The Milwaukee men's basketball team is coming off a record-breaking contest Sunday against Judson and hopes the hot-shooting and high-scoring continues Thursday when the team welcomes South Dakota to UWM Panther Arena. The Panthers broke the school's NCAA Division I scoring mark with 125 points last time out and looks to run its current winning streak to five games in a row against the Coyotes. Tip time is set for 7 p.m.

LOOKING AT SOUTH DAKOTA
The Coyotes return two starters in seniors Casey Kasperbauer and Tre Burnette, but must replace 54 percent of their scoring and 46 percent of their rebounding. The team won seven of their last 10 games last season to earn their first winning record (17-16 overall) in four years.

Second-year head coach Craig Smith has the team off to a 6-4 start this season, with a loss in South Dakota's last outing - a 77-67 falter at home against CSU Bakersfield - snapping what was a five game winning streak. Included in that stretch was an 85-81 double-overtime victory at Minnesota - an opponent that Milwaukee heads to next.

Five different players - four starters - average double-figures in scoring for the Coyotes, led by Burnette at 13.5 ppg. He also leads the squad in rebounding at 6.7 rpg. Kasperbauer (12.8 ppg) and Shy McClelland (12.0 ppg) round out the top three scorers.

SERIES HISTORY
This is just the fourth meeting in the all-time series, with Milwaukee holding a 2-1 advantage after the Coyotes prevailed, 84-60, just one season ago. Milwaukee and South Dakota are meeting for just the second time since 1972.

LAST GAME
Seven different players scored in double-figures, led by a career-high 22 points apiece by J.J. Panoske and Akeem Springs, as the Milwaukee men's basketball team rolled to a 125-74 victory over Judson University Sunday afternoon at the Klotsche Center.
 
The Panthers (8-3) scored the first 14 points of the day and led the Eagles (6-8) comfortably all afternoon in breaking the 11-year old team record for most points in a game.
 
Panoske finished with his second career double-double, adding a game-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes of game time. Springs added four rebounds and four assists, making 9-of-11 shots in just 19 minutes.
 
Jeter pulled most of the starters with 15 minutes to play and all of them were on the bench the final 10-plus minutes.
 
Brock Stull came off the bench to finish with a career-best 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists in his 19 minutes of action. JayQuan McCloud scored 12 points and had five boards, Austin Arians had 11 and both Cody Wichmann and Matt Tiby rounded out the players in double figures with 10.
 
SCOREBOARD WORKOUT
It took the Panthers less than 40 minutes to break the program's NCAA Division I record for points in a game against Judson Dec. 13, with Scotty Tyler's rebound and putback with 2:33 to play giving the team 119 to eclipse the former mark of 117. The top three on that list now read:
1. 125 vs. Judson, 12/13/15
2. 117 vs. Prairie View A&M, 11/20/04
3. 112 vs. Northeastern Illinois, 2/2/91

It was a busy first half as well, as UWM piled up 66 points over the first 20 minutes to also break the school mark for points before halftime that was originally set back in 1991. The list is now three for the amount of times Milwaukee has scored more than 60 prior to intermission.
1. 66 vs. Judson, 12/13/15
2. 61 vs. Cal State Northridge
3. 60 vs. UMKC, 12/29/90

The contest was Milwaukee's first over 100 points in 362 games and its first victory of 40-plus points in 299 outings - since a 98-57 win over Youngstown State back on February 9, 2006.

IT WAS KIND OF A BIG DEAL
It was a record-breaking day against Judson Dec. 13, with a few near-misses to go along with a handful of new standards. One of those was made field goals, as Milwaukee made 47 of 75 attempts from the floor. Not only was the 62.7 percent the fourth-best performance in school history, but the 47 field goals easily topped the former standard of 42, set against Youngstown State back on February 9, 2006.

In addition, the 32 assists (compared to just nine turnovers) tied the school mark, first established against Prairie View A&M back in 2004.

Lastly, at 55-27, the +28 rebounding margin was second in school history to a +36 advantage set against Loyola in 2009.

NOT BAD FOR A FROSH
Brock Stull came off the bench to play 19 minutes in the big win over Judson Dec. 13 and certainly played a key role in UWM getting to 125 points. He poured in 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocks. In doing so, he became the first UWM freshman to finish with at least 15 points in a game since 2009 (when Tony Meier netted 17 vs. UIC 1/31/09). In fact, his 18 points marked the most by a freshman in nearly nine years - since Ricky Franklin also went for 18 against Youngstown State back on January 13, 2007.

TAKING NOTICE
The team's 8-3 start through 11 games is one of the best-ever, trailing only a pair of 9-2 starts (2013-14 and 2002-03) and the school-record opening of 10-1 back in 1992-93.

People have taken notice nationally, with Milwaukee breaking into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll Dec. 14. The Panthers enter at No. 21, one of three Horizon League teams in the poll (Valparaiso is currently No. 3 and Oakland No. 15).

IN CASE YOU NEED OPTIONS
One thing has become clear over the first 11 games of the season - Milwaukee has plenty of options on offense. The Panthers have already had nine different players collect at least one double-figure scoring outing, with all five regular starters entering play Thursday averaging in double-figures. Matt Tiby has scored 10 or more a team-high nine of 11 times. Austin Arians has done so seven times, while Akeem Springs, J.J. Panoske and Jordan Johnson have all done so on six occasions.

ABOUT THAT STREAK
With the 22-game streak against the Badgers now over after the 68-67 win Dec. 9, we take a quick look back at the stretch:
-There were 17 games played in Madison and five in Milwaukee.
-Just one player, J.R. Lyle, was born before the last victory on December 12, 1992. Matt Tiby was close.
-The Panthers nearly ended the streak in 2011, falling by just six points, at 60-54, to a Badger team ranked No. 14 at the time.
-Head coach Rob Jeter was a second-year assistant for Bo Ryan at UW-Platteville in 1992.

LET'S GO!
Freshman JayQuan McCloud, a transfer to Milwaukee from Murray State following the first semester last season, has been declared eligible by the NCAA and was available to play starting with the game against Wisconsin Dec. 9. He has made an immediate impact and scored 12 points in just his second game against Judson Dec. 13.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS
Senior Matt Tiby is closing in on a milestone, sitting at 976 career points entering the game against the Eagles. He is set to become the 26th player to score 1,000 or more points in a Panther uniform and the first since Tony Meier at the end of the 2011-12 campaign. At his current career scoring average of close to 13 points a game, Tiby can quickly climb up the scoring list over the course of his senior campaign.

On the horizon:
976 - Matt Tiby
1,020 - Pat McCabe
1,022 - Anthony Hill
1,026 - Tony Meier

In addition, having already grabbed his 500th career rebound earlier this season (against Notre Dame Nov. 17 - becoming the 15th player to accomplish that feat all-time), he will also end up as one of just 12 UWM players to record over 1,000 points and 500 boards in a career. The last addition to that list came in the 2010-11 season via Anthony Hill (1,022 pts/513 reb).

CLEANING THE GLASS
Speaking of the rebounding chart, with a career average of close to 7.5 rebounds a game, Matt Tiby could end up breaking into the top five on the career rebound list at UWM - and all in just three seasons in a Panther uniform. He would need to pass Adrian Tigert (760 from 2001-06) for the most in Milwaukee's NCAA Division I history.

1. Larry Reed (1959-60/64-67): 1,529
2. Tom Reikowski (1965-70): 1,080
3. Tom Knuesel (1955-59): 792
4. Adrian Tigert (2002-06): 760
5. Richard Cox (1971-74): 753
6. Erik Schten (1985-88): 611
7. Clay Tucker (1999-2003): 592
8. Craig Greene (1989-93): 557
9. MATT TIBY: 553

JORDAN RULES
Junior Jordan Johnson, a transfer from John Wood Community College, has burst onto the scene and is one of the top set-up men in the nation. Through games of December 14, the lightning quick Johnson ranked second in the Horizon League and third in the nation with his per-game average of 8.0, behind only Kay Felder of Oakland (8.9) and Jabril Durham of Arkansas (8.1). He actually sits tops in the country in total assists with 88 and is a key reason that Milwaukee leads the Horizon League with 18.7 assists per game as a team - ranking 17th in the country in that category - and with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. If he maintains that pace, the 5-foot-9 point guard will easily shatter the Milwaukee Division I record of 7.0 assists per game set by Marc Mitchell in 1992-93. Over the last five contests, the 2014-15 NJCAA Division II All-America selection is tallying 13.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 8.4 apg and 1.2 spg. His 13 assists versus Duquesne on November 24 were the most by a Panther since Kaylon Williams had a school-record 14 helpers at UIC, February 12, 2011.

His double-double of 11 points and 10 assists at Notre Dame was the first of the points/assists variety for a UWM player since Steve McWhorter went for 16 points and handed out 12 assists against Youngstown State on Jan. 14, 2015. He netted a team-high 22 points in the big victory over Wisconsin Dec. 9, making 6-of-10 from the floor and 8-of-8 from the free throw line to help him earn Horizon League Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

TIBY TIDBITS
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. He has posted a double-double in five of his last 12 appearances dating back to last season and Milwaukee is now 13-5 in his career when he totals 10 or more points and rebounds. The Urbandale, Iowa native has scored 10 or more points in 30 of the last 32 outings and in the loss to Duquesne Nov. 24, erupted for a career-best 29 points, the most by a Panther since Jordan Aaron tallied 30 points at Green Bay on February 8, 2014. A 2015-16 Preseason First Team All-Horizon League selection, Tiby's seven double-doubles in 2014-15 were the most by a Panther in a single season since Adrian Tigert had nine in 2005-06. A starter in each of the 76 games in which he has appeared during his Milwaukee career, Tiby had a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds in a road loss at South Dakota a year ago.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Rob Jeter has made his mark on the Milwaukee basketball program during his 10 seasons as head coach. He will enter the 2015-16 season 21 wins shy (starting at 165) of matching Guy Penwell's school record of 186 victories and his 91 Horizon League victories rank fourth all-time among League coaches. Penwell finished 186-145 (.562) in 18 seasons as the Milwaukee head coach (1930-42; 1946-52).

THREE-MENDOUS
In a loss at No. 18 Notre Dame Nov. 17, the Panthers shot a blistering 66.7 percent (14-for-21) from beyond the arc - tied for the third-best single-game percentage in program history. A year ago, Milwaukee averaged 7.0 threes per game, but has pushed that number to 8.9 per contest through 11 games in 2015-16.

SPRINGS FEVER
Akeem Springs continues to elevate his play this season and is now averaging a career-high 13.0 points per game while shooting career-best totals from the floor (.525) and three-point range (.444). His outing against Judson Dec. 13 was one of his best, setting a collegiate-high with 22 points after sinking 9-of-11 shots from the floor.

He was impressive at both ends of the floor in Milwaukee's victory at Santa Clara November 15, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double since February 10 against Oakland (13 points, 10 boards), and in a November 17 game at then-No. 18 Notre Dame equaled a career high with 21 points. The transfer from Northern Illinois has scored in double figures in 18 of his last 28 contests and the Panthers are 9-4 in the last 13 games in which he has scored 10 or more points. Springs has buried 34 of his last 39 (.872) tries from the charity stripe, including a cold-blooded 4-of-4 swishes in the final 64 seconds of the win over Wisconsin Dec. 9. A starter in 25 consecutive contests, the Waukegan, Ill., native played strongly in the Gulf Coast Showcase Nov. 23-25, pitching in 14.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.3 apg, while connecting on 50 percent (15-for-30) of his field goal tries and 42.8 percent (6-for-14) of his three-point attempts.

PANOSKE PRODUCES
J.J. Panoske has come into his own since mid-February of last season and over his last 16 games is pitching in 11.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.4 bpg, while shooting 49.7 percent (70-for-141) from the field and 46.8 percent (22-for-47) from beyond the arc. Already the Panthers' Division I career leader with 111 blocked shots, the 6-foot-10 forward, has helped Milwaukee to a 12-4 record over the last 16 games. Last season's team leader in free throw percentage (.857), the Brodhead, Wis., native has drained 42 of his last 48 (.875) attempts from the foul line.

His outing against Judson Dec. 13 was one of the best of his career, establishing a career-high with 22 points while also adding his second career double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. He added three assists as well in just 20 minutes of time on the court.

Against Lipscomb November 14, 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 the Bison.

AUSTIN'S POINTS POWER PANTHERS
One of the premier shooters in the Horizon League, Austin Arians is fifth in the conference in three-pointers per game (2.6) through games of December 10. The 6-foot-6 forward, who redshirted the 2014-15 season, has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 15 appearances and in the loss to Duquesne Nov. 24 contributed a season-best 21 points, his most since a career-best, 28-point effort at Youngstown State on February 20, 2014. Named MVP of the Cable Car Classic after putting up 15.3 ppg, Arians had 19 points at Notre Dame November 17. Through 11 games, he ranks third on the team with 12.4 ppg. 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 a 21-8 record the last 29 times the Stoughton, Wis., native has scored in double digits. Arians has also knocked down 28 of his last 31 attempts (.903) from the charity stripe.

THE "D" IS KEY
In its eight wins, Milwaukee has limited opponents to 64.9 points per game and 40.2 percent (188-for-468) shooting from the field, including holding a potent Wisconsin offense down to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. However, in three losses, the Panthers have yielded 82.7 ppg and seen foes sink 54.2 percent (91-for-168) of their field goal attempts.

CODY'S CONTRIBUTIONS
Cody Wichmann came off the bench to produce a career-best 17 points, hitting all five of his three-point attempts, in only 13 minutes of action in the Panthers' victory over Trinity International on November 20. Milwaukee is now 11-2 in his career when he scores in double figures. The 6-foot-5 junior has knocked down 13 of his last 21 attempts from beyond the arc (.619). 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. 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. Over his last 16 appearances at home, Wichmann is contributing 8.7 ppg and shooting a sizzling 57.5 percent (46-for-80) from the field and 56.7 percent (34-for-60) from three-point land. Wichmann excels in the classroom as well, named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court last season, and is on track to earn his accounting degree in less than four years.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Milwaukee went 10-4 at home last season and has won eight of its last nine games at UWM Panther Arena. Over that nine-game stretch, the Panthers have lit up the scoreboard for 70.3 ppg, while shooting 46.9 percent (227-for-483) from the field and a healthy 41.8 percent (74-for-177) from three-point territory.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
As a team, Milwaukee is shooting 77.9 percent (198-for-254) from the foul line in its last 12 contests dating back to last season. 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. 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 11 games this year, Milwaukee is converting 75.9 percent (176-for-232) of its charity tosses, a figure that ranks first in the Horizon League.

THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which has scored 71 or more points in eight of its 11 contests of the 2015-16 season, has now prevailed in 14 of its last 18 games when scoring 70 or more points.

MILWAUKEE MOMENTUM
Dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, the Panthers had won 12 of their prior 17 games before an 86-78 loss at No. 18 Notre Dame on November 17 halted Milwaukee's seven-game winning streak. That seven-game stretch marked the program's longest stretch of consecutive victories since the 2010-11 season.

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. In fact, he has made nine starts through the first 12 games, recording four catches. 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.

CABLE CAR CLASSIC CHAMPS
Milwaukee captured the tournament title by going 3-0 at the season-opening Cable Car Classic hosted by Santa Clara. This marks the third straight season the Panthers have won an in-season tournament title, as they claimed the middleweight division of the 2014 MGM Grand Main Event a year ago and the NIU Showcase in 2013-14.

DOING WORK
The program has been notified that it will post a perfect Academic Progress Rate score of 1,000 when the NCAA officially releases the information to the public in the spring. The perfect single-year score will mark the second in a row for head coach Rob Jeter's squad. The back-to-back elite scores have moved Milwaukee's four-year average to 962. In addition, the current roster of the men's team posted a 3.014 GPA last semester.
 
In addition to the tremendous APR news, Jeter announced that three former players - Marcus Skinner, Mitchell Carter and Michael Tyler - have returned to campus and have completed their degrees following professional playing careers.

IT'S OUR HOUSE
Although the building in not new and has been the site to many historic basketball moments in Milwaukee history, this is UWM's second 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 most recently, U.S. Cellular Arena.

UP NEXT
The Panthers close out the month of December with one final road game, heading to Minneapolis for take on Minnesota next week Wednesday. Tip time is set for 7 p.m. as Milwaukee closes out the 2015 portion of the schedule.