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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Corbey R. Dorsey

Men's Basketball

Lopers Host #2 Northwest Thursday to Begin Short Home Stand

Men's Basketball

Lopers Host #2 Northwest Thursday to Begin Short Home Stand

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney men face one of the nation's top teams Thursday night when No.2 and unbeaten Northwest Missouri State comes to town.

The Lopers (6-11, 1-7) have 11 regular season games remaining, seven at home. On Saturday, UNK will host Missouri Western State who have a new coaching staff including former Loper Ty Danielson. These are the only meetings with the Bearcats and Griffons this year; check the men's basketball schedule page for tip times and media links.

Northwest Missouri, led by the 2017 D2 Player of the Year Justin Pitts, won the national title two years ago and was on pace for another before Pitts suffered an injury late last winter. Led by 10th-year head coach Ben McCollum, the 'Cats are 17-0 and 79-5 since the start of the 2016-17 season.

One of those setbacks came last January at Buckle Court. UNK had a plus nine rebounding margin and held Northwest to 36% shooting, its second lowest effort of the year, in a 66-59 win.

Defensively, the Lopers start the week among the MIAA leaders in opponent made threes (7.4 per game) and opponent free throw attempts (17.6 per game). UNK also is second in the league in blocks (3.9) as four different players have at least 14.

Junior forward Kyle Juhl (Harlan, Ia.), coming off a career-high 23 points in a Sunday win at Emporia State, recently went over 100 made triples (now 101). He's been in double digits in six of the last seven games, averaging a shade over 14 points per night during this stretch.

Like the Loper women's squad, the men have a lot of balance as eight players are between 4.3-9.5 points per game. Ten players average 13 minutes an appearance with nine having started at least one game.

Kearney has only one game next week, a Saturday afternoon tilt with longtime rival Fort Hays State.
 

Northwest Missouri State (17-0, 7-0)
Notable Results: Won at Northeastern State, 105-70; Won at Central Oklahoma, 78-67; Beat Washburn, 83-75; Won at Missouri Western, 87-64

Notable MIAA Team Stat Ranks: 1st in scoring defense (63.5 ppg), field goal pct. (53.1), 3's made per game (11.3), three point pct. (44.3) & turnover margin (+7.2)

Players to Watch: #30 Joey Witthus (19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds & 2.8 assists per game), #12 Trevor Hudgins (18.8 points, 5.9 assists & 2.1 rebounds pg), #33 Ryan Hawkins (17.4 points, 9.5 rebounds & 2.5 steals pg)


Missouri Western State (8-10, 2-5)
Notable Results: Beat Winona State, 65-57; Lost to Washburn, 95-94 in OT; Won at Central Oklahoma, 85-80

Notable MIAA Team Stat Ranks: 3rd in 3-point defense pct. (31.6) and 14th in opponent free throw attempts (23.8), opponent free throws made (17.4) & rebounding margin (-0.9)

Players to Watch: #4 Lavon Hightower (F, 6-6, 205 lbs., Sr., 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds & 2.3 assists per game), #00 Bryan Hudson (G, 6-3, 170 lbs., Sr., 14.1 points & 2.8 rebounds pg), #3 Tyler Carroll (G, 5-11, 150 lbs., Fr., 12.6 points & 3.0 rebounds pg)
 
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Players Mentioned

Ty Danielson

#34 Ty Danielson

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Kyle Juhl

#32 Kyle Juhl

F
6' 5"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Ty Danielson

#34 Ty Danielson

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Kyle Juhl

#32 Kyle Juhl

6' 5"
Junior
F