INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team will be on the road for its next three games, beginning with a Friday night (Feb. 14) Valentine's Day clash with Northern Kentucky (18-7, 10-3 HL) inside BB&T Arena at 7:00 p.m.. Friday's contest will be aired on ESPN+. 

The injury riddled Jaguars are looking to find their winning ways, coming in having dropped four-in-a-row, including back-to-back home games to Green Bay and Milwaukee. Head Coach Byron Rimm II's squad has been undermanned for much of the past month as starting forward Isaiah Williams has been sidelined, as have Jamil Jackson Jr., Zo Tyson and Jakoby Kemp. In their absence, the quartet of Marcus Burk, Jaylen Minnett, Grant Weatherford and Elyjah Goss have played extended minutes and piled up major numbers. Burk (22.8 ppg) leads the Horizon League in scoring in league games while Minnett (19.9 ppg) ranks third overall. The duo is tops in the country with 169 combined threes with Minnett having drained 90 and Burk having connected on 79. Burk leads the league in three-point percentage at 38.8 percent and Minnett is tops in the league in threes made (3.5/game) and second in three-point percentage (35.9%). 

Junior forward Elyjah Goss has skyrocketed up the Jaguars' all-time rebounding list and leads the nation with 304 rebounds. The Bolingbrook, Ill.-native recently surpassed the 600 rebound mark for his career and ranks No. 5 in the country with 11.7 rebounds per game. Goss has also racked up 10 double-doubles this season and has 13 in his collegiate career. 

True freshman Taveion White has upped his output recently as the Texas-native has seen more extended minutes. After totaling zero points and six rebounds in the season's first 22 games, White is averaging 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game over the past four games while shooting 8-of-9 from the field and playing 17 minutes per contest. 

IUPUI is just 1-8 this season in games decided by two possessions (six points) or fewer and 1-4 in five close Horizon League games. The Jags come in at just 2-8 all-time against Northern Kentucky, having lost the earlier meeting between the two schools, 96-71 back in mid-January. 

ABOUT NORTHERN KENTUCKY
NKU is 18-7 overall and 10-3 in Horizon League games, while having gone 10-2 at home on the year. The Norse's lone home losses came to Texas Southern in double overtime on Nov. 23 and to Green Bay in league play on Dec. 30. Dantez Walton leads NKU in scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) and is shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. Tyler Sharpe is averaging 16.0 points per game and has connected on 65 triples this season while Trevon Faulkner checks in at 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Do-it-all junior Jalen Tate is averaging 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and almost four assists per game. Both Walton and Tate have missed 10 games each this year, due to injury. As a team, NKU holds opponents to just 41.5 percent shooting and 28.6 percent from three-point range. 

PROBABLE STARTERS
G- Jaylen Minnett (6-1, Jr.) - 16.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 90 3's
G- Marcus Burk (6-3, Jr.) - 20.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 38.8 3FG%, 78 3's
G- Grant Weatherford (6-2, Jr.) - 9.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
F- Brandon Kenyon (6-10, Soph.) - 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
F- Elyjah Goss (6-7, Jr.) - 8.8 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg

KEY RESERVES
G- Jamil Jackson Jr. (6-6, Jr.) - 3.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg
G- Mike DePersia (5-11, Fr.) - 2.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg
F- Isaiah Williams (6-8, Jr.) - 8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F- Zo Tyson (6-9, Gr.) - 3.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 60.9 FG%

SERIES NOTES: NKU leads the all-time series by an 8-2 margin as IUPUI is 0-5 in the five games in Highland Heights.  

PRESEASON PICKS: IUPUI was picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League Preseason Polls, just ahead of Cleveland State. Wright State was a near unanimous pick for the league title while Northern Kentucky was picked second. Detroit Mercy sophomore guard Antoine Davis was pegged the league's Preseason Player of the Year and joined on the first team by Jalen Tate (NKU), Xavier Hill-Mais (Oakland), Tarkus Ferguson (UIC) and Loudon Love (Wright State). 

        DAZZLING DUO
    It's hard to talk about IUPUI hoops without exploring the achievements of the junior duo of Marcus Burk and Jaylen Minnett this season. 
    - The duo leads the country in threes made (169 total: Minnett - 90, Burk - 79) and rank Nos. 2 and 3 in the Horizon League in scoring (Burk - 2nd - 20.7 / Minnett - 3rd - 16.7 ppg).
    - The duo has seen both score 30 points in a single-game twice this season - a feat has been accomplished just three times all year, and twice by IUPUI's top scorers. 
    Jan. 23 - Austin Peay vs. Tennessee St. - Terry Taylor (37 pts) & Jordyn Adams (37 pts)
    Jan. 25 - IUPUI at Oakland - Marcus Burk (39 pts) & Jaylen Minnett (30 pts)
    Feb. 6 - IUPUI vs. Green Bay - Marcus Burk (33 pts) & Jaylen Minnett (32 pts)
    It marked the first time in the program's Division I era (1998-present) that two IUPUI players tallied 30 or better in the same game. 
    - Burk leads the league in three-point percentage (38.8%) and is third in threes made at 3.0/game and Minnett leads the league in threes made (3.5/game) and is second in three-point percentage (35.9%).  
    - Burk is fifth among active juniors (33rd among all players) in college basketball with 236 career treys and Minnett is seventh on that list (53rd overall) with 219 makes. 
    - Burk and Minnett are accounting for the bulk of the Jaguars' offense, having taken 53 percent of the team's field goal attempts (828 of 1573) and 74 percent of the team's three-point attempts (452 of 612). In addition, the duo has accounted for more than 53 percent (973 of 1830) of the team's total points.

    MR. 1,000
    Junior Marcus Burk netted his 1,000 collegiate point in the Dec. 14 win over Purdue Fort Wayne with a three-point play at the 12:57 mark of the first half. Burk, an Indianapolis-native, tallied 776 in two seasons at Campbell and now has 539 this season, giving him 1,315 in his collegiate career. 
    Here are some more tidbits on Burk:
    -Burk has been IUPUI's top offensive player all season, ranking No. 2 in the Horizon League in scoring (20.7 ppg) and third in the league in threes made (3.00/gm). He also ranks tops in the league in three-point percentage at 38.8 percent.   
    -Burk has three 30-point games this season, including a career-high 39 at Oakland (12-24 FG, 8-15 3's, 7-10 FT) on Jan. 25.  
    -While Burk is averaging just over 20 points per game, no IUPUI player has averaged 20 points per game for an entire season since Alex Young averaged 20.4 points per game in 2011-12. Only three players - Odell Bradley (23.1, 2003-04), George Hill (21.5, 2007-08) and Young (20.4, 2011-12) - have averaged better than 20 points per game during the Jaguars' Division I era. 

    NO. 0 HITS 1,000
    Junior Jaylen Minnett became the 24th player in program history to achieve 1,000 career points in an IUPUI uniform on Feb. 6 as part of a career-high 32-point effort. Minnett enters today's game with 1,042 career points, tied for 22nd on the program's all-time list. He is the 16th player to hit for 1,000 points in three seasons or less. 
    He's also recently moved into second on the program's all-time list in threes made:
    1.) Brandon Cole        238    2002-06
    2.) Jaylen Minnett    219    2017-pres.
    3.) Rodney Thomas    215    1996-00
    4.) Carlos Knox        208    1994-98
    5.) Alex Young        202    2008-12
     
    Some other tidbits on Minnett include: 
    -He currently owns the nation's second-longest streak of consecutive games with at least one made three at 62 games... Minnett made at least one trey in all 33 games last season and the final three games of the 2017-18 season... the last time Minnett went without a three in a game was against Oakland on Feb. 19, 2018 when he was held without a triple in 14 minutes.
    Here's the list of the longest streaks of threes made in NCAA Division I history:
     1.) Cory Bradford (Illinois)    ended Feb. 10, 2001    88 straight games / B10 record
    t-2.) Mack Smith (Eastern Ill.)    active streak    73 straight games / OVC record
    t-2.) Wally Lancaster (Va. Tech)    ended 1989    73 straight games / ACC record
    4.) Marshall Henderson (Ole Miss)    ended 2014    66 straight games / SEC record
    5.) Justin Jaworski (Lafayette)    ended 2020    64 straight games / Patriot record
    6.) Jaylen Minnett (IUPUI)    active streak    62 straight games / HL record
    t-7.) Fletcher Magee (Wofford)    ended 2018    60 straight games / SoCon record
    t-7.) Pat Bradley (Arkansas)    ended 1998    60 straight games
    t-9.) Tyler Hall (Montana St.)    ended 2017    59 straight games
    t-9.) John Lucas III (Oklahoma St.)    ended 2005    59 straight games / Big 12 record
    t-9.) John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)    ended 2012    59 straight games
    
    -Minnett's 78 3's made last season was the 7th-highest single-season total in IUPUI history and his 90 this season are tied for fifth-most in school history. 
    -His 7.1 ppg scoring average as a freshman in 2017-18 was the highest by an IUPUI rookie since Alex Young average 10.8 points per game in 2008-09.
    -His 51 made 3's in 2017-18 were the most by an IUPUI freshman in the program's Division I era (1998-present).  

    MR. WINDEX
    Junior Elyjah Goss currently leads the Horizon League and ranks No. 5 nationally in rebounding at 11.7 per contest. He owns five of the seven highest single-game totals in the Horizon League this season, including grabbing a school record 21 against IUSB (Dec. 10), 18 against Youngstown State (Dec. 28) and at Oakland (Jan. 25) and 17 rebounds twice. His 21 boards against IUSB is tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season. 
    All total, Goss has led the Jaguars in rebounds in 23 of the team's 26 games and 19-in-a-row. 
    Five games into this season, he was averaging 6.0 rebounds per game, but has since grabbed at least 10 boards in 17 of the Jaguars' 21 games and every league contest. In league play, Goss leads the league in rebounding (14.0 rpg) and has seven double-doubles in 13 games. He now has 13 career double-doubles, including 10 this season.   

    SLIM MARGINS
    Following last Saturday's 80-79 overtime loss to Milwaukee, IUPUI is now 1-8 this season in games decided by two possessions (six points) or fewer and 1-4 in Horizon League games decided by six or less. The Jaguars' lone victory this season in that category was the 89-85 overtime win at Oakland on Jan. 25.  

    LOTS O' KIDS
    IUPUI packed in more than 2,000 third-graders at Thursday's 3rd annual NCAA 'Readers Are Leaders' game to celebrate a yearlong partnership and commitment to reading. IUPUI is now 2-1 in the 'Readers Are Leaders' games and have upped the attendance number in each of the three years. Below are the results from the three events.
    Feb. 6, 2020 - Green Bay 91, IUPUI 85 // attendance 2,394
    Jan. 24, 2019 - IUPUI 73, Oakland 71 // attendance 2,285
    Feb. 23, 2018 - IUPUI 66, Wright State 56 // attendance 2,263    

    DUELING DOUBLE-DUBS
    Both Marcus Burk (25 pts, 10 reb) and Elyjah Goss (15 pts, 12 reb), had double-doubles in the Jan. 23 loss at Detroit Mercy. It marked the 1st time two IUPUI players had a double-double in the same game since Jan. 2, 2014 when Donovan Gibbs (32 pts, 11 reb) and Khufu Najee (11 pts, 11 reb) both had double-doubles in a win over Judson. 

    BETTER THAN ALL THE REST
    IUPUI's early season win at South Florida (70-53 on Nov. 13) was widely considered the best non-conference victory by a Horizon League team this season. The Jags entered play as a 17-point underdog before defeating the AAC foe by 17 points. In addition, it was IUPUI's first-ever victory over an AAC opponent in program history. 
    IUPUI has two wins this season as a double-digit underdog as IUPUI was a 10-point underdog prior to beating Green Bay, 93-78. 

    IN LEAGUE PLAY
    Through 13 Horizon League games, here are some numbers that jump out.  
    -Offensively, IUPUI is ranked third in the league in scoring at 75.5 points per game, but yielding a league-worst 82.4 points per game. Foes are shooting 44.9 percent against the Jags and a league-best 39.6 percent from three-point range and averaging 9.5 made threes per game.
    -Burk leads the league in scoring at 22.8 points per game while Minnett is third at 19.9 points per game. Minnett leads the league in threes made (4.0/game) and three-point percentage (36.4%) while Burk is second in percentage (34.9%) and third in makes (2.8/game). Goss leads the league in rebounding at 14.0 rebounds per game and with seven double-doubles.  
    -Freshman Mike DePersia has 45 assists against just 15 turnovers in league games and is second in the league with a 3.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.  As a team, IUPUI has 199 assists against 167 turnovers for a 1.19 a/to ratio, ranking fourth best in the league. However, IUPUI opponents have a robust 1.32 a/to ratio in league games.  
    -Four IUPUI players - Burk (3rd - 37.5), Minnett (4th - 36.8), Weatherford (5th - 36.6) and Goss (7th - 35.6) - rank among the league's top eight in minutes played in league play. 

    THE BEST ABILITY...
    ...is availability. IUPUI players have struggled to stay healthy and available this season as only five players - Burk, Minnett, DePersia, Goss and Weatherford - have played all 25 games. Redshirt freshman Marlon Taylor is the only other IUPUI player who has been available for all 26 games. 

     STORY TELLER
    In IUPUI's six wins this season, the Jags have held opponents to 37 percent shooting overall and 28 percent from three-point range while making 7.7 threes per game. 
    In the Jaguars' 19 losses, foes have shot 48 percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc while making 9.3 threes per game. Nine of the 19 opponents to have beaten the Jags have shot 50 percent or better from the floor. 

    FREEBIES
    IUPUI enters play ranked 327th of 350 teams in free throw percentage at 64.4 percent, which is on pace to be the lowest mark in the program's Division I era. The current low mark was a 65.4 percentage for the 2008-09 season. The lowest single-season mark on record in program history was a 62.7 percentage in the 1976-77 campaign. 

    ...HOWEVER
    Since the Dec. 28 Youngstown State loss in which IUPUI made just 12-of-28 (42.9 percent) at the foul line, IUPUI has been efficient at the stripe. Since then, IUPUI is a combined 188-of-268 (70.1 percent) in the last 12 games. 

    FULL 40
    Junior Jaylen Minnett's 40-minute effort at Green Bay on Jan. 5 was the first full 40 posted by an IUPUI player in a non-overtime game since Marcellus Barksdale played all 40 minutes at Western Illinois on Mar. 1, 2014. 

    STARTERS DOING IT ALL
    Head coach Byron Rimm has shown a reluctance to delve too deeply into his bench as IUPUI reserves accounted for just 10.1 points per game this season. IUPUI is getting just more than 14 percent of its points from reserves and has had 14 games in which the bench has provided fewer than 10 points. The IUPUI bench has outscored the opposition's just twice this season as opponents' benches are averaging 23.5 points per game against the Jags. 
    The Jags' bench has scored a season-high 19 points on three different occasions. 

    GRADE CHECKS
    Six different Jaguars posted a grade point average of 3.0 or better during the fall - Mike DePersia, Elyjah Goss, Brandon Kenyon, Sawyer Stoltz, Grant Weatherford and Taveion White. Weatherford, who is pursuing his Master's degree in Organizational Leadership, had the team's top GPA for the fall at 3.67. Kenyon and Weatherford were recently named to the Horizon League's Academic Honor Roll for the fall semester. 
 
BASKETBALL CENTRAL: IUPUI will be a big part of the center of the college basketball universe this March as the 2020 Horizon League Championships will be played at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Mar. 9-10 and the department will later serve as institutional co-host of an NCAA Men's Basketball Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium on Mar. 26-28, alongside the Horizon League and Indiana Sports Corporation. Both the men's and women's Horizon League Semifinals (Mar. 9) and Championship games (Mar. 10) will be played at Indiana Farmers Coliseum as 2020 marks the first of a three-year rotation.