What conference does Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball compete in?

Northern Kentucky Norse Men's Basketball competes in the Horizon League conference at the NCAA D1 level.

Where does Northern Kentucky play men's basketball home games?

Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball plays home games at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY.

Who is the head coach of Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball?

The head coach of Northern Kentucky Norse Men's Basketball is Darrin Horn.

When was Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball program established?

The establishment date for Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball is not currently available.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY NORSE MEN'S BASKETBALL

Horizon LeagueD1winter

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Darrin Horn has guided Northern Kentucky through a 16-11 season that reflects the competitive nature of Horizon League play, where the Norse hold a 6-8 conference record despite dominating at home with an 11-4 mark. Established in 1968, the university's 15,370-student body supports a program that averages 82.9 points per game while holding opponents to 76.8, demonstrating defensive consistency in the mid-major landscape. The 14-player roster competes in Truist Arena, where the home-court advantage has proven decisive with a seven-game swing in win-loss differential compared to road contests.

Northern Kentucky's winter campaign highlights the challenges of away games in the Horizon League, where the Norse sit at 5-7 on the road against their 11-4 home record. The five-point scoring margin (82.9 to 76.8) provides a slim working edge in conference play, where consistency will determine postseason positioning in the final weeks of the season. Horn's squad enters the stretch run needing to improve its road performance significantly if the program hopes to challenge for tournament positioning within the league's competitive structure.

KEY FACTS

School	Northern Kentucky University
Sport	Men's Basketball
Conference	Horizon League
Division	D1
Location	Highland Heights, Kentucky
Venue	Truist Arena
Head Coach	Darrin Horn

ROSTER (2025-26)

#	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Class
22	JJ Apathjang	G	6' 4"	185 lbs	Freshman
12	Addison Archer	F	6' 9"	195 lbs	Junior
4	Bryce Darbyshire	G	6' 4"	180 lbs	Sophomore
11	Tae Dozier	G	6' 5"	170 lbs	Senior
6	Ethan Elliott	G	6' 3"	190 lbs	Freshman
0	Dan Gherezgher	G	6' 4"	180 lbs	Senior
26	Mitchel Minor	G	5' 10"	165 lbs	Senior
3	Shawn Nelson	G	6' 3"	195 lbs	Senior
8	Donovan Oday	G	6' 2"	195 lbs	Senior
10	Donovan Rakotonanahary	G	6' 6"	190 lbs	Freshman
24	Kael Robinson	F	6' 7"	220 lbs	Senior
17	Juanma Ruiz	F	6' 9"	200 lbs	Freshman
1	Ryan Tolliver	G	6' 7"	220 lbs	Freshman
5	LJ Wells	F	6' 8"	220 lbs	Senior

SEASON RECORD

20-14

Overall

12-5

Home

8-9

Away

10-11

Conference

83.1 PPG / 77.5 Opp PPG

SCHEDULE (2025-26)

Date	Opponent	H/A	Result	Venue
Nov 4	Cincinnati Clermont Cougars	Home	W 126-69	Truist Arena
Nov 8	Tennessee Volunteers	Away	L 56-95	Food City Center
Nov 13	East Tennessee State Buccaneers	Away	L 63-75	Freedom Hall (TN)
Nov 16	Cumberland (KY) Patriots	Home	W 101-73	Truist Arena
Nov 21	Central Michigan Chippewas	Away	W 90-66	McGuirk Arena
Nov 25	Eastern Kentucky Colonels	Home	W 82-71	Truist Arena
Nov 26	Wofford Terriers	Home	W 93-83	Truist Arena
Nov 29	Boston University Terriers	Home	W 74-65	Truist Arena
Dec 4	Cleveland State Vikings	Home	W 95-80	Truist Arena
Dec 6	Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons	Away	L 77-79	Memorial Coliseum (IN)
Dec 10	Brescia Bearcats	Home	W 92-53	Truist Arena
Dec 13	Bellarmine Knights	Away	W 80-76	Knights Hall
Dec 18	Oakland Golden Grizzlies	Home	L 77-82	Truist Arena
Dec 21	Charleston Cougars	Home	L 74-85	Truist Arena
Dec 30	Robert Morris Colonials	Away	W 79-77	UPMC Events Center
Jan 1	IU Indianapolis Jaguars	Home	W 81-72	Truist Arena
Jan 4	Youngstown State Penguins	Home	W 94-79	Truist Arena
Jan 10	Milwaukee Panthers	Away	W 85-67	UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Jan 11	Green Bay Phoenix	Away	L 78-80	Resch Center
Jan 16	Detroit Mercy Titans	Home	W 96-71	Truist Arena
Jan 18	Robert Morris Colonials	Home	L 89-92	Truist Arena
Jan 24	Wright State Raiders	Away	L 80-88	Nutter Center
Jan 31	Detroit Mercy Titans	Away	L 77-90	Calihan Hall
Feb 1	Oakland Golden Grizzlies	Away	L 65-76	OU Credit Union O'rena
Feb 5	Green Bay Phoenix	Home	L 84-87	Truist Arena
Feb 7	Milwaukee Panthers	Home	W 67-62	Truist Arena
Feb 12	IU Indianapolis Jaguars	Away	W 84-81	The Jungle
Feb 19	Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons	Home	W 87-71	Truist Arena
Feb 22	Youngstown State Penguins	Away	L 58-64	Beeghly Center
Feb 26	Cleveland State Vikings	Away	W 81-70	Wolstein Center
Mar 1	Wright State Raiders	Home	L 91-92	Truist Arena
Mar 5	Oakland Golden Grizzlies	Away	W 85-84	OU Credit Union O'rena
Mar 8	Green Bay Phoenix	Away	W 96-76	Corteva Coliseum
Mar 9	Wright State Raiders	Away	L 90-103	Corteva Coliseum

ANALYTICS

+5.7

Pt Diff

Streak

50.9%

SOS

#207

T-Rank

Barthag: 0.4185

#269

100.1

Adj O

#124

103.0

Adj D

Last 5: 3-2Last 10: 6-4Best W Streak: 6Worst L Streak: 5

View full analytics →

OTHER SPORTS AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Baseball Men's Cross Country Men's Golf Men's Tennis Softball Women's Basketball Women's Cross Country Women's Golf Women's Soccer Women's Swimming & Diving Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball

HORIZON LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAMS

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What conference does Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball compete in?: Northern Kentucky Norse Men's Basketball competes in the Horizon League conference at the NCAA D1 level.
Where does Northern Kentucky play men's basketball home games?: Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball plays home games at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY.
Who is the head coach of Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball?: The head coach of Northern Kentucky Norse Men's Basketball is Darrin Horn.
When was Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball program established?: The establishment date for Northern Kentucky Men's Basketball is not currently available.