Wright State vs. NKU: What you need to know about Thursday’s game

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Who: Wright State (12-5, 4-0) at Northern Kentucky (11-5, 4-0)

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: BB&T Arena

TV/Radio: ESPN3; 106.5

»RELATED: Gentry, Raiders take alternate path to beat Oakland

Probable Wright State starters

Grant Benzinger, 6-3, Sr. G, 14.6

Parker Ernsthausen, 6-11, Jr., F, 4.8

Mark Hughes, 6-4, Jr, G, 9.6

Loudon Love, 6-9, Fr., C, 10.5

Justin Mitchell, 6-4, Sr., G, 11.1

Probable Northern Kentucky starters

Lavone Holland, 6-1, Sr., G, 13.5

Jordan Garnett, 6-5, Sr., F, 7.8

Jalen Tate, 6-5, So., F, 6.3

Carson Williams, 6-6, So., F, 14.5,

Drew McDonald, 6-7, Jr., C, 16.5

Follow Jay Morrison on Twitter

Series history: Wright State leads 21-10. The Norse swept the Raiders in the regular season last year before completing the season sweep with a n 82-77 triumph in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League tournament quarterfinals . NKU's addition to the HL in 2015-16 resumed the series between the schools after a 29-year gap.

Coaches: Scott Nagy is 32-17 in two seasons as Wright State's coach. His career record in 23 seasons is 441-257. John Brannen is 44-37 in three seasons at NKU.

Last games: Wright State won 86-81 in overtime at Oakland on Sunday; NKU won 56-54 at Detroit on Sunday.

About Wright State: The Raiders have won five consecutive games and eight of nine. … They are 4-0 in league play for the first time since 2012-2013. … WSU is trying to win a fourth consecutive road game for the first time since 2007-08. … Love is the reigning HL Freshman of the Week, an award he has won three times in the last four weeks. He recorded his sixth double-double with career highs in points (25) and rebounds (17) at Oakland. He leads the HL in rebounds (9.0). … Hughes (19 points) and Cole Gentry (seven assists) also had career highs against the Grizzlies. … WSU ranks sixth in the HL in scoring offense (70.4) and second in defense (65.6).

About Northern Kentucky : The defending league champion Norse have won four in a row and are 7-0 at BB&T Arena. Dating back to last season, they are 19-6 in their last 25 road games. … NKU is ranked 24th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. … The Norse rank third in the HL in scoring offense (80.2) and first in scoring defense (64.8). … Holland ranks second in the league in assists (5.0) and first in assist/turnover ratio (2.7). He hit the game-winning shot Sunday at Detroit on a pull-up jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining. … McDonald, the preseason Player of the Year and a first team all-league pick last year, has four double-doubles in his last six games.

Next game: Wright State returns to the Nutter Center on Monday to face Youngstown State at 4 p.m. The rare weekday afternoon tilt will be the second-half of a Martin Luther King Day doubleheader that begins with the WSU women facing YSU at 1:30.

About the Author