GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team is set for a Barbasol Horizon League Second Round matchup with the No. 7 seed Northern Kentucky Norse tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CST. The winner will go on to square off against top-seeded Wright State in the Semifinal on Monday at 6 p.m. CST.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
(7) Northern Kentucky Norse (19-13, 10-10 HL) vs. (5) Green Bay (18-14, 12-8 HL)
Sunday, March 8, 2026
2:30 PM CST
Follow the action: Watch ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Championship Central

ABOUT THE NORSE
The Norse are led by sixth-year head coach Darrin Horn, who finished the regular season with a 19-13 record and a 10-10 record in the Horizon League. Donovan Oday is second in the HL in points per game, averaging 18.7 to lead the Norse. He also leads the team in steals with 2.0 per game. Dan Gherezgher and LJ Wells are also key contributors, averaging 15.9 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. The Norse advanced to the second round of the Horizon League Championships by knocking out No. 4 Oakland 85-84 on the road on Wednesday Night.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP
Green Bay men's basketball won two thrillers against Northern Kentucky earlier this season, taking the first matchup at home by a score of 80-78 on Jan. 11. Justin Allen had 27 points, Caden Wilkins added 17, and Marcus Hall also contributed with 13 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. Donovan Oday led NKU with 31 points, and LJ Wells added 13 points and seven rebounds. The Phoenix built up as big as a 19-point lead in the first half of the game before the Norse stormed back and brought it to a one-possession game late. GB held on, getting stops down the stretch.

Preston Ruedinger knocked down a game-winning three-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime to lead the Phoenix over the Norse, 87–84, on the road in their second matchup on Feb. 4. C.J. O'Hara led Green Bay with 23 points, while also adding six rebounds and three steals. Hall added 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Oday led the Norse with 28 points, eight rebounds, and five steals.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE NORSE
Green Bay is 7-16 all-time against Northern Kentucky, including a series sweep in the 2025-26 regular season. NKU won the previous nine matchups from Feb. 13, 2021, to Feb. 14, 2025.

LAST TIME OUT
Marcus Hall scored 19 points to lead the Green Bay men's basketball team over Purdue Fort Wayne in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, 64-56 on Tuesday night. The Phoenix had three players score in double figures, led by Hall, who had three rebounds to go with his 19. Justin Allen tacked on 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists, and Preston Ruedinger chipped in as well with 11 points, eight assists, and five rebounds.

PHOENIX IN INDY
Sunday's game will be just the second time the Phoenix has played a Horizon League Tournament game at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis. Green Bay fell to Northern Kentucky in the HL semifinals in 2020, 80-69. The Phoenix last won the Horizon League Championships in 2016, when the tournament was played in Detroit, defeating Wright State 78-69 in the Final.

ALL-LEAGUE AWARDS
Last Monday, the Horizon League announced All-League honors, featuring two Phoenix guards. Preston Ruedinger was named to the All-League Second team, and C.J. O'Hara was named to the All-League Third team. Ruedinger is one of the best passers in the Horizon League, sitting third in the league at 5.4 assists per game. Ruedinger has started all 32 games for GB and plays the most minutes per game on the team at 35.2. Ruedinger made history with a career-high 13 assists vs UCSB on Dec. 17, the seventh-most in a game in program history. O'Hara also started all 32 games this season and is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points, is second in rebounds, averaging 4.4, and is third on the team at 32.4 minutes per game. O'Hara has scored in double figures in 26 of his 32 starts, including a career-high 23 points on Feb. 4 at NKU.

PHOENIX RISING
Green Bay sports one of the best year-to-year turnarounds in college basketball. After finishing the 2024-25 Season 4-28, the Phoenix is 18-14, a 14.0 game turnaround, second in the nation to Miami (FL), who went from 7-24 to 23-6 (17.0 games).

MONEY MARCUS
Through 29 games, Marcus Hall is averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game. Hall was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team on October 8. He has scored in double figures in 20 of his 29 games this season, including a career-high 32 points on Feb. 15 at Milwaukee. With his 32nd point in the game at MKE, Hall eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark.

JUSTIN-CREDIBLE
Senior guard Justin Allen is one of GB's most dynamic scorers, pouring in 20+ points nine times this season, including three times in the last six games. He is third on the team in scoring average, at 13.5 points per game. Allen posted a season-high 34 points against PFW on Feb. 12.

INSPIRING JOURNEY
There are over 5,000 NCAA Division I basketball players, and Green Bay is home to the oldest player of them all. 29-year-old Ramel Bethea served five years in the U.S. Navy before playing his first competitive basketball at Miracosta College last year. Over the summer, Bethea transferred to Green Bay. Bethea is three years older than the next oldest player in the country.

NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT
Through 32 games, Green Bay has proven to be one of the most efficient offenses in the Horizon League. The Phoenix is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor, ranking second in the HL and 35th in the country, while posting a 36.3 percent from three, good for third in the HL, and 55th in the NCAA.

YEAR TWO
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Doug Gottlieb enters his second year as the head coach of Green Bay men's basketball. Gottlieb, well-known for his broadcasting career, brings with him a wealth of experience as a player, commentator, analyst, and coach in the basketball world. Coach Gottlieb announced on Dec. 17, after GB's win over UCSB, that he will be taking a break from hosting The Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio to focus on Phoenix basketball. With Saturday's win over YSU, Gottlieb clinched his first winning season as a head coach.

INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2025-26 Phoenix roster features players from two different foreign countries and 11 from different U.S. states. Maruan Cicic is from Montenegro, and Vukasin Todorovic is from Slovenia.

NEW ERA SAME RISE
After a season with 12 newcomers a season ago, the 2025-26 Green Bay roster will bring in 10 newcomers this year. Of GB's rostered players, six are returners, six are transfers, and four are true freshmen.

FAMILIAR FACES
Multiple returners will play large roles in the upcoming 2025-26 season, including Marcus Hall, Preston Ruedinger, Mac Wrecke, and C.J. O'Hara. Last season, Hall averaged 13.9, Ruedinger averaged 8.0, Wrecke averaged 6.1, and O'Hara averaged 4.0 points per game. Caden Wilkins and Brady Fitzgerald are the other two returners to the Phoenix squad.

OFFSEASON RECAP
August 21 – Keifer Sykes named as General Manager
August 27 – Keil Ganz named as an assistant coach
August 28 – Kerry Rupp named as an assistant coach

Over the summer, The Phoenix brought in four freshmen for the 2025-26 season: Keegan Van Kauwenberg, Vukasin Todorovic, Trey Schachter, and Maruan Cicic. Six transfers make their way to Green Bay this season, including Ramel Bethea, Josh Hines, Justin Allen, Dontrell Hewlett, Rob Stroud, and LeBron Thomas.

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