Milwaukee at Oklahoma State Game Notes

Milwaukee at Oklahoma State
November 21, 2014 – 7 p.m.
Stillwater, Okla. 
 
THE OPENING TIP
• Milwaukee's whirlwind start to the season continues Friday when the Panthers visit Oklahoma State to play their fourth game in eight days. UWM is in search of its first win over a power conference opponent since an 82-74 victory against Oklahoma in the 2006 NCAA Tournament in Rob Jeter's first season as head coach.
 
• Winning games away from home was the Panthers' forte last season as they collected 10 true road wins overall and won 14 contests outside of the Milwaukee city limits in 2013-14. Milwaukee has won four of its last six games played away from UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
 
• Through three games, senior point guard Steve McWhorter has turned the ball over just twice and owns a 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. A year ago, he scored in double digits four times against nonconference opponents, but has already turned that trick twice in three outings this season.
 
• Junior forward Matt Tiby was recently named to the 2014-15 Lou Henson Award Watch List. One of 40 players overall and three from the Horizon League named to the list, Tiby averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Mid-Major Player of the Year.
 
• The Panthers have held double-digit leads in each of their first three games this season, but have dropped two of their first three contests.
 
•In its last two regular-season road games, Milwaukee is averaging 70.5 ppg and shooting 53 percent (56-for-106) from the field.
 
ABOUT THE COWBOYS
Oklahoma State has rolled to an unblemished 3-0 record thus far and none of its games has been decided by fewer than 22 points. In fact, the Cowboys' average margin of victory has been 32.0 points. Coming off a 91-45 pasting of Northwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday night, Oklahoma State is led by 6-foot-7 senior Le'Bryan Nash, who is averaging 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists and making an astonishing 10.7 trips to the foul line per game. Sharpshooter Phil Forte pitches in 17.3 ppg for OSU, which is holding opponents to 29 percent field-goal shooting and 22 percent from three-point land. Oklahoma State brings a 10-game home nonconference win streak into Friday's game.
 
SERIES STUFF
This is the first-ever meeting between Milwaukee and Oklahoma State. The Panthers are 2-6 all-time versus current members of the Big 12 Conference and are facing their first Big 12 opponent since March 13, 2012, when they came up on the short end of an 83-73 decision versus TCU in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational.
 
TERRIFIC TURNAROUND
After winning only eight games in 2012-13, Milwaukee engineered the best turnaround in the nation in 2013-14 by posting 21 victories for a 13-game improvement in the win column. Milwaukee has now won 20 or more games four times under Rob Jeter and seven times in the last 12 years.
 
MINIMIZING THE MISCUES
Through three games, Milwaukee has committed only 27 total turnovers (9.0 per game) and in Monday's win versus Minnesota-Crookston coughed the ball up a mere six times, the lowest total since December 13, 2011 at Wisconsin (6).
 
SPRINGS FEVER
Sophomore Akeem Springs made quite an impression in Milwaukee debut last Friday night. The transfer from Northern Illinois totaled 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists at Auburn after leading the team with 15 points in the exhibition victory over UW-Platteville on November 6. Springs is the second Panther newcomer in as many years to score 20 or more points in his debut in the Black and Gold. Last season, Matt Tiby poured in 21 points in the season opener at Loyola Chicago. Springs, who contributed 7.7 ppg at Northern Illinois in 2012-13, got off to a fast start that season as well, averaging 11.0 ppg over the first nine games. His play stood out to Rob Jeter that year as Springs narrowly missed out on a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds against Milwaukee. Though it is early in the year, Springs has struggled at home (7.0 ppg, 20% FG), but put up good numbers in UWM's lone road tile (21.0 ppg, 45% FG). In seven career games played in November, Springs is accounting for 11.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 1.4 apg.
 
K.C. MASTERPIECE
Kansas City, Mo., native J.R. Lyle has gotten his junior campaign off to a strong start. The 6-foot-2 guard has started all three games this season and ranks second on the team with 12.7 ppg. Lyle, who has scored in double digits twice this year and five times in his last 12 contests dating back to last season, is active at both ends of the floor. In addition to his scoring average, which ranks second on the club, Lyle is tops on the squad with six total steals (2.0 spg) and he is knocking down 54 percent (13-for-24) of his shots from the field. Dating back to last season, in his last four starting assignments, Lyle is contributing 14.5 ppg, 1.8 apg and 2.0 spg, while sinking 56 percent (22-for-39) of his attempts from the field and 40 percent (6-for-15) from three-point territory.
 
TIBY TIME
Junior Matt Tiby is primed for a big season in 2014-15. The emotional leader of the Panthers squad, the 6-foot-8 forward made an immediate impact in his first season of Division I basketball last year, ranking third on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), while leading the club in rebounding (6.5 rpg). Tiby, who scored in double figures on 24 occasions in 2013-14, got his season off to a hot start a year ago, pitching in 17.5 ppg and 9.5 rpg through the first four games. A 2015 Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection, the Urbandale, Iowa native recorded six double-doubles a year ago and scored in double figures on 24 occasions, five times topping the 20-point mark. Milwaukee went 5-1 last season when he posted a double-double. Last week, Tiby was named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List. The award is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Mid-Major Player of the Year and Tiby is one of three Horizon League players - Keifer Sykes (Green Bay) and Tyler Lewis (Cleveland State) are the others - on the watch list. Tiby has only averaged 14.7 minutes per game this season and in three career games versus power conference foes is pitching 9.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg .
 
ON POINT
Milwaukee will benefit from the steady play of an experienced point guard this season. Redshirt senior Steve McWhorter's play was instrumental in the Panthers making a late-season run a year ago. A veteran who serves as coach on the floor, the Racine, Wis., native averaged 7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.0 apg and 1.5 spg last year. Not known as a big scorer, McWhorter has scored in double digits on 15 occasions in his UWM career and the Panthers are 12-3 in those contests. In 2013-14, he started all 35 contests and through the first five games of the season, pitched in 10.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.2 apg and 1.4 spg, while connecting on 59 percent (20-for-34) of his field goal tries. Over the last pair of contests, McWhorter has been more aggressive offensively and is collecting 18.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.0 bpg and 1.0 spg. Wednesday night versus IUPUI he netted a career-best 19 points and in his last five games, owns a 4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio (20-5). In three seasons on active rosters at both Indiana State and Milwaukee, McWhorter has helped his team reach the postseason on three occasions (2 NCAA, 1 CIT).
 
AUSTIN POWERS PANTHERS
Another Panther who got off to a tremendous start last season was three-point specialist Austin Arians, who scored in double digits in each of his first eight appearances to the tune of 13.0 ppg on 41 percent (15-for-37) shooting from beyond the arc. One of the top long-range shooters in the Horizon League, the junior forward led the squad by draining 37 percent (65-for-177) of his shots from downtown a year ago. Arians poured in 10 or more points 22 times during his sophomore campaign and the Panthers posted an impressive 16-6 ledger in those contests. Dating back to last season, Arians, who has missed the first three games of 2014-15 with an ankle injury, is producing 13.5 ppg on 38 percent (10-for-26) shooting from three-point territory in his last four appearances. In his last 15 games versus non-Horizon League opponents, the Stoughton, Wis., native is accounting for 12.8 ppg and has reached double figures in all but two of those outings. In last year's NCAA Tournament loss to Villanova, Arians notched a team-high 17 points and added five rebounds.
 
CODY CONTRIBUTES
After putting up 2.5 ppg as a freshman in 2013-14, Cody Wichmann has shouldered a bigger load in the early portion of the 2014-15 campaign and has responded in great fashion. Seeing more minutes due to the injury to Austin Arians, the sophomore sharpshooter is putting up 8.0 ppg and shooting 47 percent (8-for-17) from the field, while hitting at least on three-pointer in all three contests. Wichmann, who dropped in a season-high 10 points versus Minnesota-Crookston Monday night, has yet to commit a turnover in 61 minutes of action this season.
 
SITTING THIS ONE OUT
In addition to Scotty Tyler, a transfer from Idaho State University, who must sit out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA rules, Milwaukee freshman guards Brock Stull and Derek Rongstad will redshirt. A tremendous all-around athlete who also was a standout football player at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Ill., Stull totaled 1,194 points in his prep career. Meanwhile, Rongstad was a prolific three-point shooter during his prep career at Middleton High School in Middleton, Wis., connecting on 105 triples.
 
NAME GAME
The 2014-15 season will be Milwaukee's first in the newly named UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, which was previously know as U.S. Cellular Arena. In June, the University entered into a 10-year partnership agreement with the Wisconsin Center District that includes the naming rights to the facility and a long-term downtown home for the Panthers. UWM will also host major concerts and other programming at the arena.
 
FROM THE HARDWOOD TO THE GRIDIRON
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris has joined the likes of former college basketball players Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham and made a career as a tight end in the National Football League. The 6-foot-7 Harris, who starred at UWM for two seasons (2011-13), was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad last year before earning a spot on the active roster this season. Before breaking his foot in pregame warm-ups on November 9, he had appeared in eight games this year and caught three passes for 20 yards. Harris averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game at Milwaukee in 2012-13 and is the first Panther to play in the NFL since 1983.
 
JORDAN RULES
Freshman guard Justin Jordan brings some interesting bloodlines to the Milwaukee program. The Davidson, N.C., native is the son of Larry Jordan and the nephew of former NBA great, six-time NBA champion, Hall of Famer and current Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan. Justin played last season at Hargrave Military Academy and contributed 13 points, eight assists and four steals per game. In last Friday's opener at Auburn, he showed the poise of a veteran, totaling 11 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench to become the first Panther true freshman since Tony Meier in 2008 to score 10 or more points in a season opener. That effort earned him Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors and he followed that up with a team-high-tying seven rebounds off the bench Monday versus Minnesota-Crookston.
 
PANOSKE PRODUCES
Junior J.J. Panoske has started the first three games and in addition to shooting a staggering 67 percent (10-for-15) from the field, the 6-foot-10 forward has drained 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. In Milwaukee's two games this week, Panoske is going for 10.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 bpg, while shooting 62 percent (8-for-13) from the field and 60 percent (3-for-5) from outside the arc. Over his last seven appearances in the month of November dating back to last season, Panoske is tallying 7.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.9 bpg.
 
THE KIDS CAN PLAY
In last Friday's season opener at Auburn, newcomers accounted for 38 of the Panthers' 73 points. Two Panthers newbies - Akeem Springs (21) and Justin Jordan (11) - scored in double figures.
 
UP NEXT
Milwaukee heads to Las Vegas to face Louisiana-Lafayette and Oral Roberts in the MGM Grand Main Event, November 24 and 26.