Feb. 11, 2004

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Game #23

Loyola (7-15, 3-9 Horizon)

at

UWM (16-6, 11-1 Horizon)

Thursday, Feb. 12 * 7:30 p.m. CST

U.S. Cellular Arena * Milwaukee, Wis.

Milwaukee Radio: WOKY (920 AM), Bill Johnson play-by-play

Milwaukee TV: None

Internet: Live audio and stats at uwmpanthers.com

Tickets: Available through all Ticket Master outlets - fans can take advantage of two-for-one offer on selected tickets

* Game #23

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee continues a brief, two-game homestand by welcoming Loyola to the U.S. Cellular Arena Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. CST. UWM (16-6, 11-1 Horizon) enters the game with a two-game lead in the Horizon League. Tickets for the game are available at all Milwaukee-area Ticket Master outlets, by phone at 414-276-4545 or online at ticketmaster.com.

* Last Time Out

UWM posted one of its gutsiest efforts of the season, overcoming an injury to Dylan Page and 42 percent shooting from the field to record a key 72-66 win over Wright State Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Page was limited to 10 points and five rebounds while playing on a heavily-wrapped ankle, but Joah Tucker picked up the slack with 17 points and 12 boards. After leading by seven points in the first half and again by seven in the second half, the Panthers had to rally down the stretch. But a key three-point basket by Chris Hill and solid free throw shooting in the final two minutes clinched the win for the Panthers.

* Where Things Stand

With four Horizon League games to play, the Panthers stand in solid position atop the standings. Wright State and UW-Green Bay each sit two games back, though each team needs to still face each other and both teams also have games with fourth-place UIC still to come. Any combination of two UWM wins or two losses by both UW-Green Bay and Wright State would clinch at least a share of the league title for the Panthers, while UWM can win the title outright with any combination of three wins and three losses by Wright State and UW-Green Bay. With UW-Green Bay off until Saturday night, UWM cannot clinch the title Thursday.

* Championship History

UWM is closing in what would be its first-ever regular season Horizon League championship. The Panthers have never won a Division I league crown in the regular season and haven't won a regular season league championship of any sort since going a perfect 8-0 in the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference during the 1940-41 season. UWM has been close to breaking through in each of the last two seasons. In 2001-02, the Panthers were in first place after 13 games before losing two of three on the road. Then last year, UWM dropped a buzzer-beating heartbreaker on the final day of the regular season to Butler, giving the Bulldogs the crown.

* Who Has And Hasn't Won

If UWM should win the Horizon League title, it would eliminate its name from the list of current league schools who have not won a regular season league title in either the Horizon League or the MCC. Youngstown State, which joined the league just two years ago, joins Cleveland State and Wright State as the only league schools to not win a regular season crown.

* Just Like Our Other Sports

The UWM men are trying to become the fourth Panther squad to win a Horizon League regular season title this season. The UWM volleyball team, men's soccer team and women's soccer team won titles this fall. The UWM women's basketball team also stands within a game of first place.

* Staying Hot

UWM's win Saturday over Wright State was its 10th in its last 11 outings, by far the best stretch of the season for the Panthers. UWM had its nine-game winning streak snapped Thursday at UIC. The streak was the second-longest streak in the school's Division I history and the longest under Bruce Pearl. Last year, UWM posted a pair of eight-game streaks, one of which consisted entirely of league games. The longest winning streak in the school's Division I history is still a 10-game spell in 1992-93. UWM has posted winning streaks of five games or more three other times under Bruce Pearl in his two-plus season as the Panthers' coach. UWM has had league winning streaks of nine, eight and five games under Pearl while, prior to Pearl's arrival at UWM, the Panthers never won more than three-straight league games.

* The Home Stretch

After spending much of the first three months of the season on the road, UWM is enjoying some home cooking over the final three weeks of the season, playing four of its final six games at home. Thursday's game is the second in that stretch and wraps up a two-game homestand, the second-longest stretch of home games for the Panthers this season. UWM played three-straight home games to start the season. The Panthers are also home Feb. 12, 21 and 28.

* Bring It On Downtown!

Thursday's contest is the eighth of nine regular season games the Panthers will be playing at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee as part of a four-year agreement with the Wisconsin Center District. Plans call for UWM to play its entire schedule at the renovated downtown complex during the following three seasons. UWM has had success at the Arena of late, going 8-1 in its last nine games. Thursday will be just the eighth regular season contest at the Arena for UWM since 1998. The Panthers played most of their home games at the Arena starting with the 1992-93 season through the 1997-98 season. UWM's first-ever appearance as the home team at the Arena came vs. Texas-El Paso on Dec. 13, 1971. UWM has played 114 games as the home team at the Arena, compiling a 61-53 record.

* Home Cookin'

UWM has established a tremendous homecourt advantage in recent years, posting a 50-10 mark over the past four-plus seasons. That record includes a current stretch of wins in 23 of its last 24 home games and wins in 16-straight regular season home league games. UWM is 22-2 in regular season league home games under Bruce Pearl, though Loyola is one of the two teams to have beaten the Panthers in Milwaukee under Pearl.

* Winning On The Horizon

The Panthers have found plenty of success in league play over the past two-plus seasons, already adding 11 wins this year to the 13 wins last year and the 11 wins in the league the year before. Bruce Pearl has a 35-9 record in regular-season Horizon League contests in his two-plus years as the head coach at UWM.

* Impressive Numbers

UWM head coach Bruce Pearl has moved to the top of the charts among Horizon League coaches. His 35-9 record in league games computes to a .796 winning percentage, easily the best among active coaches and a number that would put him at the top of all-time league coaches with at least three years in the league at season's end. Entering this season, Pete Gillen, who coached in the league at Xavier from 1985-1994, held the honor with a .769 winning percentage. Plus, with Saturday's win, Pearl has moved into the top-10 all-time in league wins, a list headed by Detroit's Perry Watson, who has 100 league wins in 10-plus years.

* Starting The League Strong

UWM's 10-0 start in the Horizon League was the best in school history. UWM's best start previously was a 3-0 beginning to last season. The Panthers are now seeking to surpass the school record of 13 league wins, set last year.

* Seeking 20 Again

Four more wins would give UWM its first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the early 1990's. It would also be just the sixth 20-win season in school history. Last year, UWM tied the all-time school record with 24 wins, equaling a mark set when the Panthers went to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 1989. UWM also won 23 games in the 1992-93 campaign, 20 games in the 1991-92 season and 20 games in the 1981-82 season.

* Keeping An Eye On Others

As the Panthers have started to roll through their season, so have some of their non-league opponents. In fact, the five teams UWM lost to in non-league play have combined for a 76-25 record. Plus, in the latest AP poll, Wisconsin is ranked 17th, North Carolina State 21st, Southern Illinois 23rd and Air Force 28th. It is likely that at least four of UWM's five non-league losses will have come to NCAA Tournament teams.

* Ranking Rumbles

UWM has started to climb the ranks in the various mid-major rankings thanks to its recent winning streak. The Panthers check in at fifth in the CBSSportsline.com poll and have broken in to the ESPN.com Mid-Major Top 10, holding down the seventh spot. UWM is also 11th in the CollegeInsider.com poll. For the second week in a row, UWM is also garnering votes in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll, holding down the 39th spot with two votes. The Panthers have also seen their power ranking rise, hitting 49th in the RPI and 53rd in the Jeff Sagarin ratings.

* National Numbers

UWM is still showing up in the latest NCAA statistical rankings, with the Panthers standing 11th in the nation in field goal percentage and 26th nationally in scoring. Individually, Dylan Page ranks 21st in scoring while Ed McCants is 17th in three-point field goals per game and 23rd in three-point field goal percentage.

* Injury Update

Senior Dylan Page has slowly returned to the practice rotation this week while recovering from an ankle injury suffered at the end of UWM's game at UIC last Thursday. Page played 31 minutes Saturday against Wright State despite a brace that went almost to his knee. He did not practice between games last Friday or on Monday but has done limited work since. He is expected to be in the starting lineup against Loyola.

* Double Trouble

Sophomore Joah Tucker has had a knack for stepping up in big games and the Milwaukee native was at it again Saturday afternoon, collecting 17 points, a career-high 12 rebounds and six assists. It was the first double-double of Tucker's UWM career.

* Keeping The Ball

Turnovers can often be a part of UWM's up-tempo offense and the Panthers average over 15 per game. But UWM tied a Division I school-record Saturday by turning the ball over just five times in its win over Wright State. The Panthers have turned the ball over just five times on three other occasions since returning to the Division I ranks in 1990 - the most recent coming Feb. 24, 1994, against UW-Green Bay. Prior to Saturday, the fewest turnovers in a game for UWM under Bruce Pearl was seven at Wisconsin in the season opener last year.

* Looking Outside

With Dylan Page's inside game limited by his bad ankle, the Panthers found themselves looking outside for their offense. UWM attempted a season-high 27 three-point shots Saturday, knocking in nine of them. On the season, the Panthers average 18 attempts per game and knock down almost 38 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.

* Block Party

Senior Nate Mielke made his defensive presence known Saturday against Wright State, blocking a season-high four shots. Dylan Page leads the team with 25 blocks but Mielke is right behind with 24. Mielke has 72 career blocks - the third-most by a Panther since 1992. Page has 62 career blocks, tied for the fourth-most. Craig Greene is the all-time leader with 87.

* More About The 'D'

It could easily get lost in the big numbers the Panthers have been posting offensively, but UWM's defense has done a tremendous job of bouncing back after allowing Youngstown State to shoot better than 60 percent from the field Jan. 15. Opponents have shot just 38 percent from the field in the seven contests since. Throw out the 61.2 percent shooting by the Penguins four weeks ago and UWM has turned the defense up a notch in league play. In the other 10 games, UWM has allowed opponents to shoot just 40 percent from the field and has held Green Bay, Butler, Cleveland State and Wright State (twice) under 40 percent.

* More From The Pages Of Dylan

Dylan Page had to fight through an ankle injury for his 10 points and five rebounds Saturday against Wright State, but the senior has either held or shared game-high scoring honors 15 times this season. He has been in double figures in scoring in all 22 games this season and in 55 of his last 57 contests while scoring 20 or more points 13 times this season. He has been named the Horizon League Player of the Week twice and leads the league in scoring while standing fifth in rebounding. He is also 21st nationally in scoring. Plus, Page has three double-doubles this season and five for his career.

* Passing 1,000

Dylan Page continues to climb up the scoring charts at UWM, with his career total now standing at 1,195 points. His 23 points Jan. 8 against Butler sent him past the 1,000 mark for his career. Page is now one of just seven Panthers to have passed the 1,000-point barrier since UWM moved back to the Division I ranks in 1990. Making Page's accomplishment particularly remarkable is that injury and illness limited him to just 176 points in his first two seasons as a Panther.

* Big Night For Dylan

Senior Dylan Page exploded for 31 points last Thursday night in the loss to UIC. It was the second-highest point total of the season for the Horizon League's leading scorer and the third 30-plus point performance for Page in his career. The outburst marked the second time Page has put up big offensive numbers in a game in Chicago. Earlier this season, Page dropped 35 on Loyola at the Gentile Center. Entering the season, Page's career-high was a 32-point effort against Loyola.

* More Double Trouble

Sophomore Adrian Tigert recorded his second double-double of the season against UIC last Thursday, collecting 14 rebounds to go with his 13 points. The 14 rebounds were also a career high. Tigert also had a double-double at NC State.

* Solid Shooting Overall

UWM shot just 42 percent Saturday in its win over Wright State but is still shooting a solid 49.3 percent for the season, a number that ranks 11th nationally. UWM has shot 50 percent or better 12 times this season and 28 times in the two-plus seasons under Bruce Pearl. Two of the best outings this year were a 60.4 percent effort at Loyola Jan. 10 and a 59.2 percent mark Jan. 24 at Detroit. The performance at Loyola marked the first time since Feb. 8, 1996, that UWM shot better than 60 percent from the field. On that date, the Panthers shot 67.8 percent from the field (40-of-59) in a 97-84 win at Cleveland State.

* Victories On The Road

UWM's time on the road has been well-spent as the Panthers have experienced plenty of success. The Panthers' overall road mark is now 7-5 and UWM is 5-1 league road games, tying a school record. Last year, the Panthers were 8-6 on the road plus 3-2 on neutral floors. The Panthers have now won five league road games for the third year in a row. In two-plus years under Pearl, UWM is 20-19 in true road contests, including 15-7 in league play, and 5-3 in neutral floor contests. In the seven years prior to Pearl's arrival, the Panthers were just 13-71 on the road and never won more than three games in a season.

* A (Road) League Of Their Own

Prior to Bruce Pearl's arrival in Milwaukee, the Panthers were 7-38 in regular season Horizon League road contests. In the last two-plus seasons under Pearl, UWM is 15-7 on the road in the league. Plus, after recording just two double-digit league road wins in seven seasons, the Panthers have posted 11 double-digit road league wins in the last two-plus seasons, including five this year.

* Busting The Bracket

UWM learned last week it will host Manhattan in a nationally-televised contest during ESPN's Bracket Buster Saturday Feb. 21. The two teams will tip-off at 1 p.m. CST at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Manhattan is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and is 17-4 overall this season. The Jaspers reached the NCAA Tournament last season and qualified for the NIT two seasons ago.

* Also On The Schedule

The Panthers's game immediately preceding the Bracket Buster contest has been moved up by a day. UWM will play at Butler on Wednesday, February 18 instead of Thursday, February 19. The game will still tip off at 6 p.m. CST and is scheduled to be televised on TV-41 in Milwaukee. The two schools moved the game by mutual agreement to allow for more preparation time for the Bracket Buster contests on Saturday.

* Past Players Of The Week

Along with two-time honoree Dylan Page, Joah Tucker and Kalombo Kadima have each been honored as the Horizon League Player of the Week this season. Tucker was honored after opening his UWM career with a 22-point outing against Montana. Kadima was honored after scoring a career-high 22 points to help the Panthers beat UW-Green Bay.

* The Point Is ...

UWM's two-headed point guard of Kalombo Kadima and Chris Hill is continuing its stellar play. Since Kadima took over for Hill in the starting lineup prior to the game with Butler Jan. 8, both have flourished. The two are averaging 14.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 6.8 apg in the nine-game stretch. The two are playing about 48 minutes per game combined, with Kadima playing the off-guars position when both are on the floor together.

* Packin' Them In

The crowd of 8,703 Jan. 31 at the U.S. Cellular Arena was the largest regular season crowd for a UWM home game at the arena and the second-largest UWM home crowd in school history. Only the 10,115 that saw the Panthers beat Butler in the league title game last year was larger. UWM is now averaging over 3,800 fans per game - up over 600 per game from last year's regular season. Despite an unfavorable schedule that included a home game on Thanksgiving weekend, a home game two days before Christmas and last year's three biggest home league draws visiting before mid-January, UWM is still averaging nearly 4,300 fans at the Arena.

* Dynamic Duo

Dylan Page and Ed McCants continue to rank among the top scoring duos in the nation. The two combine to average 37.7 ppg, making them the eighth-best pair in the nation. The pair of Mike Helms and Rawle Marshall from Oakland lead the nation at 40.5 ppg.

* How About That Trip!

When the schedule was released in the fall, the four-game road trip the Panthers faced in late January seemed daunting. But, UWM went 4-0 on the trip, winning every game by a double-digit margin. On the trip, the Panthers shot nearly 51 percent from the field while limiting opponents to under 39 percent from the field. UWM averaged 78.2 ppg while allowing opponents just 63.2 ppg. And the Panthers posted a balanced attack from their big three on offense, with Dylan Page, Ed McCants and Joah Tucker all averaging between 17.8 and 19.8 ppg.

* Playing Well On The Lead

The win on Saturday over Wright State moved UWM to 15-1 in contests in which it holds a halftime lead. The only time UWM lost was at Santa Clara, seeing a 38-33 halftime edge turn into a heartbreaking 66-64 loss.

* League Leaders

Some UWM players are at the top of the Horizon League statistical charts. Dylan Page stands first in the league in scoring and fifth in rebounding. In fact, UWM has three players in the top 10 in the league in scoring, with Ed McCants fourth and Joah Tucker ninth. Tucker is third, Page fifth and McCants seventh in field goal percentage while McCants is third in free throw percentage and first in three-pointers made. As a team, UWM is first in scoring offense, field goal percentage and assists.

* Clear Channel On Your Dial

UWM and Clear Channel Broadcasting have signed a three-year agreement to place all Panther games on 920AM, WOKY, with a 15-minute pregame show and 15-minute postgame show. Bill Johnson returns for his fifth season as the voice of the Panthers. "Bruce Pearl On Basketball," the head coach's one-hour radio show, also airs on WOKY from 7-8 p.m. Monday nights.

* Signing On The Dotted Line

Indianapolis prep standout Anthony Passley and junior college transfer Derrick Ford have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at UWM. Passley, of North Central High School, averaged 14.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg as a junior at North Central. Ford was a Top 20 player in the state of Ohio as a high school senior and is a Top 70 JUCO prospect. He is from Olney Central Community College in Illinois and is playing his second season there. UWM also has a pair of Division I transfers on its roster that will sitting out this season. Jason McCoy is a 6-foot-9 small forward from Rutgers while Derrick Wimmer is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Milwaukee who transferred home after a season at Chicago State.

* Up Next

UWM travels to Youngstown State for a Saturday afternoon contest with the Penguins.