After Northern Kentucky scored 60 points in the second half of the second-round matchup between the Norse and Green Bay, the semifinal matchups in Indianapolis are set. Here is a recap of regular-season meetings between the teams set to face off and a preview of the semifinal games.
No. 1 Wright State (21-11, 15-5) vs. No. 7 Northern Kentucky (20-13, 10-10)
Monday, March 9, 7 p.m. ET, on ESPNU
Regular season meetings
Jan. 24 at Wright State: Wright State 88, Northern Kentucky 80
Between Dan Gherezgher, Donovan Oday, Kael Robinson and LJ Wells, opposing defenses often have to pick and choose whom to focus on when matching up with Northern Kentucky. In meeting
one between these teams, Wright State did a serviceable job defensively on three of the four and only allowed for one breakout. Gherezgher exploded for 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting, Oday and Wells both managed 14, but Robinson scored just four. Still, a productive day for the group, but a solid enough effort for the Raiders to win. For Wright State, Michael Imariagbe and Michael Cooper kept the pressure on the rim all game, combining for 45 points and 20 made free throws.
Physicality was the theme of the game for the Norse, which won the rebounding battle, forced more turnovers and blocked more shots. Most importantly, the Raiders shot 20 more free throws than Northern Kentucky forcing foul trouble on key players for the Norse, which allowed the league champs to stay in control for a victory.
Feb. 28 at Northern Kentucky: Wright State 92, Northern Kentucky 91
When the two teams met in the Horizon League regular-season finale, they did not disappoint and delivered what may have been the league’s game of the year. Wright State had already won the league outright and Northern Kentucky was still playing for seeding, so an inspired start for the Norse was expected, and it delivered.
Darrin Horn’s team played an exceptional first half and led 53-35 at the break. In the second half, the Raiders showed their championship qualities and stormed back. After Imariagbe hit a free throw with 16 seconds left to give Wright State a 90-88 lead, Oday converted an and-1 to take the lead back at 91-90 with eight seconds to play. After a missed shot for the win back on the other end, Imariagbe scored on a tip-in with 0.1 seconds to play, securing the Raider’s 15th league win.
In this game, Northern Kentucky’s big-four combined for 72 points, but five players in double figures for Wright State was enough to get it done.
Semifinal preview
Momentum is always key in conference tournaments, and while Wright State rolled in its first-round game, the Norse will be playing for a second-consecutive day after shaking off a slow start to put on an offensive clinic against Green Bay. Northern Kentucky scored 96 points in Sunday’s second-round game and will look to stay hot to upset the Raiders.
The most entertaining individual matchup in the contest will be between TJ Burch and the backcourt tandem of Oday and Gherezgher. With Gherezgher coming off the bench, the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year will presumably start on Oday. The two guards combined for just one turnover and 37 points in the win over Green Bay.
Burch and his fellow guards will need to generate turnovers on the perimeter as they have all season to prevent the Norse from continuing the offensive rhythm it was in in the second round. Still, the Northern Kentucky guards are going to score, so Burch and guys like Cooper, Solomon Callaghan and Dominic Pangonis will be relied upon to initiate offense and match that offensive production.
Like the guards, the Norse frontcourt tandem of Wells and Robinson is also riding high, having combined for 48 points on Sunday. To pull the upset, Northern Kentucky will need offense from the two, but it may be more important what they do on the glass. In both regular-season meetings, the Norse was outrebounded, which was especially apparent when the Raiders stole the season finale on an offensive rebound. Keeping Marriage, Kellen Pickett, Andrea Holden and others from dominating the glass will be necessary for Northern Kentucky’s run to continue.
Wright State was the best team in the league all season long, and it’s because of the balanced attack it poses to opponents. Four players average in double figures with a few more just below the mark. Its leading scorer wasn’t even inside the league’s top-20 scorers, yet the Raiders’ offense was fourth in the league. The Norse are hard to beat when the big-four is clicking as it was Sunday, combining for 85 points, but it will need to force turnovers and keep Wright State from winning on the glass once again if it wants to advance to the title game.
No. 2 Robert Morris (22-10, 13-7) vs. No. 3 Detroit Mercy (16-14, 12-8)
Monday, March 9, 9:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2
Regular season meetings
Jan. 2 at Detroit Mercy: Robert Morris 85, Detroit Mercy 77
Despite a relatively slow start to the first meeting between these teams, it ended up being one of the more entertaining games in the league all season. Detroit Mercy led 32-27 at halftime, but in the second half, the pace picked up drastically and Robert Morris pulled away thanks to 58 second-half points. At one point in the second half, the Titans led 42-35, but a 13-2 Robert Morris run completely flipped the momentum.
DeSean Goode led the Colonials with 18 points, but Ryan Prather Jr., Nikolaos Chitikoudis, Albert Vargas and Josh Hill also tallied double figures. Orlando Lovejoy and TJ Nadeau each had 20 for Detroit Mercy. Both teams made 25 field goals and seven 3-pointers, but the difference was Robert Morris’ 28 made free throws to the Titans’ 20.
Feb. 25 at Robert Morris: Robert Morris 73, Detroit Mercy 62
Meeting two between these teams followed a similar script to the first. Detroit Mercy led 28-26 at halftime, but Robert Morris, on the back of 47 second-half points, pulled away for a double-digit victory. In this contest, the Colonials leaned on their veteran guard. Prather scored 29 points and racked up three steals. Goode, Chitikoudis and Ta’Zir Smith provided the additional support offensively, scoring in double figures. Orlando Lovejoy once again led the Titans with 19 points, but had as many turnovers as all of Robert Morris with six. Detroit Mercy had 12 turnovers as a team and made just four 3-pointers to the Colonials’ 10.
Semifinal preview
It’s difficult to beat a team three times in a season and Detroit Mercy is looking to prove that true in Monday’s semifinal. Just the seventh- and eighth-ranked scoring offenses in the league, combined with postseason intensity, it would be surprising to see yet another game between the two where the second half becomes a scoring barrage.
The veteran point guards, Prather and Lovejoy, will have a major impact on the game, as they both did in the first two meetings. The two teams were also the top-two rebounding clubs in the league in the regular season, and the frontcourts may be the deciding factor as to which team earns the right to play for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Robert Morris will be looking to feed Goode and Chitikoudis on the interior all night, but ball pressure from the Titans can force difficult entry passes and disrupt the flow of the Colonials’ offense. To be determined how Mark Montgomery chooses to defend the Robert Morris bigs, but his guards will also have chances to collapse on post-ups to force pick-ups or turnovers to make the bigs uncomfortable.
Foul trouble for either frontcourt could have a big effect on the game. Both teams have built their identities on dominating the glass, and if either is forced to go deeper into its bench up front, it could open the door for the other to gain second-chance opportunities.
Robert Morris will continue to play through its bigs and lean on Prather’s playmaking on the perimeter. Detroit Mercy, as it has all season, will need a big game from Lovejoy, but more importantly, it will need one of its young faces to come through on the big stage. Including Lovejoy, four guards average double figures for the Titans. Sophomore TJ Nadeau and freshman Tyler Spratt have each had their moments, but tournament play is always an intimidating environment for young players. Still, the two guards have come through in big moments all year and will need to do so again for Detroit Mercy to advance.
