Feb. 5, 2010
Game #24
Milwaukee (13-10, 5-6 Horizon)
@
Green Bay (15-9, 7-5 Horizon)
Sat. Feb. 6 • 7 p.m. CST
Resch Center • Green Bay, Wis.
Printable Game Notes
The Short List
• UWM opens the month of February by making the trip up I-43 for a Saturday contest with Green Bay.
• The Panthers dropped a 73-66 decision to league-leading Butler Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Milwaukee led by seven points midway through the second half but could not overcome a 20-5 deficit at the foul line over the second 20 minutes.
• Anthony Hill scored a collegiate-best 21 points in Sunday's loss.
• Already without all-league guard Tone Boyle (out for season/back), UWM played Sunday without Tony Meier (ankle) and Deonte Roberts (academic eligibility issues).
• Saturday begins with six Horizon League teams having between four and six losses.
• UWM beat Green Bay in Milwaukee in the first meeting between the two teams this season.
On The Air
Saturday's game can be heard live on WISN (AM 1130), with Bill Johnson calling the action. Video coverage of the game is also available on the Horizon League Network. Home games also include "Panthers Extra ... live from Major Goolsby's." The postgame show, with hosts Bob Brainerd and Adrian Tigert, follows the game broadcast.
Ticket Time
Tickets for Saturday's game in Green Bay are available at the Resch Center Box Office on the day of the game. Tickets for all UWM home games are priced at $20, $15 and $10 and are available through Ticketmaster or at the U.S. Cellular Arena on the day of the game. As always, UWM students are admitted free with a valid UWM ID.
• Game #24
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team opens the month of February by making the short trip up I-43 for a matchup with Green Bay Saturday night.
• Matchup History
Green Bay holds a 23-17 lead in the all-time series with UWM, though the Panthers have sliced into that advantage in recent seasons. Milwaukee has won 14 of the last 21 meetings between the two schools. UWM has also won twice at the Resch Center in its last three trips to Green Bay, with each of the last three games decided by four points or less. Rob Jeter is 5-4 against the Phoenix in his head coaching career.
• First Time With The Phoenix
James Eayrs had 15 points and 13 rebounds and UWM posted solid efforts on both ends of the floor to claim a 71-51 win over Green Bay Jan. 9 at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Milwaukee shot 51.2 percent from the floor and made 10 three-pointers while limiting Green Bay to just 36.1 percent shooting from the field. Ricky Franklin added 14 points and six rebounds while Jerard Ajami pitched-in with a collegiate-best 12 points. The Panthers had runs of 17-4 and 13-0 to build a pair of double-figure leads and then closed the game out on 24-8 burst.
• On The Road Again
Saturday's game in Green Bay opens a stretch that has UWM on the road for five of its final seven league contests. The Panthers are 4-4 in true road games and 2-2 in neutral site contests this season. UWM went 3-10 in true road games last season and, if you include three neutral-site games, went 5-11 away from Milwaukee in 2008-09. When all is said and done, Milwaukee will have played 13 home games and 18 games away from home.
• Impressive Winning Margin
Not only has UWM claimed four road wins this season, but three of them have come by double digits. That marks the most double-digit road victories since the 2005-06 season, when the Panthers claimed five road wins by 10 or more points. UWM also had five such wins in 2004-05 and six in 2003-04, when the Panthers actually won four-straight road games by 10-plus points.
• Busting A Bracket
UWM will face Niagara University in this season's BracketBuster matchup. The Panthers and Purple Eagles will play Sat., Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Niagara (12-12, 5-7) is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and advanced to the title game of its league tournament a season ago, winning 26 games in the process. This year, the Purple Eagles have four players averaging in double figures and a fifth contributing 9.6 points per contest. They have gone 3-7 in the last 10 games after a strong 9-5 start. This is the eighth year UWM is participating in the BracketBusters event. The BracketBusters event also includes a return game for the Panthers at Niagara. Previously, return games were guaranteed for the following season, but return games for this year's BracketBusters event can take place either next season or during the 2011-12 campaign.
• Reviewing The Non-League Slate
UWM's BracketBusters matchup with Niagara will mark the Panthers' final regular season game against a non-league foe. So far, UWM is 8-4 against non-Horizon League competition, with its losses to notable foes Wisconsin, Marquette, Western Kentucky and Indiana State. In fact, those teams have combined to go 55-32 entering play Wednesday. Milwaukee's eight regular season non-league wins are its most since the 2004-05 season, when the Panthers also won eight non-league regular season games.
• Ins And Outs
UWM seems to find itself getting more shorthanded as the season rolls along. All-league guard Tone Boyle has not played in a game this season because of a back injury and is redshirting. He will return in 2010-11 as a fifth-year senior. Boyle originally hurt the back last February, an injury that caused him to miss UWM's game at Cleveland State. He returned to play the rest of last season and wound up averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile, Deonte Roberts did not dress for either game this past weekend and his status for this Saturday has not yet been determined. Roberts has played in 20 games and is averaging 7.6 points per game. Finally, Tony Meier left Friday's win over Valpo during the second half after suffering an apparent ankle injury. He did not play Sunday and is questionable for Saturday's contest at Green Bay.
• Pretty Decent Decade!
The first decade of the 21st Century was certainly a good one for the Panthers. In fact, UWM went 180-125 over the 10-year period, including a 103-60 mark in league play. That is a major step up from the decade of the 1990's, when UWM went 108-149 overall and 25-68 in league play. The decade for UWM included three regular season league titles, three league tournament titles, three NCAA Tournaments, an NIT appearance, four postseason wins and four 20-win seasons.
• The League In The 2000's
Just two Horizon League schools got to 100 wins during the first decade of the 21st Century, with Butler collecting 121 and UWM tallying 103. Those two schools have also won or shared the last 10 regular-season league titles. The decade standings (noting YSU and Valpo were not in the league for the entire decade):
Butler 121-41
Milwaukee 103-60
Wright State 92-71
UIC 82-81
Green Bay 79-85
Detroit 78-85
Loyola 68-95
Cleveland State 65-97
Youngstown State 35-100
Valparaiso 14-23
• All-Decade Team
To celebrate the highlights of the last decade for Panther men's basketball, UWM launched voting for its latest All-Decade Team. The voting is now closed and team members will be unveiled Feb. 18 during a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The men's ballot consisted of 12 players, with fans able to pick five. The list includes: Boo Davis; Ricky Franklin; Jason Frederick; Chris Hill; Ronnie Jones; Ed McCants; Dylan Page; Paige Paulsen; Avery Smith; Adrian Tigert; Clay Tucker; and Joah Tucker. Plus, throughout January and February, the Verizon Wireless Panther BlogZone is featuring a look back at some of the greatest moments in Panther basketball over the last decade. Among recent entries are a look at the best buzzer-beaters in the decade, as well as the best opponents Panther teams faced over the last 10 years.
• About The Last Time Out
Gordon Hayward scored 25 points and Butler collected 27 points from the free-throw line to claim a 73-66 win over UWM Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers led by as many as seven points in the first half and again by seven in the second half before the Bulldogs overtook them down the stretch. Butler, ranked 18th in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, took the lead for good on a layin by Ronald Nored with 8:20 remaining but could never really shake Milwaukee until the closing seconds. UWM was within 65-64 on a three by James Eayrs with 4:17 remaining and still within three at 69-66 with 1:05 left, but Butler hit four free throws to close out the game. Anthony Hill scored 21 points and added eight rebounds to lead the Panthers, who made just 16-of-29 from the free throw line and shot only 39 percent from the floor.
• Boost From The Big Guys
UWM's inside game continues to pay dividends. Sunday against Butler, junior Anthony Hill tallied a collegiate-best 21 points to go with eight rebounds. He also had 18 points in the first meeting with the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Jason Averkamp tallied a collegiate-best 22 points in the win over Valparaiso Friday, besting the 21 he scored against Valpo two seasons ago. James Eayrs pitched-in with 17 points Friday and nine more Sunday. Eayrs has now made 12 of his last 30 three-pointers after going through a stretch where he made just five of 37 from long range, and he has reached double figures in points four times in the last seven games after doing it just twice in a span of nine games. Meanwhile, Averkamp also had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds at SIUE Jan. 5 and has six or more points in six of the last eight games. Finally, Hill is averaging 10.6 ppg in the last 14 games after averaging just 3.7 ppg in the first nine games of the year
• Do It All Ricky
Senior Ricky Franklin is certainly shouldering much of the backcourt burden in the absence of the injured Tone Boyle this season. Franklin played all 40 minutes in Friday's win over Valpo and hasn't played fewer than 39 minutes in any of the last five games after playing all 45 minutes in the overtime win over Wright State Jan. 16. For the first time in a while, Franklin had an off-night Sunday against Butler, scoring just nine points on 2-of-14 shooting from the field. Still, he has posted eight 20-point efforts this season, including 20 or more in consecutive games from Jan. 16-24. He had also reached double figures in seven-straight games until Sunday's contest. On the season, he leads UWM in points per game (15.1) and assists (91) while standing second on the team in rebounds per game (4.3). He also passed 1,000 points in his career in the win over SIU Edwardsville Jan. 5 and now has 1,139. Franklin also ranks in the top six in the league in both scoring and assists while ranking in the top 20 in rebounds.
• Inside-Outside
UWM seems to be finding a good balance between inside play and outside shots of late. The Panthers did put up 29 three-point shots Friday in their win over Valparaiso but made 13 of them and still earned 35 trips to the foul line thanks to a big edge inside. Then Sunday, UWM tried just 16 three-pointers while attempting 29 free throws. In the first nine games of the season, UWM attempted 24 or more three-pointers seven times, averaged 25 three-point attempts per game and never shot fewer than 21. In the last 14 games, UWM has tried more than 25 three-pointers just twice and the stretch has included games of 12, 15 and 16 (three times) attempts. The emphasis on getting the ball inside has allowed UWM to inch its shooting percentages up. In the last 14 games, UWM is shooting 43.4 percent overall and 36.7 percent from three-point range. After nine games, UWM was shooting just 41 percent from the floor overall and just 30 percent from three-point range.
• Charity Case
UWM's increased emphasis on getting the ball inside has landed the Panthers at the free throw line plenty of times in recent games. Until it shot just 14 free throws in the loss to Cleveland State Jan. 24, UWM has shot no fewer than 26 free throws in its previous five games. Then, Milwaukee went to the line 35 times Friday night against Valpo and 29 more times Sunday against Butler. The Panthers have actually been pretty solid at getting to the free throw line all season long, tallying 24 or more free throw attempts 13 times already this year. For the season, UWM has made 71 more free throws than its opponents and is shooting 69.5 percent from the line.
• Hope You Didn't Have Plans ...
Panther fans might be hearing whistles in their sleep after the last two home games the Panthers played at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Over the two games, teams combined for 96 fouls and 121 free throw attempts. And, that led to everyone spending a little extra time at The Cell, with Friday's game running two hours and eight minutes before Sunday's contest ran for two hours and nine minutes.
• Youngsters In The Mix
With Tone Boyle sidelined by injury, and now a few other Panthers also on the bench, UWM is counting on a number of youngsters in to contribute. Ja'Rob McCallum made his first collegiate start Sunday against Butler and scored seven points. He has posted five double-figure efforts off the bench, including a 20-point outing at Valparaiso on Dec. 31. Meanwhile, true freshman Lonnie Boga has started eight games and is averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. Those two true freshmen have also combined to make 44 three-pointers. Then, up front, redshirt freshman Ryan Haggerty saw the most extended playing time of his career Sunday, scoring eight points to go with four rebounds in 12 minutes. Redshirt freshmen Riley Walker and Patrick Souter also continue to see time off the bench.
• Crashing The Glass
UWM continues to establish a big edge on the backboards this season. Sunday, the Panthers claimed a 40-33 overall edge on Butler while collecting 14 offensive rebounds. Milwaukee has outrebounded its opponent in 18 of 23 games and, dating back to last season, the Panthers have outrebounded their opponent in 31 of their last 39 contests. Meanwhile, UWM has also reached double figures in offensive rebounds 14 times. For the year, UWM holds a 2.7-rebound-per-game edge on its opponents. That ranks third in the league in rebounding margin, while Milwaukee is atop the league in defensive rebounding percentage.
• Team Numbers Notes
Milwaukee is 7-3 at home this season after going 12-3 at home last year and is now 71-26 in regular season and postseason contests at The Cell since its return in 2002-03 ... even better, if you combine games at both the Klotsche Center and The Cell, UWM is 69-18 in regular season Horizon League home contests over the last 10-plus seasons while Rob Jeter's teams are 48-23 at home in five seasons ... after shooting 40 percent three times in the first nine games of the season, UWM has been below 40 percent just twice in the last 14 games ... the Panthers made 13 three-pointers against Valpo Friday, the sixth time this season they have made 10 or more threes in a game ... Milwaukee is one of five teams in the league that make seven or more three-pointers per game ... in UWM's 13 wins, it has made 263 free throws; in its 10 losses it has made just 107 ... Milwaukee is 9-2 when both Ricky Franklin and James Eayrs score in double figures ... the Panthers have had 10 different players record at least one double-figure outing, with seven players collecting at least two double-digit games ... UWM has had 15 double-figure individual efforts from its bench ... its bench has outscored opponents in 17 of 23 games ... the Panthers are 62-21 in January since the 2001-02 season ... UWM is now 7-1 this season and has won 18 of its last 21 games overall when scoring at least 70.
• Emptying The Notebook
UWM got to the 80-point mark for the sixth time in Friday's win over Valpo. That is one more than the number of 80-point nights the Panthers had all of last season. Milwaukee did it just four times total over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns ... UWM has also scored 90 or more points twice this season, the first time the Panthers have done that since the 2005-06 season ... Milwaukee turned the ball over just seven times in consecutive games against Miami and Wisconsin. The stretch marked the first time since the 2000-01 season where the Panthers had been in single digits in turnovers in back-to-back games ... Dec. 3 against UIC, the Panthers shot just 29.2 percent from the field, the lowest in a Panther victory since Milwaukee shot 28.9 percent in a 62-58 victory over Green Bay in the 2000 MCC Tournament. Meanwhile, the 57 points UWM scored in the win are the fewest in a Panther win in two seasons, with Milwaukee claiming a 55-53 win over Detroit in 2008 ... UWM's 96 points vs. Texas St. are the most by the Panthers since Milwaukee claimed a 98-57 win over Youngstown in 2006 ... Milwaukee signed three players to National Letters of Intent this past November. Wisconsin natives Evan Richard (Cuba City) and Kyle Kelm (Randolph) are joined in the incoming class by Leek Leek, who is currently playing high school basketball in North Carolina.
• The Bright Lights Of TV
Time Warner Cable Sports 32 is again the home for UWM basketball during the 2009-10 season. The men's package includes 12 confirmed broadcasts on Sports 32, including a pair of games in the new HLN Game of the Week package. In addition to those games, UWM had a game at Youngstown State on ESPNU and a contest at Wisconsin that was be televised by the Big Ten Network. Remaining Sports 32 broadcasts include road games at Wright State, Loyola and UIC as well as a home game against Cleveland State. Sports 32 is also again the home for "The Rob Jeter Show," which airs weekly on Wednesday at 5 p.m., with a number of repeat performances. Daron Sutton returns as the television play-by-play voice for the Panthers. This season, Sutton is joined on the broadcasts by former Panther Adrian Tigert.
• Radio Waves
Milwaukee men's basketball games are heard on NewsTalk 1130 WISN. Bill Johnson returns for his 11th season as the play-by-play voice. The WISN team for men's games also includes the return of Bob Brainerd as host of "The Panthers Postgame Party,' which airs live from Major Goolsby's. The expanded postgame show airs following every home men's game. Former Panther star Adrian Tigert will join Brainerd as co-host of the show. Plus, the weekly "Rob Jeter On Basketball" show airs Mondays from 6-7 p.m. live from Harry's in Shorewood.
• Up Next
UWM hits the road for games at Wright State Thursday and Detroit Saturday.
