The Milwaukee men's basketball team heads to the state of South Dakota for the Thanksgiving weekend, set to participate in the four-team Sanford Pentagon Showcase. The Panthers will play three games in three days, scheduled to take on East Tennessee State Friday, UC Irvine Saturday and South Dakota State Sunday. Milwaukee has enjoyed success in recent campaigns in such events, claiming team titles in each of the past three seasons. Tip off time against ETSU is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Pentagon, a 3,200-seat throwback to the gymnasiums of the 1950's, has hosted eight Division I men's basketball games since opening in 2013, having played in the venue in front of national TV audiences on ESPN and the Big Ten Network.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENTS
The field is a challenging one, with each participant winning at least 20 games a season ago. East Tennessee State (24-12 in 2015-16) made it to the South Conference Tournament title game a year ago before receiving a berth to the Vegas 16 postseason tournament. The Buccaneers are off to a 2-1 start, posting wins over Fordham and Detroit Mercy.

South Dakota State (26-8 in 2015-16) made the NCAA tournament last season after sharing the Summit League regular-season title and winning the conference tournament. The team is off to a 1-4 start this season.

Big West Conference member UC Irvine (28-10 in 2015-16) was the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) runner-up last season. Head coach Russell Turner and the Anteaters won a school-record 28 games en route to a share of the Big West Conference title. UC Irvine has been to the postseason each of the last four seasons (2013 CIT, 2014 NIT, 2015 NCAA and 2016 CIT) and is off to a 2-2 start this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee has never played either East Tennessee State or UC Irvine in its NCAA Division I history. The Panthers hold a perfect 5-0 mark against South Dakota State, last claiming an 82-70 victory in December of 2010. The smallest UWM margin of victory has been nine points.

LAST GAME
Eli Cain scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half to help DePaul break open a one-possession game at halftime on its way to a 77-59 victory over Milwaukee at Allstate Arena Nov. 20.
 
A pair of freshmen led the way for Milwaukee. Bryce Barnes paced the offense in scoring 14 points, doing so in front of his hometown crowd. He made 5-of-8 shots from the floor, 4-of-5 free throws and added a pair of steals. Classmate Bryce Nze was an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
The Panthers (1-2) hung tightly with the Blue Demons (2-1) until halftime. At that point, the home team came out in the second period white-hot, scoring the first seven points of the frame and 16 of 21 to take control. For the game, Brock Stull chipped in nine points and five rebounds despite foul trouble. Jeremiah Bell had six points and five boards.

IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
The Panthers have played very well of late when competing in such in-season events the past three years with similar setups. A year ago, UWM captured the tournament title by going 3-0 at the season-opening Cable Car Classic hosted by Santa Clara. A season prior, the Panthers won the middleweight division of the 2014 MGM Grand Main Event. Three years ago, it was a perfect 3-0 mark and the championship at the NIU Invitational.

WE'LL LEAVE THE LIGHT ON FOR YOU
The Panthers opened the 2016-17 season with two contests at home - an exhibition against Concordia Wisconsin and the regular-season opener against MSOE. From there, the fans will have to get to know the team from afar, as the Panthers are in a stretch of nine out of 10 games away from home. The only home date between the opener Nov. 11 and the Dec. 17 matchup when they host Western Illinois is Nov. 30 against Jacksonville. In between, UWM travels to five different states (Tennessee, Illinois, South Dakota, Montana, back to Illinois and then to Ohio) and will put on approximately 6,500 miles of travel via airplane and bus.

THE BRYCE IS RIGHT
A pair of freshmen have been making an early-season splash, making their biggest impacts to date in the contest at DePaul Nov. 20. Bryce Barnes led the team in scoring with 14 points, while fellow classmate Bryce Nze was just behind at 13.

SPLASHD3WN F3R C3DY
Being the team's leading returning scorer from a season ago, big things are on the horizon for Cody Wichmann. He didn't wait long to prove that, establishing a pair of career-highs in just the second game of the year at Memphis Nov. 16. Wichmann finished the contest with a collegiate-best 18 points, eclipsing his former best of 17 that he netted against Trinity International in November of last season. He also made a career-best six three-pointers to top his former high of five from that same game. The last Panther with more made 3's in a game, you ask? Jordan Aaron, when he sank seven against UMKC in his 33-point outing Nov. 30, 2013.

THE BIG DEBUT
November 11 against MSOE marked the big day for LaVall Jordan, making his head coaching debut with an 88-58 victory following 12 years as an assistant. That span came most recently at Michigan (6 years, 143-70, .671 winning percentage). Prior to that were stops at Iowa (3 years) and Butler (3 years) following a successful playing career as a Bulldog that included four postseason appearances (3 NCAA/1 NIT). In all, between his years as a player or a coach, Jordan has appeared in the postseason in 11 of his 16 seasons.

AND WE'RE OFF
A couple of different looks to the season-opening 88-58 win over MSOE, which saw Milwaukee playing its opening game of the season at the UWM Panther Arena for the first time since a win over SW Minnesota State to kick off the 2011-12 campaign. The team is now 16-11 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91. More impressively, the team is 23-4 in that same span in home openers, claiming wins in 16 of the past 17 (13 in a row at one point). Also, the Panthers have not lost the season opener when it is played at home since dropping an 80-79 decision to Platteville in November of 1994 (have now won the previous 11 in that scenario).

TEN IN No. 1
The Panthers had five different players finish in double-figures in the season opener against MSOE Nov. 11, including one freshman when Jeremy Johnson scored 11 points off the bench. That marked the most points for a freshman in a season opener since Tony Meier recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds against Loyola Marymount on November 14, 2008. It is also just the second time since then that a frosh has netted double-figures: Justin Jordan also finished with 11 in the 2014-15 debut against Auburn.

THE OPENING MARGIN
LaVall Jordan led his team to a 30-point victory in the season opener, one of the biggest margins of victory in an opener since the program went full-time to the NCAA Division I level in 1990-91. The top spot is tough to beat, a 117-55 win over Prairie View A&M back in November of 2004 that marked a 62-point victory. The 1995 opener ranks second at 38 (101-63) against Illinois Tech, while this year's version ties for fourth place with a 30-point 'W' against Mary (76-46) in November of 2012.  

CONTROL THE ROCK
Milwaukee will look to continue another trend from last season ... taking care of the ball. A year ago, the Panthers led the Horizon League - and finished seventh in the nation - with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.56. So far in 2016-17, it has been more of the same. Through games of November 20, Milwaukee is tops in the conference, turning the ball over on average just 11.0 times per contest.

LEARNING ON THE FLY
Due to graduation and transfers, the Panthers will not have quite the veteran presence of most of their opponents. Senior Cody Wichmann will be looked at heavily on that front, as he is the only current player on the roster to have started a game in a Milwaukee uniform at the NCAA Division I level. In fact, his career numbers total more than the returning players on the active roster in numerous categories. Wichmann entered the 2016-17 season with 408 career points, compared to the 219 tallied by other returners. He also leads the way in minutes played at 1,367 (852), field goals made at 139 (78), rebounds at 148 (143), assists at 67 (39).

Newcomer Cameron Harvey adds an experienced hand. He was an everyday starter for Stetson in his two seasons there and appeared in every game off the bench as a freshman at Eastern Illinois University. His career totals at the NCAA Division I level include 97 career games played (55 starts), 413 points, 97 rebounds and 45 assists.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Milwaukee has gone 20-8 at home the past two-plus seasons and has won 15 of its last 20 games at UWM Panther Arena. Over that 20-game stretch, the Panthers have lit up the scoreboard for 78.2 ppg, while shooting 45.6 percent (524-for-1148) from the field and a respectable 37.1 percent (177-for-478) from three-point territory.

THE NEW CREW
Head coach LaVall Jordan and his staff spent the offseason building the roster, eventually adding eight new faces to the team in addition to Jeremy Johnson who redshirted last year at UWM following an injury. In all, the roster will have seven freshmen (six new players and Johnson) and a pair of transfers added to the program.

A WARM WELCOME
In addition to the new players on the roster this season, LaVall Jordan and staff have announced the newest signings for next year when Carson Newsome signed his NLI Nov. 9 and Dylan Alderson on Nov. 15.

Newsome, a 6-foot, 5-inch guard, becomes Jordan's first member of the 2017 recruiting class. He currently attends Waukegan High School, in Waukegan Ill. Newsome is a three-year starter for the Waukegan Bulldogs. Last year, he averaged twelve points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals per contest, was named MVP at the Grant Thanksgiving Tournament and earned second team all-area honors.

Alderson averaged 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a junior last season. His versatility and work ethic helped him earn Honorable Mention AP All-State honors, with the team capturing league and district titles as well. He finished his junior campaign ranked No. 26 in the Detroit Free Press Top 100 player list.

JUST KEEP MAKING 'EM
The Panthers were one of the top shooting teams in the Horizon League last season, ranking first in team field-goal percentage for the large majority of the campaign. They finished shooting 45.6 percent (879-of-1927), the third-best shooting percentage in program history. The best team shooting percentage in program history was set in 2003-04 at 47.7 percent (838-of-1757).

In addition, the Panthers set or came close to breaking numerous other school marks. New standards were established in points with 2,618 (prior record was 2,466 in 2002-03), field goals made with 879 (874 in 2002-03), field goals attempted at 1,927 (1,907 in 1990-91), three-pointers made at 306 (264 in 2011-12), three's attempted at 842 (763 in 2011-12) and free-throw percentage at .772 (.745 in 1993-94). In addition, the team's scoring average of 79.3 ppg placed fourth all-time.

FILLING IT UP
The Panthers hit the 80-point plateau against MSOE, marking the first time they have scored 80-plus in a season opener since pouring in 89 against Concordia-St. Paul back in 2009-10. A season ago, the team scored at least 80 points in 16 different games. For comparison, Milwaukee finished with at least 80 points on just a pair of occasions in 2014-15. Three seasons ago in the run to the NCAA Tournament, the Panthers accomplished the feat 11 times.

THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which scored 71 or more points in 25 of its 34 contests since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, has now prevailed in 26 of its last 36 games when scoring 70 or more points.

LOOKING FOR AN ENCORE
The Panthers will look to start the season with the same momentum as a year ago. The team's 8-3 start through 11 games in 2015-16 was 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 took notice nationally as well, with Milwaukee breaking into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll Dec. 14. The Panthers entered at No. 21 that day.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
As a team, Milwaukee finished at 77.2 percent (554-for-718) from the foul line a season ago to break the school record. Not only was it a school record, but the total finished fifth at the entire NCA level last season (Connecticut led the way at .793).

The Panthers have performed very well at the line over the past three years. In fact, a look at the school records in that category proves that emphatically.

>>Team Season FT Records
1. .772 (554-718), 2015-16
2. .745 (433-581), 1993-94
3. .737 (434-589), 2014-15
4. .734 (604-823), 2013-14
5. .733 (482-658), 1999-2000

ADDING A PAIR OF B1G W1NS
Milwaukee may have been just 10-49 (.169) all-time versus current members of the Big Ten Conference coming into last season, but it now owns its first-ever two-game winning streak against the conference after posting a big 68-67 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers Dec. 9 and following that up with a convincing 74-65 win over the Minnesota Gophers Dec. 23. The Panthers' last prior win over a Big Ten foe came on January 26, 2005, when they knocked off Purdue, 73-68, in West Lafayette, Ind.

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 of last season, with a 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 of last season 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.

THE "D" IS KEY
In its 20 wins a year ago, Milwaukee limited opponents to 67.9 points per game and 42.1 percent (496-for-1177) shooting from the field, including holding a potent Wisconsin offense down to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. However, in 13 losses, the Panthers yielded 79.4 ppg and seen foes sink 48.9 percent (386-for-789) of their field goal attempts.

HE'S THE CHIEF
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris (2011-13) is once again on the active roster for the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, catching 10 passes in eight games so far in 2016. In fact, he made nine starts in the 16 games of the regular season in 2015, recording seven catches, including his first career TD in the regular-season finale. 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 in 2014 and hauled in three passes for 20 yards before suffering a season-ending foot injury during warm-ups against Buffalo in early November.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Matt Tiby reached the milestone in style, scoring a career-high 31 points against South Dakota Dec. 17 to become the 26th player to net 1,000 or more points in a Panther uniform (and the first since Tony Meier at the end of the 2011-12 campaign). In just three seasons as a Panther, Tiby nearly cracked the all-time Top 10.

CLIMBING THE CHART:
9. 1,388 - Dylan Page (2000-04)
10. 1,359 - Dexter Riesch (1966-70)
11. 1,332 - Matt Tiby (2013-16)
12. 1,291 - Ricky Franklin (2006-10)
13. 1,226 - Scott Netzel (1953-57)
14. 1,216 - Craig Greene (1989-93)
15. 1,208 - Dave Vincent (1957-61)

In addition, he finished 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).

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 third 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
Following the three games in South Dakota, the Panthers return home to host Jacksonville November 30. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.