The Milwaukee men's basketball team closes out the month of January with a pair of contests at IUPUI, looking to extend a winning streak against the Jaguars that currently sits at four straight games, as well as five of last six. Fresh off a thrilling comeback victory over first-place Cleveland State, Friday's tilt is set to tip at 5 p.m. CST, while the weekend series then wraps up Saturday at 2 p.m. CST. Both matchups will be available on ESPN3, 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.

With no fans permitted at all conference venues this season, fans can engage with the Panthers' Virtual Gameday hub, a page on MKEPanthers.com that houses all links fans will need for the gameday experience.

LOOKING AT THE JAGUARS
IUPUI came in ranked 12th in the preseason poll after a 7-25 campaign (3-15 in league play) last winter. Head coach Byron Rimm II is in his second year after being named the interim coach in August of 2019. Marcus Burk was named to the preseason all-league first team after earning a spot on the second team a year ago, a campaign in which he averaged 21.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

The team has had numerous COVID-related schedule changes of its own, limiting the Jags to nine total games (3-6), which includes a 2-6 mark in league action. Most recently, they had a tough homestand against Wright State, falling by scores of 95-65 and 100-72. Burk is one of two players averaging double-figures, checking in at 19.0 points per contest. Jaylen Mennett has been playing much better of late and now has his scoring average up to 13.8 ppg.

SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers are now over the break-even mark, holding a 9-5 ledger in the series dating back to 1986, standing 7-4 in games played during their NCAA Division I era. Milwaukee recorded a 78-74 win in early January last year and completed the regular-season series sweep when Te'Jon Lucas scored with 7.0 seconds left in OT for an 80-79 win on the road. That marked their first victory in Indianapolis in five games, dating back to a 95-88 win in double-overtime back in February 2013. They then ran the current win streak in the series to four with commanding 94-70 and 71-63 wins earlier this winter. Tafari Simms dropped in 32 in the 94-point showing.

LAST TIME OUT
DeAndre Gholston scored the game-winner with just 3.2 seconds remaining in overtime to help Milwaukee pull off an improbable 81-80 victory Jan. 23.
 
The Panthers (6-5, 5-4 Horizon League) trailed the first-place Vikings (10-5, 10-2 Horizon League) by 14 points with under three minutes to play before flipping the script and scoring 21 of the final 28 points of regulation, forcing overtime when Donovan Newby calmly sank three free throws with 10.5 seconds left on the clock in regulation.
 
Te'Jon Lucas played a major role on the day, tying his career-high with 31 points while also recording the third double-double of his career with a team-high 10 rebounds. Lucas put the Panthers ahead a pair of occasions in the extra session, but his team still trailed, 80-79, with possession of the ball and about 25 seconds remaining.
 
Lucas got a good look at a three from the wing. It went off the back iron, bouncing back out the elbow. Courtney Brown Jr. alertly back-tapped the offensive rebound to Gholston at the top. He did the rest, driving the lane with a spin move, laying it in on the left side of the basket with his right hand.

PROBABLY IMPROBABLE
Down 14 points with 2:46 to play, things looked a bit bleak for the Panthers before pulling off the improbable victory over Cleveland State Jan. 23, 81-80. As crazy as it sounds, the team has had three similar finishes in recent history.

*Dec. 13, 2018: Down 9 points with 2:45 to play against Kansas City, MKE scored the final 12 points of the day to turn a 66-57 deficit into a 69-66 victory.
*Nov. 19, 2017: The team erased a 19-point first-half hole against Elon, closing the game on a 12-2 run to earn the buzzer-beating 72-71 victory.
*Jan. 22, 2017: MKE closed regulation on a 13-4 spree against Youngstown State over the final 6:32 to force overtime, eventually winning 94-85.

The last comeback that featured such a quick comeback from a double-digit deficit came Jan. 31, 2009, when the Panthers trailed UIC, 61-51, with 1:27 remaining before winning on a Deion James three-pointer as time expired, 63-62.

WHERE ARE WE ... BASKIN-ROBBINS?
For the third time in his career, Te'Jon Lucas has netted 30-plus points in a game. And, for the third time, he ended the contest with exactly 31 points - this time against Cleveland State Jan. 23. He added 10 rebounds against the Vikings, posting the third double-double of his career.

Lucas also went for 31 points and 12 rebounds against IUPUI Feb. 8 of last season. He scored 16 of his 31 in the final 12 1/2 minutes, including what turned into the eventual game-winner with 7.0 seconds left. The first 31-point game came against Green Bay Jan. 11.

THE GOAL FOR GHOLSTON
DeAndre Gholston scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in his collegiate career against Cleveland State Jan. 22-23, capping the weekend with the game-winning layup with 3.2 seconds left. He set a new MKE high each time with 20 Friday, then 21 Saturday, adding 7 rebounds in both.

DOING IT ALL FOR CHARITY
The Panthers finished an impressive 26-of-30 (.867) from the free throw line against Vikings Jan. 23, helping up the team to .752 (176-234) on year and on pace for one of the best seasons in program history (the top two marks are .772 and .746).

The last time MKE made as many as 26 free throws in a game that didn't go into overtime was a 28-of-35 effort against Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League Tournament in March of 2017. Since then they have made more on two occasions, sinking 33 against LIU Brooklyn (OT) in November of 2018 and 32 against WMU (3OT) in November of 2019.

SIMMS-SATIONAL!
Tafari Simms enjoyed what can only be called the best breakout offensive game for a Panther in decades against IUPUI Jan. 8. His 32 points were noteworthy on so many levels.

*Topped his former collegiate-best of 21 points that he netted against New Mexico Junior College on January 30, 2020.
*Most for a Panther since Akeem Springs netted 33 against Youngstown State in January of 2016.
*Most points off the bench since Avery Smith scored 36 against Oakland in December of 2006.
*Outside of Simms and Smith's performances, just one other Panther has scored 30-plus off the bench in the past two decades (Jeremiah Bell had 31 vs. Detroit Mercy in March of 2017).
*Simms had just 12 points on the season coming into the day. For perspective, he scored 12 points during the decisive 19-0 run against the Jags.
*Added his name to the MKE record book in both the single-game field goal (.769) and single-game three-point field-goal (.833) categories.

THE TREK TO 1,000
Te'Jon Lucas will have a major milestone waiting for him this season, as he is on pace to cross the 1,000-point plateau for points in a career at some point. The most recent player to achieve the feat in a Panther uniform was Jake Wright, who netted his 1,000th in his final collegiate game to close out the 2018-19 season (with 288 of those points coming at MKE).

When Lucas gets the milestone, he would be the 28th player to do so wearing a Panther uniform, while also joining Wright as the second one to not have spent most of his career at Milwaukee. The most recent to hit the mark in MKE-only games was Matt Tiby in 2016, finishing with 1,332 points (in three seasons).

Lucas enters Friday at 915 points.

IN THE ZONE IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT
Tafari Simms also added his name to the program record book with his impressive shooting display against IUPUI Jan. 8. His 32 points included a 10-for-13 showing from the floor and a 5-for-6 showing free three-point range.

SINGLE-GAME FG%
.846 (11-13) Adrian Tigert 2006
.846 (11-13) Dylan Page 2003
.833 (10-12) Bryce Nze 2017
.833 (10-12) Marc Mitchell 1992
.769 (10-13) Three players, now including Simms.
*Last to do so: Avery Smith 2006

SINGLE-GAME 3FG%
1.000 (6-6) Joe Schultz 1991
1.000 (5-5) 4 times, most recent Darius Roy 2020
.833 (10-12) Ronnie Jones 2002
.833 (5-6) Simms

THAT'S OFFENSIVE!
The Panthers put up their most points in a first half this season against IUPUI Jan. 8 with 44, topping the 40 they scored by halftime against Western Michigan Dec. 13. The 94 total points they ended the contest with are also the most points in a game that did not go into overtime since piling up 98 against UIC back on February 28, 2016.

In addition, the MKE offense posted back-to-back shooting highs as a team, starting with 52.5 percent (31-of-59) Friday before topping that with a 55.8 percent (29-of-52) clip on Saturday. Both of those were the highest since a .609 performance against Wisconsin Lutheran on Nov. 12 of 2019 and the best against an NCAA DI opponent since connecting on 58.5 percent (31-of-53) showing against Albany back on November 30, 2018. Milwaukee's 56.5 percent (13-of-23) performance from three-point range against the Jaguars Jan. 8 was also its highest since that same game against Albany. That afternoon they sank 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from deep in a game played in a tournament in Northern Ireland.

FILLING IT UP FROM DEEP
Grant Coleman tied for the team lead with his 16 points against Robert Morris Jan. 1, marking the first time a freshman led MKE in scoring in a game since January of the 2016-17 campaign. That month, both Jeremy Johnson (17 points against Cleveland State 1/20/17) and Bryce Nze (22 against UIC 1/17/17) accomplished the feat. His five three-pointers in a game is also the high-water mark for a freshman since Austin Arians sank five against Loyola Chicago in a 17-point effort back on January 30, 2013.

PHOILING THE PHOENIX
The Panthers started Horizon League play with a pair of wins, moving to 2-0 to open the conference slate for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. It also marked the first regular-season sweep of the Phoenix since that same winter. Te'Jon Lucas paced the win Dec. 19 by scoring 18 of his 21 points in the second half, leading the way in scoring, rebounding (7) and assists (6) in the contest. The next day it was DeAndre Gholston coming through with his first double-double as a Panther, netting a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace four players in double-figures.

BUCKING THE BRONCOS
The Panthers claimed their first victory of the season against Western Michigan with a strong finish Dec. 13, with Te'Jon Lucas playing the leading role down the stretch. His 1-of-2 effort at the line with 2:39 left started the decisive span, pushing the lead to 60-57. After a WMU miss, he hit a tough shot in the paint and, following another miss by the Broncos, found Courtney Brown Jr. for a huge three-pointer that made it 66-57 with 1:06 to go. Lucas then made 5-of-6 from the line over the final 33 seconds to ice the win. He accounted for each of MKE's final 11 points, scoring eight of them while assisting Brown Jr.'s three.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
Milwaukee broke a recent skid in Horizon League openers, topping Green Bay (68-65) after having dropped the initial game of the conference slate each of the past six seasons, dating back to an 82-76 victory over Youngstown State in 2013-14. Since joining the MCC/Horizon League, Milwaukee is now 14-13 in league openers. The last time the team was 2-0 was 2011-12, the same year they started 3-0 before a loss. The last 4-0 start came in 2008-09 (in which they started 5-0).

DROPPING DIMES
Te'Jon Lucas wasted no time in setting the bar for what he can do in the passing game. He recorded nine assists in the season-opener against Kansas State Dec. 11, finishing just one off of his career-high that he set against Kansas City last season. The nine helpers is also the most in a season opener in Milwaukee's NCAA DI history, with the closest totals over the past 25 years coming from Jordan Johnson (7 vs. Denver in 2015) and Jordan Aaron (7 vs. Mary in 2012).

IS IT STILL TECHNICALLY A RECORD?
Speaking of helpers, Te'Jon Lucas will start play Friday with 404 assists in his NCAA career. The Milwaukee career record is 383 set by Kaylon Williams (2010-12), a total that Lucas passed against IUPUI Jan. 9. However, to clarify, 215 of his 404 have come while wearing a Panther uniform.

DOUBLE-FIGURES IN No. 1
The Panthers had four different players finish in double-figures in the season opener against Kansas State Dec. 11, including one freshman when Grant Coleman scored 14 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. The last time someone had more was when Clay Tucker lit up Central Michigan for 24 in his MKE debut in the 1999 opener - a game he sank a three at the buzzer to win. In addition, it marks only the third time since Meier that a frosh has netted double-figures in the opener: Jeremy Johnson had 11 against MSOE in 2016-17 and Justin Jordan also finished with 11 in the 2014-15 debut against Auburn. Coleman's six rebounds against the Wildcats tied for the team lead - again the first time that has been accomplished by a freshman since Meier's 12 in 2008.

FRESHIE-FRESH DEBUTS
The Panthers saw four different freshmen make their collegiate debuts against Kansas State Dec. 11, with Grant Coleman (20 minutes), Kaleim Taylor (14), Donovan Newby (8) and Devon Hancock (2) all seeing time on the court against the Wildcats. It's the most freshmen to see action in a season opener for the Panthers since the 2016-17 campaign. That season, six different freshmen made their initial college debuts against MSOE: Bryce Barnes, Sam Burkhart, August Haas, Seth Dittmer, Bryce Nze, and Jeremy Johnson.

THE NEXT LEVEL
DeAndre Gholston put together an impressive debut for the Panthers against Kansas State in the season opener Dec. 11. He led the way with 15 points against the Wildcats, adding six rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks. It's the second consecutive season that Milwaukee has seen a great debut by a JUCO transfer - a year ago it was Josh Thomas who finished with 18 points against Concordia Wisconsin.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD
The program was paused in late November due to COVID-19 protocols, forcing the Panthers to cancel the MKE Classic and postpone the start of the new campaign. The 2020-21 season-opening date of Dec. 11 is the first to take place in the month of December since the 1992-93 campaign (Dec. 1 that season) and the latest in program history since the 1926-27 slate tipped off on Dec. 22, 1926. In addition, as of January 11, the team had played as many games (7) as it had cancelled due to COVID protocols (7).

P.O.Y. POSSIBILITIES
Te'Jon Lucas is embarking on what should be a memorable senior season. Following a junior campaign in which he led the Horizon League in assists and steals while also scoring nearly 15 points per game, Lucas will be on the short list of everyone's conference Player of the Year candidates. In addition to topping the field in assists and steals, Lucas also ranked third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), fifth in free throw percentage (79.4), ninth in minutes played (33.4 mpg), and 12th in scoring.

NEW FACES
There will be numerous new faces for the fans to get to know this season. In fact, just one team in the country at the NCAA Division I level has more newcomers than the eleven MKE now has on the 2020-21 roster.
12 – Arkansas
(4 grad transfers/3 transfers/5 freshmen)
11 – Milwaukee
11 – Alcorn State
11 – Arizona
11 – New Mexico
11 – Seattle
11 – South Dakota

The makeup of Milwaukee's 11 fresh faces breaks down to the following:
Transfers set to play (2):
Vin Baker Jr., Joey St. Pierre
Transfers who will sit (1):
Jordan Lathon (Jr.)
JUCO transfers (2):
DeAndre Gholston, Tafari Simms
Redshirt Freshmen (1):
Tyler Ellingson
True Freshmen (5):
Donovan Newby, Devon Hancock, Kaleim Taylor, Nick Pappas, Grant Coleman

LEAGUE SCHEDULE NOTE
The updated 2020-21 Horizon League schedule for Panthers features a unique slate of 20 games split evenly between home and road venues. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the setup of the games is unprecedented, with teams playing the same opponent on back-to-back dates at the same location. Each school will have five home weekends and five road weekends and will play 10 of 11 league opponents (Milwaukee will not play Youngstown State.)

START ME UP
The Panthers returned five players who made starts in 2019-20, including a pair of players in Te'Jon Lucas (30-of-30, missing one to injury) and C.J. Wilbourn (30-of-31) that started 30 of the team's 31 contests. In addition, MKE returned Josh Thomas (20 starts in 31 games), Courtney Brown Jr. (starts in 16 of final 17 outings while playing in all 31 games), and Amir Allen (10 starts in 23 appearances).

SPECIAL COMBINATION
Te'Jon Lucas pulled off a pair of special statistical achievements last winter, finishing as the Horizon League leader in both assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). In finishing No. 1 on the assist chart, he joined Kaylon Williams (league leader in 2010-11 and 2011-12) as the only other Panther to do so in program history while also becoming the first MKE player to pace the league in steals. In the process, he became just the fifth Horizon League player to accomplish the double-No. 1 feat.
The others:
*Kay Felder, Oakland (2013-14)
*Cedric Jackson, Cleveland State (2008-09)
*Roy Simms, Detroit Mercy (1982-83)
*Darius Clemons, LaSalle (1980-81).

TOP TALENT IN 2019-20
Te'Jon Lucas got the nod as a member of the second team when the Horizon League announced its All-Conference Teams last winter, making him the first Panther to earn a postseason award since Jeremiah Bell was also a second-team honoree in 2017-18. In addition, C.J. Wilbourn was also recognized, earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshmen Team. He was the first Panther to be named to the All-Freshman team since Jordan Aaron in 2012-13 (formerly the All-Newcomer team).

THE MAIN DISH
With his league-leading assists total finishing at 153, Te'Jon Lucas was creeping up on an all-time mark as a junior. He finished with the sixth-best total in program history, just behind Marc Mitchell's 156 in 1991-92. For perspective, Kaylon Williams set the standard with 178 in 2010-11.

CHARITY STRIPE SAGA
The Panthers have been very good at the free throw line as a team over the past few seasons, recording the top two marks in program history very recently. A year ago, the team connected on .709 (399-of-563) to finish third in the Horizon League and just outside of the Top 5 in program history.
 
TOP TEAM FREE THROW %/SEASON
1. 2013-14 season: .745 (527-707)
2. 2017-18 season: .744 (375-504)

NEARLY NO ONE BETTER
Speaking of free throws, MKE had two of the top five in the Horizon League a season ago, with Te'Jon Lucas (.794 on 108-136) at No. 5 and Darius Roy (.815 on 97-119) checking in at No. 4. After passing the minimum amount of attempts to qualify for the career free throw percentage list in program history, Roy was knocking on the door of a school record. The current mark of .838 (207-of-247) is held by Jordan Aaron (2012-14). Roy finished his Milwaukee career at .828 (183-of-221).

Lucas himself looks to keep a three-year trend going, having converted at a better rate from the free throw line each of his three college seasons:

FRESHMAN: 42-of-71 (.592)
SOPHOMORE: 32-of-52 (.615)
JUNIOR: 108-of-136 (.794)
CAREER: 182-of-259 (.703)

AND WE'RE OFF
A couple of different looks to the season opener, which saw Milwaukee playing its opening game of the season on the road for the fifth time in eight years. The team is now 18-13 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91, including a 72-62 victory over Concordia Wisconsin to start the 2019-20 slate a year ago. In all, the Panthers have also posted a 4-12 mark in season openers played away from home in that span. On the flip side, MKE is 25-5 in that same stretch in home openers, claiming victories in 18 of the past 20 (13 in a row at one point). This was the fourth opener for head coach Pat Baldwin, having gone 2-1 over the previous three seasons at the helm.

ENTER THE FROSH
Speaking of big "frosh" moments, the starting lineup against IUPUI Jan. 3 a year ago 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 in January of 2016 when August Haas, Jeremy Johnson and Bryce Nze accomplished the feat.

Wilbourn was also a member of the starting lineup in the season opener against Concordia Wisconsin Nov. 5, marking 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).

20/20/20 VISION
The Panthers pulled off an offensive feat not seen in quite some time last season 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.

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 last season. 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.

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 fifth season with the MKE men and 15th with the Panthers overall - will broadcast every game over the internet at the following link: mixlr.com/mke-panthers.

GAME PROGRAMS AVAILABLE ON-LINE
With the announcement of no fans in the stands until at least January of 2021, fans can still be part of the in-arena feel with the option to download game programs as the season rolls on. Head to the MKE website and click on the "Multimedia" tab for download options.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Former Milwaukee forward Demetrius Harris (2011-13) is once again on the active roster in the National Football League in 2020, playing with the Chicago Bears following one season with the Cleveland Browns and five years with the Kansas City Chiefs. An undrafted free agent to start his career, he caught seven passes for 45 yards this season, making five starts in 15 appearances. Coming into 2020, Harris had caught 79 passes for 799 yards, including nine 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
The Panthers open February with a pair of home games, welcoming Northern Kentucky starting Friday at 5 p.m.