Jan. 18, 2002

Game #18 - Milwaukee (9-8, 4-1 Horizon) at #25 Butler (16-2, 3-2 Horizon)

Sat. Jan. 19 - 1 p.m. CST - Hinkle Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN

TV: Fox Sports North (Josh Lewin/Bob Lovell)

Radio: WMCS, 1290 AM - Bill Johnson's pregame show starts at 12:45 p.m.

Internet: www.uwmpanthers.com

Saturday's Game

UWM continues its two-game road trip by traveling to Indianapolis for a 1 p.m. CST matchup with Butler.

Saturday's Opponent

Butler enters Saturday's game ranked 25th nationally in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches' poll and the Bulldogs stand 15-2 overall. Butler opened its season with 13 straight wins and vaulted into the top 20 nationally before losing its league opener at home against Wright State. Thomas Jackson, the league's pre-season player of the year, and leading scorer Rylan Hainje have been among the standouts for the Bulldogs this season.

Last Time Out

UWM came up with a final push in overtime Thursday night, claiming an 86-80 win over Wright State in Dayton. The Panthers scored the final 10 points of the first half to build a 12-point halftime advantage, and UWM still led by 10 with seven minutes left. But, Wright State forced overtime when Vernard Hollins scored with just under 10 seconds remaining. The Panthers had an answer in overtime, though, taking the lead for good on a Clay Tucker layin with 3:20 left and led by as many as nine in the extra session. Tucker and Ronnie Jones scored 24 points apiece to lead the Panthers.

Fast Start

UWM's 4-1 start in league play continues to be the best in the school's Division I history. It is also the first time UWM has ever been three games above .500 in league play. The Panthers have never finished above .500 in a Division I league.

Checking The Standings

UWM is alone in second place in the Horizon League, one game back of first-place Loyola. Butler and Detroit each sit a game back of the Panthers for the second spot.

Road Warriors

UWM's win Thursday night at Wright State was the Panthers' second league road win of the season. That marks the first time since the 1998-99 season that UWM has won two league road games. The last two seasons, UWM had won just a single road contest in league play. The only time UWM has ever won three or more road games in league play came during the 1993-94 season, when the Panthers won four road contests in their only season in the Mid-Continent Conference.

The Wright Stuff

Thursday's win at Wright State was the first for the Panthers in the Nutter Center since the 1997-98 season. It also broke a streak that had seen the home team win the last seven matchups in the series.

Welcome To 1,000

Clay Tucker's 24 points Thursday night in the win over Wright State pushed him past the 1,000-point mark and into third place all-time on UWM's Division I scoring list. Tucker now has 1,019 points, surpassing Pat McCabe's 1,015 at UWM. Tucker is just the fourth Panther in the school's Division I history to score 1,000 points in his career. Chad Angeli is the school's all-time Division I scoring leader, tallying 1,417 points in his four-year career at UWM.

Double Trouble

Clay Tucker collected his fourth double-double of the season Thursday night in the win over Wright State, tallying 24 points and 11 rebounds. It was Tucker's third double-double in his last four games, having recorded double-doubles against UW-Green Bay and Loyola in back-to-back games. The back-to-back double-doubles by Tucker were the first for a Panther since the 1996-97 season, when Otto McDuffie recorded double-doubles against UW-Green Bay (Feb. 24, 13 pts., 11 rbs.) and Wright St. (Feb. 28, 18 pts., 10 rbs.). The school record for double-doubles in a season is six, last set by McDuffie during the 1996-97 campaign.

Leading The Way

Clay Tucker continues to hold the team lead in just about every category so far this season. The junior, a first-team all-Horizon League selection in the pre-season, leads UWM in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and even blocked shots. If he holds the team lead in the points and rebounds categories, he would become the first Panther to lead the team in each of those two categories since Roderick Johnson did it during the 1995-96 season. If he should lead the team in all five categories, he would be the first Panther to do so since UWM moved to the Division I ranks for the 1990-91 season.

More About Clay

Clay Tucker's 24 points in Thursday's win marked the 16th time in 17 games this season Tucker has been in double figures. He saw a streak of 12 straight games in double figures snapped when he scored just nine points in the loss to Western Michigan Dec. 15. That streak ranks as the fifth-longest in the school's Division I history. Von McDade holds the record with 20 straight games in double figures, all during the 1990-91 season.

Stolen Moments

Clay Tucker's four steals Thursday night against Wright State moved him into third-place all-time on UWM's Division I steals list. Tucker now has 110 steals in his career. Marc Mitchell is the school's all-time leader with 156. Tucker has 42 steals this season, including 15 in five league games.

Ronnie Likes Ohio

Ronnie Jones appears to enjoy playing in the state of Ohio. Jan. 2 at Youngstown State, Jones scored a career-high 33 points and dropped in 10 three-point shots. Thursday night, Jones scored 24 more points, making 9-of-15 field goal attempts. UWM's next game in the state is Feb. 22 at Cleveland State, and this year's league tournament is also in Cleveland. Last year, by the way, Jones averaged just over 10 points per game in his three games in the state.

Ronnie Likes The League

Ronnie Jones has found his stride during the first five games of league play. Jones is UWM's leading scorer in league games, averaging 20.2 ppg. Jones is shooting nearly 55 percent from three-point range in league contests, and last Saturday Jones collected a season-high eight rebounds. Overall, Jones averaged just 2.5 ppg in UWM's first four games this season. In the last 13 games, Jones is averaging around 17 points per game.

Checking The Lineup

UWM fielded its seventh different starting lineup in Thursday's win over Wright State, with Justin Lettenberger earning his first start of the season. In large part due to injury, UWM has been forced to use different starting lineups throughout this season. The lineup of Clay Tucker, Dan Weisse, Ronnie Jones, Kalombo Kadima and Adrian Tigert had stayed together for the first four games of league play before the change for Thursday. Clay Tucker is the only Panther to have started all 17 games for UWM, while Adrian Tigert has started 16 of the 17 games. Dan Weisse started the first seven games of the season at point guard before giving way to Ronnie Jones, who has been in the starting lineup for the last 10 games. Weisse did return to start alongside Jones for the first four games of league play. Kalombo Kadima entered the starting lineup Dec. 30 after the season-ending injury to James Wright. Lettenberger then started for him Thursday night. Nate Mielke and Dylan Page have each made a single start for the Panthers.

Look Who's Starting

Justin Lettenberger has quietly worked his was from reserve walk-on to starting forward for UWM. The junior first gained a more prominent role last season when James Wright suffered a sprained ankle and missed three games. This season, Lettenberger has again slid into more playing time following an injury to Wright. Thursday night, Lettenberger made his first start of the season, collecting five rebounds in 25 minutes. Lettenberger is UWM's third-leading scorer in league games, averaging 8.2 ppg, and UWM's second-leading rebounder in the league, grabbing six boards per game.

Justin's Butler Memories

Last year's home contest with Butler marked Lettenberger's first career start, and he responded with 11 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes. In the contest in Indianapolis, Lettenberger scored two points but had 10 rebounds and four assists.

Bulldogging The Panthers

Butler has won 17 straight times in the series with UWM, and the Bulldogs have won 18 of 19 over the Panthers all time. But, last year saw the Panthers come as close as they have in some time to beating the Bulldogs. In the Klotsche Center last season, UWM led by seven at halftime and by 10 early in the second half before the Bulldogs rallied for the win. Then, in Indianapolis, the Panthers led by four points with a minute to play before falling in overtime. UWM's only win in the series was a 69-65 victory on March 2, 1978, at the Klotsche Center.

UWM Vs. Ranked Teams

UWM has never beaten a ranked opponent in its Division I history. Last season, the Panthers lost to both Illinois and Wisconsin on the road - its last two contests against ranked opponents.

Getting On The Glass

After struggling on the boards early in the season, the Panthers have posted strong efforts in their five league contests, outrebounding teams by just under seven boards per game. Thursday night at Wright State, UWM outrebounded the Raiders 35-27, including 12-6 on the offensive glass. The Panthers average 11 offensive rebounds per game in league play.

Working Overtime

UWM won in overtime for the second time this season Thursday night, adding to the list of accomplishments during the 2001-02 campaign. In fact, UWM had not won two overtime games in the same season since the 1988-89 season, when the Panthers won a double overtime game with UW-Parkside and an overtime contest at Northern Colorado that sent UWM to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Last season, UWM was 1-3 in overtime, and, entering this season, UWM had lost 17 of its last 19 overtime contests.

High Scoring

UWM enters Saturday's game at Butler leading the Horizon League in scoring. The Panthers average 77.1 points per game, just ahead of Loyola. The Panthers are also second in the league to Butler in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 6.7 ppg. In five league games, UWM holds a 77.6-65.2 ppg edge on its opponents, and has claimed wins of 26, 22, 12 and six points.

Defensive Curveball

A defensive trend was broken in Thursday's win over Wright State, but the Panthers were happy to take the result. Wright State shot 55.6 percent from the field in the game. UWM's last three losses - to Wisconsin, Colorado and Loyola, had come when teams had shot better than 50 percent from the field. Meanwhile, in UWM's last three wins before Thursday night, the Panthers' defense has been stellar, limiting UIC to under 30 percent shooting, Youngstown State to just 40 percent shooting and UWGB to just 39 percent shooting from the field. On the season, Panther opponents are shooting 44 percent from the field.

Saturday's Defense

The 29.6 percent UIC shot from the field last Saturday night against the Panthers marked a season-low for a UWM opponent. That mark bested the 33.9 percent Chicago State shot against UWM Dec. 4. In five league games, UWM opponents are shooting just 44 percent from the field and just 29 percent from three-point range.

These Guys Don't Miss

Justin Lettenberger and Adrian Tigert have both posted stellar shooting percentages so far this season. Lettenberger has made 43-of-69 field goal attempts for a .623 clip. Tigert, meanwhile, has made 45-of-72 shots for a .625 clip. Both players fall just short of the league minimum of three made shots per game, but Tigert would rank third in the league and Lettenberger would rank fourth.

Finding The Range

Jason Frederick recorded his best back-to-back shooting performances from long range in some time during the last two games. Frederick scored 14 points off the bench against UIC last Saturday, then added nine points.Thursday night. Frederick has made 7-of-12 three-point shots in the last two games. Frederick had entered the UIC game converting just 10 of his last 37 field goal attempts, including just eight of his last 26 three-point tries. Frederick re-entered the starting lineup for Thursday's contest. He has come off the bench for the majority of his career.

Not Shy About Shooting

UWM put up 24 more three-points shots in the win over Wright State Thursday, and UWM has now tried 424 three-point shots in 17 regular season games. The 41 three-point attempts by the Panthers Dec. 30 tied a school record. The Panthers also attempted 36 three-point shots in the overtime win over Virginia Tech, knocking down 10 threes in the second half and another one in overtime. Last year, UWM set a Division I school record by trying 666 three-point shots, eclipsing the 657 the Panthers tried during the 1999-00 season. The Panthers are on pace to seriously threaten the record again during the 2001-02 season

National Numbers

The Panthers' long-range shooting has helped them make a mark in some of the NCAA's national statistical rankings. The 17 three-point shots UWM made against Colorado Dec. 30 are the third-most in a single-game nationally this season. It is also one shy of a school record, set last year in a four-overtime loss at UIC. Ronnie Jones is 24th in the nation in three-point shooting percentage while, as a team, UWM is 18th nationally in three-point field goals made per game.

Run For The Ages

There's no real stat kept for most impressive run during a league game, but it's hard to think of a more impressive turnaround by the Panthers than the 52-15 burst UWM used to push UIC into submission Saturday night at the Klotsche Center. The run included an amazing 38-11 second-half edge for the Panthers. The 11 points are the fewest UWM has given up in a half this season, and the fewest the Panthers have allowed in a half since allowing 10 points in the second half against Mount Senario in December of 2000. The turnaround included runs of 14-4 to end the first half and 13-0 early in the second half.

Margin Of Victory

Two of UWM's league wins have included noteworthy margins of victory. The 26-point win at home Saturday night over UIC was the second-largest league win of all-time for UWM. The Panthers beat Loyola by 34 points, 92-58, in 2000. Meanwhile, the 22-point win Jan. 2 against Youngstown State marked the largest margin of victory in a league road game for the Panthers. The previous high was 19 points in a win at Loyola in 1999. In overall road games in Division I, the 22-point margin of victory is the third-largest in school history. UWM claimed 25-point wins at Northeastern Illinois in 1991 and at Northern Illinois in 1992.

Balancing Act

UWM had five players in double figures in the win Saturday night, the second time this season that has occurred. UWM has also had four players in double figures in three other games. On the season, two Panthers average in double figures, with Jason Frederick at 9.9 ppg.

Shooting For A Road Win

The Panthers have been impressive when it comes to shooting the basketball in unfamiliar territory. In UWM's seven games this season on an opponent's home floor, the Panthers are shooting 47 percent from the field, including a remarkable 43 percent from three-point range. By contrast, UWM has shot 43 percent from the field - but just 26 percent from three-point range - in its eight home games.

Bucking A Road Trend

Statistically, the Horizon League has proven to be the toughest league in the nation in which to win league games on the road. Last season, league road teams won just 16 of 56 contests. Yet, the road team has already experienced great success this season. In 22 league games so far, the road team has won 11 times.

Record-Setter On The Road

When UWM traveled to Youngstown State to open league play Jan. 2, Ronnie Jones put together a career night. In the league-opening win over Youngstown State Jan. 2. Jones tossed in a school-record 10 three-point shots and scored a career-high 33 points. Jones made 10-of-12 three-points shots and 11-of-14 field goals overall. The performance against Youngstown State was highlighted by one of the best individuals halves in UWM basketball history. Jones converted all seven of his field goal attempts and made six-of-six three-point tries in the half, scoring 20 points.

Also On The Jones Performance

The 10 three-point shots Ronnie Jones hit Jan. 2 equal the most in a single game by a Division I performer this season. Earnest Porter of Nicholls State hit 10 three-point shots on Dec. 17 in a game against Troy State. The 10 three-point shots are also the third-most in a game in league history, two off the record of 12 set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler in 1987.

From The Depths Of The Bench

Bruce Pearl's promise to play at least 9-10 players throughout this season continues to pay dividends for the Panthers. With the return of Dylan Page from a bout with mono, UWM is once again a solid 10-deep in its rotation. The rotation includes eight players averaging at least 15 minutes per game, while Chris Hill and Nate Mielke each average around 10 minutes per game. UWM's depth may have been most apparent in the 21-point comeback against Virginia Tech. As the Hokies had three players play at least 40 minutes - including one player playing all 45 minutes - UWM had 11 players see action with nine players playing at least 15 minutes. UWM had just three players play more than 30 minutes. Clay Tucker played a season-high 41 minutes, and Tucker is the only Panther player averaging more than 30 minutes per game this season.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

The UWM injury report has had names on it all season long. James Wright is out for the season after breaking his leg in the Dec. 27 contest with Wisconsin. Derek Huff is out indefinitely after off-season foot surgery. Transfer Rob Sanders - who was not eligible to play in games this season - injured his knee in practice and had surgery last month. He will not return to practice this season. Dylan Page also missed six games after being diagnosed with mono, but has returned to play in the last two games.

Turnover City

Opponent turnovers are mounting as UWM gets the hang of Bruce Pearl's pressure defense. Twice this season, UWM has forced 30 turnovers - Dec. 4 against Chicago State and Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech. Those totals tie the opponent record for UWM. Sacramento State committed 30 turnovers against the Panthers in a game during the 1991-92 season, while Illinois Tech committed the same number in a game during the 1995-96 season. UWM has forced 324 turnovers in 17 games - a pace just under 20 turnovers per game. The single-season opponent record is 530 turnovers forced, set during the 1990-91 season. UWM has forced 59 more turnovers in its last three games.

Thievery

UWM's pressure defense is also resulting in growing steal numbers for the Panthers. UWM collected 10 more steals Thursday night and the Panthers have 30 steals in their last three games. The Panthers have now tallied 165 steals in 17 games this season. The Panthers had 17 steals in the Dec. 4 win over Chicago State - the sixth-highest total in school history. UWM has had at least seven steals in 15 of its 17 games this season and the Panthers have collected 15 or more steals three times. The current pace puts the Panthers near the school record for steals in a season. The 1990-91 Panthers tallied 308 steals.

Packing Them In

Despite the absence of UWM students - most of whom remain away on their holiday break - the Jan. 5 game with UWGB drew 3,689 fans, the eighth-largest crowd in Klotsche Center history. The Dec. 27 overflow crowd of 4,903 set a new single-game attendance record for the Klotsche Center. The previous record was 4,833, set during the 1999-2000 season in a game against UW-Green Bay on Feb. 5, 2000.

Don't Get Defensive On Me

Three halves of basketball stand out in the Panthers' defensive scrapbook so far this season. As noted earlier, UWM allowed just 11 points in the second half Saturday night in the win over UIC. The 11 points given up also mark the fewest UWM has ever given up in a single half of a league game, breaking the old mark of 17 points set against UIC on Feb. 17, 1996, in a 79-48 Panther win. The Panthers allowed just 18 points in the first half against UW-Green Bay Jan. 5. That beat the 19 first-half points the Panthers allowed against Chicago State Dec. 4. The Phoenix shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half. UWGB wound up shooting just 39 percent for the game, the fourth-lowest mark by an opponent this season. The season low was the 33.9 percent Chicago State shot in an 84-47 loss to the Panthers Dec. 4 until UIC shot under 30 percent Saturday.

Sharp Shooting

UWM's 54.2 percent shooting from the field against Youngstown State marked the best performance of the season to date for the Panthers. The effort surpassed the 47.8 percent UWM shot against Chicago State on Dec. 4. The game against Youngstown State is also the only time all season UWM has shot better than 50 percent.

Passing The Ball

UWM has recorded 108 assists in its last six games, including a season-high 23 assists in the Dec. 30 loss to Colorado. The 23 assists mark the fifth-highest total in UWM's DI history.

Non-Conference Challenges

UWM played the most difficult non-conference schedule in school history this season. The non-conference slate saw UWM play at Louisville, Colorado, Iowa State, Valparaiso and Western Michigan, plus face Virginia Tech on a neutral floor and Wisconsin at the Klotsche Center.

Oh What A Comeback

The 21-point comeback UWM mounted Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech marks the greatest comeback in Division I history for the Panthers. UWM was down 58-37 with 10:27 to play in the game before outscoring Virginia Tech 36-15 to force overtime. Ronnie Jones knocked in a three-point shot with 1.9 seconds left to tie the game. Jones then gave UWM its first lead since 4-2 when he knocked in another three with 1:31 remaining in overtime. Other notable comebacks by the Panthers include:

Feb. 18, 1993 * Down 11 with 16:12 remaining @ CS-Northridge - won 75-74

Jan. 13, 1993 * Down 11 with 5:11 remaining vs. UWGB - won 75-68 in OT

Jan. 24, 1994 * Down 11 with 3:52 remaining @ Western Illinois - won 74-67

Dec. 12, 1996 * Down 11 with 9:38 remaining vs. NE Illinois - won 55-54

Jan. 14, 1999 * Down 13 with 18:11 remaining @ UIC - won 52-50

Beating The Big Boys

The win over Virginia Tech marked the first time UWM has beaten a school from the Big East. While fans may debate what the greatest win in the program's Division I history is, the only game that appears to come close is the 77-72 triumph over Wisconsin at the UW Fieldhouse on Dec. 12, 1992.

Player Of The Week

The week of Dec. 3-8 was one of the best weeks of junior Ronnie Jones' career. The junior averaged almost 20 ppg in three games during that week, and his work earned him Horizon League Player of the Week honors. The week was highlighted by his first start of the season Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech. Jones scored 25 points in the comeback win, with 23 of the points coming in the second half and overtime. Jones had 17 points during the final 10 minutes of regulation, including a three-point shot with 1.9 seconds to play to force the extra session. Jones then scored six of UWM's seven points in overtime, including a three-point shot that gave UWM the lead for good with 1:31 left and three clinching free throws in the closing seconds.

Tournament Honors

Three Panthers have been honored following UWM's appearances in tournament play this season. Ronnie Jones was named to the all-tournament team at the Jim Thorpe Association Classic after averaging 23.5 ppg in the two contests. Three-plus weeks ago, Clay Tucker and Jason Frederick were each named to the Tribune Cyclone Challenge All-Tournament Team. Tucker averaged 17.5 ppg in the two contests, while Frederick added 14 ppg. Frederick also contributed a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Nebraska-Omaha.

Eyes On The Panthers

The crowd of 18,947 Dec. 7 at Freedom Hall was the largest to ever witness a Panther basketball game. The attendance surpassed the 17,770 that watched the Panthers battle Minnesota on Dec. 4, 1972.

Weisse Cares For The Ball

Dan Weisse has again taken the lead when it comes to taking care of the ball, collecting 47 assists while committing just 14 turnovers in his 17 games. Last season, Weisse would have led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio but did not record enough assists to meet the minimum requirements for the list. The junior finds himself in the same position this season, averaging just under three assists per game.

A Record You'd Rather Not Have

UWM's 0-for-21 stint from three-point range against Western Michigan easily became a new school record. Previously, the Panthers' poorest output from three-point range was an 0-for-7 effort against Valparaiso in 1996. The game was the fourth time since UWM moved to the NCAA Division I ranks that the Panthers missed every three-point shot they attempted in a game. UWM's 0-for-21 effort was also one shy of the most attempts without a make in NCAA Division I history. Canisius went 0-for-22 from three-point range against St. Bonaventure in 1995.

Happy Debut

The win Nov. 17 over Concordia-St. Paul was the first as the head coach at UWM for Bruce Pearl, who also recorded his first win as a Division I head coach. Pearl became the third straight UWM coach to win his debut. Ric Cobb beat Illinois Tech in his debut, while Bo Ryan beat Central Michigan.

Picked For Fourth

UWM was picked to finish fourth in a preseason poll of Horizon League head men's basketball coaches, sports information directors and media. Butler was picked to win the league, followed by Detroit and Cleveland State. Butler's Thomas Jackson was named the league's preseason player of the year. The three teams picked ahead of the Panthers in the league standings combined for 68 wins last season and all three teams return four of their five starters. Butler advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while Detroit advanced to the semifinals of the NIT.

Other Pre-Season Picks

UWM's Clay Tucker, a second-team all-conference performer a year ago, was named a preseason first-team All-Horizon League selection. UWM was also picked for either fourth or fifth in the Horizon League by most preseason publications. Clay Tucker was named to the preseason All-Horizon League team by Street and Smith's.

Bruce Pearl On Basketball

Fans can be a part of Bruce Pearl's radio show every Monday night live from Hooligan's on North Avenue in Milwaukee. The coach and special guests will talk Panther basketball from 7 until 7:30 p.m. each Monday night. The show can be heard live on 1290 AM, WMCS. Bill Johnson serves as host of the show. The show also features special guests from the UWM athletic department.

Lights ... Camera ... Action

UWM will get plenty of TV time during the 2001-02 season, with a number of games scheduled to air locally. Saturday's game at Butler will be televised by Fox Sports North. Games at UIC and at UW-Green Bay will also be televised on WMLW-TV 41. Plus, "The Bruce Pearl Show" airs every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on CBS-58, with a replay Mondays at 6:30 on TV-41.

Forever Young

The 2001-02 Panther squad is a young one and doesn't include a senior. Seven regulars are juniors, with transfer Jose Winston becoming eligible as a senior next year. UWM is also now regularly starting freshman Adrian Tigert and was starting sophomore James Wright before his season-ending injury. Freshman Chris Hill and sophomore Nate Mielke have also slowly worked their way into the regular rotation for UWM.

Hometown Touch

One of the themes of the 2001-02 basketball season for the Panthers is being "Milwaukee's Home Team." The Panthers are stocked with local talent. James Wright, Kalombo Kadima and transfer Jose Winston are all from Milwaukee. Jason Frederick hails from suburban Waukesha. No fewer than eight other players in the Panther program are from the state of Wisconsin.

Fox Valley All-Stars

Adrian Tigert is the second stellar product to come to UWM out of Oshkosh West High School and the Fox Valley Association. Dan Weisse is also from Oshkosh West. The presence of the two players gives UWM the winners of three of the last four Fox Valley Association Player of the Year awards. Weisse won the award in 1998 as a junior and again in 1999 as a senior, while Tigert won the award last season after leading the Indians to a runner-up finish in the state.

The Winning Numbers

UWM has put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 campaigns. UWM's 13 wins in league play over the last two seasons are also the most-ever for a two-year period in the school's brief MCC history. UWM has never finished above .500 in league play.

In Waiting

Two Panthers are sitting out the 2001-02 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Jose Winston, a former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, is a transfer from Colorado. Winston was a high school standout at Milwaukee Vincent. Rob Sanders is a transfer from Toledo. Sanders sat out last season as a redshirt, and will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning next season.

Horizon League Tournament

The 2002 Horizon League Championship is set for March 1-5 in Cleveland, Ohio. UWM hosts the 2003 Horizon League Championship.

Up Next

The Panthers start a three-game homestand by hosting Cleveland State Thursday at 7 p.m. The homestand also includes Detroit and Butler.