Milwaukee at UIC Game Notes (pdf) 

MILWAUKEE (10-16, 5-7) at UIC (7-20, 3-9)
FEBRUARY 19, 2015  - 7 P.M. CT
UIC PAVILION – CHICAGO, ILL.
COMCAST SPORTS NET CHICAGO/ESPN3
WISN (AM 1130)
 
THE OPENING TIP
• Milwaukee looks to get back on the winning track and seeks its first true road win of 2014-15 when it makes the short trip down I-94 to take on Horizon League rival UIC. Three of the Panthers' final four games of 2014-15 will be played on the road. Milwaukee is 5-4 in its last nine contests.
 
• The Panthers have snapped out of a shooting funk to knock down shots at an impressive clip from the perimeter. Over the last five outings, Milwaukee is hitting 44.1 percent (45-for-102) of its three-point field goal attempts after sinking just 23.7 percent (50-for-211) of its triple tries in the previous 10 contests. Milwaukee is 7-4 this season when it knocks down eight or more three-pointers.
 
• Taking better care of the basketball has also been a key to the Panthers' last few wins as they are coughing the ball up just 9.0 times per game in their last three victories. Milwaukee is 5-1 this season when it commits 10 or fewer miscues.
 
• The road has not been kind to the Panthers this season and in the last six games away from home, Milwaukee is yielding 78.5 points per game and seen its opponents shoot 53.9 percent (186-for-345) from the field and 38.3 percent (31-for-81) from beyond the arc. By contrast, at home this season, the Panthers have given up only 64.6 ppg and limited opponents to 43.6 percent (313-for-718) from the field.
 
• Through games of February 16, forward Matt Tiby ranked 32nd in the nation with 6.38 defensive rebounds per contest.  With 7.7 rebounds per outing, Tiby has a chance to become the first Panther ever to lead the Horizon League in rebounding for a season. Bobby Hain (Youngstown State) paces the circuit with 8.1 rpg.
 
• The Panthers had a great semester in the classroom posting a 3.078 team GPA for the Fall 2014 term.
 
ABOUT THE FLAMES
UIC has been a tough out recently, winning two if its last three contests, and five of its nine Horizon League losses have come by eight or fewer points. Over the last four outings, the Flames are putting up 74.5 ppg and shooting 46 percent (98-for-213) from the field and 50.6 percent (42-for-83) from three-point land. A key to that recent resurgence has been junior guard Paris Burns, who is tallying 19.0 ppg and shooting 60 percent (6-for-10) from beyond the arc in the last four outings. Overall, guard Jay Harris leads UIC with 14.0 ppg.
 
SERIES STUFF
Milwaukee has dominated the recent history in the series with UIC, winning 13 of the last 15 meetings between the teams. The Panthers hold a 40-24 advantage in the all-time series with the Flames and have won five of the last six contests at the UIC Pavilion, including a 67-63 decision last season. In that game, Milwaukee wiped out a 13-point halftime deficit by shooting 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from the field in the second half as Jordan Aaron scored a team-high 18 points. When the teams met last month at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Matt Tiby posted 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 71-65 victory.
 
SPRINGS FEVER
Fully recovered from a broken hand that hampered his shooting for the better part of the first month of the 2014-15 season, Akeem Springs has been a force at both ends of the floor and in Milwaukee's last five outings is accounting for 14.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.6 apg and 1.4 spg, while shooting 43.3 percent (26-for-60) from the field and 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the foul line. The 6-foot-4 guard, who transferred from Northern Illinois, has scored in double figures in eight of the last 11 contests recorded his first-ever double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) against Oakland on February 10. He is contributing 11.3 ppg and shooting 44.6 percent (62-for-139) from the field in the Panthers' last 16 outings after managing just 6.0 ppg on 24.6 percent (17-for-69) shooting from the field in his previous eight appearances. Springs has buried 43 of his last 59 (.729) tries from the charity stripe after opening the year by hitting 9 of his first 17 (.529) foul shots. Springs has scored in double digits in three of the last four road games and if you discard the game at Valparaiso on January 26 when he was held scoreless, is posting 12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.7 apg in the last three outings away from home. He is contributing 11.0 ppg and 6.2 rpg in Milwaukee's wins. Springs owns an impressive 5.0 assist-to-turnover ratio (15-3) in the last four contests and in last month's game versus UIC in Milwaukee totaled 13 points and eight boards.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Earlier this season, junior J.J. Panoske became Milwaukee's career leader in blocked shots, surpassing Craig Greene's previous record of 89 rejections. The 6-foot-10 Panoske has turned away 91 shots in his career and is averaging 1.5 bpg in the Panthers' last two outings. Panoske tossed in 10 points in Milwaukee's loss to Valparaiso on February 15 for his best output since hanging a season-high 15 points on Oakland on January 22. He also appears to have broken out of a shooting slump and has drained 3 of his last 7 (.429) tries from three-point range after converting just 3 of his previous 24 attempts (.125) from downtown.
 
GAME TIME CHANGE
Milwaukee's home finale versus Cleveland State has been pushed back 30 minutes to 2:30 p.m. Central to accommodate television. The game will be televised live on the American Sports Network. 
 
TIBY TIDBITS
The Panthers' emotional leader, Matt Tiby has been consistently producing great numbers for the last two months. Over the last 17 outings, the 6-foot-8 forward is pitching in 15.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 2.0 apg after managing 7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.9 apg through the first nine contests. A 2015 Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection, the Urbandale, Iowa native ranks tied for second in the conference with 7.7 rpg and sits second in League contests only with 8.8 rpg. Tiby is the only two player to rank among the top five in the League in both scoring and rebounding in conference play. Tiby is averaging 12.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg through 26 games this season and has scored in double figures 20 times, including in each of the last 17 outings. He is shooting 45.7 percent (54-for-118) from the field in the last 11 outings and has knocked down 41 of his last 46 (.891) attempts from the free throw line. With a career-high-tying 22 points and 12 boards at Green Bay on February 5, he registered his seventh double-double of the season, surpassing his total from a year ago (6), and Milwaukee is now 9-4 in his career when he totals 10 or more points and rebounds. The seven double-doubles are the most by a Panther in a single season since Adrian Tigert had nine in 2005-06. In League action this season, he is putting up 15.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg. In three career meetings with UIC, Tiby has torched the Flames to the tune of 14.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 2.3 apg. He had 19 points and 13 boards against UIC on January 29. He has scored in double figures in eight consecutive road games, averaging 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.6 apg, while shooting 45.3 percent (43-for-95) during that stretch. His current streak of 17 straight games with double-digit points is the longest by a Panther since Joah Tucker in 2005-06 (27 games). Tiby has knocked down five of his last eight three-point attempts after making just 1 of his previous 20 (.050).
 
STEVIE WONDERFUL
Redshirt senior Steve McWhorter has saved his best season for his last. After averaging 7.8 ppg last season, the Racine, Wis., native leads the Panthers with 14.0 ppg in 2014-15.  McWhorter, who totaled 14 points, four assists, three boards and three steals against Valparaiso on February 15, has scored in double digits on 35 occasions in his UWM career and the Panthers are 21-14 in those contests. A starter in all 61 of his appearances as a Panther, McWhorter has a 2.56 assist-to-turnover ratio (64-25) over the last 11 contests. He has scored in double digits in 22 of the last 25 outings. A winner in every sense of the word, in three previous 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). He is accounting for 16.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 4.7 apg in Milwaukee's wins this year and had 17 points and five rebounds versus UIC last month. Milwaukee is 0-4 this season when he has failed to score at least 10 points this season. In a January 14 victory over Youngstown State, he recorded his third double-double of the season by collecting 16 points and a career-high 12 assists with only one turnover. His 12 helpers are the most by a Panther since Kaylon Williams dished out a dozen assists at Western Michigan on January 3, 2012. McWhorter has played all 40 minutes in five of the last 11 contests and is contributing 10.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.3 spg in three career meetings with UIC. He has struggled with his shot in Milwaukee's last three games away from home, draining just 31 percent (9-for-29) of his overall attempts and 9.1 percent (1-for-11) of his tries from long range. His six steals versus Detroit on January 31 are the most by a Panther since Larry Treadwell had a half dozen thefts against Butler on February 9, 1998. McWhorter is putting up 15.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.5 apg and 3.5 spg, while connecting on 54.2 percent (13-for-24) of his field goal attempts and 60 percent (3-for-5) of his three-point tries in the last pair of contests.
 
CODY CONTRIBUTES
With Austin Arians on the sidelines as a redshirt this season, sophomore Cody Wichmann has shouldered more of a load and has responded in fine fashion after logging only 6.8 minutes and 2.4 ppg a year ago. Over the last five outings, Wichmann is putting up 9.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.0 apg and 1.0 spg and shooting 53.3 percent from the field (16-for-30) and 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from three-point territory. In his previous three games, Wichmann mustered 1.7 ppg on just 11.1 percent (1-for-9) shooting from the field and downtown. The 6-foot-5 guard is shooting 41.4 percent (46-for-111) from beyond the arc and scored a career-best 15-points against Youngstown State on January 14.  Five of his seven double-digit-scoring performances this season have come at Panther Arena, where he is shooting 53 percent (35-for-66) 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 has helped the Panthers to victory this season as he is contributing 9.0 ppg and knocking down 52.6 percent (30-for-57) of his field-goal tries and 56.8 percent (25-for-44) of his three-point attempts in UWM's wins. In a November 29 victory versus Concordia-St. Paul, he registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. Dating back to last season, the Pulaski, Wis., native has connected on 14 of his last 17 (.824) attempts from the foul line. Wichmann has committed only 15 turnovers in 605 minutes this season. He poured in 11 points and added four boards and three assists against UIC on January 29 and in last season's game at the UIC Pavilion totaled 11 points. In three career meetings with the Flames, Wichmann is shooting a remarkable 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from three-point land.
 
PANTHERS GET CHARITABLE
After a slow start, Milwaukee has reversed its fortunes at the foul line, shooting a healthy 75.9 percent (330-for-435) over the last 23 contests. Through the first three games of 2014-15, the Panthers knocked down just 55.4 percent (36-for-65) of their charity throws. At 73.2 percent, Milwaukee ranks second in the Horizon League and 41st in the nation in free throw percentage through games of February 16.
 
JORDAN RULES
At a time when a lot of freshmen hit a wall, Justin Jordan is playing his best basketball of the season. In Milwaukee's last eight games, he is pitching in 7.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, and shooting 42.6 percent (20-for-47) from the field and 38.4 percent (10-for-26) from beyond the arc. Jordan's season-high 17 points against Wright State on January 20 were the most by a Milwaukee freshman since Austin Arians collected 17 points versus Loyola Chicago on January 30, 2013. The 6-foot-3 guard, who is the nephew of former Chicago Bulls guard, Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan, is averaging 6.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.7 apg in 12 starts this season. He has an admirable 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (16-9) at home this season and Milwaukee is 7-3 when he scores seven or more points. In Milwaukee's wins, Jordan, who has scored in double figures three times in the last eight games, is putting up 8.0 ppg and converting 48.4 percent (15-for-31) of his triple tries. He has knocked down nine of his last 11 attempts (.818) from the foul line.
 
GOING THE EXTRA LYLE
Like backcourt mate Akeem Springs, J.R. Lyle was slowed this season by an injury, but appears to be back at full strength if the last three games are any indication. The junior guard is contributing 9.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.7 apg and 2.0 spg, while connecting on 64.3 percent (9-for-14) of his field goal attempts and 62.5 percent (5-for-8) of his triple tries in the last three games. In his previous four appearances, Lyle pitched in 0.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.3 apg and 0.5 spg, while missing all six of his attempts from the field. Lyle, who has scored in double figures off the bench in two of the last three games, had 15 points against Oakland, on February 10 for his best output since going for 16 points versus Montana on December 14.
 
HOW SWEET IT WAS
The 2014-15 season marks the 10-year anniversary of Milwaukee's magical run to the NCAA Sweet 16. Led by the play of Ed McCants, Joah Tucker and Adrian Tigert, the Panthers knocked off Alabama and Boston College in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national runner-up Illinois. Two members of Rob Jeter's current staff - Chris Hill and Allan Hanson - were on that Sweet 16 squad. Milwaukee finished the year with a 26-6 overall record and a No. 23 ranking in the final ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.