By Annie Walker

1 19 2024

Would be first sweep since 2017-18 campaign

GAME NOTES (PDF)

https://mkepanthers.com/documents/2024/1/19/Game_Notes_23-24_GAME19_WSU2.pdf

The Milwaukee men’s basketball team closes out a two-game road trip Saturday, looking to earn a season sweep of Wright State for the first time in six years in the process (not since the 2017-18 campaign). The matchup against the Raiders is set to tip-off at 6 PM CT on ESPN+ and will have live statistics available. It will also feature the “Educators Credit Union Milwaukee Panther Men’s Basketball Radio Broadcast”, which will air on 101.7 FM The Truth and streaming services. Scott Warras is on the call for his eighth season as the voice of the Panthers and all links are posted on the MKE website.

LOOKING AT THE RAIDERS
The Raiders are coming off a season last year in which they finished 18-15 overall and 10-10 in league play. Scott Nagy is in his eighth year at WSU and has produced a record of 155-85 overall, winning 20+ games each of his first four seasons (and 5-of-7) as well as three league coach of the year awards and four postseason appearances (2 NCAA/2 NIT). The squad enters play Saturday at 9-10 overall despite leading the Horizon League in scoring (84.7 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.530) while also having two of the top six scorers in the league on its roster in Trey Calvin (second at 19.3 ppg) and Tanner Holden (sixth at 16.9 ppg). WSU had won three in a row to open 2024 but then dropped games against Youngstown State (81-71 Jan. 12) and at home Thursday night to first-place Green Bay (88-81). The offense boasts two more players averaging double-figures in Brandon Noel (13.6 ppg/team-high 7.9 rpg to rank third in HL) and AJ Braun (10.9 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY
The series is relatively close to even, with Wright State holding a 37-34 all-time lead, as well as a 36-33 edge in MKE’s NCAA Division I era following Milwaukee’s impressive 87-70 victory in the postseason a year ago and the 91-83 win at home back on Dec. 31. The teams had split the last six meetings coming into this season. Included in that is the final matchup in 2020-21 that marked a memorable postseason comeback for the program, where Milwaukee overcame a 24-point deficit in the final 6:26 of regulation to claim a stunning 94-92 victory in overtime. Prior to that WSU had the better of it, sweeping the season series three of the past five years, as well as knocking Milwaukee out of the postseason in March of 2018 to help reach what was a seven-game win streak in the matchup. A win would give the Panthers a regular-season sweep for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

LAST TIME OUT
Northern Kentucky broke open a close contest in the closing minutes, turning a one-possession game into a comfortable 90-72 victory over Milwaukee Thursday night at Truist Arena.

The Panthers (9-9, 4-3 Horizon League) and Norse (10-9, 5-3 Horizon League) were locked in a tight, back-and-forth affair all evening, with the visitors back within two points with seven minutes to play. From there it was all NKU, scoring 19 of the final 22 points of the contest to claim a decision that was much closer than the final scored indicated.

Elijah Jamison reset his career high for the second game in a row to pace the offense, finishing with a game-high 22 points. Jamison added five rebounds and went 5-of-9 from three-point range.

BJ Freeman, back in the starting lineup for the first time in 11 games, finished with 15 points and a game-high seven assists. Erik Pratt rounded out the MKE players in double-figures with 14.

FINDING THAT GROOVE ON OFFENSE
The offense has found its way the past seven games, averaging 84.7 points in that span while topping 90 points in back-to-back outings at one point. The Panthers have gone 5-2 in that span, connecting on 46.1 percent of field goal attempts (200-434). In fact, with 91 against Wright State Dec. 31 and 95 more points against Oakland Jan. 4, it marked the first time the MKE offense had hung 90-or-more points in back-to-back games of any kind since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. That season, they went for 110 against Western Michigan (Nov. 9 in 3OT) and followed it up with 103 more the next contest against Wisconsin Lutheran (Nov. 12).  A deeper dive shows it was actually the first time the team had scored 90+ in consecutive Horizon League contests in over 20 years. The last time that happened? Back in February of 2002 when the Panthers claimed victories over Youngstown State (96-76 on 2/9/02) and Wright State (94-68 on 2/14/02). Three in a row of 90+ had never happened in league play, last occurring during the 1992-93 campaign (94 against Northeastern Illinois 12/3/92, 91 versus Alcorn State 12/7/92, and 98 against Parkside 12/9/92) while the team played an independent schedule.

THOSE COMEBACK CATS!
The Panthers overcame a 19-point deficit in the victory against Cleveland State Jan. 12, claiming the 88-80 decision after trailing by a score of 37-18 with 5:41 to go in the first half. Head coach Bart Lundy can now boast two of the top five biggest comebacks in program history, adding to the epic 23 points they erased against Northern Kentucky in late January last season.
The only four better than CSU are below.

24 points on March 2, 2021: Down 24 at 72-48 with 6:26 to play before one of the most improbable comebacks of all-time (it was the second-largest deficit EVER overcome in NCAA history over the final 5 minutes of a game). DeAndre Gholston sent it to OT with a 3 with 1.8 seconds left and MKE beat Wright State, 94-92.
24 points on November 15, 2008: The Panthers topped UC Davis, 81-75. That day, the team made up a 24-point halftime deficit, trailing 51-27, with a 54-point second half.
23 points on January 28, 2023: MKE picked up the amazing 75-74 victory despite trailing, 47- 24, just before halftime. BJ Freeman led the way as a 28-4 run flipped the contest on its head.
21 points on December 8, 2001: The Panthers trailed Virginia teach by a score of 58-37 with 10:27 left before storming back and earning an 80-78 OT win behind 29 points from Clay Tucker.

Under Lundy, the team has proven adept at never giving up, already winning contests this season at UC Davis (down 12) and at home against Wright State (by 9) when trailing. The team also recorded wins when down nine or more points on six different occasions last year – three times by double-figures. In fact, the only team in the country with more was East Carolina, who accomplished the feat of coming back from 10+ points on four occasions.
The lines for the Panthers are below:
23 points (47-24) at Northern Kentucky, 1/28/23
14 points (47-33) vs. Oakland, 2/11/23
10 points (43-33) vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 2/23/23
9 points three times … most recent:
9 points (54-45) vs. Stetson, 3/19/23

CAPPING THE COMEBACK
Elijah Jamison played a big role in the comeback victory against Cleveland State Jan. 12, scoring 18 of his career-high 20 points in the second half as the team charged back. Jamison went 6-10 from the floor and 6-8 from the line to finish with the new career-best, topping the 19 he scored twice last season (against North Park in December and Wright State in March). He waited all of one game to do it again, resetting his high with a team-leading 22-point outing at Northern Kentucky Jan. 18. He also set collegiate bests with 7 made FG and 5 made 3’s against the Norse.

PRATT ENTERS THE “CHATT”
Erik Pratt continues to excel, reaching that next level after enjoying a breakout game against Chattanooga Dec. 22. Pratt led the way with 29 points, easily topping his former career-best of 18 set earlier this season. He also set a career-high with nine rebounds (was 4) and made 6-of-13 shots from distance. In fact, it was the fourth different time he has reset his career-high this season going from 12 points (Providence) to 17 (St. Thomas) to 18 (UC Davis) to the 29 against the Mocs. Pratt followed that up with a 27-point encore in the win over Robert Morris Dec. 29. Heading into play against Northern Kentucky, Pratt has averaged 18.4 points over the past 10 games, shooting 45.7 percent (63-of-138) from the floor, 40.2 percent (35-of-87) from downtown, and 74.2 percent (23-of-31) from the free throw line. He has scored 20+ four times.

JEEPERS MR. WILSON!
Langston Wilson recently scored in double-figures in three straight contests, topped by the first double-double of his NCAA career when he finished with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Cleveland State Jan. 12. The 13 points was just off his just off his career-best of 14 (vs. Luther earlier this season), while the 14 boards topped the 12 he recorded against Wyoming back in December of 2021. He went 5-8 from the field against CSU, adding a couple of blocks and slam dunks. He joined BJ Freeman (14 points/10 rebounds), giving MKE a pair of teammates with a double-double in the same game for the first time since February 20, 2021. That day, Te’Jon Lucas (21 pts/13 asst) and Amir Allen (12 pts/12 reb) teamed up to send the Panthers past Oakland in double OT, 89-87.

HAVE A(NOTHER) DAY KP!
Kentrell Pullian recently scored 20-or-more points in four games in a row (ending vs. Oakland Jan. 6), becoming just the second player since January of 2006 to do so (BJ Freeman went for 20+ in six in a row last year). Back in 2006, the scoring spree was last accomplished by Joah Tucker. Pullian put together a brilliant outing against Robert Morris Dec. 29, leading the way after he reset his career high in back-to-back games with 28 points. He made 8-of-13 from the floor and went 11-of-13 from the line, capping the night with a pair of makes with just 3.6 seconds remaining that sealed the win. That followed his outing against Chattanooga Dec. 22, where he also set a career high (at the time) in both points and free throws made. Pullian netted 26 points, topping his former best of 25 set last February 23 against Purdue Fort Wayne. He also went an impressive 10-of-12 from the free throw line (which he upped by one against RMU), with the 10 makes topping his former best of 8 he sank in a game against Cleveland State last winter (2/25/23).

ON THE MARK
Newcomer Darius Duffy continues to develop as the season progresses, and, after a recent stretch in which he blocked one or more shots in eight straight games and a career-high five rejections against Detroit Mercy Jan. 6, he now sits at 1.6 bpg (28 total) to currently rank No. 3 in the Horizon League. His 5-block effort against the Titans marks the most since Ahmad Rand blocked five against IUPUI 40 games ago (12/3/22). In addition, he continues to make field goals at a very high clip, leading the team at 70.8 percent (34-of-48). While he doesn’t have enough attempts to qualify for rankings, for perspective, the Horizon League leader is at 56.5 percent and the NCAA leader is at 70.5 percent. The school record he would be chasing should be continue at this pace is 66.4 by Brett Prahl in 2016-17.

PLAYING THE “FIELDS”
Faizon Fields recorded the first double-double of his NCAA tenure against Oakland Jan. 4, finishing the contest with 17 points to tie his career high, while adding a career-best 12 rebounds. In addition to Fields first, it marked the first double-double for a Panther since the second game of the season (almost 2 months ago) when BJ Freeman went for 33 points/10 rebounds at Providence Nov. 11.

GETTING TO THE LINE
In a recent stretch to close out 2023, the Panthers did a brilliant job of getting to the free throw line. The team shot 37 total free throws against Chattanooga Dec. 22 (making 26), the most attempts by the team since shooting 51 against Western Michigan (11/9/19 in 3OT). With 30 more free throw tries against Robert Morris, it marked the first time MKE had 30+ attempts from the charity stripe in back-to-back games since the 2015-16 campaign (23-33 against Green Bay 1/29/16 followed by 26-34 vs. Wright State 2/4/16). They did it again versus Oakland Dec. 4, converting on 26 of 35 on the night to mark three times in four games overall. Two days later, the Panthers came up just short when they connected on 85.7 percent of 28 attempts, making 24.

SPREAD THE WEALTH
Despite falling just short on the scoreboard against Oakland Jan. 4, the Panthers pulled off a unique feat that had not been seen in over eight years when, count ’em, six players finished the night in double-figures. Against the Golden Grizzlies, Kentrell Pullian led the way with 21, while Faizon Fields (17), BJ Freeman (15), Elijah Jamison (13), Langston Wilson (12), and Erik Pratt (11) all came through with double-figure point totals. That marked the first time the team had more than five players in double-figures since a 125-74 victory over Judson back on December 13 of 2015. That night, seven players contributed double-figures, with JJ Panoske and Akeem Springs leading the way with 22. In addition, Brock Stull (18), JayQuan McCloud (12), Austin Arians (11), Matt Tiby (10), and Cody Wichmann (10) all contributed to the huge 125 total. The Panthers followed that up with five more in double-figures against Detroit Mercy the very next game. In addition, the 60 points the Panthers netted in the second half against the Golden Grizzlies also go into the record book, tied for the second-most after intermission in program history (trailing only the 61 the team recorded against UIC in January of 2003 and tied with the 60 MKE put up against Wright State in February of 1991.

FROM DOWNTOWN!
The Panthers not only connected on a season-high 53.3 percent from three-point range against Wright State Dec. 31, but, in making 16 triples, came withing striking distance of the school record. That mark sits at 18, set in a game that went four overtimes against UIC back in January of 2001.
18 vs. UIC on 1/11/01
17 vs. Colorado on 12/30/01
16 vs. Wright State on 12/31/23
16 vs. Youngstown State o 2/9/02
16 vs. Detroit on 1/1/11

THE 20-20-20 CLUB
Erik Pratt and Kentrell Pullian each scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games earlier this winter (Pratt 27 against RMU/29 against Chattanooga … Pullian 28 against RMU/26 vs. the Mocs). A pair of teammates had not accomplished that feat in 80 games – last done by DeAndre Gholston and Te’Jon Lucas at the tail end of the 2020-21 campaign. That season, Lucas had 22/Gholston 20 against IUPUI Feb. 25 followed by Gholston 31 and Lucas 25 in the epic postseason overtime victory over Wright State March 2 of that year. Against Wright State Dec. 31, Pullian finished with 20 and BJ Freeman led the way with 23, marking the third straight outing a pair of teammates went for 20+ points – something that had not happened for the MKE offense this century. With Elijah Jamison recently scoring 20+, the Panthers now have five players this season that have crossed the 20-point threshold (Freeman, Pratt, Jamison, Pullian, Browning). That marks the most since five did so in the 2018-19 campaign (Darius Roy, Carson Warren-Newsome, Jake Wright, DeAndre Abram, Vance Johnson).

PULLING OUT THE CLOSE CALLS
The Panthers made 7-of-8 free throws against Robert Morris to pull out the 78-75 win Dec. 29, improving the team to 4-1 this season (now 4-2) in games decided by 5 points or less. That has become the standard under Bart Lundy, as the Panthers are now 15-5 in such games since he arrived.

A WELL-PACKED WHIRLWIND
The Panthers saw it all throughout the 2023 portion of the season, playing games away from UWM Panther Arena in six different states (Rhode Island/Colorado/Florida/Wisconsin/Minnesota/California) while traveling close to 12,000 miles (11,817). The team also played contests in all four mainland time zones in the United States for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. That year, the Panthers played North Carolina State in the Eastern time zone, Wisconsin, Valparaiso and Prairie View A&M (Texas) in the Central, Santa Clara (and Idaho State on a neutral court) in the Western, and Air Force in the Mountain time zone.

LINEUP LOWDOWN
The starting five for the Panthers so far this season has seen quite the variety, as the team has now used 10 different lineups this season. That is a similar approach to last winter, when Bart Lundy used 16 different lineups in the 33 contests. A look across the NCAA sees just a handful of teams with more lineups, as only Furman (13), Detroit Mercy (12), Eastern Michigan (11), Stonehill (11), Vanderbilt (11), Kansas City (10), and Georgia Southern (10) are higher through Jan. 15.

DAVIS AT DAVIS
Learic Davis has been making the most of his playing time lately and broke out with a season-best performance at UC Davis December 9. Given a season-high 23 minutes of playing time, Davis finished with collegiate-bests of 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Aaron Franklin also contributed significantly against the Aggies, posting a season-high 15 points (on 7-of-10 FG shooting) while adding a team-high 6 rebounds.

HAVING A “FIELDS” DAY
Faizon Fields put together his most complete performance of the season against Southern Miss Nov. 25, ending the contest with new NCAA career-bests with both his 17 points and his 9 rebounds against the Golden Eagles. The 17 points topped the 12 scored against Georgia Southern in February of 2023, while the 9 boards was one better than his prior high-water mark of eight (set twice). He also went an impressive 9-of-11 from the free throw line, with the 9 makes easily setting a new career-high as well (best was 6 in that GA Southern game in February).

THIRD TIME WAS THE CHARM
The Panthers had to work hard on the final possession against Siena Nov. 21 to pull out the win. In a game that featured 26 lead changes, the final one went MKE’s way to head out of Florida with the victory. Tied with 24.1 seconds left, Aaron Franklin stole the Siena inbounds pass to give the Panthers the ball. Following a third offensive rebound by the team, Franklin was there again to play hero, laying in the last-second winner with just 0.2 seconds left on the clock. The deciding hoop in the 61-59 decision was his only basket of the game.

ALMOST ERROR-FREE
The Panthers set a program record against Luther College Nov. 17, finishing the evening with just three turnovers – including none in the second half. The nearly-perfect care of the ball broke the former mark of four turnovers set twice – originally against Butler (2/16/2005) and then most recently against Washington State (11/11/2006).

HOWELL WITH A MILE-HIGH EFFORT
Zach Howell put together a career-best shooting effort in the game at No. 25 Colorado Nov. 14, finishing the contest with a 15-point flurry of 3’s that all came in the second half. Howell buried 5-of-7 from distance, with most barely moving the net. That topped his former MKE best of 12 points, which he registered at Chattanooga last season in December.

DOWN TO A SCIENCE
BJ Freeman connected on 83.1 percent (133-of-160) of his attempts from the free throw line last season and is off to a great start again – sinking 89.8 percent (44-of-49) of his attempts so far this season. Freeman made 25 straight from the line at one point last year (the streak ended against Detroit Mercy in February), becoming just the fifth player to hit the 20+ mark in program history. The last to do it was Donovan Newby (22) just two years ago. The school record is 32 consecutive made by Jordan Aaron in 2012-13. Second (and third) on the list are a pair of runs of 25, both done by Vance Johnson in 2018-19. Freeman was at it again … after he made his final five last year, he hit the 20-plateau again this season after making his first 15 attempts over his first two games this winter (streak ended vs. Luther).

JUMP RIGHT IN
After missing the opener, BJ Freeman made his season debut an eye-opener, recording the third double-double of his MKE career with 33 points and 10 rebounds at Providence Nov. 11. The 33 points marked the fourth outburst of 30-plus points for Freeman, who netted a career-best 43 against Stetson in March, as well as 31 against Cleveland State in February and 30 against Youngstown State in January. He also went 11-for-11 from the free throw line against the Friars, tying for the fifth-most FT makes in a game in school history in which a player hits 100 percent. Freeman also holds that school record at 17-of-17 set last year at Northern Kentucky in January. It’s the first 30-point double-double for a Panther since Te’Jon Lucas recorded 31 points and 10 boards in an 81-80 overtime victory over Cleveland State back in January of 2021.

PULLIAN PULLIAN
Kentrell Pullian picked a nice time to post his first double-double as a Panther, leading the charge against Stout Nov. 6 with 16 points and a team-high (and career-best) 12 rebounds. In fact, he collected a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards in the second half alone. The last Panther to record a double-double in a season opener was Patrick Baldwin Jr. in 2021-22 (21 pts/10 reb vs. North Dakota). The last player prior to that was Brock Stull (13 pts/11 reb) in the opener against MSOE of the 2016-17 campaign.

BIG FIRST IMPRESSION
Learic Davis joined the list of Panthers to start a season opener as a freshman when he was in the lineup against Stout Nov. 6. That made him the third frosh in the past five years, joining Patrick Baldwin Jr. (2021-22), and CJ Wilbourn (2019-20). Prior to that, it hadn’t happened since August Haas heard his name for the opener in the 2016-17 season opener against MSOE.

OPENER NOTES
Some fun statistical stuff from the season opener against Stout Nov. 6: the team grabbed 53 rebounds to win the battle of the boards, 53-32. The 53 boards tied for the eighth-most in a game all-time (record is 59). The +21 rebound margin checked in just outside of the Top 10. Erik Pratt set an NCAA career-best with his eight points, Faizon Fields tied his career-high with eight rebounds (just missing a double-double with 9 pts/8 reb), and Dominic Ham recorded his best NCAA scoring effort with five points.

AND WE’RE OFF
A couple of different looks to the season opener, which saw Milwaukee playing its opening game of the season at home for the fifth time in the past 11 years. The team is now 21-13 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91, which includes a 75-60 victory at North Dakota to start the 2021-22 campaign as well as a big 102-46 win over MSOE last year. In all, the team is 28-6 in that same span in home openers (while 15-1 in season openers at home), claiming wins in 21 of the past 24 (13 in a row at one point). Also, the Panthers have not lost the season opener when it was played at home since dropping an 80-79 decision to Platteville in November of 1994 (have won the previous 15 in that scenario).

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
Milwaukee broke a recent skid in Horizon League openers three years ago, topping Green Bay (68-65) after having dropped the initial game in conference each of the prior six, dating back to an 82-76 victory over Youngstown State in 2013-14. Since joining the MCC/Horizon League, Milwaukee is now 15-15 in league openers following the result against Green Bay this year.

HE FLIPPED THE SCRIPT
It was certainly a great debut campaign for head coach Bart Lundy a year ago, resulting in the first 20-win season for the program in seven years, MKE’s first postseason appearance in nine years, and the first postseason victory for a Milwaukee squad in 17 years after it knocked off Stetson in the first round of the CBI. At 22 wins, Lundy tied the high-water mark for a first-year coach in program history; that standard belonging to Rob Jeter, who claimed 22 wins in 2005-06. A deeper dive into year No. 1 shows just how great it was. A year prior, MKE stood 10-22 after 32 games. Fast-forward to last year and the squad was 21-11 at that point (finishing 22-12). With the victory over Cleveland State Feb. 25, the Panthers reached the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in the school’s NCAA Division I era and, with 14 league wins, equaled the high-water mark of 14 conference victories set during a 14-2 slate in 2004-05. The Panthers also finished an impressive 15-3 in home games, tying the program mark for most victories on their home court (15-0 in 2004-05). The 22 total wins also mark a tie for the fourth-most in a season in program history.

Expectations are certainly high around the program this season, starting with Milwaukee’s spot in the Horizon League preseason poll. The Panthers were selected to place second according to the results of the Under Armour preseason poll conducted by the League’s head coaches, SIDs and media members – their highest ranking in over a decade. National organizations are taking notice as well, with respected polls such as Lindy’s (No. 1), Blue Ribbon Yearbook (No. 2), HoriZone (No. 2), The Almanac (No. 2). Field of 68 (No. 3), and Mid-Major Central (No. 3) all considering the Panthers to be a Top 3 team this season. In addition, BJ Freeman was named to the Preseason All-Horizon League First Team.

TAKE THAT NEXT LEVEL
If you take a look at the next level and take a peak nationally, Lundy directed his team to a 12-win improvement over the prior year, finishing as the 10th most-improved team in the NCAA (22 wins up from 10 in 2021-22 / to determine games improved, add the difference in victories between the records to losses difference & divide by two).

1. Southern Mississippi 25-8 from 7-26 (+18)
2. Florida Atlantic 35-4 from 19-15 (+13.5)
3. College of Charleston 31-4 from 17-15 (+12.5)
4. Duquesne 20-13 from 6-24 (+12.5)
5. Marshall 24-8 from 12-21 (+12.5)
6. Northwestern State 22-11 from 9-23 (+12.5)
7. Missouri 25-10 from 12-21 (+12)
8. Fairleigh Dickinson 21-16 from 4-22 (+11.5)
9. Grambling 24-9 from 12-20 (+11.5)
10. Milwaukee 22-12 from 10-22 (+11)

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
One season removed from starting a new campaign with just four returners (and 13 newcomers), the faces will look much more familiar to the Panther fans this winter. At the top of the list is four returning starters, losing only Ahmad Rand to graduation from the regular cast of starters. The roster will have four members who started 20 or more games last season, led by Kentrell Pullian who started 27 times in playing all 34 games. He is followed by BJ Freeman (26 starts in 32), Elijah Jamison (24 of 34), and Markeith Browning II (20 of 29). Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Panthers were returning just 11.8 percent of their points (among the lowest in the nation) and 17.5 percent of their rebounds. This season, those numbers are 63.7 percent of points (1,696/2,659) and 55.6 percent of rebounds (740/1,330). To help matters, the MKE offense returns its top three leading scorers from a year ago in Freeman (18.2 ppg), Pullian (10.6 ppg), and Browning (9.6 ppg).

MILWAUKEE THE MELTING POT
In today’s world of college basketball, change is still inevitable. This season, Milwaukee welcomes 10 new faces, broken down into four freshmen (3 true freshmen; Learic Davis from NCAA DI Tennessee State) and six transfers (including four NCAA Division I transfers in Pierce Spencer/Nicholls State, Erik Pratt/ Texas A&M, Langston Wilson/Washinton, and Faizon Fields/Old Dominion). That brings the total number of student-athletes on the roster to 18. The background stretches far and wide … and actually across the country with the list including an impressive 13 states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Overall, there are only nine programs at the NCAA Division I level to be represented by 10 or more states.
The Top 5 is listed below.
Navy – 13 states (*27 players on the roster)
Milwaukee – 13 states
Missouri – 12 states
Youngstown State – 11 states
VMI – 11 states

GET OUT THOSE ERASERS
Along the way last season, the team rewrote the Milwaukee record book, setting new program records in total points (2,659), blocks (186, which also was fourth in the NCAA), field goals made (944), field goals attempted (2,062), total rebounds (1,330), and rebound average (39.1, good for 15th in the NCAA), while leading the Horizon League in with a .408 field-goal defense (893-2,187) that finished as the second-lowest in school history.
Points: 2,659; record was 2,618 set in 2015-16
FG made: 944 was 879 set in 2015-16
FG attempted: 2,062 was 1,950 set in 2016-17
Total rebounds: 1,330 was 1,241 set in 2009-10
Rebound average: 39.1 was 38.4 set in 1992-93
Blocks: 186 was 125 set in 2017-18
The blocks standard was arguably the most impressive mark to fall, eclipsing the former standard by nearly 50 percent while finishing fourth in the nation at the NCAA Division I level. The Panthers led the Horizon League by over 50 (Robert Morris was runner-up at 135) and MKE had five of the top 20 shot-blockers in the league led by Ahmad Rand (first with a school-record 72 rejections) and Moses Bol (seventh with 33).

Not to be done there, the team added entries into the program ledger for scoring average, field-goal percentage, field-goal percentage defense, and free-throw percentage.
*FG Defense of .408 (893-2,187) finished second
*Field-goal % of .458 (944-2,062) was third
*Free-throw % of .740 (504-681) was fourth
*Scoring average of 78.2 ppg finished fifth

THIS IS 40
BJ Freeman did it all against Stetson March 19 of last year, lighting up the Hatters for a career-high 43 points. His output set a new CBI single-game record and tied for the second-most points in a game in school history, trailing only the school-record 50-point performance of Von McDade back in December of 1990. It was the first 40-point outing for a Panther in over 20 years (and just the seventh all-time), the last coming from Clay Tucker when he recorded 40 against Wright State in December of 2003 – a span of 633 games.

MKE SINGLE-GAME SCORING RECORD
50 points: Von McDade at Illinois, 12/3/90
43 points: Freeman vs. Stetson, 3/19/23
43: McDade at Southern Utah, 2/19/91
CBI SINGLE-GAME SCORING RECORD
43 points: Freeman vs. Stetson, 3/19/23
39: Damon Huffman (Brown) at Ohio, 3/18/08

Freeman finished 10-of-20 from the floor and an impressive 20-of-22 from the free-throw line, setting new school and CBI single-game records with both his 20 made free throws (former mark of 18 set twice by Chad Angeli back in 2000) and 22 attempts (21 twice, again by Angeli in 2000) from the charity stripe. The CBI standards he broke were 16 FTM/21 FTA.

BJ THR33-MAN!
BJ Freeman closed the season on a tear his final 21 games, scoring 20-plus in 14 of them while averaging 21.9 points over that timeframe. His 23 points against Northern Kentucky Jan. 28 marked a run of six straight contests of 20-or-more points, the first time a Panther had accomplished that feat since Shannon Smith put together a streak of eight consecutive games during the 1994-95 campaign (23/38/27/25/24/36/24/22 starting with game three of the year). Freeman saw his streak end at six against IUPUI Feb. 2. In addition, his 14 20-plus point games this year are the most for a Panther since Smith had 19 such scoring efforts back in the 1994-95 season. His trio of 30-plus point efforts (43/31/30) are the most since Avery Smith had three (36/33/32) during the 2006-07 campaign.

Freeman’s 30-point/11-assist performance marked the first point/assist double-double in school history where the player reached the 30-point plateau. It was the first 30-point game of any kind for the team in 51 games (DeAndre Gholston had 31 against Wright State March 2, 2021) and also the first 10-plus assist performance in 44 games (Jordan Lathon last had 10 against Robert Morris Dec. 4, 2021). He was named Horizon League Player of the Week following the 30-point effort, the second time last season he has picked up the league honor. He’s the first Panther to be named Player of the Week in the conference twice in the same season since Jordan Johnson did so in December of the 2015-16 campaign and also the first-ever to earn the honor three times in a season after winning again Feb. 26.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE; NO TROUBLE
It had been 215 games since Milwaukee witnessed its last triple-double before BJ Freeman went off for his 19 points/12 rebounds/11 assists against Purdue Fort Wayne Feb. 23 last year. The last to do it was Jordan Johnson, posting his statline of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Youngstown State Feb. 22, 2016.

Freeman had his 10 points quickly, hitting for 10 and 11 on a pair of free throws at the 14:19 mark of the second half. He grabbed his 10th rebound on the offensive glass with 13:26 to play and rounded out the historic performance with his 10th assist on Kentrell Pullian’s three-pointer with 4:04 to go.

How rare is the feat? Milwaukee now owns nearly half (5 of 11) of the recorded triple-doubles in NCAA Division I basketball history in the state of Wisconsin. In addition to Johnson’s gem, Kaylon Williams put up the identical 10/10/10 statline in a win over Butler January 3, 2011 and Marc Mitchell had a pair in the 1992-93 season. He piled up 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds against UMKC Feb. 1, 1993 and also had 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds earlier that season against Alcorn State on Dec. 7, 1992.

The Wisconsin Badgers added their first-ever in over 100 years of their history in 2011 when Josh Gasser (10 pts/12 reb/10 asts) pulled it off. Green Bay has three on the list, with Javier Mendiburu posting a pair (17 pts/12 reb/10 asst vs. Wright State, Feb. 28, 2004 and 10/10/10 vs. YSU, Feb. 5, 2005). Alec Brown (15 pts/10 reb/10 blks) also joined Nov. 23, 2013 in a big Phoenix win. Marquette has two: Dwyane Wade had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and Tony Miller (18 pts/10 reb/10 asts) had one against the Badgers Dec. 31, 1994.

BRING ON THE LEAGUE ACCOLADES
The Panthers had three players honored by the Horizon League with postseason awards. BJ Freeman was named Second Team All-Horizon League, Ahmad Rand was selected as the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Defensive Team, and Elijah Jamison was voted to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. Rand becomes the first Panther to be named league Defensive Player of the Year in program history as well as the first to be named to the All-Defensive Team since 2011-12.

CIRCLE K
The team hosted its quarterfinal game last season on campus against Wright State and played in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 3,000 fans. MKE had a tremendous amount of success at the Klotsche Center last year, posting a perfect 6-0 record between contests against WSU, Purdue Fort Wayne, MSOE, and the Cream City Classic. The Panthers shot 51.3 percent (184-359) from the floor, 40.5 percent (51-126), and 74.8 percent (104-139) from the line over those six games, outscoring the opposition by an average score of 87.2 to 67.8. The defense held teams to solid marks from the floor overall (.404) and from distance (.296). Three players averaged double-figures (BJ Freeman 18.0 ppg/Kentrell Pullian 14.5/Elijah Jamison 12.0), while Ahmad Rand was close at 9.5 ppg. The team has won its last eight in a row at the K and is 16-5 over the past 21 (dating back to start of 2017-18).

PERFECTION FROM 15 FEET
BJ Freeman extended his streak of scoring 20-plus points to six straight in unconventional fashion against Northern Kentucky Jan. 28 last year, finishing the afternoon with 23 points despite making just 3 field goals. He did so with a school-record performance from the line, finishing a perfect 17-17 from the charity stripe to help lead the comeback. In doing so, he just missed the school record of 18 made free throws in a game (set twice by Chad Angeli back in 2000) but also became the 10th player in school history to make 100 percent with at least 10 attempts in a single contest. His 17-of-17 breaks the former mark of 13-of-13, set by Derek Durham against Stetson back on December 28, 1995.

LUNDY’S LINE
Head coach Bart Lundy brought an extensive background of success to the Panthers, which included an impressive run through the postseason that extended many years and a pair of trips to the NCAA DII Final Four in his career. A look back at his prior seven seasons at Queens reveals the gaudy numbers that were posted.
2021-22: 30-4 overall, 2-1 in NCAA Tournament
2020-21: 16-6 overall, 0-1 in NCAA Tournament
2019-20: 24-7 overall, NCAA’s cancelled
2018-19: 31-5 overall, 3-1 in NCAA Tournament
2017-18: 32-4 overall, 1-1 in NCAA Tournament
2016-17: 30-4 overall, 2-1 in NCAA Tournament
2015-16: 25-7 overall, 1-1 in NCAA Tournament

PANTHERS AND THE POLLS
Milwaukee was attempting to earn its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since a 63-60 decision against No. 21 Butler on February 18, 2009 when it took on No. 25 Colorado. Recent ranked matchups include #24 Florida (81-45 L on 11/18/21), #2/#3 Kansas (95-68 L on 12/10/19), #18 Notre Dame (86-78 L on 11/17/15), #5/#6 Wisconsin (93-54 L on 12/10/14) and #6/#7 Villanova (73-53 L on 3/20/14), with the Panthers now 0-12 against ranked opponents since that victory over Butler.

Going back, after losing their first 25 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll in program history, the Panthers added three wins over the course of two memorable postseasons, all coming in the NCAA Tournament. Milwaukee beat 21st-ranked Alabama and 14th-ranked Boston College in 2005 and 24th-ranked Oklahoma in 2006. The Panthers do also own a win at Butler in 2001-02 when the Bulldogs were ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today poll but were not ranked by the AP. Their record all-time checks in at 4-47 following the loss to CU, with the victory over BC at #14 the biggest upset. Milwaukee has played the No. 1 team in the country just once – when it took on Illinois in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament in 2005. The next-highest was Kansas at No. 2 back in 2004-05 and again in 2019-20.

TURN THE RADIO UP
This marks the second full ho0ps season that 101.7 FM The Truth will serve as the radio home of the “Educators Credit Union Milwaukee Panthers Men’s Basketball Radio Broadcasts”. Fans can listen to veteran broadcaster Scott Warras, now in his eighth season, call all the play-by-play action on air at 101.7 FM and via live online streaming services. Plus, head coach Bart Lundy will appear on 101.7 FM The Truth’s “Truth be Told” shows throughout the 2023-24 basketball regular season.

IT’S OUR HOUSE
Although the building is not new and has been the site to many historic basketball moments in Milwaukee history, this is Milwaukee’s eighth season in an arena that bears its name – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. In July of 2014, the University and Wisconsin Center District entered into a 10-year partnership that included naming rights to the facility formerly known as The MECCA and U.S. Cellular Arena.

UP NEXT
The team closes out January with a pair of home games, starting with a 7 p.m. matchup against Detroit Mercy Thursday.

COURTESY MILWAUKEE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS