The Milwaukee men's basketball team remains in the state of Montana for its next game, making the trip to Bozeman to take on Montana State Monday night. The Panthers remain in search of their first true road win of the young season, coming up just short in their attempt against Montana Saturday night in a five-point loss. Monday's matchup, scheduled for an 8:05 p.m. CST tip-off, will be broadcast on the Watch Big Sky Network and have live statistics available. It will also be carried on WISN AM 1130 with Scott Warras on the call. All links are available on the Milwaukee Athletics website.

LOOKING AT MONTANA STATE
The Bobcats are coming off a 14-16 record a season ago and return three starters. Montana State is led by reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year Tyler Hall, who scored 578 points as a freshman, draining 96 three-pointers. Zach Green, a 6-4 junior, and 6-3 senior Quinton Everett also return for the Bobcats.

The team is off to a 5-3 start this season, posting a perfect 5-0 mark at home. The Bobcats most recent outing resulted in a close 92-84 loss on the road at Utah Dec. 1. The team comes in averaging 83.5 points-per game, which ranks No. 40 in the country. They are fueled by a potent three-point attack, making 11.5 three's per game to rank fourth in the NCAA. Hall once again leads the way, with his 22.6 ppg scoring average coming in at No. 16 in the country coming into play Monday. Green also scores in double-figures at 12.8 ppg, as does Harald Frey at 11.0 ppg. Hall is the top rebounder at 5.9 boards per contest.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee is a perfect 2-0 all-time against Montana State, taking on the Bobcats in a home-and-home series in the 1991-92 season with both games played within a 15-day span in December of that year. Milwaukee won, 77-75, at home and claimed a 70-67 victory in Bozeman.

LAST GAME
Milwaukee overcame its biggest deficit of the night and had the opportunity to force a tie late in regulation before Montana escaped with a 75-69 victory Saturday evening at Dahlberg Arena.
 
Bryce Nze had a breakout game, finishing with his first career double-double after posting 15 points and 11 rebounds, while also playing a crucial role in the second-half comeback attempt. He went 6-of-8 from the field and added a block in 19 minutes.
 
Brock Stull had 13 points and five rebounds, while Jeremiah Bell was also in double-figures with 13 points off the bench.

GETTING IT DONE QUICKLY
Bryce Nze recorded the first double-double of his career against Montana Dec. 3, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds in just the eighth game of his UWM debut season. It's a noteworthy effort, marking the first double-double for a UWM freshman since Tony Meier had 17 points and 16 rebounds against UIC almost eight years ago (Jan. 31, 2009). Meier also had a double-double in his collegiate debut, finishing with 14 points and 12 boards against Loyola Marymount Nov. 14, 2008. Nze will have the chance to record the most double-doubles by a freshman in some time. Meier finished that season with two, the same amount that Adrian Tigert had as a frosh in 2001-02 (10 pts/11 reb against Butler 1/19/02 and 15 pts/13 boards against Omaha 12/1/01). Tigert's first double-double came in his fifth game of the season.

RINGING THE BELL
Jeremiah Bell is making a nice impression to open his career as a Panther. He now has four games in which he has scored in double-figures, including each of the past two outings. The 15 points he had against Jacksonville Nov. 30 marked his season high and he has averaged 14.0 ppg over the past two, connecting on 11-of-20 (.550) shots from the field.

CODY CLOSING IN
Cody Wichmann starts the day with 497 points, closing in on career point No. 500. A three-point specialist his entire UWM career, an impressive 375 of his career points have come in 125 makes from distance.

BE THE BALL DANNY
Dan Studer posted the most impressive outing of his UWM career in the victory against Jacksonville Nov. 30, ending the day with thoughts of a double-double before foul trouble shortened his night to 10 points and seven rebounds. He came into play against the Dolphins with prior career-highs of four points (accomplished three times) and three rebounds (also three times) and had that total doubled up by halftime with 8 points/6 rebounds.

ONE OF THE BEST EVER
The showing by the Milwaukee defense against UC Irvine Nov. 26 goes into the record book in numerous spots. The 37 points allowed rank as the lowest ever allowed to an NCAA Division I opponent, with only the 21 scored in December of 2000 by Mount Senario - an NAIA opponent - coming in ahead of it. The last time UWM held an opponent under 40 points came 143 games ago (see list below).

21: Mount Senario, 12/27/00
37: UC Irvine, 11/26/16
38: Wright State, 1/12/12
38: Texas Southern, 11/20/11

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
Had the Anteaters not found a way to make two of their final three field goals of the game Nov. 26, a couple other marks could have fallen. UC Irvine ended the contest with 11 made field goals and a 25.6 percent mark from the floor, with each total marking a new entry in the all-time top five.

FEWEST FIELD GOALS MADE
7: Mount Senario, 12/27/00
10: Detroit, 1/9/97
11: UC Irvine, 11/26/16
14: Two times

LOWEST OPP. FIELD GOAL %
.189 (7-37): Mount Senario, 12/27/00
.215 (14-65): UIC, 2/17/96
.245 (12-49): YSU, 1/7/08
.256 (11-43): UC Irvine, 11/26/16

EVEN MORE FOR AN ENCORE
Two other notes on the UWM defensive showing against the Anteaters Nov. 26. The 18 points allowed in the first half mark the fewest since the team gave up 15 to Wright State in January of 2015 (they also allowed just 18 to Cleveland State in February of last season). Also, the Panthers went close to 10 minutes without allowing a made field goal down the stretch against UC Irvine, with the hoop scored at the 4:05 mark snapping a span of 9:37 on the clock without one (14 misses and 5 turnovers forced in the stretch). The 22 forced turnovers on the day marked a season high.

Entering play this week, the Panthers were No. 1 in the Horizon League in points allowed, giving up 67.7 per game.

A TWIN FOR THE WIN
Brett Prahl played a key role in UWM's win over UC Irvine Nov. 26, setting career highs in numerous categories on his way to scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. The 10 points topped the nine he recorded against Cleveland State Feb. 20, 2016. The six boards tied his best, first achieved against Auburn Nov. 14, 2014. He also set a new mark with five made field goals (3 done four other times) and he also equaled the most minutes he has played at 21.

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 stretch of nine of 11 games on the road to open the season marks the most in Milwaukee's NCAA Division I history and equals the most all-time - tying the same start that the squad opened the season with way back in the 1939-40 campaign.

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. Barnes was also a spark off the bench against South Dakota State Nov. 27, pouring in 13 points in just 13 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting.

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 December 2, Milwaukee is second in the conference, turning the ball over on average just 12.7 times per contest. They are also third in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.1.

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.

Despite getting hurt just four minutes into the contest against SDSU Nov. 27 and not playing the rest of the first half, Wichmann went off for 18 points - again on six 3's - in just 13 minutes of second-half playing time against the Jackrabbits to accomplish the feat once again. 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.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Milwaukee has gone 21-8 at home the past two-plus seasons and has won 16 of its last 21 games at UWM Panther Arena. Over that 21-game stretch, the Panthers have lit up the scoreboard for 77.9 ppg, while shooting 45.6 percent (547-for-1199) from the field and a respectable 37.2 percent (185-for-497) from three-point territory.

THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which scored 71 or more points in 26 of its 36 contests since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, has now prevailed in 27 of its last 37 games when scoring 70 or more points.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 10 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
The team returns back to Wisconsin for the rest of the week, heading to a familiar spot Saturday when it visits former Horizon League foe Loyola. Game time in Chicago is scheduled for 3 p.m.