Half-time report
There is only one half left between N. Kentucky and the victory they were favored to achieve this afternoon. A win is still up for grabs for either team after one quarter, but Northern Kentucky leads 41-38 over Norfolk State.
If N. Kentucky continues to play like this, their record will drop to 5-6 in no time. On the other hand, Norfolk State will have to settle for a 6-6 record unless they turn things around (and quickly).
Who’s playing
Norfolk State Spartans @ N. Kentucky Norse
Current records: Norfolk State 6-5, N. Kentucky 4-6
How to watch
What you need to know
The Norfolk State Spartans take a road trip to take on the Kentucky Nordiques at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Truist Arena. The Spartans are strutting around with some offensive power as they have averaged 77.1 points per game this season.
Norfolk State heads into the game after suffering its biggest loss since January 2 on Wednesday. They found themselves on the wrong end of a painful 94-69 punch at the hands of Baylor. This loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Spartans in their matchups against the Bears: they have now lost three in a row.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing it behind a season-high score is even better (just ask N. Kentucky). They beat Cumberland (KY) 98-79 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Nordiques.
N. Kentucky broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. These were the most offensive rebounds they have posted since November 2023.
Norfolk State’s loss dropped its record to 6-5. As for N. Kentucky, their victory was their third in a row at home, which improved their record to 4-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s game: Norfolk State has been dynamite from deep this season, making 36.9 percent of its threes per game. It’s a different story for N. Kentucky, as they’ve made just 30.4 percent of their threes this season. Given Norfolk State’s considerable advantage in this area, Northern Kentucky will need to find a way to close that gap.
Norfolk State is hoping to defy the odds on Sunday as experts believe they are headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’re sitting on a six-game streak of covering the spread when playing on the road.
Odds
N. Kentucky is a 3-point favorite against Norfolk State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of the line for this one, as the match opened with the Norwegians as 2.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 138.5 points.
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History of the series
N. Kentucky has won both games it has played against Norfolk State in the last 9 years.
- December 3, 2016 – N. Kentucky 72 vs. Norfolk State 61
- December 13, 2015 – N. Kentucky 81 vs. Norfolk State 60
