Northeastern State at (2/2) Northwest Missouri State Thursday Dec. 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Records	Northeastern State (5-1) • Northwest Missouri (6-1)
Game Notes	Northeastern State • Northwest Missouri
Listen	No NSU Feed
Watch	The MIAA Network
Live Stats	NSU Live Stats
Tickets	Tickets Available at Gate | NWMSU Tickteing
Social Media	@RiverHawksMBB  | @RiverHawksMBB  | Facebook

The Setup

• The RiverHawks finished non-conference play 5-1 and have already matched their previous season win total.
• Northeastern State is 4-5 in MIAA conference openers.
• Two of the top-five scorers in the MIAA will meet Wednesday, with Emeka Obukwelu ranked fifth and Northwest's Trevor Hudgins third. 
• The RiverHawks will face its first ranked team of the season, with the Bearcats sitting in second in the media and coaches' poll.

Storylines

• Northeastern State heads into Thursday's MIAA opener with 159 straight minutes of being in the lead. 
• Emeka Obukwelu is one of three players in the MIAA to average a double-double this season.  The graduate-student holds the fourth largest points outing this season with 31 against Arlington Baptist and the highest rebounds in a game at 20 against Ozarks (Ark.)
• Rashad Perkins has quietly averaged 11.8 points this season with five consecutive double-digit games. 
• Brad Davis has turned into a steady hand off the bench averaging 5.2 assists per game, good for third-best in the MIAA.  He is the active leader in playing time at NSU with 44 games played.   Between NSU and two seasons at Eastern Okla. CC, the native of Red Oak, has over 1,200 career points scored. 
• Christian Cook is among the leaders nationally in three-point percentage (50%), ranked in the top-25, and is second in the MIAA.  Cook is 13th in scoring in the MIAA, with 15.2 points per game. 
• Tylor Arnold has two double-double games this season for NSU and is third in points (9.3), second in rebounding (6.5), and tied for second in overall assists (20). Arnold played for Head Coach Ja Havens for three seasons at East Central (Okla.) and was on the top-10 list for career minutes played, career steals, and career throw percentage.  
• Northeastern State men's basketball set an attendance record during Thanksgiving break, with 2,231 fans attending their game against Haskell.  The number is good for the fourth most in NCAA Division II basketball this season. 
• In October, Northeastern State was picked to finish in 13th place in both the MIAA Coaches and Media Polls.
• The 2021-22 season is the 93rd for men's basketball at Northeastern State.
• The RiverHawks are entering their tenth season as members of the MIAA and 25th season as an NCAA Division II program.

About Northwest Missouri State

• Claimed its third national championship last season with a 28-2 overall record and won the MIAA regular season title. 
• Preseason pick to claim this year's MIAA title.
• Northwest Missouri has lost one regular season at home game since 2018.
• Trevor Hudgins is sixth across all NCAA College basketball with 2,190 career points scored and is one of three Northwest players to score 2,000 points.  The junior is third nationally with 31 made three-pointers.
• The Bearcats are 12th in MIAA in field goal percentage defense (46.3%) and are last in three-point percentage defense (39.2%)
• Ranked first in the MIAA and 14th nationally with 191 three-point attempts, and have sank 77 three-pointers which is seventh nationally. 

Last Time They Met

• The meeting was intended to be one of the first NCAA College Basketball Games last season but was delayed due to COVID-19 protocols with the NSU program.
• In the first half, Northwest Missouri used a 17-0 run and eight treys to drop the hammer early on the RiverHawks.
• Northeastern State was limited to 15 points in the first half, a low for the RiverHawks under Havens as head coach. 
• Brad Davis leads NSU returning core and paced the team with 17 points. 

Series Notes

• Northwest Missouri has won all five meetings in Maryville. 
• The Bearcats have been ranked in the top-two nationally in the previous five encounters.
• The RiverHawks have a pair of one-possession losses at Northwest Missouri.
• Northeastern State's lone win against the Bearcats happened in the 2000 NCAA Regional.
• NSU and the Bearcats have met in the postseason three times.