UIC makes the drive up from Chicago Saturday, as the Milwaukee men's basketball team hosts the Flames in an afternoon matchup that will help the winner in the conference standings. As it currently sits, just 2.5 games separates fourth place from eighth place in the Horizon League standings, with both the Panthers and the Flames in that mix. With Motor City Madness fast approaching, teams in seeds No. 3-6 will avoid playing on day one. The day will also feature the annual "Alumni Game", set to be played at 11:30 a.m. The 2 p.m. contest will stream live on ESPN3, have live stats available and be carried on WISN AM 1130 with Scott Warras on the call. All links are available on the Milwaukee Athletics website.

LOOKING AT UIC
The Flames welcomed back four starters from last season's squad that posted a 5-25 overall record that included a 3-14 mark in league play. Second-year head coach Steve McClain brought in seven newcomers and has molded the team into shape as the stretch run begins despite losing Preseason All-Horizon League First Team selection Dikembe Dixson to injury for the season after just 10 games. According to KenPom.com, UIC is currently the youngest (or least experienced) of 351 teams in the country, with an average of just 0.72 years of playing experience on the roster.

Following an 84-80 loss at Green Bay Thursday, the Flames enter Saturday at 11-12 overall and with a 4-6 mark in league play. With Dixson's 20.3 ppg on the sidelines, the squad relies on Tai Odiase and his 11.0 points and team-high 7.0 rebounds per game. Marcus Ottey and Tarkus Ferguson are right behind at 10.3 ppg. Odiase, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team honoree this season, also leads the league in blocks at 2.7 per game, which sits 13th in the country.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee has dominated the recent history of the series with UIC, winning 16 of the last 19 meetings between the teams. The Panthers now hold a 30-23 advantage in the all-time series with the Flames at the NCAA Division I level (43-25 all-time dating back to 1969). A season ago, Milwaukee claimed a pair of victories (98-85 at home and 87-62 on the road) to improve its winning streak in the series to four games in a row. The Flames did record a 71-57 victory in game one of the season series this year back on Jan. 17.

LAST GAME
Alec Peters scored 22 points to lead Valparaiso to a 71-53 victory over Milwaukee Thursday night at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (8-16, 4-7 Horizon League) were hampered by a cold stretch from the floor in the middle of the contest, helping the Crusaders (19-4, 9-1 Horizon League) to extend their winning streak to a season-best eight games in a row.
 
Cody Wichmann led Milwaukee with 17 points, all coming in the second half. Jeremy Johnson was also in double-figures with 11. Brock Stull and Brett Prahl chipped in seven apiece, as the UWM offense could never really get rolling.

FREE BASKETBALL!
The Panthers were at it again, playing into overtime for the fourth time this season against Oakland Jan. 29. That marked the third consecutive game to go into overtime for UWM - the first time that has happened in program history - dating all the way back to the first game ever played on Nov. 11, 1896.

It's a pretty rare feat, as the last Horizon League school to play three consecutive games into overtime happened at the end of the 1987-88 campaign - almost 30 years ago - by Cleveland State. In fact, the back-to-back OT contests (Detroit Jan. 27 and YSU Jan. 22) marked the first time Milwaukee had even gone extra time in consecutive outings in 16 years - since January of 2001 (UIC/Loyola).

BROCK OF AGES
Brock Stull just kept grabbing rebounds against Detroit Mercy Jan. 27. When the game finally ended, not only did he break his former career-high of 11, but finished with 17 to just miss the school record of 18 boards in the process. Matt Tiby was the last to grab as many as 17, doing so against South Dakota back in December of 2015. The program mark of 18 is held by Nathan Schrameyer and was set against SEMO on March 2, 1995.

BULLSEYE FOR JOHNSON
Jeremy Johnson is on pace for one of the best free-throw shooting seasons in school history. Entering play Saturday, the redshirt freshman sits at an impressive .900 this year, missing just four tries out of 40 attempts. The school record (the minimum is 40 attempts) belongs to Pat Easterlin, who connected on 87.0 of his charity stripe tosses (40-of-46) back in 1993-94. Which means Johnson is set to become the first Panther in 26 seasons of NCAA Division I basketball to hit the 90 percent mark if he continues at his current rate.

HE WENT AND DID IT AGAIN
After scoring 20-plus points for the first time in 112 career games and setting a collegiate-high with 23 points against Youngstown State Jan. 22, what did Cody Wichmann do for an encore? The answer is to score 23 points ... again ... in the very next game against Detroit Jan. 27. The last time a UWM player netted 20-or-more in back-to-back outings was Matt Tiby, who scored 22 (at Detroit) and 24 (at Oakland) last February.

EZ FOR NZE
Bryce Nze was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week Jan. 23 after averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game despite playing, on average, only 18.7 minutes per outing (the team went 2-1). He shot 79.2 percent (19-24 FG) for the week. This is the first Freshman of the Week honor for Nze in his career and is the first for a Milwaukee player since Justin Jordan earned the honor Nov. 17, 2014.

HE'S THE (WICH)MANN
Cody Wichmann has been leading the way for the Milwaukee offense of late, scoring in double-figures in 12 of the past 16 games - topped by a career-high 23 points against both Detroit Jan. 27 and Youngstown State Jan. 22. The 23 points topped his former best of 19 (accomplished against Western Illinois Dec. 17) and has been highlighted by a strong showing from distance. Wichmann is currently first in the Horizon League with 3.1 made 3's per game and is ninth in shooting percentage at .400 from beyond the arc.

AND THE FROSH WILL LEAD
The Panthers have had a freshman lead them in scoring on six different occasions this season - including Jan. 20 when Jeremy Johnson went for a season-high 17 points. Not only did Johnson lead the way, but classmate Bryce Nze was the second-leading scorer in the win over CSU with 13 points. The duo combined to go 12-18 from the floor.

OH WHAT A NIGHT
Just a freshmen, Bryce Nze finished the night against UIC Jan. 17 at 10-of-12 from the floor, an .833 clip that checks in as the third-best shooting percentage in a single game in program history.
1. .846 (11-13) Adrian Tigert 3/18/06
2. .846 (11-13) Dylan Page, 2/1/03
3. .833 (10-12) Nze

In addition, his 22-point outburst not only set a season-high for the newcomer, but marked the first outing of 20-or-more points for a UWM freshman since nearly before Nze was born in 1998. The 22 points is the most since Clay Tucker scored 23 (also against UIC) back on February 12, 2000. Tucker had five games of 20-plus points that season, topped by a 24-point showing in the season opener against Central Michigan (11/20/99) - a game that included a Tucker 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game for Milwaukee.

PRAHL ON THE PROWL
Not to be outdone, Brett Prahl actually topped them all, making 90 percent (9-of-10) of his field goal attempts in the win over Youngstown State Jan. 22. (the school-record for FG% in a game carries a minimum of 10 makes). Prahl's 18 points helped him set a career-high for the third time this season and included an offensive rebound and reverse lay-in with 2.5 seconds left that tied the game at the end of regulation and forced overtime.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
It's a different season with different storylines, but it is obvious that Cody Wichmann and Brock Stull have certainly taken advantage of their increased roles and playing time so far in 2016-17. A comparison for the two players through 23 team games from this year to last (2015-16 #'s in parenthesis):
SCORING
Wichmann 12.9 ppg (4.3 ppg)
Stull 12.3 ppg (2.0 ppg)
REBOUNDING
Stull 7.0 rpg (1.2) / Wichmann 3.7 (2.2)
Assists
Stull 72 total (13) / Wichmann 36 (23)
FGM
Stull 110 total (15) / Wichmann 102 (33)
3FGM
Stull 34 (2) / Wichmann 70 (26)

STULL IMPRESSIVE IN LEAGUE PLAY
It's over halfway through the conference slate and Brock Stull has certainly enjoyed Horizon League play so far. He currently stands 12th in the conference with a per-game average of 14.5 points per game, netting a career-high 26 points against Youngstown State Dec. 29 to go along with 25 more against Green Bay. He is shooting 50.4 percent from the floor, and grabbing 7.4 rebounds per contest. He was within shouting distance of a triple-double against Youngstown State Jan. 22, posting a 19 pt/9 reb/6 asst stat line.

A REAL SHOOTING SHOWCASE
The season is well past the midway point, so it's worth noting that not just one, but two players are making over 60 percent of their field goal attempts so far this season. Brett Prahl leads the way at 66.7 percent, with freshman Bryce Nze close behind at 66.4 percent - the top two percentages in the Horizon League to date. Brett is no stranger to the impressive stat, having made an eye-popping 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the floor a season ago. The last person to make over 60 percent of their field goal attempts (while averaging at least one FGA per game) was Derrick Ford back in 2005-06, who made shots at a 61.5 percent clip that campaign. No team in UWM's NCAA Division I history has ever had two players make 60 percent or better in a season. The school record is .610 (86-of-141) for the year (minimum of 100 attempts), set by Adrian Tigert back in 2001-02. It's hard to believe, but the duo have actually shot BETTER in league games - Prahl sits at 73.6 percent through 11 conference affairs, with Nze just behind at 70.0 percent. They rank one-two in league play as well.

HIS TURN
Brett Prahl has also seized the opportunity he has gotten with increased playing time this season. Coming into the year, he had per-game averages of 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game (while averaging 6.2 minutes played). So far this season, he checks in at 6.3 ppg and 3.2 rpg (in 18.3 mpg), which he has upped to 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest since Horizon League play has opened.

THE TRIPLES PILE UP
Cody Wichmann starts play Saturday with 74 made 3-pointers on the season and, based on averages, he could end up with a chance to put his name in the record book this season. Currently on pace for over 90 makes, Wichmann could see his final tally end up top five in program history.

1. Ed McCants, 107 in 2004-05
2. Ed McCants, 104 in 2003-04
3. Von McDade, 96 in 1990-91
4. Boo Davis, 91 in 2005-06
5. Pat Easterlin, 87 in 1992-93

BROCK KNOWS BEST
Brock Stull not only became the first Panther to go for 20-plus points in a game this season, but also set a new career-high in the process against Youngstown State Dec. 29. The sophomore finished with an efficient 9-of-15 night from the floor, making all six of his free throw attempts to finish with 26 points, topping his former best of 18 that he netted last season against Judson. He added 10 boards for the third double-double of his young career.
 
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Bryce Nze is still getting accustomed to the college game, last playing on a regular basis as a high school junior following an injury that cost him his senior season. While foul trouble has been tough to avoid, rebounding at an impressive level has not. He has been the team's leading rebounder on nine occasions already this year - the most for a UWM freshman since Adrian Tigert accomplished the feat seven times in 2001-02. Nze also grabbed a career-high 11 boards at Montana Dec. 3 - Tony Meier was the last freshmen to grab 10-or-more rebounds in a game, doing so three times in 2008-09.

Also, with 115 rebounds in 412 minutes of court time this season, his average of one rebound every 3.58 minutes is very comparable to the leading rebounders in the Horizon League this season. Valpo's Alec Peters (No. 1 at 11.0 rpg) grabs one rebound every 3.24 minutes on the court and Justin Mitchell of Wright State (No. 2 at 8.3 rpg) collects one rebound every 3.62 minutes played on the court.

SOUNDING FAMILIAR?
Following the most road-heavy start to a regular season in program history (at 9 of 11 games), it was actually more of the same when the Horizon League slate began as well. The Panthers opened conference play with three straight road games for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.

GOING OT ON OVERTIME INFO
Following the double-overtime contest at Youngstown State Dec. 29, the Panthers have now played into overtime in just 5.9 percent (47 of 795) of all the games that have taken place since Milwaukee became an NCAA Division I member in the 1990-91 season. Of those 47, just nine have been played past the first overtime (1.1 percent), with eight now being settled in two overtime sessions and the ninth being the school-record four-OT thriller at UIC (a 112-106 loss) on December 11, 2001.

POSTSEASON PLANS
Tickets for the 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships go on sale December 29. The event will be held in historic Joe Louis Arena, March 3-7, in Detroit. All 20 men's and women's teams will compete for the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

WHO NEEDS A BREAK?
Two Panthers barely stepped off the court in the game against the Penguins, with Brock Stull playing 47 of the 50 minutes on the night and Cody Wichmann just behind at 46. Both of those totals are at the top of the all-time UWM record book, with Stull tying the single-game record.
47: Stull at YSU, 12/29/16
47: Dan Weisse at UIC, 1/11/01
47: Jason Frederick at UIC, 1/11/01
46: Wichmann at YSU, 12/29/16
46: Craig Greene at Sacramento St., 1/9/92
46: Joe Schultz at Illinois, 12/3/90

RINGING THE BELL
Jeremiah Bell continues to make a nice impression to open his career as a Panther. He now has nine games in which he has scored in double-figures, including seven times over his past 18 outings. The 15 points he had against Jacksonville Nov. 30 marked his season high at the time. He also sank 6-of-9 field goals to finish with 13 against Western Illinois Dec. 17. It keeps getting better for Bell, who netted a season-best 16 points at Youngstown State Dec. 29.

THE NEXT LEVEL
The freshmen have been growing up quickly for the Panthers this season and have been coming through in the scoring column. Four different newcomers have contributed a total of 17 games of double-figure scoring so far this season. They are: Bryce Nze (6 games, high of 22 points), Jeremy Johnson (6/17), Bryce Barnes (3/14) and August Haas (2/12). For comparison, freshmen accounted for just six games of double-figure scoring a year ago. The highest recent output of double-figure scoring by a frosh over the course of a season was six such games by Austin Arians (2012-13), with Ricky Franklin the most recent UWM freshman to score in double-figures in at least 10 games in his first season in a Panther uniform (Franklin did so 10 times back in 2006-07).

CONTROL THE ROCK
Milwaukee continues 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 January 31, Milwaukee is first in the conference, turning the ball over on average just 11.8 times per contest (51st in the country). They are also first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.2.

JUST KEEP SHOOTING
Newcomer Cameron Harvey took the phrase "can't miss" to the next level against Montana State Dec. 5. He made all six field goal attempts on the night to finish with a UWM-best 17 points (his career-high is 22 against Palm Beach Atlantic in 2014-15). Five of Harvey's six field goal attempts were three-pointers, giving him one of the most-accurate games in school history with at least five makes - trailing only Joe Schultz's 6-for-6 effort against Cal State Northridge way back in 1991. That may sound familiar to Harvey - as he also went 6-for-6 on 3's in that contest against Palm Beach Atlantic. In two games in the state of Montana, Harvey finished 9-for-10 from the floor.

TWINNING
Brett Prahl played a key role in UWM's win  over Montana State Dec. 5, posting career highs again to finish with 13 points (on 5-of-7 shooting) and eight rebounds, including a key offensive board with just over a minute remaining that forced the Bobcats to foul down the stretch. That marks the second time he has notched career highs this year, also accomplishing the feat against UC Irvine Nov. 26 (10 points/6 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 and he also equaled the most minutes he has played at 21.

BROTHER ACT
Speaking of the twins, Brett and Alex Prahl are one set of 18 brothers currently playing together at the NCAA Division I level this season. Of the 18 combinations, just four are twins and Brett and Alex are one of two sets of identical duos in the bunch.

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.

CODY CLOSING IN
Cody Wichmann started the day with 497 points against Montana State Dec. 5, reaching career point No. 500 on - what else? - a 3-pointer at the 9:33 mark of the first half. A three-point specialist his entire UWM career, an impressive 525 of his 721 points (72.8 percent) in a Milwaukee uniform have come in 175 makes from distance.

CAM RIGHT BEHIND
Cameron Harvey joined Wichmann on that milestone, entering play against Youngstown State with 487 points in his time at Milwaukee, Stetson and Eastern Illinois. He went off for 15 points in the contest and now sits at 514 in his career.

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. 2 in the Horizon League in points allowed, giving up 69.7 per game.

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 had to get to know the team from afar, as the Panthers went through 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 hosted Western Illinois was Nov. 30 against Jacksonville. In between, UWM traveled to five different states (Tennessee, Illinois, South Dakota, Montana, back to Illinois and then to Ohio) and 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 made an early-season splash, making their biggest impacts early in the season as a duo 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. He also had nine points and a season-best three assists in the game at Loyola Dec. 10 and followed that up with an 11-point effort at Ohio Dec. 14 that included a perfect 6-for-6 clip from the free throw line.

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 (then) career-highs in just the second game of the year at Memphis Nov. 16. Wichmann finished the contest with 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 24-12 at home the past two-plus seasons and has won 19 of its last 27 games at UWM Panther Arena. Over that 26-game stretch, the Panthers have lit up the scoreboard for 75.4 ppg, while shooting 45.7 percent (703-for-1537) from the field and a respectable 37.2 percent (230-for-618) from three-point territory.

THAT 70s SHOW
Milwaukee, which scored 71 or more points in 31 of its 52 contests since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, has now prevailed in 30 of its last 43 games when scoring 70 or more points.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
Milwaukee started league play looking for its sixth win in its last nine league openers. UWM had won five-straight before losing at Detroit in the opener in 2012-13. Overall, the Panthers are looking for their 11th win in their last 16 league lid-lifters. In all, since joining the MCC/Horizon League, Milwaukee is now 13-10 in league openers overall following the loss to YSU.

Meanwhile, after 10 straight years of playing at least one league game in the month of December, UWM went the past four seasons (2012-13 to 2015-16) not starting league play until the month of January.

WHAT'S HOTTER THAN HOT?
Loyola did it again ... For whatever odd reason, the Ramblers now hold three of the top five spots on the all-time list after breaking the school record for opponent shooting percentage in a game Dec. 10.

.675 (27-40) Loyola, 12/10/16
.653 (32-49) Loyola, 1/6/07
.648 (35-54) Duquesne, 11/24/15
.647 (33-51) UMKC, 12/12/98
.645 (32-52) Loyola, 2/10/00

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
In addition to games at historically tough venues for opponents (Memphis) and quick turnarounds (3 games in 3 days over Thanksgiving tournament), the Panthers also had to face an early stretch of three games in a row against opponents who had yet to lose on their home courts this season. Milwaukee did snap Montana State's nine-game home winning streak Dec. 5 (5-0 prior this year) and then also faced Loyola Dec. 10 (6-0) and Ohio Dec. 14 (4-0), to follow. All-told, UWM competed against a trio of teams that were a combined 17-1 at home following those matchups.

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 Youngstown State Jan. 22 (a season-high 94), as well as YSU again Dec. 29 (87 points), Montana State Dec. 5 (83) and MSOE (88) in the opener, giving them four games over 80 points this year. It also marked 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.

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.

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 17 passes in 16 games (11 starts) for 123 yards during the regular season in 2016 while the Chiefs finished 12-4 overall. 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.

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 Panthers make their final extended road trip of the regular season, traveling to Ohio and Kentucky for games against Wright State and Northern Kentucky. The Raiders are up first, tipping Thursday at 6 p.m. CST.