swing on who handles the pressure better. PFW runs a lot of dribble handoffs on the perimeter, which means NKU will need strong communication to handle the switches and stay connected to shooters.
Historically, the Norse have controlled the series. Saturday marks the 48th meeting, with NKU leading 31–16 overall and 8–3 in Horizon League play. They also won last year’s matchup in Fort Wayne, 79–74.
Purdue Fort Wayne’s loss at Oakland on Wednesday turned into the kind of shootout where every defensive mistake felt magnified. The Mastodons poured in 92 points on 47.1% shooting and knocked down 15 threes, even grabbing a brief lead in the first half, but they couldn’t keep Oakland from carving them up inside and in transition. Oakland shot 53% from the floor, dominated the glass 43–33, and sprinted out for 35 fast break points, repeatedly turning misses and turnovers into uncontested layups. Brody Robinson and Isaac Garrett lived in the paint, and every time PFW made a push, Oakland immediately answered with another burst of downhill scoring. Corey Hadnot’s 33 and DeAndre Craig’s 22 kept the Mastodons within range, but the inability to string together stops left them chasing the game the entire night. Let's take a look at the scouting report ahead of the game on Saturday.
Purdue Fort Wayne Scouting Report
★ Denotes Starter of Previous Game
#1 Ebrahim Kaba – Redshirt Freshman Guard, 6'9" 215 lbs – East Orange, NJ / The Peddie School / Gill St. Bernard's
Previous School: St. Bonaventure
Season Averages: 16.6 MIN, 6.2 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.4 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.5 BLK, 1.3 TO, 47.1 FG%, 0.0 FT%, 42.4 3PT%
Kaba has been a steady two-way contributor for a freshman and fills a clear role in PFW’s rotation. He’s used almost entirely as a spot-up threat or transition finisher, usually spacing to the right wing or corner where he hunts clean perimeter looks. He’s willing to rise into stepbacks on the perimeter or off-balance looks when he gets inside. He’s coming off a 6-point night at Oakland where he went 2-for-3 from deep.
He works as PFW’s sixth man on a team that doesn’t lean heavily on its bench, with only 28.5% of the Mastodons’ minutes going to reserves. Last season at St. Bonaventure he redshirted, so this is his first year of game action.
★ #2 Mikale Stevenson – Fifth-Year Guard, 6'2" 190 lbs – Fort Wayne, IN / South Side
Previous Schools: Grambling State / Milwaukee Area Technical College / Independence CC
Season Averages: 26.8 MIN, 14.0 PTS, 2.9 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.6 STL, 0.3 BLK, 2.1 TO, 45.0 FG%, 95.7 FT%, 27.0 3PT%
Stevenson has started every game and gives PFW a steady scoring option in the backcourt. He’s not a high-level three-point shooter at 27%, but he’s much better on catch-and-shoot looks and is extremely reliable at the free-throw line, hitting 22 of 23 attempts. He’s comfortable operating in the midrange, plays well out of pick and roll and dribble handoffs, and has tight enough handles to create space. Defensively he can be attacked and teams try to make him work on that end.
Last season at Grambling State, he averaged 10.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds with 19 double-digit scoring games, highlighted by 17 points, five boards, three steals, and two assists in the SWAC semifinal upset of top-seed Southern, along with a 16-point, six-rebound performance at Ole Miss.
★ #9 DeAndre Craig Jr. – Junior Guard, 6'0" 180 lbs – Chicago, IL / Mount Carmel
Previous School: Denver
Season Averages: 27.1 MIN, 15.5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 2.9 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.2 TO, 48.7 FG%, 83.9 FT%, 38.8 3PT%
Craig has been one of PFW’s most reliable scorers, reaching double figures in every game but one and starting every game. He’s a confident perimeter shooter, strong in transition, and comfortable running pick and roll as the primary handler. He’ll drive either direction, though he prefers getting to his left, and he’s been a steady distributor as well. His 22-point, five-assist performance at Oakland was his highest scoring game as a Mastodon and matched his career high from his time at Denver.
Last season with the Pioneers, he averaged 13.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes a night, finishing with double figures in 23 games. He also produced several standout moments, including a 20-point outing, a memorable four-point possession in the final seconds to beat Kansas City, and a strong showing in the Summit League Tournament where he scored in double figures in four straight games.
★ #10 Corey Hadnot II – Junior Guard, 6'3" 190 lbs – Atlanta, GA / Cypress Creek (Houston, TX)
Season Averages: 29.0 MIN, 19.5 PTS, 3.9 REB, 2.8 AST, 2.4 STL, 0.4 BLK, 1.7 TO, 57.1 FG%, 83.3 FT%, 39.1 3PT%
Hadnot has become the clear offensive engine for PFW, taking a massive leap from last year’s 9 points per game to leading the Horizon League at 19.5. He’s scoring efficiently at all three levels, highlighted by 65.9% shooting inside the arc, and thrives in transition where PFW plays its fastest. He jumps passing lanes, creates instant offense, and consistently looks to get downhill to finish on the right side of the rim. His breakout continued at Oakland, where he posted a career-high 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 steals, including 20 points in the first half.
He struggled against NKU last season, totaling just 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting across two matchups, but he enters this game as one of the most dangerous guards in the league and currently leads the entire country in made field goals with 76. For comparison, Dan Gherezgher is 3rd in the Horizon League in total field goals at 58. Last year he played in all 32 games for PFW, averaging 9.0 points with 13 double-digit outings and notable performances like 23 points against Detroit Mercy and 20 at Penn State.
★ #11 Maximus Nelson – Senior Forward, 6'8" 225 lbs – Appleton, WI / Appleton
Previous School: Valparaiso
Season Averages: 22.3 MIN, 6.6 PTS, 2.4 REB, 0.7 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.0 BLK, 0.4 TO, 32.4 FG%, 75.0 FT%, 31.1 3PT%
Nelson is as perimeter-oriented as it gets. 61 of his 68 total attempts have come from three and for his career, 415 of 450 shots have been from beyond the arc. He’s a pure catch-and-shoot threat who isn’t going to create his own look, but he’s someone NKU has to track because he can heat up in a hurry. Despite logging 1,625 career minutes, he has attempted just 24 free-throws, with 12 of those attempts coming from being fouled on threes. Definitely someone the Norse should try to run off the three-point line, because he will not create his own shot after that.
Against NKU last season he totaled 21 points and hit 5 threes in the first matchup, tying his career high. On the defensive end he can be a liability. Last season with PFW he started all 32 games and had several notable outings, including 15 points at IU Indy, 14 against Youngstown State, and another 14 with five rebounds at Texas A&M–Commerce.
★ #34 Darius Duffy – Graduate Forward, 6'8" 230 lbs – Murray, KY / Murray
Previous Schools: Milwaukee / Ranger / Kaskaskia
Season Averages: 21.7 MIN, 6.4 PTS, 5.0 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.8 STL, 1.5 BLK, 0.4 TO, 72.5 FG%, 28.6 FT%, 0.0 3PT%
Duffy gives PFW a physical presence inside and is one of the few strong defenders on the roster, holding opponents to just 29% shooting. He’s not a perimeter threat, but he’s extremely efficient around the rim and makes the most of the touches he gets. A big part of his value comes on the offensive glass, where he averages 3 offensive rebounds a game and has already posted a 7 offensive rebound performance against Western Michigan. Most of his scoring comes from crashing the glass or working within the flow of the offense, as PFW rarely runs anything directly for him.
He saw limited minutes against NKU last season while at Milwaukee, scoring only 2 points across two games. During the 2024-25 season with the Panthers, he appeared in all 32 games with 16 starts, led the team with 25 blocks, and shot an incredible 81.8% from the field. His year included a breakout double-double against Portland State with 15 points and 10 rebounds, a five-block game against Southern Miss, and an 8-point, 7-rebound outing at Green Bay.
