UWM Pre-Game Press Conference Video | Illinois Pre-Game Press Conference Video

UWM (26-5, 14-2 Horizon League) vs. Illinois (34-1, 15-1 Big 10)

Winner plays Arizona/Oklahoma State winner

Thurs. March 24/Sat. March 26

Allstate Arena (17,500) • Rosemont, Ill.

UWM Sweet 16 Notes and Stats

UWM Sweet 16 Player Notes

UWM Sweet 16 Season Recap

TV: CBS (WDJT-TV in Milwaukee)

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

Internet: Live audio at uwmpanthers.com

Series Information: UWM is 1-3 vs. Illinois

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee makes its first-ever appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, facing off against top-seeded and top-ranked Illinois at the Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago. The game tips off Thursday at 6:27 p.m. CST. Second-seeded Oklahoma State and third-seeded Arizona meet in the other regional semifinal.

• A Little Background

UWM is in the midst of what has become the best season in school history. First, the Panthers posted one of their best regular seasons in school history, going 22-5 entering the league tournament. They added two wins during the league tourney and now two more wins in the NCAA Tournament. UWM has posted two extended winning streaks this year - a current streak of 11 games and an earlier streak of eight games. The Panthers also opened the season with six-straight wins. UWM won its second-straight Horizon League regular season title, posting a 14-2 mark in league play. That number set a school record, while the Panthers also claimed their first win in 11 seasons over a Big 10 foe and swept UIC and Butler for the first time in school history. Plus, the NCAA Tournament wins included the school's first win over an SEC school and just the second and third wins over ranked foes.

• Getting To The Dance

UWM earned the automatic berth from the Horizon League thanks to a stirring, 59-58 win over Detroit March 8 in the league title game in front of a record crowd at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers trailed most of the game before tying the contest on two Joah Tucker free throws with 58 seconds remaining. After Detroit missed two free throws, Adrian Tigert sunk the second of his two free throw chances with 4.2 seconds remaining to give the Panthers a one-point lead. Detroit's Brandon Cotton then missed a shot at the buzzer, sending the sellout crowd of 10,783 in Milwaukee into a frenzy. UWM had received a bye into the semifinals of the league tourney thanks to winning the regular season crown, and the Panthers handled Loyola in the semis.

• Getting To The Sweet 16

UWM fell down 11-0, punched back with a 28-10 run and then stood strong down the stretch to claim an 83-75 win over Boston College Saturday in Cleveland. The Panthers held a four-point lead at halftime and, though they gave up the lead in the second half, finished the game on a 9-0 run over the final 1:46 to claim the win. Joah Tucker led four Panthers in double figures with 23 points.

• A First Round Wonder

UWM posted one of the most impressive wins in the first round of the tournament, blitzing Alabama with a flurry of three-pointers in the first half before hanging on for an 83-73 win over the Crimson Tide. UWM led by as many as 17 points in the first half and had a 13-point halftime lead. Then, after Alabama pulled within five early in the second half, the Panthers extended their lead back to double figures and never let the game get away down the stretch. Ed McCants and Joah Tucker scored 21 points apiece to lead the Panthers.

• The Flying Illini

It took until mid-December for Illinois to finally ascend to the top spot in the national polls, but the Illini haven't given up that spot since and are one of the odds-on favorites to win the national championship. Illinois lost just once during the regular season - a nail-biting loss at Ohio State in the regular season finale. The Illini bounced back to win the Big 10 Tournament and now have won five-straight after winning their first two NCAA Tourney contests. Illinois, directed by UWM alum Bruce Weber, is a balanced squad with five players averaging in double figures. Illinois' defense has limited opponents to just 59.9 ppg and just 41 percent shooting from the field.

• Series Tidbits

Illinois and UWM have actually faced each other twice since the Panthers moved back into the Division I ranks for the 1990-91 season, and each matchup was memorable for totally different reasons. In 1990, Von McDade scored a school-record 50 points in a 120-116 double overtime loss at Illinois. In 2000, Illinois ran up an 85-44 win over the Bo Ryan-coached Panthers, the largest loss by UWM since 1997.

• Reaching Toward The Top

UWM's matchup with top-ranked Illinois will mark the school's first-ever meeting with the nation's number one team. The Panthers came close earlier this year, playing Kansas when it was number two in the nation. The Jayhawks had been number one much of the early season before falling behind the Illini in the polls. In the school's athletic history, though, one win against a top-ranked foe stands out. UWM's baseball team opened the 1999 NCAA Tournament with a 8-4 win over top-ranked Rice. By the way, UWM's baseball team is coached by former Brewer Jerry Augustine, the uncle of Illini center James Augustine.

• Bruce Vs. Bruce

Bruce Pearl and Bruce Weber will be meeting for the second time ever as head coaches. Weber's Southern Illinois squad beat Pearl's UWM squad in an ESPN Bracket Buster contest in 2003. The game was a thriller, with the Salukies winning on their homecourt, 66-64, on a tip-in at the buzzer.

• The Rest Of The Regional

Perennial powers Oklahoma State and Arizona will square off in the other semifinal of the Chicago Regional. The Cowboys beat Southern Illinois Sunday in front of a friendly crowd in Oklahoma City, while Arizona claimed a win over UAB on Saturday. The two teams have each spent much of the regular season in the top 10 of both national polls, while Oklahoma State is seeking its second-straight trip to the Final Four.

• A Pretty Nice Roll

UWM's win Saturday means the Panthers have won 19 of their last 20 games and, in fact, the Panthers have lost just one time since Jan. 4. Plus, the Panthers have now set a Division I school record with 11-straight wins, breaking the old record of 10-straight from the 1992-93 season. UWM had an earlier eight-game winning streak snapped Jan. 29 at Green Bay and the Panthers also opened the season with a six-game winning streak. UWM has had a winning streak of at least five games in every season under Bruce Pearl, including a nine-game streak last season and two eight-game streaks in the NCAA Tournament season of 2002-03. UWM also posted league winning streaks of six and seven games this season after a 10-game streak last year.

• The Nation's Best

UWM's 11-game winning streak is not only a school record, but it is earning national recognition. Following Gonzaga's loss Saturday, UWM now shares the nation's longest winning streak with Louisville. The Bulldogs had won 13-straight before losing to Texas Tech. No one else has won more than five-straight games.

• Milestone Wins

UWM's two wins last weekend are the first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament wins for UWM. The Panthers had never won a Division I post-season game until last season when they beat Rice in the opening round of the NIT. UWM is now 3-2 in Division I post-season games under Bruce Pearl, going 2-1 in the NCAAs and 1-1 in the NIT. The wins are also just the second and third in school history against ranked Division I foes. UWM beat then-#25 Butler in 2002 for the other victory over a ranked foe.

• A Record-Setter

Saturday's win was the 26th of the season for the Panthers, adding to a new school record for victories. UWM had won 24 games in a season twice, doing it in 1988-89 (Division II) and 2002-03 (Division I). UWM has also posted three-straight 20-win seasons, the longest such streak in the 109 years of UWM basketball. In fact, when UWM won 20 games a year ago, it was just the second time the Panthers had ever won 20 games in back-to-back seasons, with the other time coming in 1991-92 and 1992-93. This season is also just the eighth of at least 20 wins in school history.

• Some Post-Season Success

UWM is helping to continue a tradition of Horizon League teams making some noise in the NCAA Tournament. Just two years ago, Butler advanced to the Sweet 16 thanks to wins over Mississippi State and Louisville. Also in recent seasons, Butler advanced to the second round in 2001 and Detroit claimed first-round wins in both 1998 and 1999. Current league members have compiled a 22-25 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, and every current member besides Youngstown State has made a tournament appearance. Plus, of the last five Horizon League teams to lose just two regular season league games (as UWM did this season), four have won at least one NCAA Tournament game (Detroit - 1998 and 1999; Butler - 2003; UWM - 2005) while a fourth (Butler - 2000) lost in overtime.

• In The Big Dance

UWM is making just its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, though this is the third-straight Division I post-season berth for the Panthers. UWM fell to Notre Dame, 70-69, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis in 2003. Then last year, UWM beat Rice before falling to Boise State in its first NIT appearance. This season marks just the seventh post-season appearance in the school's 109-year basketball history. Before this recent run in Division I, UWM had made one appearance in the Small College Regional (1960), one appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament (1982), one appearance in the NAIA District 14 Tournament (1986) and one appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament (1989). UWM did make it to the Elite Eight of the Division II Tourney that year.

• New To The Tourney

Of the players on UWM's active roster for the 2004-05 season, only senior Rob Sanders had played in an NCAA Tournament game prior to last Thursday's win over Alabama. Sanders, unlikely to play in this year's tournament because of a shoulder injury, played seven minutes against Notre Dame in 2003 and grabbed two rebounds. Three of UWM's starters this year, though, were redshirts on that tourney team of 2003. Joah Tucker was sitting out the season after transferring from Bradley. Adrian Tigert was recovering from a knee injury he suffered at the end of the 2001-02 season and missed all of 2002-03. And, Chris Hill redshirted because seniors Ronnie Jones and Jose Winston were ahead of him in the playing rotation. Mark Pancratz played in 14 games in 2002-03, but did not appear in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Bruce Pearl has plenty of NCAA Tournament experience on the sidelines, though. Along with regular appearances as an assistant under Dr. Tom Davis, Pearl is now 18-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, including winning the 1995 Division II national title at Southern Indiana.

• But Used To The Post-Season

Most of UWM's players may be making their NCAA Tournament debut this year, but most of the key performers received post-season experience in two NIT games last year and now have some solid post-season numbers. Ed McCants, Joah Tucker and Adrian Tigert have each started both NIT and NCAA Tourney games, with McCants averaging 18.5 ppg and Tigert averaging 7.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Plus, Chris Hill has averaged 29 minutes per game in three post-season contests, averaging nearly eight ppg with eight steals.

• A Championship Feeling

UWM won its second-straight outright Horizon League regular season title this season, another step in the incredible progress of the program. UWM had never won a regular season Division I league title until last season. In fact, prior to winning the 2003 league tourney title, UWM hadn't won a basketball title of any kind since winning the 1960 Wisconsin State Collegiate Conference title. This year's league regular season and tournament titles give UWM 11 in the 109-year history of men's basketball at the school. Seven of those crowns came in the WSCC, which was also known as the Wisconsin Normal Conference and the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference, while the other four (two regular season and two tournament) have now come in the Horizon League. This season's crown is also just the fifth outright regular season league title in UWM basketball history.

• Nice Margin

UWM not only won the 2004-05 Horizon League regular season title, but they won it going away. The Panthers wound up finishing first by a remarkable four games, holding a 14-2 mark while second-place UW-Green Bay was 10-6. The four-game margin is the largest by a Horizon League/MCC champion since UWGB won by four games in the 1995-96 season.

• Notable Record

UWM finished the league regular season with a 14-2 mark, notable on a pair of fronts. It set a school record for league wins for UWM, which had won 13 league games in each of the last two seasons. And, it equaled the most league wins by a team in the last nine seasons. Two years ago, Butler went 14-2 in finishing one game ahead of UWM. The Bulldogs then earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after the Panthers won the league tourney.

• Used To This Position

All of the recent winning by the UWM men's basketball team can perhaps be summed-up best by one streak. UWM has played 41-straight regular season league games where it has either been in first place or within a game of first place. The last time UWM was not in that situation was Jan. 23, 2003, when the Panthers entered a home game with Butler 1 1/2 games back of the Bulldogs. UWM won that game, moving to within a half-game of the top spot and eventually the league lead. They've either been in first or within a game of first ever since.

• The National Spotlight

An appearance in the NCAA Tournament means plenty of time in the national spotlight, but it is something the Panthers may finally be getting used to. The regional semifinal game on CBS will mark the sixth national TV appearance of the season and the 12th in the last three seasons for the Panthers, who had never been on national television until a 2003 Bracket Buster contest with Southern Illinois. UWM is a perfect 5-0 on national TV this season, beating UIC on ESPN2 Feb. 5, winning at Hawaii on ESPN2 Feb. 19, claiming the league tourney crown over Detroit on ESPN and beating Alabama and Boston College on CBS.

• Filling The Trophy Case

After winning the Horizon League's regular season title, the Panthers were recognized when the league's annual post-season awards were handed out. Ed McCants won the league's player of the year award, the second-straight year a UWM player has won the honor. Bruce Pearl was named the league's coach of the year for the third time in his four years at UWM. Meanwhile, junior Joah Tucker joined McCants on the All-League First Team, the third-straight year UWM has had two first-team performers.

• A Case For The Player Of The Year

Ed McCants built up quite a resume during the 2004-05 season in his quest to win League Player of the Year honors. Entering the post-season, he ranked third in the league in scoring while standing first in three-point field goals made, 11th in steals and eighth in three-point field goal percentage. He also ranks in the top 15 nationally in three-point field goals made. He leads UWM in scoring and steals and passed 1,000 points in his Milwaukee career during the Feb. 26 win at Cleveland State. McCants posted a number of stellar outings throughout the year, including a 38-point effort against Detroit. Including his two NCAA Tournament outings, he has scored in double figures in 23-straight games and has passed 20 points in 12 of those games. He has also made a three-point basket in every game this season and led the Panthers in scoring 14 times. McCants is a two-time award-winner, having won League Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-league honors last season.

• Tucker's Tough, Too

Junior Joah Tucker earned his place on the All-Horizon League First Team alongside Ed McCants thanks to a number of clutch efforts throughout the season. Last year, Tucker was left off the all-league teams, but he eliminated any way of being left off this season. He finished the regular season sixth in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding, while ranking in the top 15 in the league in steals, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. He averaged 15.9 ppg in league contests while adding 6.2 rpg. Tucker has led UWM in scoring 14 times and in rebounding 11 times this season. He has three double-doubles to his credit, including a 21-point, 14-rebound night in the title-clinching win over Butler Feb. 16. Plus, he has been getting hotter late in the year, reaching double figures in 13 of his last 15 games (including his 22.0 ppg average in two tourney games). And, since being held scoreless Jan. 3 vs. Detroit, Tucker has 10 20-plus-point efforts, is averaging 18 ppg and shooting 53 percent. He has upped his season scoring average from 12.6 ppg Jan. 4 to 15.6 ppg entering Thursday's game.

• Reversing Roles In The Post-Season

Ed McCants and Joah Tucker each earned honors following the Horizon League Tournament, but this time the two flipped their spots from the regular season. Tucker earned tournament most valuable player honors, averaging 23 ppg in two contests, including a career-high 31-point outing in the semifinal win over Loyola. Tucker is now averaging over 19 ppg in his last 20 games. McCants, meanwhile, averaged 16 ppg in two contests to earn all-tournament honors alongside Tucker.

• Always Our Coach Of The Year

Sometimes, when a team is picked first and finishes first, the head coach can be overlooked for post-season honors. But, in Bruce Pearl's case, the accomplishments of the Panthers during the 2004-05 regular season were too much to look past, and it led to his third league coach of the year honor. Pearl led the Panthers to their second-straight Horizon League regular season title and to a school-record 14 league wins. UWM's four-game margin in the league standings is the largest for a league champ since the 1995-96 season, and the Panthers set school records for overall road wins (11) and league road wins (7). Pearl surpassed 300 career wins during the season, becoming the second-fastest active coach to reach the milestone. His record after 100 games at UWM was the best of any coach in the school's 109-year basketball history and his 86-37 mark at the school gives him the second-best winning percentage and fourth-most wins in school history. And, if there was any doubt that Pearl was deserving of the league award, they were eliminated when he was recognized nationally March 1. Pearl is one of 10 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year honor, listed alongside other finalists like Bruce Weber of Illinois, Roy Williams of North Carolina, Al Skinner of Boston College and Tubby Smith of Kentucky.

• A Team For Young And Old

UWM has posted one of its best seasons thanks to an extremely experienced team, but one that is full of players who will continue their collegiate careers next year. Of UWM's five starters, four of them played in every game last season, yet four of the five starters are also juniors who will return next season. Five of the players in UWM's typical 10-man rotation have at least 60 collegiate games under their belts, including 90 games for Adrian Tigert and 84 games apiece for Chris Hill and James Wright. Plus, UWM starters Tigert (89 starts), Joah Tucker (62 starts) and Ed McCants (61 starts) have two years of collegiate starts in their UWM careers. Yet, eight of those top 10 players return next season, with only McCants and Wright lost to graduation.

• A Record On The Road

UWM is away from home for the NCAA Tournament but the Panthers have plenty of success and experience to fall back upon. Saturday's win over Boston College was UWM's 13th away from home this season, including 11 wins in true road games. That broke the school record of 10 set during the 1992-93 campaign. The Panthers also won seven of their eight league road games, another school record. Good play away from home has become a common thing for Bruce Pearl's Panthers. In four seasons under Pearl, the Panthers are 22-9 in league road games, including wins in 15 of their last 19. Overall, the Panthers are 31-25 in true road games under Pearl. UWM should also be feeling comfortable in the Chicago area. While the Panthers have not played in the Allstate Arena, they did win both of their regular season games in Chicago this season, beating both Loyola and UIC.

• Ranking High On The Road

UWM's 11 true road wins during the regular season ranked it among the nation's leaders in wins away from home. In fact, only 19th-ranked Pacific had more, as the Tigers tallied 13 road victories this season. Oral Roberts and Vermont each tied the Panthers with 11 away wins, while Boston University was among those with 10 road wins.

• Breaking The Trend

UWM's road success has also come in some unlikely places. The Panthers handed Hawaii just its second home loss of the season Feb. 19, and the Rainbow Warriors had an 86-15 home mark over the last six seasons entering the contest. Other mid-major powers Southern Illinois and Saint Mary's each lost at Hawaii earlier this season. Meanwhile, the Feb. 2 win at Wright State was the first home league loss of the season for the Raiders. UWM won for the third-straight year at Detroit's Calihan Hall, but the Titans have lost just eight other games at home in the last nine seasons. Manhattan had won 28 of 31 games at home before the Panthers won there Dec. 30. UWM's win at Purdue Jan. 26 was its first over a Big 10 team since 1992. And, UWM's win at UIC Dec. 4 was its first over the Flames in Chicago since the 1998-99 season, while the Panthers' win at Butler on Jan. 6 was just the second win over the Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse in school history.

• Topping The Charts

UWM's winning ways are doing a good job of growing the Panthers' already impressive Horizon League record in recent years. The league numbers are boosting the case for claiming the crown as the best basketball program in the league. In fact, the Panthers are now 51-13 in regular season Horizon League contests under Pearl. The standings for the last four seasons:

				W	L
	Milwaukee	         51	13
	Butler			41	23
	UIC			40	24
	Detroit		         39	25
	Wright State	         31	33
	Loyola			31	33
	UW-Green Bay	         29	35
	Cleveland State	         15	49
	Youngstown State	         12	52

UWM wrapped up its second swing through the Horizon League for the 2004-05 campaign by recording its school-record sixth sweep of a league foe. The Panthers beat Wright State, UIC, Loyola, Youngstown State, Butler and Cleveland State twice. The sweeps of both UIC and Butler are firsts for UWM, which has now swept every league opponent at least once in the last four seasons. The Panthers also avoided being swept by an opponent for the first time in four seasons under Bruce Pearl when they won at Detroit Jan. 22. It wasn't that long ago sweeps by UWM were very uncommon. As recently as the 2000-01 season, UWM swept just one league opponent but, under Bruce Pearl, the Panthers have now swept league opponents 19 times in four seasons.

• Taking The Tourney By Storm

There's no question UWM is being portrayed as the surprise of this year's NCAA Tournament and the stats from the first two games show just how well the Panthers have performed on the nation's biggest stage. UWM is shooting 51.1 percent (23-of-45) from three-point range and is making 78 percent of its free throws. Plus, the Panthers have forced an average of 20.5 turnovers per game and have collected 17 steals. Individually, four players are in double figures in the two tourney wins, led by Joah Tucker's 22 ppg. And, junior Adrian Tigert hasn't missed a shot in the tournament, going 11-of-11 from the field.

• Plenty Of Turnovers

Much was made leading into the tournament of UWM's full-court pressure, the cornerstone of UWM's defense under Bruce Pearl. That pressure has once again wreaked havoc on various opponents, including both opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Saturday, Boston College committed 22 turnovers while UWM collected 11 steals. Teams average 17.8 turnovers per game against the Panthers, with UWM forcing 20 or more turnovers 11 times this season. Alabama had 19 turnovers in the game Thursday. UWM also led the Horizon League in steals, averaging 8.5 per game. UWM has reached double figures in steals 11 times this season and 39 times under Bruce Pearl.

• Converting On The Mistakes

UWM's ability to force turnovers doesn't just show up as a stellar defensive stat, it makes the Panthers' offense that much more explosive. In fact, the Panthers have piled up the points off turnovers in each of their first two NCAA Tournament games this year, collecting 27 points off turnovers against Alabama and 28 points off turnovers against Boston College. Opponents don't tend to get those same opportunities against the Panthers, as their first two tournament opponents combined for just 19 points off turnovers.

• Comeback Kids

Under Bruce Pearl, UWM has shown a strong ability to come from behind, a trend established when the Panthers recovered from 21 points down to beat Virginia Tech in overtime during Pearl's first year. The Panthers went to that well again in Saturday's win, overcoming a double-digit deficit for the fifth time this season en route to a win. Saturday, it was an 11-0 hole in the first two-plus minutes of the game. The Panthers trailed Wright State by 11 points with just over five minutes remaining Jan. 17 before rallying to win. UWM also faced double-digit first-half deficits against Manhattan, Purdue and Butler before winning each game.

• Second Half Team

One of the reasons UWM tends to be able to overcome deficits is its ability to control the second half. In fact, UWM has outscored its opponent in the second half in 24 of its 31 games. Three times the Panthers tied their opponent in the second half and four times they have been outscored. But, UWM has been outscored in the second half just twice since its loss at Wisconsin, and has won both of those games.

• Stepping Up On Offense

Points have never been much of a problem for UWM under Bruce Pearl, as the Panthers have led the Horizon League in scoring for four-straight seasons. But, UWM has been stepping up its offense even more of late. UWM has now scored at least 80 points in five of its last six outings, the only exception the 59-58 league title-game win over Detroit, and in seven of its last 10 games. That includes the 83 points UWM has scored in each of its two tournament wins and a 94-point outburst in the league semifinals against Loyola. The Panthers' abilities on offense are another reason they are often able to overcome deficits or blow games open. Against Alabama, UWM scored 32 points in the first 11 minutes of the game while against BC, UWM went on a 28-10 run in less than 10 minutes. UWM's offense has been strong throughout the season, as the Panthers set a Division I school record for most points in regulation in the season opener against Prairie View, posting 117 points. In all, UWM scored at least 85 points in nine contests this season. But, what has allowed the 2004-05 squad to excel is its ability to win in both full-court and half-court offensive games. The Panthers claimed six wins when scoring 65 points or less after capturing just four such wins in the first three seasons under Pearl.

• Balance Is The Key

UWM has been at its best all season when it gets contributions from a variety of players and that happened again in both NCAA Tournament wins as four players reached double figures in each game. UWM has had at least three players reach double figures on 24 occasions this season, posting a 22-2 record in those contests (losses @ Valpo and UWGB). In UWM's 26 wins, three Panthers are averaging at least 11.5 ppg with two others checking in with at least eight ppg. In UWM's five losses, only three players are averaging more than eight points per game. The potential for numerous contributions is there, though, as nine different players have recorded double-figure scoring nights and five different players have scored at least 15 points in a single game.

• Shooting The Three

UWM has always made good use of the three-point shot under Bruce Pearl and this past weekend was no exception. The Panthers poured in 12 three-point shots in the win over Alabama and then made 11 more in the win over BC. UWM has now reached double figures in 3's made in four-straight games and in five of its last six outings. Overall, the Panthers have made at least 10 3s in 13 games this season and in 30 games in four seasons under Bruce Pearl.

• Caring For The Ball

Despite the fast pace the Panthers prefer and up-tempo nature of both NCAA Tourney contests, UWM has committed just 23 turnovers in two games and average just 13.6 turnovers per game. Their turnover margin of 4.1 easily led the Horizon League and has received a big boost as UWM forced 41 turnovers in two games vs. the 23 it committed. The Panthers can always count on point guard Chris Hill to care for the ball down the stretch. The junior has just 47 turnovers in 31 games this season after committing 70 in 31 games last year. Hill had just 18 turnovers in 16 league games and, six times in league play this season, Hill played at least 28 minutes in a game without committing a turnover.

• Building A Career

A number of UWM standouts are starting to build some impressive career numbers late in this season. Senior Ed McCants passed the 1,000-point mark for his career, totaling 1,074 entering Saturday's game. If you include his one year at Northwestern, McCants now has 1,185 points in his career. Meanwhile, McCants also continues to move up UWM's three-point list, standing fourth with 207 3's. Joah Tucker appears on pace to break the 1,000-point barrier early next season, posting 874 points in his UWM career. Finally, Adrian Tigert is making his mark on the boards. The junior passed 500 career rebounds Feb. 12 and now has 541 career rebounds, the second-best Division I total in school history.

• D ... D... D ... Defense

The 2004-05 edition of the Panthers is clearly Bruce Pearl's best defensive team at UWM, and the numbers do a great job of backing that up. The Panthers led the Horizon League in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 41 percent from the field. UWM has kept opponents at 40 percent or less from the field 17 times this season, with two opponents failing to crack 30 percent. Plus, opponents have been kept under 60 points 12 times and under 50 points four times - the first time since the 1982-83 season the Panthers have had four opponents fail to reach 50 points. There have been a number of noteworthy defensive efforts throughout the season, including holding Purdue to just 38 percent shooting from the field Jan. 26. Jan. 22, Detroit shot just 30 percent from the field in falling, 61-48. Jan. 12 at Youngstown State, UWM allowed just 42 points, a season low and tied for the fewest points UWM has allowed against a Division I opponent.

• Boo-Ya!

Ed McCants and Joah Tucker often steal the show for the Panthers offensively, but the ever-improving play of Boo Davis continues to be a major reason the Panthers have won 19 of their last 20 games. In fact, Davis moved into the starting lineup for good following the loss to Detroit Jan. 3, and the Panthers have lost just once since. Davis averaged 16.5 ppg in two league tournament outings and has averaged 7.5 ppg in two NCAA games. He has now been in double figures in 13 of his last 18 outings and, after going just 2-of-15 from three-point range in the three games prior to the league tournament, Davis has gone 10-of-21 from three-point range in his last four contests. In UWM's 25 wins, Davis is averaging 11.2 ppg. In the Panthers' five losses, Davis is averaging just 5.4 ppg.

• The Glue Guys

There's little doubt the Panthers wouldn't be where they are without the contributions of juniors Chris Hill and Adrian Tigert. In fact, the two have combined to appear in 174 games in a Panther uniform since each joined the program. The tallest and shortest of the Panther starters, the two often make quiet and balanced contributions on the stat sheet. Tigert knocked in 16 points in the win Saturday over BC while Hill had 11 points, six assists and two steals. Hill has made a tremendous improvement in shooting the basketball. One year ago, he made 23.6 percent (17-of-72) of his three-point shots. This season, Hill is shooting 39 percent (30-of-77) from three-point range and upped that to 43.2 percent (16-of-37) in league play. Meanwhile, Tigert has been in double figures offensively in eight of his last 13 outings and has been the team's leading rebounder 15 times. He also has four double-doubles.

• The Wright Stuff

Senior James Wright is putting quite the finish on his UWM career. Now the Panthers' sixth man, Wright has been contributing in nearly every way possible before a slight slump in UWM's two league tourney games. He bounced back to score five points and grabbed five rebounds Saturday. He averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg in the final eight games of the regular season. It was a long road back for Wright, who had not been a regular part of the rotation since breaking his left leg against Wisconsin on Dec. 27, 2001. But he scored 12 points against Prairie View A&M and has been in the rotation ever since.

• Halfway To Victory

UWM's strong finishes mean it does not give up a lead very often. In fact, the Panthers are now 20-0 in games where they have a halftime lead. UWM has won 23-straight games when leading at halftime, with its last loss in the situation coming at Youngstown State late last year. UWM has wins in 58 of its last 61 games when leading at the half and is 70-7 all-time in that situation under Bruce Pearl. The Panthers have also recovered from halftime deficits six times this season to claim a win.

• Numbers To Shoot For

UWM's defensive play is helping to highlight some opponent point totals that usually mean a Panther win. UWM is now 56-7 under Bruce Pearl when holding opponents to less than 70 points. That includes a 19-1 mark this season. Even better, the Panthers are 30-2 when holding opponents to less than 60 points, including a 12-0 mark in those games this season. UWM hasn't lost a game when giving up less than 60 points since the 2001-02 season, a streak of 21-straight victories.