The postseason has arrived for the Milwaukee men's basketball team, as it heads to the state of Ohio for a first-round matchup with Youngstown State. As the No. 8 seed, the Panthers will battle the fifth-seeded Penguins for the second time in four days, with the road team claiming the victory in each regular-season matchup. The 6 p.m. contest against the Penguins - the first-ever in the postseason between the two programs - will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required), will have live statistics available and will be carried on the Black & Gold Network with Scott Warras on the call. All links are posted on the MKE website.

LOOKING AT THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State went 12-20 last winter, posting an 8-10 mark in Horizon League play. They landed in the No. 6 spot in the preseason poll. YSU enters play Tuesday at 17-14 overall, finishing at 10-8 in league play to tie the school record for most conference wins in a season. After opening February with three consecutive wins, the Penguins had dropped two straight - including a 102-92 loss at Green Bay - and three of four, before closing out the regular season with a 73-69 win at Milwaukee that gave them the No. 5 seed. Darius Quisenberry plays a key role for the Penguins, leading the team in scoring (16.9 ppg/team-high 24 at MKE in the finale), assists (129) and steals (47). Naz Bohannon averages 10.9 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds per contest.

The team is currently 12-3 in home games played at Beeghly Center this season, scoring close to 80 points per outing. Since Feb. 7, 2019, Youngstown State is 16-4 in contests played at Beeghly Center.

SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers hold a 32-15 record all-time against Youngstown State in a series that dates back to 1974 (28-15 in NCAA Division I era). Overall, MKE has won seven of the past 12 meetings, with YSU holding the upper hand of late. Prior to MKE's 75-73 OT win in Ohio in late-January, the Penguins had won two straight and three of four, including at the buzzer last winter in Ohio (72-71 Feb. 7).

LAST GAME
Milwaukee used a late 8-0 scoring run to grab a lead with two minutes to play, but could not pull out the victory in falling to Youngstown State, 73-69, Feb. 29 at UWM Panther Arena.
 
The Panthers (12-18, 7-11  Horizon League) seemed to take momentum with that late charge, but the Penguins (17-14, 10-8 Horizon League) had the answer, scoring the final seven to dash MKE's hopes of a postseason home game when the Horizon League Tournament starts next week.
 
DeAndre Abram led the way for the Panthers, finishing with his fourth double-double of the season on his "Senior Day". He finished with 18 points and 12 boards, with his rebound total including the 500th of his collegiate career. Darius Roy added 16 points and three steals, while Josh Thomas joined them in double-figures with 12. Te'Jon Lucas was limited to just eight points due to early foul trouble that kept him on the bench for 16 minutes of the first half.

POSTSEASON RESET
Milwaukee enters this year's Horizon League Tournament with a 24-17 all-time mark in the league championship. The Panthers claimed tournament championships in 2014, 2006, 2005 and 2003. Plus, the Panthers also appeared in the 2017, 2011 and 2004 title games and have advanced as far as the semifinals nine times. Milwaukee's full tournament history is on page 9 of these notes. For bracket information, tournament format and seedings, see page 10 of these game notes.

The Panthers made league history and had the city of Milwaukee and state of Wisconsin on the edge of its seat in 2017 when they advanced to the "Motor City Madness" title game as the No. 10 seed. No 10 seed prior had ever won as many as even one game; Milwaukee won three times and came within seven points of what would have been the most unexpected and thrilling NCAA Tournament appearance ever.

TOP TALENT
The Horizon League announced its All-Conference Teams and Te'Jon Lucas got the nod as a member of the second team. Lucas sits second on the squad in scoring at 14.6 points per game while topping the roster in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) and adds 4.2 rebounds per contest. In addition, C.J. Wilbourn was also recognized, earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshmen Team. He is averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and has gotten hot down the stretch, connecting on 65 percent of his field goals (26-for-40) over the past nine games. He is the first Panther to be named to the All-Freshman team since Jordan Aaron in 2012-13 (formerly the All-Newcomer team).

SOMETHING SPECIAL HEADED THIS WAY?
Te'Jon Lucas has an opportunity to pull off a pair of special statistical achievements this week, as he heads into the Horizon League Tournament as the leader in both assists (5.0 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). If he finishes No. 1 on the assist chart, he would join Kaylon Williams (league leader in 2010-11 and 2011-12) as the only other Panther to do so. If he ends up No. 1 on the steals list, he would become the first from MKE. Also, if he pulls off the double-#1 spot on each list, he would become just the fifth Horizon League player to accomplish the feat. The others: Kay Felder, Oakland (2013-14), Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State (2008-09), Roy Simms, Detroit Mercy (1982-83) and Darius Clemons, LaSalle (1980-81).

THE MAIN DISH
With his league-leading assists total now at 146, Te'Jon Lucas is creeping up on an all-time mark. He enters the game against YSU in sixth place on the single-season list, passing Steve McWhorter (140 in 2013-14) against Cleveland State. Marc Mitchell's 156 (1991-92) is still in play, with Kaylon Williams' 178 (2010-11) within reach for Lucas with a deep postseason run.

CLEANING THE GLASS
The 500-rebound club at Milwaukee contains just 15 names in program history, with Matt Tiby (734 from 2013-16) the most recent member. While he did bring 112 rebounds with him from his two years at George Mason, DeAndre Abram has now joined that list for his collegiate career, grabbing No. 500 against Youngstown State Feb. 9 and now has 510.

TARGET PRACTICE FROM 15 FEET
A bright spot for the Panthers in the game at Cleveland State Jan. 25 came at the foul line. The near-perfect effort of 19-of-20 (95.0 percent) free throws ranks among the best all-time single-game performances (minimum 10 makes) in school history.
1.000 (22-22) Youngstown State 2/28/15
1.000 (20-20) Green Bay 1/9/09
1.000 (15-15) Youngstown State 1/7/08
.955 (21-22) Loyola 2/16/95
.952 (20-21) Denver 11/13/15
.950 (19-20) at Cleveland State 1/25/20
Two games later against Northern Kentucky, MKE did it again with a near-perfect 11-of-12 effort (.917).

POSSIBLY NO ONE BETTER
Speaking of free throws, now that he has passed the minimum amount of attempts to qualify for the career free throw percentage list in program history, Darius Roy is knocking on the door of a school record. The current mark is .838 (207-of-247), held by Jordan Aaron (2012-14). Roy enters play Saturday at .834 (181-of-217).

SWISH CITY
Darius Roy put his name in the record book against Cleveland State Feb. 27, finishing a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range. With 5 attempts, it qualified him for the single-game 3FG% mark. Only one Panther has made more (without a miss) all-time, with Joe Schultz's 6-for-6 outing against Cal State Northridge the top entry. Roy's career-high joins four others who have accomplished the feat at 5-of-5, most recently Cameron Harvey against Montana State in December of 2016.

LONG ODDS IN MICHIGAN
The Panthers have seen both programs pull off improbable halftime buzzer-beaters this season now that Darius Roy joined WBB's Jamie Reit with his 75-foot three-pointer at the intermission horn at Oakland Feb. 21. Reit's came at Detroit Mercy Jan. 9, taking two dribbles past the opposite three-point line following a steal, sinking a bank shot. Roy got the defensive rebound on his and fired before getting past the three-point arc, swishing the highlight-reel attempt.

20/20/20 VISION
The Panthers pulled off an offensive feat not seen in quite some time when the team finished with three players with 20 or more points in the same game. Te'Jon Lucas, DeAndre Abram and Darius Roy all contributed exactly 20 points each against Green Bay Feb. 15, the first time three Panthers have done the trick since February 5, 2005. That day, Milwaukee defeated UIC by a final score of 85-75, with Joah Tucker (26), Ed McCants (22) and Boo Davis (20) all finishing with impressive point totals.

FEELING IT FROM DEEP
Following a tough stretch from three-point range, the Panthers found the zone against Green Bay Feb. 15. The team finished with a season-high 15 makes (on 34 attempts/.441 FG%), which checks in in a tie for fifth-most in a game in program history. It's just the second game in the past eight seasons that MKE connected on at least 15 triples in a single outing, the most recent one coming against UIC in February of 2016 (15-for-33 that day).

THIS BIG "D" MEANS DEFENSE
The defense has been a catalyst of late and recently accomplished something that hadn't happened in over four years. The Panthers held four straight opponents to under 40 percent field goal shooting, which was last done in November and December of 2015. The recent stretch came against IUPUI (.329), UIC (.362), Northern Kentucky (.382) and Wright State (.393). That feat was last matched in the following outings:
11/25/15 vs. Central Michigan (.397)
12/3/15 vs. SIUE (.339)
12/9/15 vs. Wisconsin (.364)
12/13/15 vs. Judson (.365)

TE'JON TAKEOVER
Te'Jon Lucas came up big against IUPUI Feb. 8, matching his career-high with 31 points. His career-best 12 rebounds also gave him his second career double-double (his other came via points/assists) and he did most of his damage down the stretch. On the bench with four fouls, Lucas came back in with 7:30 to play and the contest tied at 60. He came down and hit a huge three-pointer the next possession, getting fouled and converting the free throw for the four-point play with seven minutes to go.
 
He ended up playing the rest of the afternoon with those 4 fouls, scoring 16 of his 31 in that 12 and a half minute span – including what turned into the eventual game-winner with 7.0 seconds on the clock. With the game tied, 78-78, he drove down the left side of the lane, sidestepped the defense and banked it in off the glass for the go-ahead bucket. He was named Horizon League Player of the Week as a result, the first two-time winner in one season for the Panthers since Jordan Johnson in December of 2015.

SUPER SUB
DeAndre Abram came off the bench to compile his third double-double of the season at IUPUI Feb. 8, finishing with 13 rebounds and 10 points for the 10th of his career. Even more significant is that Abram posted that line without being in the starting lineup. The last player to accomplish that feat? It came a dozen total MKE double-doubles ago, with none other than Abram doing so against Kansas City (12/13/2018), when he dropped 20 points and grabbed 10 boards against the Roos. He built on that his very next outing, becoming the second Panther this season to score 20 or more points off the bench against Green Bay Feb. 15 (joining Darius Roy, who had 29 against Western Michigan).

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
The Panthers recorded 21 assists against the Flames Feb. 6, the most they have had against an NCAA Division I opponent this season (and second only to the 24 against Wisconsin Lutheran). Led by seven dimes from Darius Roy - which tied a season-high - Milwaukee assisted 77.8 percent of its made field goals on the night (21-of-27). That is by far the best ratio of the season, with the runner-up spot checking in at 66.7 percent.

"TB3" STRIKES AGAIN
Tyler Behrendt came through with 9 points against Northern Kentucky Feb. 2, coming in a career-high 22 minutes on the court. He swished 3 of his 4 attempts from long-distance and added a career-high 4 assists without committing a turnover. The 9 points tied his collegiate high set earlier this season when he provided a spark off the bench against Drake Dec. 3. Foul trouble for MKE provided the opportunity that day and Behrendt was up to the task. He swished his first three-pointer to stop a 7-0 Bulldog spurt and buried another three minutes later to put Milwaukee up 43-38. His layup and free throw with just under six minutes left also had the Panthers in front at 49-47. All told, he finished with a career-high 9 points (in just 10 minutes), topping the 8 he had against WLC earlier this season.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: DOUBLE-DOUBLE
DeAndre Abram posted his ninth career double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds at Youngstown State Jan. 23. He was joined by Josh Thomas, who recorded the first double-double of his MKE career with 15 points and 11 rebounds. That marked the first time for double-doubles by Milwaukee teammates in the same game in nearly four years, going back to a game on Feb. 11, 2016 against Oakland in which three players accomplished the feat. That day, Matt Tiby (24 pts/11 reb), J.J. Panoske (17 pts/11 reb) and Jordan Johnson (14 pts/10 asst) all pulled it off. MKE did it again in the win over IUPUI Feb. 8, with both Te'Jon Lucas (31 pts/12 reb) and DeAndre Abram (10/13) joining in.

HALFWAY TO A BENCHMARK
Redshirt junior Te'Jon Lucas finished with 11 points against Wright State Dec. 30, giving him an even 500 for his collegiate career (he now has 736). He stands third on the team on the career list, with Darius Roy (937) and DeAndre Abram (919) ahead of him in career points at the NCAA DI level. Counting his season of junior college basketball (447 at Connors State), Roy has totaled 1,384.

RISE AGAINST THE PHOENIX
Te'Jon Lucas finished with a new career-high and the first 30-point game of his career when he netted 31 against Green Bay Jan. 11. The 30-point effort was the first for a Panther since DeAndre Abram went for 31 against Detroit Mercy last January, a span of 29 games. The 31 points topped Lucas' former career-best of 26 against Morgan State earlier this season and included a 9-of-10 showing at the free throw line - his most made free throws in one game in his career as well. For his efforts, he was named the Horizon League Player of the Week, just the second time for a Milwaukee player since December of 2015. He was also tabbed the College Sports Madness Horizon League Player of the Week.

DYNAMIC DUO
Te'Jon Lucas (31) and Darius Roy (23) combined for 54 points against the Phoenix Jan. 11, the most for a pair of MKE teammates in quite some time. With a second-half lead of as much as 12 down to just one at 65-64, Roy hit a huge three-pointer to make it 68-64 and then Lucas took over for a bit. He scored Milwaukee's next 11 points, going 6-for-6 from the line. Roy's 3 with just over two minutes left essentially sealed the deal at 82-73, with the two combining for 28 straight (Lucas 17/Roy 11) at that point in the contest. The last time a pair of teammates scored as much was in December of 2012, when Jordan Aaron (34) and Paris Gulley (20) combined for 54 in a victory over Ohio Dominican.

A TRUE SPORTSCENTER #1
While it may have been a bit of time since the Panthers last made the SportsCenter Top 10, they did so with a bang Jan. 5. Te'Jon Lucas' game-winner against UIC not only made the list, but came in at No. 1 on the "Worldwide Leader in Sports". It is the first time the Panthers have ever earned the top spot on the highlight feature.

'TURRO POWERED
A game after seeing a season-high 13 minutes against Wright State Dec. 30, Arturro Bingham enjoyed a breakout performance against IUPUI Jan. 3. He finished with a season-high 12 points (topping his former best of 8) in a season-best 16 minutes against the Jaguars, with a red-hot 4-of-5 effort from long range powering the way. He hit two more 3's two days later, scoring 8 first-half points in the win over UIC.

ENTER THE FROSH
The starting lineup against IUPUI Jan. 3 featured three different freshmen, with C.J. Wilbourn, Courtney Brown Jr., and Shae Mitchell all earning the opportunity against the Jaguars. It's a rare feat for the Panthers, happening just one other time in recent memory. That was back in January of 2016 when August Haas, Jeremy Johnson and Bryce Nze accomplished the feat.

TO CATCH A THIEF
Te'Jon Lucas recorded the most steals in one game for a Panther in quite some time against IUPUI Jan. 3. He ended the night with 6, which not only doubled-up his prior career-best of 3, but marked the most since Steve McWhorter piled up 6 against Detroit Mercy - back in January of 2015. The near-five year span covered 152 games. Lucas currently leads the Horizon League with 1.8 steals per game. Darius Roy joined Lucas in the thievery against Cleveland State Jan. 25, collecting a career-high six.

SHINING ON THE BIG STAGE
With a sellout crowd of 16,300 in attendance at historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse, Darius Roy gave a second-ranked Kansas squad one of his best efforts Dec. 10. He poured in a game-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. The 25-point effort marked the third-most for Roy in his career, trailing only 29 and 27-point games.

FILLING IT UP
Darius Roy went through a stretch of scoring not seen by a Panther in quite some time. He followed up the outburst at Kansas with 24 more points against Eastern Illinois Dec. 14 and 25 against Wisconsin Dec. 21. The team leader each contest, he became the first MKE player since Ricky Franklin in January of 2010 to score 20-plus points in three games in a row. That season, Franklin went for 21 against Youngstown State (1/22/10), 23 against Cleveland State (1/24/10) and 22 against Valparaiso (1/29/10). Avery Smith also accomplished the feat in January of 2009, with the last player to reach 20-plus in four consecutive games being Joah Tucker in January of 2006.

WELCOME TO CREAM CITY
Grant Coleman, Donovan Newby and Kaleim Taylor of Milwaukee, Wis., have all signed their National Letters of Intent to play next season for the Milwaukee men's basketball team.
 
Coleman, a 6-foot, 7-inch senior at Mahomet-Seymour High School, is coming off a very impressive junior campaign where he was named First-Team All-Apollo Conference after averaging over 20 points a game. Newby, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard from Bloom High School, was a key piece of a ranked Blazing Trojans squad that finished 26-4 before falling in the sectional semifinals. Newby, who plays AAU for the Illinois Wolves, is among the City/Suburban Hoops Report's Top 25 prospects in the class and averaged double-figures as a junior. Taylor, a 6-foot, 3-inch guard at Milwaukee Academy of Sciences, enjoyed a breakout season as a junior. He improved his rebounding from 5.8 per game to 10.5 while also setting career-highs with his 22.7 point and 5.5 assists per-game averages. He was named Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Fourth-Team All-Area.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Some fun facts about Te'Jon Lucas' statline against Kansas City Nov. 15, which included a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, as well as a near-triple double with seven boards.

*The 10 assists were a career-high, topping the former high-water mark of 8 that he had reached on three prior occasions.

*It marked the first game of 10-plus assists for a Panther since Jordan Johnson's school-record 15 against UIC back in February of 2016 - a span of 104 games.

*If Lucas would have pulled off the triple-double, it would have been the fifth in school history and the first since Johnson went for 10 pts/10 asst/10 reb against Youngstown State on February 22, 2016.

RUN & GUN
The early two-game offensive outburst against Western Michigan Nov. 9 and Wisconsin Lutheran Nov. 12 were actually unprecedented, however, seeing Milwaukee top 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time in the NCAA Division I era (since 1990-91). The last time the Panthers put up consecutive games above 100 points was back in January of 1989, topping SIUE (101-89) and Lakeland (125-79). That 1988-89 team also put together a stretch of three in a row in mid-February.

WINNING BIG
The Panthers put on quite an offensive show against Wisconsin Lutheran Nov. 12, putting new entries into the program record book for biggest halftime lead as well as final winning margin. MKE grabbed a 50-19 lead at the break in the 103-53 decision.
*HALFTIME*
1. 39 against Mount Senario (50-11) on Dec. 27, 2000.
2. 33 against Prairie View A&M (53-23) on Nov. 20, 2004
3. 31 against WLC (50-19)
*WINNING MARGIN*
1. 79: Mount Senario (100-21)
2. 62: Prairie View A&M (117-55)
3. 52: Sacramento State (96-44) 1/23/93
4. 51: Judson (125-74) 12/13/15
5. 50 against WLC (103-53)

TE'JON OFF AND RUNNING
After a season sitting out due to NCAA transfer regulations, the much-awaited debut of Milwaukee-native Te'Jon Lucas certainly met expectations. He led the team with 19 points against Concordia Wisconsin Nov. 5, easily eclipsing his former high of 14 set against both Northwestern (12/1/17) and New Mexico State (12/16/17). His seven rebounds also tied his career-high first established against Longwood (12/13/17). In addition, he just missed new marks with 7 assists (career-best is 8, twice) and minutes with 34 (just off his collegiate high of 35).

OT MADNESS
If a triple overtime game for the Panthers sounds unusual, it's because it is. It's just the second game in the 121-year history of the program to get past a second overtime. The only one longer happened in January of 2001, a four-overtime thriller that saw UIC edge MKE, 112-106. In all, just 12 games have even made it to double-overtime, a number that represents just .005 percent of the over 2,655 games played since program's inception.

MINUTES MONSTERS
With it being just the second-ever game to even get past double-overtime in program history, one of the most obvious records did get broken. The new mark for minutes played in a game belongs to Darius Roy, who logged 52 of the 55 on the evening. The former mark of 47 - held by three players (most recently Brock Stull in 2016) - was also eclipsed by Josh Thomas, who ended the night with 51. Most amazing part for Roy? He wasn't even in the starting lineup against the Broncos.

POINTS PALOOZA
The Panthers lit up the scoreboard against Western Michigan Nov. 9, eventually seeing their point total land at 110, the fifth-most points scored in a game in program history. The record? The 125 that Milwaukee put up against Judson back in December of 2015. The teams also combined for the most in a game in program history, with the 225 topping the 218 scored in a game between MKE (106) and UIC (112) in that four-OT epic back in January of 2001.

WHY STOP THERE
More school standards were threatened against the Broncos Nov. 9, starting with personal fouls. The Panthers had six players foul out of the contest - the most ever, including four starters - and ended up with 42 total fouls. The former mark was essentially shattered, topping the 37 that Milwaukee and UIC recorded back on January 11, 2001. Other marks that came close included the 85 field goal attempts, which comes in third all-time behind the top mark of 97 (against Illinois in 1990) and 86 (against Oshkosh in 1991). Free throw attempts were given a run, with the 51 tries from the charity stripe now sitting third behind 54 against UIC (2001) and 52 against Cleveland State (2000). In addition, the 54 rebounds now ranks sixth on the list, with the record of 59 established against Loyola Chicago in 2009.

TOP THAT
Darius Roy made quite the season debut against Western Michigan Nov. 9, pouring in a career-high 29 points to edge out his former best of 27 against LIU Brooklyn last year. He added 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, coming in that program record 52 minutes on the court. In addition, his 10 made FG's also eclipsed his former best of 7, which he did twice last year.

C.J. SEEING HIS NAME IN LIGHTS
C.J. Wilbourn was a member of the starting lineup in the season opener against Concordia Wisconsin Nov. 5, a big moment for the freshman. It marks just the third time a frosh has been a starter in a season opener in the past decade for the Panthers, joining August Haas (against MSOE, 11/11/16) and Thierno Niang (against Mary, 11/9/12).

JUNIORS IN EVERY CLASS
In a unique first for the program, the roster now consists of four different student-athletes to carry the suffix "Jr." following their last name. The list includes senior Bobby Arthur-Williams, Jr., sophomore Jamar Madge, Jr., freshman Courtney Brown, Jr., and transfer Vin Baker, Jr., who all have the honor to carry on their father's first names.

AND WE'RE OFF
A couple of different looks to the season opener, which saw Milwaukee playing its opening game of the season at the UWM Panther Arena for the third time in four years after not doing so since a win over SW Minnesota State to kick off the 2011-12 campaign. The team is now 18-12 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91, which includes the 72-62 victory over Concordia Wisconsin to start the 2019-20 slate. More impressively, the team is now 25-5 in that same span in home openers, claiming wins in 18 of the past 20 (13 in a row at one point). Also, the Panthers have not lost the season opener when it was played at home since dropping an 80-79 decision to Platteville in November of 1994 (have won the previous 12 in that scenario).

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Panthers start the season with one of the largest rosters they have had in recent memory, with 18 players currently on the squad. It's an interesting mix of newcomers and returners, led by a graduating class of five student-athletes. Darius Roy, Bobby Arthur-Williams and Wil Sessoms are fourth-year seniors, DeAndre Abram is a redshirt senior and newcomer Lincoln Wieseman is a graduate transfer with immediate eligibility for the Panthers.

A trio of student-athletes are eligible this season after redshirt campaigns. Milwaukee gets to see Te'Jon Lucas (Jr.), Harrison Henderson (Jr.) and Shae Mitchell (R-Fr.) compete for the first time as Panthers this winter. The team also welcomes junior-college transfers Josh Thomas and Arturro Bingham as well as a group of four true freshmen: C.J. Wilbourn, Courtney Brown, Jr., Tyler Ellingson and Ryan Waddell.

PUT A RIBBON ON IT
The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook ranked the Panthers No. 7 in its preseason poll, but also selected a familiar name for its "Newcomer of the Year" - they tabbed Te'Jon Lucas for the potential honor.

Lucas has had a long-awaited debut for the Panthers following two seasons at Illinois. While in the Big Ten, he averaged 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 29 games as a sophomore, making 19 starts over the course the season. He shot 47.8 percent (64-of-134) from the field, leading the Illini in assists-per-game. The No. 138 prospect in the Class of 2016 according to the Composite Ranking, the former Milwaukee Washington High School standout averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game his last prep season, earning unanimous Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association First-Team D2 All-State honors despite having his final season cut short with a leg injury. The runner-up for Mr. Basketball chose Illinois over offers from USC, Purdue and Old Dominion while also being recruited by Michigan.

CLOSE ONLY COUNTS IN HORSESHOES
It was a frustrating stretch run for the Panthers to close out last season, but one look at the box scores shows just how close it had been over the final month: Milwaukee held second-half leads in eight of the final 11 games, including each of the final four of the campaign.

GETTING SOME TV TIME
The Milwaukee Athletic Department will continue its partnership with My24 Sports to air games during the 2019-20 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 three select Milwaukee Panthers games live starting January 18th with the game against Oakland. Also included is the February 15th tilt with Green Bay and the regular-season finale against Youngstown State.

BROADCAST BASICS
Each and every Panther game this season will be available on the Black & Gold Network. In conjunction with the website mixlr.com, Scott Warras - back for his fourth season with the MKE men and 14th with the Panthers overall -  will broadcast every game over the internet at the following link: mixlr.com/mke-panthers.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris (2011-13) was once again on the active roster in the National Football League in 2019, playing with the Cleveland Browns following five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (Harris has recently signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason). An undrafted free agent to start his career, he caught 15 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns this season, making six starts in 15 appearances. Coming into 2019, Harris had caught 57 passes for 605 yards, including six 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 sixth 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 U.S. Cellular Arena.

UP NEXT
A victory means the Horizon League Tournament run will continue Thursday night. Opponent and location will be posted to the MKE website as soon as it is available.