Pregame Preview: Youngstown State (8-7, 2-3) vs Northern Kentucky (11-5, 3-2)
Youngstown State hasn’t had much success in Highland Heights. The Penguins have lost four straight games at Truist Arena and have just one win there since 2000, a 70–60 victory in December 2020. A win on Sunday would snap that skid and mark just the fifth road win YSU has ever earned on NKU’s home floor. Northern Kentucky still holds an 18–13 edge in the all-time series.
YSU enters the matchup under second-year head coach Ethan Faulkner, coming off back-to-back Horizon League home losses to Detroit Mercy and Oakland. Despite those results, the Penguins remain a top-180 KenPom team and showed their identity clearly in the Oakland game. They launched 35 three-point attempts, generated 18 offensive rebounds, and kept themselves competitive even when shots weren’t falling. Faulkner pointed to the unique challenge NKU presents after that loss:
“Offensively you almost have to put in a whole new playbook. What you run against other zones, you can’t necessarily run against their zone.”
Stylistically, YSU and NKU want to win very different ways. The Penguins play at a much slower offensive pace and lean on efficiency rather than tempo. They shoot 56.1% from two and 34.2% from three as a team, while also ranking inside the top 100 nationally at defending the three, holding opponents to just 31.5%.
Offensively, nearly 40% of YSU’s points come from beyond the arc, one of the highest marks in the country. At the same time, they almost completely avoid the mid-range. The Penguins have taken just 33 mid-range shots all season, compared to 74 for NKU. It’s a paint-or-three approach on offense, and defensively, they stay true to man-to-man, having played just five total possessions of zone all season.
With that context, here’s how the matchup shapes up and what it means against the Norse.
Youngstown State Scouting Report
★ = Starter of Previous Game
★ #0 Jason Nelson – Redshirt Senior Guard, 5'10" 175 lbs – Richmond, VA / John Marshall
Previous School: VCU
Season Averages: 22.6 MIN, 8.4 PTS, 2.9 REB, 2.5 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.1 TO, 39.4 FG%, 80.4 FT%, 27.5 3PT%
Starter in all 15 games this season and the primary ball handler for YSU. Nelson operates heavily out of pick-and-roll as the initiator and is more comfortable creating than scoring efficiently. The perimeter shot remains a question, but his recent aggression stands out. He has scored in double figures in each of the last two games and has lived at the free throw line during that stretch, going 14-for-16.
Last season, he appeared in 32 games with 13 starts and averaged 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, scoring in double figures 13 times. Against NKU a year ago, he struggled to find rhythm, going 3-for-11 from the field and scoring fewer than six points in both meetings.
#1 Cam Polak – Sixth-Year Guard, 6'2" 185 lbs – West Homestead, PA / Steel Valley
Previous School: Cal (Pa.)
Season Averages: 16.9 MIN, 5.8 PTS, 1.8 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.0 BLK, 1.2 TO, 40.4 FG%, 80.0 FT%, 34.8 3PT%
A classic three-and-defense guard whose offensive game is almost entirely perimeter-based. Forty-six of his 57 shot attempts this season have come from three, with a heavy preference for the corners. Twenty-seven of his 46 threes have been taken from one of the two corners, where his efficiency jumps to 44.4%. Defensively, he has been a strong on-ball presence, holding opponents to just 23.3% shooting when he is the primary defender. He has scored just seven total points over the last four games, but he remains a dangerous spot-up shooter if left unattended.
Last season at Cal (Pa.), Polak was a high-usage scorer and reliable floor spacer, starting all 30 games and averaging 18.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He scored in double figures 26 times, had 15 20-point performances, and made at least one three in every game, including a career-high 35-point outing with eight threes against Clarion.
★ #2 Rich Rolf – Redshirt Junior Forward, 6'7" 210 lbs – Centerville, OH / Centerville
Previous School: Charlotte
Season Averages: 26.7 MIN, 10.2 PTS, 4.3 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.7 TO, 50.9 FG%, 95.2 FT%, 40.4 3PT%
A starter in every game this season and one of YSU’s most efficient offensive pieces. Rolf is primarily a catch-and-shoot threat with a quick trigger, but he also scores in transition and will sneak in the occasional offensive rebound putback. He spaces the floor well and punishes defensive breakdowns without needing the ball to stick. He is coming off a 14-point performance against Oakland after a tough outing at Detroit Mercy, where he went scoreless and finished 0-for-7 from the field.
Last season at Charlotte, Rolf appeared in 30 games with seven starts, averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game.
#7 Vlad Salaridze – Sixth-Year Forward, 6'7" 230 lbs – Tbilisi, Georgia / West Seattle
Previous School: UT Martin
Season Averages: 19.2 MIN, 8.5 PTS, 4.3 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.7 BLK, 0.9 TO, 45.9 FG%, 66.7 FT%, 35.7 3PT%
A versatile roll man in the Penguins’ offense who does most of his damage without the ball. Salaridze functions primarily as a screener in pick-and-roll, a spot-up shooter, and an occasional post-up option. He has scored seven points over the last two games but has made his biggest impact on the glass, collecting eight offensive rebounds in that span. When he puts the ball on the floor, he strongly favors his right hand, with nearly 80% of his drives going right.
Last season at UT Martin, Salaridze was one of the most productive all-around forwards in the country. He started 24 of 32 games, averaged 10.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals, and led the OVC in offensive rebounding. He also shot 36.1% from three and consistently impacted the game across multiple areas, raising his scoring average to 12.3 points per game in conference play.
★ #9 Bryson Dawkins – Senior Guard, 6'2" 200 lbs – Dothan, AL / Carroll
Previous School: Houston Christian
Season Averages: 24.3 MIN, 10.9 PTS, 4.5 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.3 TO, 49.3 FG%, 50.0 FT%, 33.3 3PT%
A starter in every game this season who plays with pace and physicality. Dawkins is most effective in transition, where he looks to score early and attack mismatches. He also brings real value on the glass for a guard, coming off a five offensive rebound effort against Oakland and consistently creating extra possessions through effort. He is coming off a season-high 20-point performance against Oakland, but there are areas of concern. He has struggled at the free throw line, shooting 14-for-28 on the season, and has been turnover-prone at times, averaging more than two giveaways per game.
Last season at Houston Christian, Dawkins was a high-usage scorer and one of the Southland Conference’s most productive guards. He earned First-Team All-Southland honors after averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds, made 59 threes, and recorded seven 20-plus point games in league play.
★ #10 Imanuel Zorgvol – Senior Center, 7'0" 215 lbs – Paramaribo, Suriname / Central Florida Christian Academy
Previous School: Northern Kentucky
Season Averages: 15.9 MIN, 6.5 PTS, 3.0 REB, 0.4 AST, 0.3 STL, 1.7 BLK, 1.0 TO, 61.7 FG%, 66.7 FT%, 37.5 3PT%
A familiar face for NKU fans, Zorgvol began his career with the Norse, redshirting the 2021–22 season before appearing in 32 games as a redshirt freshman. He averaged 2.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.65 blocks during that stint.
Last season at YSU, he missed the entire 2024–25 season due to injury. This season, he has re-emerged as one of the most impactful interior defenders in the Horizon League. Zorgvol leads the league in both total blocks (26) and blocks per game (1.7), recording at least one block in 13 of 15 games and multiple blocks nine times. He has started each of the last 12 games for YSU and has held opponents to just 31.7% shooting when he is the primary defender, giving the Penguins a legitimate rim-protecting presence against an NKU team that attacks the paint.
Offensively, most of his production comes from high-efficiency areas. He scores off cuts, offensive putbacks, and as a roll man in pick-and-roll, with the occasional post-up mixed in. He doesn’t need touches called for him to impact the game, but his presence around the rim consistently changes possessions on both ends.
★ #15 Cris Carroll – Senior Forward, 6'6" 230 lbs – Tallahassee, FL / Robert L. Osborne
Previous School: Coffeyville Community College
Season Averages: 28.3 MIN, 16.8 PTS, 4.7 REB, 1.7 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.3 BLK, 2.2 TO, 52.1 FG%, 70.0 FT%, 45.9 3PT%
The engine of Youngstown State’s offense and the player NKU must prioritize above everyone else. Carroll ranks second in the Horizon League in three-point percentage at 45.9% and is averaging three made threes per game. Nearly 60% of his shot attempts have come from beyond the arc, but he is far from a one-dimensional shooter. He can score off the bounce, finish through contact, and punish closeouts, making him difficult to scheme against.
He has scored in double figures in every game this season. Against Oakland, he buried two threes in the opening minute before being chased aggressively the rest of the night, scoring just seven points after that early burst. That attention is warranted. Carroll has a quick release, needs very little space, and will make defenses pay immediately if he’s lost in transition or on kick-outs.
His impact goes well beyond scoring. Opponents are shooting just 27.1% when he is the primary defender, and he has collected 10 steals over his last six games, consistently disrupting passing lanes and creating run-out opportunities.
Last season, Carroll appeared in all 34 games with 27 starts, averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds while scoring in double figures 16 times. He flashed his ceiling with multiple 20-point outings, including a career-high 24 against Green Bay, and showed his versatility with several double-doubles. This year, that production has fully translated into nightly control of the game on both ends.
