The Milwaukee men's basketball team makes the trek across the state to take on the Wisconsin Badgers Wednesday night. Both teams will enter play with identical 6-3 records, with the Panthers having some momentum on their side after winning two in a row. The game will be featured on the Big Ten Network - Brian Anderson and Shon Morris will have the call - and is set to tip off at 8 p.m. at the Kohl Center in Madison.

LOOKING AT WISCONSIN
The Badgers are 6-3 on the season and have also claimed back-to-back victories, including an overtime win over No. 14 Syracuse Dec. 2. Head coach Bo Ryan is in his 15th season and headed into 2015-16 needing to replace over 60 percent of the team's scoring from a year ago, as well as national player of the year Frank Kaminsky. The Badgers look to replace five of the top seven scorers overall from a season ago, but do return a pair of starters in juniors Nigel Hayes (15.2 ppg/6.4 rpg in 2015-16) and Bronson Koenig (team-leading 15.8 ppg), who are the top two scorers so far this season and two of four to average double figures.

Wisconsin brings back 34.3 percent of its scoring, 31.5 percent of its rebounding and 40.5 percent of its assists from a team that went to the Final Four a year ago. Wisconsin began the 2015-16 ranked No. 17 in the AP Preseason Top 25. The Badgers finished the 2014-15 season ranked No. 2 in the Coaches Poll.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the 33rd meeting between the Panthers and Badgers and Wisconsin has dominated the series to the tune of a 31-1 lead. The Panthers, who have dropped 22 straight games to the Badgers, are looking for their first win in the series since December 12, 1992, when they pulled out a 77-72 victory at UW Fieldhouse. Milwaukee is 10-49 (.169) all-time versus current members of the Big Ten Conference, with seven of those wins coming versus Northwestern. The Panthers' last win over a Big Ten foe came on January 26, 2005, when they knocked off Purdue, 73-68 in West Lafayette, Ind. Since 2003-04, Wisconsin is an impressive 91-3 (.968) vs. unranked non-conference opponents.

LAST GAME
Matt Tiby led three players in double-figures with 12 points and the Milwaukee men's basketball team used a strong second-half showing to defeat SIUE Thursday night, 64-51, at UWM Panther Arena. Playing just their second home game of the season, the Panthers (6-3) picked it up in the second half against the Cougars (1-6), shooting 56.5 percent after intermission to claim the victory.
 
Tiby finished with those 12 points and added eight rebounds. Cody Wichmann had 10 and Jordan Johnson did a little bit of everything, stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
 
J.J. Panoske chipped in with eight points, five boards, four assists and a pair of big blocks and Akeem Springs netted nine. Austin Arians also had eight points and five rebounds and Carlos Anderson led SIUE with 10 as the only player in double figures for the visitors.

SEEING RED
A pair of members of the Milwaukee staff have ties to the Wisconsin basketball program. Panthers head coach Rob Jeter played for Bo Ryan at UW-Platteville and helped the Pioneers win the 1991 NCAA Division III Championship. Jeter then helped Platteville to a pair of NCAA titles and a staggering 108-6 (.947) as an assistant under Ryan from 1994-98. Jeter also served under Ryan at Milwaukee and at Wisconsin before landing the lead job with the Panthers in 2005. Assistant coach Sharif Chambliss played one season for the Badgers after transferring from Penn State. He contributed 7.5 ppg and 2.8 apg in 2004-05, helping UW to a 25-9 overall record and an Elite Eight appearance.

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 will be available to play against the Badgers.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS
Senior Matt Tiby is closing in on a milestone, sitting at 951 career points entering the game against the Badgers. 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:
951 - 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).

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 7, the lightning quick Johnson ranked second in the Horizon League and in the nation with his per-game average of 8.3, behind only Kay Felder of Oakland (9.3). He actually sits tops in the country in total assists with 75 and is a key reason that Milwaukee leads the Horizon League with 18.1 assists per game as a team and with a 1.4 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 four contests, the 2014-15 NJCAA Division II All-America selection is tallying 11.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 9.5 apg and 1.3 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.

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. Over the last three outings, Tiby is contributing 18.7 ppg and shooting 55.8 percent (19-for-34) from the field and 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from three-point territory. He has posted a double-double in four of his last 10 appearances dating back to last season and Milwaukee is now 12-5 in his career when he totals 10 or more points and rebounds. The Urbandale, Iowa native has scored 10 or more points in 28 of the last 30 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 74 games in which he has appeared during his Milwaukee career, Tiby totaled a team-high 17 points in last season's game against the Badgers.

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 nine games in 2015-16.

SPRINGS FEVER
Akeem Springs continues to elevate his play this season and is now averaging a career-high 12.6 points per game while shooting career-best totals from the floor (.506) and three-point range (.452). 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 17 of his last 26 contests and the Panthers are 8-4 in the last 12 games in which he has scored 10 or more points. Springs has buried 23 of his last 27 (.852) tries from the charity stripe. A starter in 24 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 14 games is pitching in 11.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.6 bpg, while shooting 49.2 percent (60-for-122) from the field and 40.9 percent (18-for-44) 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 10-4 record over the last 14 games. Last season's team leader in free throw percentage (.857), the Brodhead, Wis., native has drained 39 of his last 44 (.886) attempts from the foul line.

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 tied for second in the conference in three-pointers per game (2.8) through games of December 6. The 6-foot-6 forward, who redshirted the 2014-15 season, has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 13 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 nine games, he ranks second on the team with 13.2 ppg and is shooting 35.7 percent (25-for-70) 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 a 20-8 record the last 28 times the Stoughton, Wis., native has scored in double digits. Arians, who has knocked down 28 of his last 31 attempts (.903) from the charity stripe, is producing 14.5 ppg and 4.1 rpg in his last 10 games versus non-league foes.

THE "D" IS KEY
In its six wins, Milwaukee has limited opponents to 63.0 ppg and 41.6 percent (141-for-339) 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 10-2 in his career when he scores in double figures. The 6-foot-5 junior has knocked down 11 of his last 16 attempts from beyond the arc. 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 15 appearances at home, Wichmann is contributing 8.5 ppg and shooting a sizzling 56.8 percent (42-for-74) from the field and 57.9 percent (33-for-57) from three-point land. Wichmann is averaging 10.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg and converting shots at a ridiculous 61.1 percent (22-for-36) clip from the field and 61.5 percent (16-for-26) rate from long range in his last six nonconference games at Panther Arena. He 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 a robust 77.9 percent (155-for-199) from the foul line in its last 10 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 eight games this year, Milwaukee is converting 75.5 percent (120-for-159) of its charity tosses, a figure that ranks third in the Horizon League.

THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which has scored 71 or more points in seven of its first nine contests of the 2015-16 season, has now prevailed in 13 of its last 17 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 are off until Sunday, returning to campus for a noon matinee against Judson at the Klotsche Center.