Milwaukee at Santa Clara Game Notes (pdf)

Milwaukee (2-0) at Santa Clara (0-2)
Cable Car Classic
Nov. 15, 2015 – 2:30 p.m. PT
Leavey Center - Santa Clara, Calif.
Radio: WISN (AM 1130)
Video: TheW.tv
 
 
THE OPENING TIP
• With a 71-65 victory over Lipscomb Saturday, Milwaukee extended its winning streak to six games dating back to last season. The Panthers are also off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2011-12 when they opened with a 4-0 record thanks to wins versus Southwest Minnesota State, Northern Illinois, IUPUI and Texas Southern. Dating back to last season, Milwaukee has won five consecutive games played away from UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. A victory over Santa Clara Sunday would earn the Panthers the Cable Car Classic title. A year ago, Milwaukee won the middleweight division of the MGM Grand Main Event via tiebreaker.
 
• The Panthers will be challenged right out of the gate by playing eight games in the season's first 13 days. Making that opening stretch even more difficult to navigate is that seven of those eight contests will be played away from UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, where Milwaukee went 10-4 a season ago. Over the first 13 days of the 2015-16 season, Milwaukee will travel a total of 7,450 miles and play in four states. A year ago, the Panthers also were quite busy at the outset of the season, playing seven games in 16 days.
 
• Milwaukee's six-game winning streak, which dates back to February 19, is the program's longest since a seven-game run January 23 - February 16, 2011.
 
• Since the start of the 2013-14 campaign, the Panthers are 12-6 (.667) in the month of November.
 
• Off the court, the Panthers had a phenomenal year in 2014-15, achieving high marks in the classroom, while also earning the Horizon League's Community Outreach Award after performing nearly 1,000 hours of community service. Milwaukee men's basketball players posted a team grade point average over 3.0 during the 2014-15 academic year and the team's total of four individuals on the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll was the highest in the conference. Continuing with the academic theme, Milwaukee placed two student-athletes - Evan Richard and Cody Wichmann - on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court and the Panthers also posted a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score.
 
SERIES STUFF
Milwaukee and Santa Clara are meeting for the first time since the Panthers last competed in the Cable Car Classic, in December 2003. Milwaukee, which wound up finishing that season with a 20-11 overall record, dropped a nail biter to the Broncos, 66-64 at the Leavey Center in the only previous meeting between the teams. The Panthers are 5-5 all-time against current members of the West Coast Conference.
 
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
Santa Clara has dropped its first two games of the season and is coming off a 55-33 setback at the hands of Denver Saturday night. The Broncos, who are only averaging 48.0 ppg, shot just 22.9 percent (11-for-48) from the field in that game and through two games are converting only 27.7 percent (31-for-112) of their field goal tries. Jared Brownridge leads Santa Clara with 17.0 ppg and is also grabbing 6.0 rpg.
 
TIBY TIDBITS
Senior Matt Tiby, the Panthers' emotional leader and a Second Team All-Horizon League pick a year ago, has picked up where he left off last season. In Friday's season opener versus Denver, Tiby totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Milwaukee is now 10-4 in his career when he totals 10 or more points and rebounds. His current streak of 23 straight games with double-digit points is the longest by a Panther since Joah Tucker in 2005-06 (27 games). Over the final 21 outings of 2014-15, the 6-foot-8 forward pitched in 15.6 ppg and 8.6 rpg after managing 7.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg through the first nine contests. A 2015-16 Preseason First Team All-Horizon League selection, the Urbandale, Iowa native was one of five players to rank among the top 12 in the League in both scoring and rebounding in 2014-15. Tiby averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.8 rpg in 30 games last season and scored in double figures 24 times, including in each of the last 21 outings. His seven double-doubles in 2014-15 were the most by a Panther in a single season since Adrian Tigert had nine in 2005-06. Dating back to last season, Tiby has averaged 15.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg in his last three nonconference outings and in his last four road games, is producing 19.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and shooting 50 percent (20-for-40) from the field and 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from triple territory. He has scored in double digits in 13 consecutive games away from home, averaging 16.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg during that stretch. Tiby has knocked down 16 of his last 35 three-point attempts (.457) after making just 1 of his previous 20 (.050). 
 
SPRINGS FEVER
Akeem Springs had an impressive first season as a Panther last year, averaging 10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 1.7 apg, while appearing in 28 contests. The transfer from Northern Illinois ranked third on the club in scoring last season. Springs burst onto the scene a year ago, exploding for 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists at Auburn in the season opener, but then tried to play through a hand injury that severely limited his ability to shoot the basketball. The 6-foot-4 guard scored in double figures in 12 of the final 17 contests of 2014-15 and recorded his first-ever double-double (13 points, 10 boards) against Oakland on February 10 and over the final 15 outings of the season put up 13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.0 apg, while shooting 47.7 percent (73-for-153) from the field. Springs has buried 57 of his last 76 (.750) tries from the charity stripe after opening last year by hitting 9 of his first 17 (.529) foul shots. He contributed 12.3 ppg and 5.9 rpg in Milwaukee's wins. Springs finished the 2014-15 season just as he started it - by scoring 21 points - in Milwaukee's victory at Youngstown State. Over the final four outings of the year, he shot 55.3 percent (21-for-38) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from three-point land, while averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg. In his last six games away from home, Springs is accounting for 13.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 2.2 apg, while shooting 50 percent (28-for-56) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-for-19) from long range.
 
PANOSKE PRODUCES
Senior J.J. Panoske, who averaged 7.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg a year ago, will look to build upon the incredibly strong finish he had to the 2014-15 season. Already the Panthers' Division I career leader with 105 blocked shots, the 6-foot-10 forward is pitching in 12.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 2.3 bpg over his last seven outings, helping  Milwaukee to a 6-1 record over that stretch. Last season's team leader in free throw percentage (.857), the Brodhead, Wis., native has drained each of his last 14 and 31 of his last 33 (.939) attempts from the foul line. In his last five appearances away from home, Panoske has collected 11.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.4 bpg, while hitting 47.6 percent (20-for-42) of his field goal attempts. He has connected on 15 of his last 31 (.484) attempts from beyond the arc and since the start of the 2014-15 season, Milwaukee is 5-1 when he drains two or more treys. Saturday night against Lipscomb, Panoske ripped down a career-best 15 rebounds, the most by a Panther since Matt Tiby corralled 17 versus Oakland on February 2, 2014, and added 12 points for his first career double-double. He also swatted five shots against Lipscomb.
 
AUSTIN'S POINTS POWER PANTHERS
Junior Austin Arians established himself as one of the premier shooters in the Horizon League in 2013-14 and after redshirting last season, has picked up where he left off. The 6-foot-6 forward provides the Panthers with another long-range threat and in Friday's season opener versus Denver, contributed a team-best 20 points, his most since a career-best, 28-point effort at Youngstown State on February 20, 2014. He followed that up with 12 points, on four more triples, in a victory over Lipscomb Saturday. Through two games, he leads the team with 16.0 ppg and is shooting 38.5 percent (10-for-26) from long range. In 2013-14, he connected on 36.7 percent (65-for-177) of his tries from three-point range en route to 11.1 ppg. Milwaukee has registered an 18-6 record the last 24 times the Stoughton, Wis., native has scored in double digits. Arians will look to get off to a fast start this season, much like he did in 2013-14 when he totaled 10 or more points in 10 of the team's first 11 games. A career 35.9 percent (114-for-317) shooter from beyond the arc, Arians led the team with 17 points in a 2014 NCAA Tournament loss to Villanova. In his last three appearances, Arians is accounting for 16.3 ppg and is averaging 4.7 threes per contest.
 
GOTTA GET BACK IN TIME
The 2015-16 season marks the 10-year anniversary of one of the best years in Milwaukee basketball history. Led by the play of Joah Tucker, Boo Davis and Adrian Tigert, the Panthers knocked off Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Florida. Two members of Rob Jeter's current staff - Chris Hill and Allan Hanson - were on that team, which won a NCAA Tournament game for a second consecutive season. Milwaukee finished the 2005-06 season with a 22-9 record in Jeter's first season as the Panthers' bench boss.
 
CODY'S CONTRIBUTIONS
With Austin Arians on the sidelines in 2014-15, Cody Wichmann shouldered more of a load and responded in fine fashion after logging only 6.8 minutes and 2.4 ppg as a freshman in 2013-14. In addition to leading the team in three-point field goals made (47) and three-point field goal percentage (.402) a season ago, Wichmann pitched in 6.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.1 apg, while appearing in all 30 contests. He will be looking to get off to another strong start in 2015-16. Last season, Wichmann came out of the starting blocks fast, hitting at least one three-pointer in each of the first 11 and 14 of the first 15 games. Over the final eight outings of 2014-15, Wichmann put up 7.0 ppg and shot 50 percent (20-for-40) from the field and 51.8 percent (14-for-27) from three-point territory. In his previous three games, Wichmann mustered 1.7 ppg on just 11.1 percent (1-for-9) shooting from both the field and downtown. Five of his seven double-digit scoring performances last season came at Panther Arena, where he shot 53.7 percent (36-for-67) from the field and 53.8 percent (28-for-52) from three-point land. In his career, Milwaukee is 8-2 when he scores in double digits. His marksmanship helped the Panthers to success in 2014-15 as he contributed 7.2 ppg and knocked down 50.7 percent (34-for-67) of his field goal tries and 52 percent (26-for-50) of his three-point attempts in Milwaukee's wins. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, the Pulaski, Wis., native has connected on 16 of his last 19 (.842) attempts from the foul line. He is on track to earn his accounting degree in less than four years.
 
JORDAN RULES
Junior Jordan Johnson, a transfer from John Wood Community College, has made quite an impression through the first two games of the season and done a magnificent job replacing graduated Second Team All-Horizon League selection Steve McWhorter as the Panthers' point guard. The lightning quick 5-foot-9 Johnson is posting 10.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 7.5 apg through two games and is coming off of a 12-point, 8-assist, 4-rebound effort versus Lipscomb yesterday. The Waukegan, Ill., native was a NJCAA First Team All-American and helped John Wood to the NJCAA Division II national title game in 2014-15. At Waukegan High School in Waukegan, Ill., Johnson was a teammate of current Panther Akeem Springs.
 
A CHIEF AMONG US
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris (2011-13) is once again on the active roster for the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. The first Panther to play in the NFL since 1983, Harris played two seasons at Milwaukee and helped the team to a College Basketball Invitational appearance in 2012 before putting up 9.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 2012-13. Last season, the 6-foot-7 Harris appeared in eight games as a tight end for the Chiefs and hauled in three passes for 20 yards before suffering a season-ending foot injury during warm-ups against Buffalo in early November.
 
SHOOTING STARS
Improved perimeter shooting was a key factor in Milwaukee's late-season surge in 2014-15. Over the final nine outings, Milwaukee knocked down shots at an impressive 43.2 percent (79-for-183) clip from three-point territory after sinking just 23.7 percent (50-for-211) of its triple tries in the previous 10 contests. Including yesterday's win over Lipscomb, Milwaukee has won 11 of its last 15 games when knocking down eight or more three-pointers. In last week's exhibition victory over Parkside, the Panthers opened 9-of-13 from three-point range and finished the game 13-for-27 (.481).
 
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
Dating back to last season, as a team, Milwaukee is shooting a ridiculous 92.6 percent (50-for-54) from the foul line in its last three contests. Milwaukee nearly set a single-season school record by draining 73.7 percent (434-for-589) of its free throw attempts in 2014-15 for the second-best accuracy rate in Division I program history. That percentage placed the Panthers tied for 32nd in the nation and tied with UIC for the top spot in the Horizon League. Four Panthers shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe last season, including J.J. Panoske, who converted 85.7 percent (36-for-42) of his foul shots. Milwaukee matched a single-game school record for free throw accuracy by sinking all 22 of its attempts in the regular-season finale at Youngstown State on February 28, 2015. The Panthers had twice previously connected on all of their foul shots in a game (minimum 10 attempts) - versus Green Bay (20-for-20) on January 9, 2009 and against Youngstown State (15-for-15) on January 7, 2008. Through two games this year, Milwaukee is converting 87.5 percent (28-for-32) of its charity tosses.
 
THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which has scored 71 points in each of its first two games of the 2015-16 season, has now prevailed in 10 of its last 11 games when scoring 70 or more points.
 
FINE NINE
Dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, the Panthers have won nine of their last 11 games, including each of the last six. Milwaukee's current six-game wining streak is its best since a seven-game run, January 23 - February 16, 2011.