The Milwaukee men's basketball team returns to UWM Panther Arena for the first time since Jan. 19, hosting Detroit Mercy downtown Thursday night at 7 p.m. in an important Horizon League clash. It's the "Back to School Bash" - the contest will be the first of 2019 with students in session - with an MKE jersey giveaway for the first 500 students in attendance. The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+, will have live statistics available and will be carried on WISN AM 1130 with Scott Warras on the call. All links are posted on the MKE website.

In addition to the student jersey giveaway, fans can take part in a handful of great promotions Thursday night, starting with receiving a free Summerfest ticket (up to 2,500 will be given away). It is "Taco Thursday", giving fans the opportunity to get two tacos and a soda for just $5 from the Mil-Town Taco concession stand in the arena. Lastly, for only $11, fans can get a ticket voucher (300 level seating), plus a ticket for a tour of the MobCraft Brewery here in MKE.

LINK TO MOBCRAFT SPECIAL

LOOKING AT THE TITANS
The Titans have hit a rough patch following a strong start to Horizon League play. Following a 5-1 start, the team has dropped six of seven, most recently falling at Northern Kentucky (97-65) and Wright State (83-60) last week. That brings them to Milwaukee at 9-16 overall and 6-7 in Horizon League play. Detroit Mercy is also one of the teams just ahead of the Panthers in the standings and won the first game between the two this season, making it a crucial contest for both sides.

It continues to be the Antoine Davis show for the Titans this season, with the freshman (and coach's son) bursting on to the scene with a scoring touch (26.7 ppg) that tops the Horizon League and ranks second across the nation. He has connected on 39.7 percent of his 272 3-point attempts (sitting first in the nation with 4.5 made 3's per game), while also adding 3.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 86 percent from the line. He has been tabbed the Horizon League Freshman of the Week six times and the outright Player of the Week twice, and has eight games of 30-or-more points, topped by a 48-point outing against Wright State (fourth most in league history). His father, Mike Davis, was named the head coach at Detroit Mercy in the offseason, following a successful six-season stretch at Texas Southern University where he made the postseason five times - including four NCAA Tournaments.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee and Detroit are meeting for the 54th time in a series that dates back to 1995. The Panthers hold a slim 29-24 edge in the all-time series and Milwaukee has won eight of the past 12 meetings. A year ago, MKE took the season series with a close decision at home (87-79 Dec. 30) and a lopsided victory on the road (72-49 Feb. 22).

LAST GAME
Cleveland State sank 11 first-half three-pointers on its way to building a lead at the break and then fended off every push Milwaukee made after intermission to claim a 78-68 victory Feb. 9. The Panthers (9-16, 4-8 Horizon League) cut a 14-point lead by the Vikings (7-19, 2-11 Horizon League) down to just six late, but could not get closer in the road loss.

Darius Roy paced Milwaukee with an all-around game of 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He was joined in double-figures by three teammates. Jake Wright scored all 15 of his points on three's, Vance Johnson added 11 and Amir Allen came through with his first double-double as a Panther, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

TRIPLE-D BUZZ
Darius Roy came within striking distance of the program record book at Youngstown State Feb. 7, nearly recording the fifth triple-double in school history. He ended up settling for the first double-double of his career, netting a team-high 20 points while collecting a career-high 10 rebounds. He ended the contest with seven assists, just shy of the impressive feat. The last Panther to record one was Jordan Johnson, who finished with 10 points/10 rebounds/10 assists on Feb. 22, 2016 - coincidentally also against the Penguins.

LONG-DISTANCE MATH
Jake Wright continues to make a name for himself on his 3-point shooting, recently as high as second (and now fourth) in the Horizon League .406 (56-of-138) from beyond the arc. If you add it all up for his collegiate career, Wright checks in at 248-of-631 (.393). To compare that to Milwaukee career records, only Clay Tucker (264-of-744 from 1999-2003) and Jason Frederick (244-of-644 in same years) would have more makes or attempts in their careers than Wright. Jake's career 3FG percentage would also rank sixth in school history.

BARELY A MISS
Darius Roy put together an impressive shooting display against IUPUI Jan. 19, with his 9-of-11 showing from the floor (.818) overall just missing the record book (10 makes is the minimum for inclusion). That showing came close to a Top-5 mark, and also included a 4-for-4 effort from the free throw line and a perfect 3-for-3 effort from three-point range. His 25 points tied for the second-most in his career (high is 27), marking his fifth 20-point showing of the year.

MAKING THE FREE ONES COUNT
At 25 games into the season, the Panthers remain one of the better teams in the country (currently 27th; recently as high as eighth) and tops in the Horizon League with their .753 (317-of-421) free throw percentage. There's under one-third of the season left, but the school record checks in at the .772 (554-718) clip set back in 2015-16 (finishing fifth in the NCAA in the process). In addition, the team converted at 80 percent or better in FIVE games in a row (.900 WMU/.917 WLC/.846 UMKC/.889 UND/.875 Drake) back in December for the first time in program history. The last time a streak like that had even hit four in a row was December of 2005 (.833 Wisconsin Dec. 15/.860 Green Bay Dec. 17/.833 Oakland Dec. 21/.857 Wyoming Dec. 27). In fact, the closest similar all-time streak was a nine-game stretch by the 1999-2000 team in which they hit 75 percent or better from the line (but were only over 80 percent in three of the nine contests). The team also came close to that mark, besting the 75-percent barrier for seven games in a row, which ended Jan. 5. Among the individual Horizon League leaders, team-leader Vance Johnson (.886) sits third, while Darius Roy (.840) is close behind in seventh place. Jake Wright has hit on 32-of-34 (.941), but does not have enough attempts to qualify for the leader board.

15 FEET DOWN TO A SCIENCE
In addition, Vance Johnson enjoyed a stretch of perfection at the free throw line, going nearly a month without a miss. The streak started with a 1-for-1 showing against Buffalo Nov. 29 and continued for 26 total makes in a row before finally coming to an end against Green Bay Dec. 29 (For comparison, a year ago, the steady senior hit at 69.2 percent [36-52] from the charity stripe). At 26 in a row from the line, he was the first Panther to connect on at least 20 straight from the charity stripe since Matt Tiby hit 20 in a row from late February to early March of 2014. The school record is 32, accomplished by Jordan Aaron from Dec. 12, 2012 to Feb. 1, 2013 over the course of a season in which he hit 86.4 percent (95-of-110) of his free throws.

Darius Roy joined in on the fun as well, seeing his streak hit 19 in a row before coming to an end against Cleveland State Jan. 3. Up next was Jake Wright, who missed for the first time all season against UIC Jan. 17. His 22 in a row now serve as the most-ever in school history to open a season without missing, and his total streak reached 27 counting his time at Miami, dating back to last December. Most recently, Johnson actually did it AGAIN, seeing a streak of 26 in a row come to a close at Cleveland State Feb. 9.

CHASING DOWN THE RECORD
Not to be done there, with the calendar turning to February, it's time to take a look at the season record for free-throw percentage. That record is currently the 87.0 percent (40-of-46) that Pat Easterlin connected on back in the 1993-94 campaign. No less then three players have that mark in their grasp as the season comes down the stretch.
Jake Wright: currently .941 (32-of-34)
-Will need to get to 40 attempts to qualify
Vance Johnson: currently .886 (70-of-79)
Darius Roy: currently .840 (68-of-81)

ON THE HORIZON
Sitting at 9.2 points-per-game at this point in the season, Jake Wright can get to within striking distance of reaching the 1,000-point barrier in his college career. He heads into Thursday at 944.

CAROM COLLECTING
Not only did DeAndre Abram lead the Panthers in scoring for the third straight game - with 19 points - in the win over UIC Jan. 17, but he also established a new career-high by recording 16 rebounds. That eclipsed the 15 he grabbed against FIU earlier this season and was also good for the eighth-best total in school history. The program mark of 18 is held by Nathan Schrameyer and was set against SEMO on March 2, 1995. Six players have grabbed 17 in a game, most recently Bryce Nze last season (2/16/18).

IT WAS DRE'S DAY
The 31 points DeAndre Abram poured in against Detroit Mercy Jan. 12 not only marked a career high, but was also the first game of 30-or-more points scored by a Panther since Jeremiah Bell netted 31 - also against the Titans - in the Horizon League Tournament back on March 3, 2017. That marked a span of 55 games, as Abram went 12-of-19 from the floor, tying a career-high with 6 made 3's while also adding a team-best 7 boards. That topped his former high-water mark of 27 points, which came against Wagner in December of 2015.

MR. CONSISTENT
Since the Drake game Dec. 6, Vance Johnson has upped his play considerably and been one of the most consistent pieces of the MKE roster. In those 17 games, Johnson has averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, highlighted by coming through with the game-winning rebound and basket in the final seconds at Western Michigan Dec. 22 (for comparison, he averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game a season ago). He is shooting 91.7 percent (66-of-72) from the free throw line in that span. Also of note, he is averaging just 21.0 minutes per outing in those 16 games. He also put up his second double-double of the season at Northern Kentucky Jan. 26, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards.

QUICK READJUSTMENT
Darius Roy set a new career-high in points scored four times over the first five games of the year, peaking when he poured in 27 against LIU Brooklyn Nov. 20. Roy played at the NCAA Division I level as a freshman, so the level of competition is nothing new to him. However, his transition back into it has been pretty seamless - leading the team in scoring in each of the first three games of 2018-19 (and now 16 times overall) while resetting his NCAA-highs in points scored each time. He did it again against the Blackbirds, going 7-of-11 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the line. His prior best coming into 2018-19 as a freshman was 9 points against Oglethorpe back on Dec. 7, 2016. In his debut in the opener at Boston College Nov. 6, Roy led the way with 15. In the home opener against North Dakota Nov. 10, Roy poured in 18 and added six assists and four steals. He then topped that with 19 points at FIU Nov. 13.

A CHANCE FOR FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The roster features 14 players overall, with only Bryce Barnes, Vance Johnson and Tyler Behrendt on the active roster a year ago (DeAndre Abram was also on the roster, but was sitting out due to transfer regulations). So, the newcomers will have plenty of opportunity to shine in 2018-19. A look at the numbers shows the team will be among the least-experienced, in terms of NCAA DI action, in the country.

FEWEST RETURNING LETTERWINNERS
1 - Chattanooga
2 - UNC Asheville
2 - Drake
3 - MILWAUKEE
3 - Nicholls
3 - Duquesne
3 - Baylor
3 - Detroit Mercy
3 - Little Rock

FEWEST RETURNING MINUTES
7.0% - Mount Saint Mary's
7.9% - UNC Asheville
10.6% - Idaho
11.2% - Wichita State
15.2% - Middle Tennessee
15.2% - Chattanooga
16.5% - Oakland
17.4% - Drake
23.2% - Detroit Mercy
23.7% - MILWAUKEE
26.3% - Nicholls

INSTANT OFFENSE
Not only did Jake Wright go off for a career-high 23 points in the win against Albany Nov. 23, but he opened the night scoring the first 12 points on 3's, sinking a total of 5 triples while Milwaukee raced off to a 19-9 start on the scoreboard. That topped his former career-best of 22 points set against IPFW (12/9/17). It also equaled his career mark of seven made 3's in a game, something the sharpshooter has accomplished two other times in his collegiate career - but hasn't been done by a Panther since Jordan Aaron made seven against UMKC back in November of 2013 (33 points/7-of-10 3FG's). It also marked the most 3's in a single night for a Panther since Avery Smith connected on eight (8-of-12) in his 36-point performance against Oakland back on Dec. 2, 2006.

WHERE THERE'S A WIL, THERE'S A WAY
Wil Sessoms finished the night against Oakland Jan. 10 with 13 points, but a closer look at the box score shows that all 13 points came in the second half (and all in the final 13:27), with several of his field goals at huge times to pull out the victory.
13:27 - First basket of game, a jumper in the paint.
11:23 - His first made 3-pointer of the game pushed the Milwaukee lead back to 6 at 48-42.
10:02 - A layup to give MKE the 51-46 lead.
7:41 - After Oakland took its first lead of the night at 52-51, his 3-pointer on the ensuing possession flipped the Panthers back ahead at 54-52.
5:06 - Oakland was back within one again and Sessoms made a layup, was fouled and hit the free throw to give Milwaukee a 4-point cushion at 62-58.

A-MAZ-ING A-BRAM
After sitting out last season due to transfer regulations, DeAndre Abram has done quick work making a name for himself on the team and across the Horizon League. After posting his fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season against UMKC Dec. 13 and Wisconsin Lutheran Dec. 16, Abram was named the Horizon League Player of the Week as well as the College Sports Madness HL Player of the Week. The conference award marks the first for a Panther since December of 2015 (Jordan Johnson). The six double-doubles on the season currently sits third in the Horizon League, behind only Loudon Love of Wright State (10) and Drew McDonald of Northern Kentucky (12) at the top the chart.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
It was a complete reversal for the Panthers in the comeback victory over Cleveland State Jan. 3, roaring back from down 14 points in the second half to earn the 83-76 victory, powered by a key 24-4 scoring run. It wasn't just the scoring spree that helped. After shooting 40 percent from the floor (and making just 1-of-10 three-pointers) in the first 20 minutes, Milwaukee hit 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field overall in the second half, sinking six of 11 from long-range (54.5 percent). The team also went to the line 25 times en route to scoring 55 points and forced 12 of the 20 CSU turnovers in the second. Overall, the 31 points scored off of turnovers nearly doubled the previous season high (17 against Albany) and the 20 forced TO's was also a season-best, topping the prior high of 14 reached four different times.

FOWL SHOTS
The Panthers opened up the week of Thanksgiving with a steady trip to the foul line against LIU Brooklyn Nov. 20, finishing the night with a hefty 33 makes in 41 attempts from the charity stripe. That impressive effort marked a tie for the seventh-most made free throws in a game in school history, with the 41 tries tied for ninth. The last time a Panther team made more than 33 was against Loyola (34 on 3/3/09) and the last time more were attempted was against Central Michigan (42 on 12/19/07). Most impressive? The team went a perfect 10-for-10 from the line in the overtime period.

Despite the loss to Drake Dec. 6, the Panthers did manage to make an impressive 21-of-24 free throw attempts (87.5 percent), including 17-of-18 in the second half. That marks the best percentage for the team in a game with more than 20 makes from the free throw line since connecting on 20-of-21 (95.2 percent) in a season-opening 71-58 victory against Denver back on Nov. 13, 2015.

PROBABLY IMPROBABLE; BUT NOT
Down nine points with 2:45 to play, things looked a bit bleak for the Panthers before pulling off the improbable victory over UMKC Dec. 13. As crazy as it sounds, the team has had a pair of similar finishes in just the past two seasons. A year ago, Milwaukee erased a 19-point first-half lead against Elon, but also closed the game on a 12-2 run (over the final 6:01) to earn the buzzer-beating 72-71 victory. Two seasons ago, the team closed regulation on a 13-4 spree against Youngstown State (over the final 6:32 on 1/22/17) to force overtime, eventually winning 94-85 in the extra period. Not quite as extreme, but the Panthers held Western Michigan without a point the final 2:25 and scored the final six points to win, 67-66, Dec. 22.

NO HOLDING BACK
A look at the non-conference schedule shows just how challenging the road was for the Panthers. Heading into Horizon League play, the win-loss record of the teams MKE had played in 2018-19 came in at a combined 87-57 (on that date), a winning percentage of .614. Included in that ledger was Buffalo (11-1 and as high as #14/#15), Cincinnati (11-2), Drake (10-2) and Boston College (9-2).

THE PRICE IS WRIGHT
Newcomer Jake Wright brings plenty of experience at the NCAA Division I level, having spent two seasons at Miami (Ohio) after playing his freshman campaign at the Citadel. He brings a resume into the year that included 92 career games played (29 starts), 714 points and 192 made 3-pointers.

A deeper look shows Wright essentially serving as the senior DI member of the roster: In fact, in comparison, the three returning players for MKE (Bryce Barnes, Vance Johnson and Carson Warren-Newsome) had combined career totals of 127 games played, 35 starts, 275 rebounds and 667 points coming into the new campaign.

BACK ON THE FOX FAMILY
The Panthers made their FOX Sports Wisconsin debut against Drake Dec. 6, the first of four men's home contests which will be broadcast live on the statewide network (road games at North Dakota - on FOX Sports Wisconsin Plus - and Northern Kentucky will also air). The Milwaukee Athletic Department announced the new agreement back last year. The agreement again calls for a minimum of five games to be aired this year, with the potential for more in future years of the deal.
 
Rush Media Company will handle production of all the games, with a distribution agreement in place with FOX Sports Wisconsin for the airing of the contests. FOX Sports Wisconsin is an affiliate of FOX Sports and the television home to the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks. The regional sports network also televises select college and high school sports and nearly 2,600 hours of locally produced programming every year. The network reaches more than 1.5 million homes statewide and provides live streaming content via the FOX Sports GO app.

A DASH OF JAMAR
Freshman Jamar Madge made the most of his opportunities in Northern Ireland, seeing valuable time on the court after limited minutes over his first three appearances. In 13 minutes against nationally-ranked Buffalo Nov. 30, Madge scored the first five points of his college career, going 3-for-3 from the line while adding three rebounds. The next day against Stephen F. Austin, he netted four points - including his first 3-pointer of the year - in seven minutes on the court. He also set a new season-high against Youngstown State Jan. 5, hitting three-pointers on three straight possessions for nine points (all coming in just 64 seconds of clock time).

WIL THE THRIL
Wil Sessoms showed off his potential at FIU Nov. 13, putting in a very productive output on the court. Once he subbed into the game, he sparked the Panthers to a halftime lead with nine points and four rebounds in just seven minutes prior to intermission. His line at the end of the night yielded a near double-double, finishing with 17 points/9 rebounds, shooting an efficient 7-of-9 from the floor and doing it all in just 16 minutes of playing time.

He posted a similar line against LIU Brooklyn Nov. 20, finishing with 13 points and 9 boards in 24 minutes of play (5-of-9 from the floor).

DeANDRE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
It didn't take long for DeAndre Abram to record his first double-double as a Panther, scoring 12 points and grabbing a dozen rebounds against North Dakota in the home opener Nov. 10. It also marked the second of his career, with his first coming in a 27 point/10 rebound outing against Wagner back on Dec. 22, 2015.

At two games, Abram's statline is the quickest double-double for an MKE newcomer since James Haarsma went for 15 points and 12 rebounds in his second game in uniform back in the 2011-12 campaign (vs. Northern Illinois, Nov. 14, 2011).

He followed that up with another in his third outing, going for 11 points and 15 rebounds against FIU Nov. 13. He was at it again against Albany Nov. 23, posting a 13 points/12 rebound effort.
 
MORE TV TIME
The Milwaukee Athletic Department announced a partnership with My24 Sports to air games during the 2018-19 Milwaukee basketball season.

WVTV My24 Milwaukee provides entertainment programming and local sports broadcasts in Milwaukee and nearby communities. The Panthers are now part of a My24 Sports lineup that includes the Milwaukee Admirals and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The partnership will allow My24 Sports to carry four select Milwaukee Panthers games live starting November 10th with the men's home opener against North Dakota that wrapped up Homecoming Week festivities. The other men's game will be Jan. 5 vs. Youngstown State.

AA ON HIS WAY
In his first game as a Panther, Amir Allen finished a basket short of a double-double (8 points) while collecting a team-high 11 rebounds. While Brock Stull was able to collect 10-plus rebounds in the opener two years ago (against MSOE), Allen's performance was the first outing of 10-or-more boards against an NCAA DI opponent in the season opener since Matt Tiby had 12 against Denver to open the slate in 2015-16. Allen is also the first Panthers to grab double-digit rebounds in his MKE debut since James Haarsma went for 17 in his first game in a Milwaukee uniform against Southwest Minnesota State November 12 of 2011.

BALDWIN'S YEAR-ONE RESUME
In his first season on the bench, Pat Baldwin led the Panthers to 16 victories, an improvement of five wins over the prior season while also finishing four spots higher in the final Horizon League regular season standings.

Included in that record was an impressive 17-point (73-56) victory over a Loyola Chicago team that finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, advanced to the Final Four and posted 32 wins including contests over No. 5 Florida, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 22 Miami and No. 24 Nevada. MKE also handed Iowa State its first loss in a home opener in 20 years when it upended the Cyclones, 74-56, in Baldwin's second official game as head coach.

In the classroom, the team was honored as part of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards for outstanding academic achievement. Milwaukee was one of just 35 men's basketball programs recognized nationwide and the only member of the Horizon League on the list after posting a perfect 1,000 four-year rate.

Five different school records were set over the course of the campaign, with Milwaukee advancing to the semifinals at Motor City Madness - the only league school to advance that far in each of the past two seasons.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
Courtney Brown, Jr., of Woodbury, Minnesota and C.J. Wilbourn of Normal, Ill., signed their National Letters of Intent.

Brown is a senior East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minn. He is coming off a junior campaign in which he scored 21.5 points-per-game (537 total) while leading the team to a 21-5 record. That comes off a sophomore season in which he tallied 19.6 a game. He chipped in 10 ppg as a freshman for the Raptors.
 
Wilbourn, a 6-foot-7 forward from Normal Community High School in Normal, Ill., averaged 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. He hit 50 percent of his field-goal attempts, which included close to 40 percent from three-point range. He heads into a senior campaign that will be his third as a starter and fourth on the varsity. He added 28 blocks and 1.6 assists-per-game a year ago.

A DENT IN THE RECORD BOOK
Five different school records were set a year ago. Individual marks included career field-goal shooting percentage (Brett Prahl at .638 [261-409]) as well as a trio of rebounding marks set by Bryce Nze (season total, season average and offensive total). In addition to the solo efforts, the Panthers set a new program mark with 125 blocked shots - eclipsing the former mark of 118 set back in 2003-04. The squad also came within striking distance of a few others, finishing sixth in field goals made at 834 (record is 879) and fifth in field goals attempts at 1872 (1950).

PANTHERS NOW ON DEMAND
The Panthers now have their own channel on the iHeartRadio platform. This gives fans the opportunity to listen to podcasts of Panther games that have been played, as well as podcasts of the "Panther Sports Report" after they are aired. It allows fans of Milwaukee basketball the opportunity to listen to these events on demand. The channel can be accessed at the following address:
www.iheart.com/podcast/uw-milwaukee-mens-basketball-28721732/

HE'S THE CHIEF
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris (2011-13) was once again on the active roster for the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, catching 12 passes in 15 games (3 starts) for 164 yards and three touchdowns this season. In fact, this was his fifth campaign with the Chiefs, having made 30 starts in 56 games over his first four seasons. Coming into 2018, Harris had caught 45 passes for 441 yards, including three touchdowns. 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. The 6-foot-7 Harris made his NFL debut when he 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 is not new and has been the site to many historic basketball moments in Milwaukee history, this is Milwaukee's fifth 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 welcome Oakland to UWM Panther Arena Saturday, set for a tip time of 6 p.m.