March 5, 2003

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* Game #30 - UWM In Horizon League Semifinals

UWM waits through two rounds of the 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship before playing in the semifinals Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CST. The game will be the second half of a semifinal doubleheader at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. The Panthers (22-7) will face the winner of Friday night's game between UIC and Youngstown State.

* About The Bracket

Following three first-round games involving teams seeded fourth-ninth on Tuesday night, six teams have advanced to the second and semifinal rounds of the 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers' half of the bracket finds sixth-seeded UW-Green Bay out after falling to seventh-seeded Youngstown State Tuesday night. Third-seeded UIC is also in the bracket with UWM facing the survivor Saturday. The other half of the bracket is led by top-seeded Butler and includes fourth-seeded Loyola and fifth-seeded Detroit, along with the already-eliminated eighth-seeded Wright State and ninth-seeded Cleveland State.

* History Lesson

UWM is 2-7 all-time in the Horizon League Championship, advancing to the semifinals just one other time. The Panthers have never played in a title game. UWM's all-time League Championship results:

1996 L, 80-78 vs. Northern Illinois @ Dayton 1997 W, 81-70 vs. Wright State @ Dayton L, 48-36 vs. Butler @ Dayton 1998 L, 74-60 vs. Detroit @ Green Bay 1999 L, 72-66 vs. UW-Green Bay @ Chicago 2000 W, 62-58 vs. UW-Green Bay @ Chicago L, 65-51 vs. Butler @ Chicago 2001 L, 64-63 vs. Wright State @ Dayton 2002 L, 75-63 vs. UIC @ Cleveland

* Looking Back

UWM saw its hopes for a regular-season Horizon League Championship dashed at the buzzer Saturday in Indianapolis. The Panthers overcame a 16-point second-half deficit against Butler and led, 74-73, on a pair of Justin Lettenberger free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining. But, following a timeout, Butler rushed the ball up the floor and Avery Sheets nailed a three-pointer as time expired to give the Bulldogs a 76-74 win.

* Wrapping Up The Regular Season

While UWM came up one win short of first place, the Panthers still recorded their best League regular season in school history. UWM's 13-3 record was two wins better than last season's 11-5 campaign, which was the only other time in school history the Panthers finished above .500 in a Division I league. UWM's eight-game League winning streak is also a school-record, as were UWM's five League road wins and its perfect 8-0 League home record.

* Bringing The Championship Home

UWM's host role for the second and semifinals rounds of the 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship was solidified by virtue of the Panthers claiming a top-three finish during the regular season. UWM will also host the championship game if it advances. Butler will receive the same hosting rights next year to complete the League's original tournament rotation. Then, beginning in 2005, the regular-season champion will host the second and semifinal rounds of the championship, while the highest remaining seed will host the title game. Should UWM lose in this year's semifinal round, the championship game will move to the home floor of the highest-remaining seed.

* The Championship Schedule

The three first-round games Tuesday saw Loyola down Cleveland State, 69-57, Detroit upend Wright State, 78-61, and Youngstown State win at UW-Green Bay, 65-61. While Loyola and Detroit won at home, as expected, Youngstown State broke a 29-game road losing streak with their win. Friday night in Milwaukee, Loyola will face Detroit at 5 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., UIC will take on Youngstown State. Saturday night in Milwaukee, top-seeded Butler will face the winner of Friday's first game at 5 p.m. while UWM will face the winner of Friday's second game at 7:30 p.m. The championship game is Tuesday, March 11 at 6:05 p.m. CST.

* Ticket Talk

Single-session tickets for the 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship are on sale now at all Milwaukee-area Ticket Master outlets, by phone at 414-276-4545 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Adult tickets are $24 while student tickets are $12. All-session passes and group tickets are available through the UWM Ticket Office.

* Hunting For Post-Season Play

UWM has never qualified for either the NCAA Tournament of the NIT while competing at the Division I level. The closest UWM came was the 1992-93 campaign, when the Panthers were denied a post-season bid despite winning 23 games. UWM did advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1988, their deepest push ever into an NCAA post-season.

* Winning Ways

By hitting 22 wins, this Panther squad has become the third-winningest team in UWM's 107-year basketball history. Only six other teams in the school's history have even won 20 games. Next on the list is the 1992-93 team that won 23 games - the most ever in Division I for a UWM team. The 1988-89 team won 24 games while advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. A list of UWM's winningest teams follows:

1988-89 24 wins 1992-93 23 wins 2002-03 22 wins 1991-92 20 wins 1981-82 20 wins 1949-50 20 wins 1976-77 19 wins 1959-60 18 wins 1972-73 18 wins 1982-83 18 wins 1990-91 18 wins

* 20-20 Vision

UWM is experiencing its first 20-win season since the 1992-93 campaign, grabbing its 20th win on Feb. 13 against UIC. UWM was one of the first teams to reach 20 wins this season - in fact, when the Panthers won their 20th, only Creighton and Florida had won 20.

* At The Arena

Saturday's semifinal game will find the Panthers playing at the U.S. Cellular Arena for the first time since a 75-65 loss to Wright State on Feb. 21, 1998. UWM's first-ever Arena appearance as the home team came vs. Texas-El Paso on Dec. 13, 1971. Including those two contests, UWM played 103 games as the home team at the Arena, compiling a 51-52 record (.495). The Panthers have also played Marquette a handful of times at the Arena, though UWM was the road team for all of those contests.

* Coach Of The Year ... Or Years

UWM head coach Bruce Pearl became just the third coach in the history of the Horizon League to be named Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons when the League's post-season awards were announced Sunday. Pearl has added to his impressive coaching resume by leading the Panthers to their best record since the 1992-93 season and to the third-most wins in the school's 107-year basketball history. Pearl joined Pete Gillen (1992-93 and 1993-94) and Barry Collier (1998-99 and 1999-2000) as the only coaches to win the award two consecutive times. When Pearl won the award last year, he was the first UWM men's basketball coach to ever win the award and his 16 wins last year were the most-ever by a first-year coach at UWM in the school's basketball history.

* Now On The First Team

In a season of firsts for the UWM basketball program, the Panthers saw two players named to the All-Horizon League First Team for the first-time ever. Senior Clay Tucker joined junior Dylan Page on the squad. For Tucker it marks the second-straight year he was on the first team, making him one of only 35 players in league history to accomplish that feat. For Page, it's the first appearance on any All-Horizon League team in his three-year UWM career. Prior to Tucker's appearance on the first team last season, UWM has had only one other player (Chad Angeli, 2000) ever make the first team. Tucker was also named to the Horizon League's All-Defensive Team.

* A Season Of Statistics

UWM has made an impressive mark in a number of statistical columns during the regular season. The Panthers remain on pace for their best field-goal percentage since moving to the Division I ranks in 1990. UWM is shooting 47.7 percent from the field this year, better than the 46.7 percent in the 1990-91 season. The Panthers have also scored 2,253 points so far this season, the most since scoring 2,373 in the 1990-91 campaign. Plus, UWM's 806 field goals are the most since the 1991-92 season and the Panthers' 97 blocks are the most since the 1993-94 season.

* Pulling Rank

UWM has been making a splash on the national scene all season long and it seems as though the buzzer-beating losses the Panthers have suffered on each ot the last two Saturdays have gained them some national respect. Not considered a bubble team entering the Bracket Buster game with SIU, UWM has emerged two weeks later as a team squarely on the bubble and close enough to an at-large berth that ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi says the Panthers are one of the last four out of the field of 65 right now. UWM is 7th in the College Insider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and its last two losses have come to the teams ranked one and two in that poll. The Panthers are sixth in the ESPN.com Mid-Major Top 10. Plus, UWM is up to 57th in the RPI and 51st in the Sagarin ratings.

* Tucker Tops The Charts

Senior Clay Tucker became UWM's all-time, all-division's scoring leader Feb. 27 against Wright State. He now has 1,723 points, besting the 1,693 Larry Reed recorded in his stellar career as a Panther. He is one of only four Panther players to score more than 1,600 points in his career and one of only two players to score at least 1,500 points while grabbing at least 500 rebounds.

#1 Clay Tucker (1999-present) 1,723 #2 Larry Reed (1959-60, 64-67) 1,693 #3 Jerry Grochowski (1957-61) 1,688 #4 Gerald Hardnett (1975-79) 1,602 #5 Tom Kneusel (1955-59) 1,565

* Also On Top

Clay Tucker is also UWM's Division I leader in a number of other categories and moved past Chad Angeli for the Division I rebounding lead Jan. 25 against Wright State. He also tops the list for three-point field goals, field goals and steals. His 107 starts entering the post-season rank him second to Angeli in that category while Tucker is also in the top five in assists and blocks. On the all-time, all-divisions charts, Tucker is the all-time leader in steals and three-point field goals.

* Fighting For 40

Senior Clay Tucker made his final collegiate appearance in his home state of Ohio a memorable one last Thursday night against Wright State, recording a career-high 40 points. Tucker scored 26 points in the second half alone Thursday while making 15-of-25 shots overall, including five three-point baskets. The outburst was the best scoring effort by a Panther since Von McDade scored 42 against Wright State at the end of the 1990-91 season.

* Tucker Is Terrific

Clay Tucker's 40 points against Wright State continued a late-season surge by the Panthers' senior leader, overcoming early-season back problems to put together a memorable senior year. Tucker moved his scoring average from 13.6 ppg after the game at Georgia Dec. 28 to 18.0 ppg at the end of the regular season. He did so by scoring in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games, including a 24 ppg average over his last five contests. He also had just 11 three-point shots in his first 10 games before knocking down 37 three-point baskets in his last 15 outings.

* Double-Figures Forever

Dylan Page rose to his status as one of the top players in the Horizon League thanks to incredible consistency throughout the season. The junior forward was in double figures in 28 of the 29 regular-season games, with only a six-point effort against Florida International breaking up a full-season string. Page has been in double figures in 23-straight games. He also scored more than 20 points on 10 different occassions during the regular season and went through a streak where he set a new career-high four times in a seven-game span, including a 32-point effort against Loyola Dec. 21.

* Crashing The Glass

After lagging behind opponents much of the season on the glass, the Panthers have dominated the boards in their last three games. Saturday, UWM outrebounded Butler, 31-24, including 11-6 on the offensive glass. The Panthers have grabbed 40 offensive rebounds in their last three games and have held a 40-25 edge on the boards, on average, in their last three contests. UWM now holds a slight rebounding edge on its opponents for the season.

* Streaking Into The Records

UWM posted a pair of eight-game winning streaks during the 2002-03 regular season and also won nine-straight Horizon League contests, a string that was only broken Saturday at Butler. The two eight-game streaks were the best since the 1992-93 season, when the Panthers had streaks of eight-straight and 10-straight wins. UWM's best-ever winning streak is 14 games, set during the 1988-89 season, a year that saw the Panthers advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The nine-game Horizon League winning streak is the best in school history. Overall, the Panthers have still won 11 of their last 14 games.

* Comeback Kids

Two Saturdays in a row the Panthers have dug themselves big holes and two Saturdays in a row they have come back to take the lead. This past Saturday at Butler, UWM trailed, 57-41, but took a 65-64 lead with four minutes and led again by a point with 4.2 seconds remaining. The previous week at Southern Illinois, UWM trailed, 47-31, with 17 minutes to play before outscoring SIU, 21-5, over the next eight minutes of the game. UWM's second-half comebacks brought back memories of a number of similar comebacks a year ago, including the Panthers overcoming a double-digit deficit to win at Butler and a 21-point deficit to beat Virginia Tech.

* The Margin Of Victory

UWM could easily have an 11-game winning streak heading into the post-season if not for a pair of buzzer-beating losses in the last two weeks. Feb. 22, the Panthers were beaten, 66-64, by Southern Illinois on a tip-in at the buzzer. Then this past Saturday, a three-pointer at the buzzer sent Butler past UWM, 76-74. The Panthers are still 5-2 in games decided by five points or less.

* Double-Time

Junior Nate Mielke recorded the first double-double of his career last Thursday night against Wright State and was a dominating presence inside for the Panthers. He scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while playing just 22 minutes. He also added five assists and four blocks. Mielke now has 32 blocks this season - the best mark on the team.

* Dominating Numbers

The storyline Thursday in UWM's win at Wright State was complete domination by the Panthers in nearly every facet of the game. Along with building a 28-point first-half lead, the Panthers held a huge edge on the boards (48-23) and in shooting percentage (53.8-38.2). UWM limited the Raiders to just 26.7 percent shooting in the first half and three Panthers were already in double figures in scoring by halftime. The 33-point margin of victory was the largest of the season for the Panthers and the largest ever in a Horizon League road contest by UWM as well as the largest in a league game since a Jan. 15, 2000, win over Loyola (92-58).

* Lettenberger Lights It Up

Senior Justin Lettenberger has recorded stellar efforts in back-to-back Saturday contests, collecting 14 points and nine rebounds in games at Southern Illinois and Butler. Lettenberger is UWM's leading scorer and rebounder off the bench, averaging 6.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg.

* The First Half ...

UWM has posted a number of dominating first-half performances of late, including a 50-24 edge last Thursday at Wright State. In February, the Panthers posted big halftime leads in three-straight games, leading Detroit, 38-22, at the half Feb. 6 before leading Cleveland State, 52-35, at the break Feb. 8 and UW-Green Bay, 46-23, after 20 minutes Feb. 10. UWM is 20-1 in games in which it is tied or leading at the half.

* ... And The Second Half

UWM has also been making a habit of posting strong second-halves. Saturday against Butler, UWM was down just two at halftime but fell down 16 in the second half before rallying to take the lead. A week earlier UWM put up big second-half numbers, outscoring Southern Illinois, 35-25, in the second 20 minutes. Feb. 15, despite playing for the fifth time in 10 days, UWM outscored Youngstown State, 50-30, in the second half en route to an easy win. Nine players played at least 15 minutes in the win and no player played more than 30 minutes. Two nights earlier against UIC (Feb. 13), the Panthers overcame an eight-point deficit with eight minutes remaining to claim an 81-78 win. After shooting just 43 percent in the first half and committing nine turnovers, the Panthers shot 61.5 percent in the second half while committing just four turnovers.

* Balancing Act

UWM continues to find great balance in its offensive attack, landing four players in double figures in each of their two games this past weekend. That marked the 11th and 12th times this season UWM has had four players in double figures. Plus Dec. 1 against Maine, five Panthers were in double figures.

* Playing A Lot

Seniors Jason Frederick, Ronnie Jones and Dan Weisse have moved to the top of the Panther record book after appearing in the Feb. 15 contest with Youngstown State and continue to further their place in the books every time they take the floor. Entering the semifinal contest Saturday, they have played in 115 contests, besting Chad Angeli's 111 appearances. Clay Tucker has missed a handful of games in his career because of injury, but has appeared in 109 games and is second on the all-time starts list with 107. He missed two games and four starts this season.

* Thousands And Thousands Of Points

Seniors Jason Frederick and Ronnie Jones have become the fifth and sixth players in UWM's most-recent Division I history to score at least 1,000 points in a career. Frederick now stands fourth on the scoring list with 1,171 points while Jones sits fifth with 1,132. The two are also moving up the ranks of three-point shooters in UWM history. Frederick has 241 in his career - second all-time - while Jones has 193 - fourth all-time. Clay Tucker is the all-time leader with 258. Jones is also among the all-time assist leaders.

* Sweeping Success

UWM's win last Thursday gave the Panthers a regular-season series sweep of the Wright State, the fifth Horizon League opponent the Panthers have swept this season. That's the most in school history. Plus, UWM swept Detroit and Cleveland State during the regular season for the first time in school history.

* Doing It On The Road, Too

UWM's win last Thursday also gave the Panthers eight road wins this season, the most since the 1992-93 season. Last year UWM won five road games, a number it also reached in the 1993-94 season. The Panthers won 10 road games during the 1992-93 campaign. UWM won just five road games over a three-season span from 1996-1998.

* Stealing The Show

UWM tied a season-high by collecting 14 steals Feb. 10 against UW-Green Bay after originally set its season-high with 14 steals Jan. 23 against Butler. Last year, UWM had 264 steals, tied for the third-most in school history, and the Panthers have not backed off that pace this season, registering 251 in 29 games. Clay Tucker leads the way with 48 steals.

* Turn Me Over

UWM's pressure defense is forcing an average of 17.5 turnovers. The Panthers made a most impressive statement Jan. 23 against Butler. The Bulldogs entered the game averaging the fewest turnovers of any team in Division I and the Panthers turned them over 24 times. On Dec. 6 the Panthers forced 31 Florida International turnovers, a season high for UWM's defense to date.

* Seniors Sparkle

UWM's seniors are making the most of their final games in a Panther uniform, led by the scoring tandem of Clay Tucker and Ronnie Jones. The two combined for 49 points in their final game at the Klotsche Center Feb. 13, an 81-78 win over UIC. Then Feb. 15 the two combined for 39 more points. In all, UWM has seven seniors on its active roster. In the three years prior to when this senior class took the game floor for the first time at UWM, the Panthers won just 19 games. This class has already won 22 in this season alone.

* One Turnover!?!?

Senior Dan Weisse had one turnover in the Feb. 22 loss to Southern Illinois. That wouldn't seem like a noteworthy number, or something terribly positive to point out. But it gave Weisse just 10 turnovers on the season, an average of one turnover every 40 minutes. Weisse has committed just 83 turnovers in his career at UWM while playing every game in four years.

* Hot Hand

UWM continues to put up solid shooting numbers this season and Thursday's win at Wright State was another example. The Panthers shot 53.8 percent, pushing their season percentage to 47.8 percent. UWM shot a season-high 56.7 percent from the field in the Feb. 1 win at Loyola and the Panthers have shot 50 percent or better from the field 11 times this season. They hit that mark just four times all of last season. The 47.8 percent mark for the season would rank as the best single-season shooting percentage in the school's Division I history. UWM is also shooting better than 48 percent in league games.

* Homing In On Victory

The Feb. 13 win over UIC allowed UWM to complete an unbeaten regular season at home, as the Panthers won for the 11th time in 11 home outings this season. UWM has won 13-straight at home dating back to last season and is 40-9 at home over the last four years. This year's squad is looking to become the first UWM team to finish a season unbeaten at home since the 1992-93 campaign, when the Panthers played most of their games at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The last time UWM completed an unbeaten home season exclusively at the Klotsche Center was 1988-89, when the Panthers went 15-0 at home.

* People Watching

The crowd of 5,007 at the game Jan. 23 against Butler marked the second-largest crowd in Klotsche Center history, just behind the 5,015 that saw the Panthers and Bulldogs play last season. The crowd Feb. 13 of 4,738 ranks fifth all-time. The large crowds have added up to another record-setting year for attendance at the Klotsche Center. The season average of 3,448 broke the record of 3,226, set last year. The top five Klotsche crowds:

#1 1/30/02 vs. Butler 5,015 #2 1/23/03 vs. Butler 5,007 #3 12/27/01 vs. Wisconsin 4,903 #4 2/5/00 vs. UWGB 4,833 #5 2/13/03 vs. UIC 4,738

* Returning The Favor

The Feb. 13 win over UIC allowed the Panthers to avenge each of their first two losses in Horizon League play. UWM beat UWGB Feb. 10 to avenge its other early loss. The Panthers have now beaten every team in the league at least once for the second-straight season.

* Looking At The League

UWM is showing up near the top of a handful of statistical categories in the Horizon League. The Panthers lead the league in scoring, assists, steals and turnover margin while ranking second in three-point field goals made and third in field goal percentage.

* Individual Leaders

Dylan Page leads the list of Panther players near the top of the Horizon League charts. The junior ranks fifth in the league in scoring, third in field goal percentage and seventh in rebounding. Clay Tucker is seventh in scoring, second in steals and sixth in assists. Ronnie Jones (10th) and Jose Winston (14th) also appear on the assists list, while Jason Frederick leads the league in three-point field goals made.

* Hitting The Triple

UWM took advantage of UW-Green Bay's sagging defense to knock in a season-high 14 three-point shots Feb. 10. The Panthers have made 12 threes in two other games this year. The school record is 18, set against UIC two years ago.

* 30-20-20 Club

The three-man contingent of Clay Tucker, Dylan Page and Jason Frederick combined for 79 of UWM's 92 points Feb. 1 against Loyola, one of the best three-person scoring efforts in school history. UWM hadn't had three players score at least 20 points in a game since Dec. 15, 1990 against Central Florida. In that contest, Joe Schultz scored 24 points, Randy Doss had 23 and Von McDade added 20. In that game against Loyola, Tucker scored 36 points, which was his career high until Thursday's 40-point performance against Wright State.

* Chilling The Penguins

After giving up 102 points Jan. 9 in its loss to UIC, UWM's defense rose to the occasion Jan. 11 against Youngstown State. The Panthers allowed just 56 points while forcing 17 turnovers and allowing YSU to shoot just 38.6 percent, including 28.6 percent in the first half. UWM also held YSU to just 37 percent shooting in the second game between the teams.

* Big Trip

For the first time in school history, UWM swept its annual road swing to Detroit and Cleveland State. UWM's win at Detroit Jan. 2 was the first win in school history at Calihan Hall, where the Panthers were 0-7 entering the contest. It also marked just the third loss in the last 71 home games and the first this season for Detroit. Meanwhile the Panthers won for the first time since the 1999-2000 season at Cleveland. The Panthers also swept the two teams at home for the second-straight time.

* Player Of The Week ... Again

Some great play in the month of December landed Dylan Page a pair of Horizon League Player of the Week awards. In winning his first award, Page averaged 27 ppg in two contests from Dec. 8-14. Then, Page averaged 28 ppg in his next two contests to win the award again the following week. He scored a career-high 32 points, and added nine rebounds, in the Dec. 21 win over Loyola. He had eight points in UWM's 14-0 second-half run and he scored 27 of his 32 points in the second half.

* Paging Through The Records

Dylan Page made a habit of resetting his career high earlier this year. He scored 20 points for the first time in his career Dec. 1 in a win over Maine, then scored 25 points in a win over Valparaiso Dec. 11. He pushed his career-high to 27 points in the win at Mississippi Valley State Dec. 14 and, after scoring 24 points against Parkside Dec. 17, recorded a new career-high again Dec. 21 with 32 points against Loyola.

* Providing Assistance

Senior Ronnie Jones scored 10 second-half points Dec. 1 in the win over Maine, but far more impressive was the nine-assist total he put on the board. Along with it being a career-high, Jones nearly became the first Panther to record 10 assists in a game since Cyrus Caldwell had 11 against Fairleigh Dickinson in 1997.

* Record Setting

UWM scored 64 points in the second half Dec. 21 against Loyola, the most-ever points in one half by the Panthers since moving to Division I for the 1990-91 season. The previous high was 61, recorded during the 1990-91 season (Cal-State Northridge) and the 1991-92 season (UW-Oshkosh). UWM also hit the 100-point mark for the first time in two seasons in that contest. It marked the most points in a non-overtime game since a 101-63 win over Illinois Tech in 1995.

* Welcome Back

Three injured Panthers have made their way back into the UWM rotation after missing games earlier this year. Senior Clay Tucker has been slowed by back spasms and, after sitting out two contests, has played in every game since Dec. 21. Meanwhile, senior Derek Huff returned to the lineup Dec. 28 at Georgia after having a surgical procedure to adjust a screw in his foot. Plus, sophomore Rob Sanders played for the first time Jan. 2 at Detroit after missing two games with a dislocated shoulder.

* Still Sidelined

UWM already has at least two players sitting out this season due to injury. Adrian Tigert injured his knee in the final game of the regular season last year and will likely miss this season while recovering from off-season surgery. Meanwhile, junior James Wright will also sit out the season after breaking his leg last year. Plus, senior Kalombo Kadima could redshirt this season after being slowed by a bout with meningitis during the fall. He has been practicing with the team but has not been dressing for games. Meanwhile, UWM also has a handful of players on the sidelines this year looking forward to cracking the rotation in 2003-04. Sophomore Joah Tucker will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules after coming to UWM from Bradley while recruited walk-on Gordy Zastrow will likely redshirt this season.

* Road Warriors

The home court was not something UWM got to see a great deal of early this season. Between the start of the regular season Nov. 23 and a home game Jan. 23 against Butler, UWM is played just five games at home while playing 12 games away from home. The bulk of the Panthers' home league schedule also passed in the blink of an eye, as UWM played four of its eight league home games in an eight-day period. The Panthers then wound up finishing with four-straight games on the road entering the post-season.

* Toughening Up

UWM challenged itself with a non-conference slate that included three NCAA Tournament foes from a year ago, as well as two in-season tournaments. Wisconsin, Georgia and Valparaiso all made the Big Dance a season ago. As the season has progressed, UWM's schedule has proven to be a tough one. Wisconsin, Valparaiso and Mississippi Valley State are all in line to win the regular season championships of their respective conferences, while right now it appears UWM will have played at least 11 regular-season games against teams that will be in the 2003 post-season.

* Tournament Titles And Honors

With its two wins in the SMS Pizza Hut Classic, UWM won an in-season Division I tournament for the first time in school history. The Panthers also hadn't won an in-season tournament in any division since 1980. Senior Clay Tucker was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Tucker averaged 19.5 ppg in the two contests, scoring 25 in the championship contest. UWM's Jason Frederick and Dylan Page joined Tucker on the all-tournament team. Frederick averaged 15.5 ppg and Page 10.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg in the Panthers' two wins.

* Fashion Statement

Associate Head Coach Tony Jones is making headlines with his gameday attire, as Jones recently made it to the top spot of the Fashion Power Index, sponsored by CollegeInsider.com. He currently stands sixth in the nation among all assistant coaches. The site also puts out a poll of head coaches across the nation and conducts a post-season tournament among all head coaches and assistant coaches. Jones gained national attention for his dress during UWM's Feb. 22 Bracket Buster contest with Southern Illinois on ESPN2. Jones wore a gold suit given to him by legendary Mississippi Valley State head coach Lafayette Stribling earlier this season.

* Polling Place

UWM was picked to win the 2003 Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship in a poll of the league's coaches, SIDs and media members. The Panthers received 16 first-place votes and 294 points overall, 28 points better than second-place Butler. UIC, which won the league tournament last year, was picked for third, while Detroit was picked for fourth. It's the first-time ever UWM has been picked to win the league. The league poll is not the only place where the Panthers are picked to land on top of the Horizon League heap. Sporting News, Street & Smith's and Athlon Magazine are just some of the publications picking UWM to win the league title. Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and ESPN.com are two of the latest groups to add their name to the list of people picking the Panthers in the Horizon League for the 2002-2003 season. Meanwhile, Basketball News ranked UWM 43rd in its poll of the top 64 teams in the country, its highest ranking ever in any national poll.

* Pre-Season Honors

Senior Clay Tucker was named a pre-season Mid-Major All-American by CollegeInsider.com. Tucker is joined on the list by fellow Horizon League performer David Bailey. A total of 21 Mid-Major players from 21 conferences were selected for the honor. Tucker was an NABC All-District 11 honoree last season and is a candidate for numerous national honors this year. Tucker and Ronnie Jones also each earned a spot on the pre-season All-Horizon League team. Tucker garnered first-team honors while Jones received second-team honors. The placements match the spots the two received on last year's post-season team.

* Busting The Bracket

UWM was one of 18 teams nationally invited to compete in ESPN's "Bracket Buster Saturday," scheduled for Feb. 22. The Panthers played a road contest at Southern Illinois. The concept was developed to assist mid-major conferences in getting additional teams into the NCAA Tournament by adding a strong non-conference game to the end of the schedule.

* TV Time

UWM has received plenty of TV exposure during the 2002-03 season, including the school's first-ever appearance on ESPN2. The Panthers' Bracket Buster contest with Southern Illinois was televised nationally. Meanwhile, seven other UWM contests were televised this season on either Fox Sports North, CBS-58 or TV-41. The Horizon League semifinals will be on TV-41 while the championship game will be on ESPN. Plus, Bruce Pearl's weekly coaches show continues on CBS-58. The show, hosted by Rock Rote, airs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m.

* Bruce Pearl The Radio Star

"Bruce Pearl On Basketball" can be heard every Monday at 7 p.m. on 1290 AM, WMCS. The one-hour show had been airing live from Hooligan's on Milwaukee's east side but has moved to The Gasthaus in the UWM Student Union. It will remain at the Gasthaus for the rest of the season and this week will air again this Monday night at 7 p.m.

* Welcome Aboard

UWM has inked two players to National Letters of Intent to join the program for the 2003-04 season. Junior college transfer Ed McCants is rated as the second-best shooting guard in the nation and will join the Panthers from Paris JC. Meanwhile, sharpshooter Andre White from Zion-Benton High School in Zion, Ill., is rated as one of the top 15 seniors in the state of Illinois.

* Up Next

If UWM should win Saturday night, it would advance to the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship game for the first time in school history. The game would be played Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. CST at the U.S. Cellular Arena and would air live on ESPN. The winner of the Horizon League Championship receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Tickets for a championship game would go on sale immediately after Saturday's contest and the Panthers would practice both Sunday and Monday.