The Milwaukee men's basketball team can unpack the travel bags for a bit as it will wrap up the month of November with a four-game homestand, starting with a Wednesday matinee when it hosts St. Thomas. The matchup against the Tommies is set to tip-off at 2 PM on ESPN+ and will have live statistics available. It will also feature the "Educators Credit Union Milwaukee Panther Men's Basketball Radio Broadcast", which airs on 101.7 FM The Truth and streaming services. Scott Warras is on the call for his seventh season as the voice of the Panthers and all links are posted on the MKE website.

LOOKING AT THE TOMMIES
The Tommies were one of the most successful NCAA Division III teams in the area before making the transition to the division I level and are now members of the Summit League. In their final season in the MIAC, the Tommies went 26-3 and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country before COVID shut down the season. Last winter, the team went 10-20 and was selected to finish eighth in the Summit League preseason poll this year.

John Tauer is now in his 12th season as the head coach of the St. Thomas men's basketball team in 2022-23 and has the team off to a 4-2 start, with a couple of wins in the Zootown Classic their most recent action, topping Troy (78-76) and Merrimack (72-61). Three players average double-figures, led by Riley Miller at 15.2 ppg and Andrew Rohde at 13.5 ppg.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee and St. Thomas will be playing each other for the first time in program history Wednesday.

LAST TIME OUT
A turnover-filled start to the night hurt the chances for Milwaukee, falling to Iowa State by a final score of 68-53 in front of a crowd of 11,785 at the Hilton Coliseum Nov. 20.
 
The Panthers (2-2) dug themselves a hole with the early mistakes and the Cyclones (3-0) put it away with a strong start to the second half that created separation that, despite a late surge, Milwaukee could not overcome. Giveaways on the first five possessions of the night created an instant 12-4 deficit. Then, a 16-3 scoring run to open second half grew the home lead to 53-29, with the 24-point advantage the biggest of the evening. The Panthers would claw back to within 11 with a late charge, but no closer.
 
BJ Freeman led the way with 11 points, the only player to reach double-figures for the visitors. Markeith Browning II had nine points and seven rebounds, while both Jalen Johnson and Zach Howell finished with eight points.

A FIRST IMPRESSION WITH PUNCH
Bart Lundy earned a big victory in his first game as head coach against MSOE Nov. 7 and did it in impressive fashion historically. The 56-point margin of victory went down as the third-highest in the record book all-time as well as the biggest since a 51-point victory over Judson in December of 2015 (125-74). Lundy then topped that two games later with a 74-point win against Cardinal Stritch Nov. 12 and now already owns two of the top four largest victories in program history.

+79 Mount Senario (100-21) 12/27/00
+74 Cardinal Stritch (112-38) 11/12/22
+62 Prairie View A&M (117-55) 11/20/04
+56 MSOE (102-46) 11/7/22

HOW-WELL? ... VERY
Zach Howell put in a solid 14 minutes of work on the court against Iowa State Nov. 20, connecting on a couple of late 3's to help get the Panthers back within striking distance. The eight points marked a season-best for the freshmen sharpshooter. He also came up with four steals - his second consecutive game of four. His eight steals leads the team.

THE BAKER IS A THIEF
Vin Baker Jr. accomplished something against Cardinal Stritch that hadn't been done in a span of 66 games ... and he did it in just 12 minutes and 47 seconds of playing time. Baker pulled off five steals to set a new career-high - topping his former best of two - marking the first time a Panther had at least five steals in a single game since Darius Roy pulled off six against Cleveland State back in January of 2020 (the school record is eight).

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
Not only did the MKE offense put up 100+ points for the second time in four games this season against Cardinal Stritch Nov. 12, but the defense put up a historical performance on Homecoming as well. It had been 179 games since the team last allowed under 40 points to an opponent, dating back to the 37 scored by UC Irvine back in November of 2016.

The 38 allowed to the Wolves goes down as a tie for the third-fewest all-time.
21 vs. Mount Senario, 12/27/2000
37 vs. UC Irvine, 11/26/2016
38 vs. Cardinal Stritch, 11/12/22
38 vs. Wright State, 1/12/12
38 vs. Texas Southern, 11/20/11

The defense came to play, limiting the Wolves to 21.9 percent (14-of-64) from the floor, the lowest mark since the school record was set in 2000.
.189 (7-37) vs. Mount Senario, 12/27/2000
.215 (14-65) vs. UIC, 2/17/96
.219 (14-64) vs. Cardinal Stritch, 11/12/22

TOP OF THE CHARTS
The new-look Panthers have been fun to watch, throwing down dunks with regularity and topping the 100-point barrier twice in the first four games. The 112 points scored against Cardinal Stritch Nov. 12 mark a tie for the fourth-most points scored in a game in MKE's NCAA Division I history.
125 vs. Judson, 12/13/15
117 vs. Prairie View A&M, 11/20/04
116 vs. Illinois, 12/3/90
112 vs. Northeastern Illinois, 2/2/91
112 vs. Cardinal Stritch, 11/12/22
 
The game also featured a trio of other entries into the record book. The 41 made field goals finished tied for fourth (record is 47), 55 rebounds was tied for fifth (record is 59), and 17 steals was tied for seventh (mark is 22).

A PERFECT NIGHT
Jalen Johnson put up one of the best statistical nights any Panther has had in some time against Cardinal Stritch Nov. 12, wrapping up the evening with a season-high 17 points. More impressively ... he did not miss a shot - making all eight of his field goals as well as a 1-for-1 showing from the line. He would have needed two more makes (10 is the minimum) to qualify for the school record for a single game, which currently sits at .846 (11-of-13), done twice (Adrian Tigert vs. Florida in 2006 and Dylan Page back in 2003 vs. Loyola).

STUART STEPPING UP
It didn't take Angelo Stuart long to make a great impression with the Panthers, leading the way with 24 points in the 102-46 blowout of MSOE in the season opener Nov. 7. He hit 8-of-11 shots on the night, sinking five 3's while adding 5 assists. His 24 points were the most for a Panther in a season opener since Paige Paulsen went for 27 in the opener against Radford in 2006-07.

SPREAD THE WEALTH
Not only did the team break past the 100-point barrier in regulation for the first time since November 12, 2019 (a span of 82 games), but the entire lineup chipped in, with 14 players seeing action and 11 of that total seeing 10-plus minutes on the court. The team made 38 field goals and assisted on 26 of them, marking a tie for the fifth-most assists in a game in school history.
32 Judson 12/13/15
32 Prairie View A&M 11/20/04
29 Mount Senario 12/27/00
28 Cleveland State 2/28/04
26 five times total, including vs. MSOE

OFFENSIVE FIRE
The Panthers were consistent each half against MSOE in the opener Nov. 7, hitting on 63.3 percent in the first half and then 59.4 percent in the second half to finish at 61.3 percent (38-of-62) on the night. That field-goal percentage checks in as the 10th-best in program history.
.678 (40-59) Cleveland State 2/8/96
.650 (26-40) UMKC 11/30/13
.639 (39-61) Chicago State 1/19/91
.628 (27-43) South Dakota St. 12/11/10
.627 (47-75) Judson 12/13/15
.625 (30-48) La Crosse 11/10/17
.623 (33-53) IUPUI 1/15/22
.622 (24-45) Youngstown State 1/14/15
.617 (29-47) DePaul 12/5/11
.613 (38-62) MSOE 11/7/22

MORE RECORD BOOK ENTRIES
A look through the record book shows just how impressive the 102-46 victory over the Raiders in the season opener was Nov. 7, adding entries with its nine blocks and +24 rebound margin in addition to the FG% and assists marks. The nine blocks mark a tie for fourth place in a single game all-time:
14 Northern Kentucky 1/4/16
11 Illinois Tech 11/24/95
10 San Diego 12/23/00
9 now 6 times, including MSOE 11/7/22

The +24 rebound margin (44-20) now sits in a tie for sixth place.
+36 Loyola 1/28/09
+28 Judson 12/13/15
+28 Wright State 1/20/15
+25 Wright State 2/27/03
+25 Chicago State 3/2/94
+24 MSOE 11/7/22

AND WE'RE OFF
A couple of different looks to the season opener, which saw Milwaukee playing its opening game of the season at home for just the fourth time in the past 10 years. The team is now 20-13 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91, which includes the 75-60 victory at North Dakota to start the 2021-22 campaign as well as the big win over MSOE this season. In all, the team is 27-6 in that same span in home openers (while 14-1 in season openers at home), claiming wins in 20 of the past 23 (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 14 in that scenario).

ROSTER UPDATE
Jordan Ratliffe, a redshirt senior who comes to the Panthers after earning multiple postseason honors in three years at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, including First-Team Conference Carolinas All-Conference following the 2021-22 campaign, will unfortunately miss the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury that happened prior to the start of the season.

ROSTER OVERHAUL
The Panthers will enter the 2022-23 season with very few familiar faces from a year ago, as the only four returning players include Vin Baker Jr., Markeith Browning, Moses Bol, and Vincent Miszkiewicz. Baker Jr. is the most experienced player in an MKE uniform, having played in 27 games a season ago. Miszkiewicz has technically not yet played for Milwaukee after sitting out last season due to transfer regulations.

The roster includes 13 total newcomers, with a wide variety of backgrounds.
True Freshman (4): Zach Howell, Elijah Jamison, Vinko Polovic, Brian Taylor II
Redshirt Sophomores (2): Markeith Browning II, Vincent Miszkiewicz
Sophomores (4, all transfers): Keon Edwards, BJ Freeman, Kentrell Pullian, Justin Thomas
Redshirt Juniors (2, both transfers): Angelo Stuart, Jalen Johnson
Juniors (1): Dominic Ham
Redshirt Seniors (2):  Vin Baker, Jr., Jordan Ratliffe
Seniors (1): Ahmad Rand
Grad Students (1): Moses Bol

THERE WILL BE SHOES TO FILL
With such a large list of players having moved on due to graduation and transfer, Milwaukee will be among the teams with the biggest need for newcomers to step into large roles across the entire country.

Milwaukee returns just 11.8 percent of total points from last season, as Vin Baker Jr. (139/5.1 ppg), Markeith Browning (62/4.4 ppg), and Moses Bol (43/1.7 ppg) accounted for just 244 of the 2,073 points the offense accumulated last season, a cumulative average of 11.2 ppg combined.

For rebounds, the number is 17.5 percent returning, with Bol (87), Baker Jr. (86), and Browning (28) grabbing 201 of the 1,149 rebounds overall.

Lastly, will be the experience factor, as Baker Jr. (11), Bol (4), and Browning (0), accounted for just 15 of the 160 total starts that the lineup consisted of during the 32-game season.

Fewest Returning Points Per Game in NCAA
9.1          IUPUI
9.1          West Virginia
11.0        Monmouth
11.2        Milwaukee
12.0        Tennessee Tech
15.4        Southern Mississippi
17.3        Ohio State
17.7        UTRGV
18.4        Northwestern State
19.0        Texas-Arlington
19.9        Illinois State
20.7        South Alabama
24.9        Iowa State

LUNDY'S LINE
Head coach Bart Lundy brings an extensive background of success to the Panthers, which includes an impressive run through the postseason that extends many years and a pair of trips to the NCAA DII Final Four in his career. A look back at his past seven seasons reveals the gaudy numbers that were posted.
2021-22: 30-4 overall, 2-1 in NCAA Tournament
2020-21: 16-6 overall, 0-1 in NCAA Tournament
2019-20: 24-7 overall, NCAA's cancelled
2018-19: 31-5 overall, 3-1 in NCAA Tournament
2017-18: 32-4 overall, 1-1 in NCAA Tournament
2016-17: 30-4 overall, 2-1 in NCAA Tournament
2015-16: 25-7 overall, 1-1 in NCAA Tournament

Lundy enters season No. 21 of his collegiate career with an overall mark of 429-190, a .693 winning percentage.

LOOK AT THAT RESUME
Lundy brings an impressive career resume, most impressively over the past six seasons where he has earned 30-plus victories in four of them while registering a 163-30 mark (.845 winning percentage) in that stretch. His run of three consecutive seasons of 30-or-more victories from 2016 to 2019 (32/30/31) was matched only by Gonzaga across all NCAA levels in that timeframe.

The Royals reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2017-18 and the Elite Eight again in 2018-19, as well as advancing to the Sweet 16 on two occasions (2017/2022). Lundy had his team as the top seed in the tournament in 2017 and 2019 and the No. 2 seed in 2019, 2020, and 2022. His overall record in the NCAA Tournament is an impressive 13-6.

AMAZING AHMAD
One of the newcomers to the MKE roster, senior Ahmad Rand, has quite the resume when it comes to shot blocking. Listed at 6-8, he finished eighth in the Pac-12 in blocked shots per game (1.14) last year while appearing in 29 games for Oregon State (33 total blocks). Rand spent his first two years at USC Salkehatchie in Allendale, South Carolina, leading the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in blocked shots per game both seasons, finishing at 4.4 bpg in 2018-19 and 4.98 bpg during the 2019-20 campaign.

His MKE debut was fun to watch as well, finishing with 14 points against the Raiders Nov. 7, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. Included in those seven made field goals were five dunks, part of the eight total MKE dunks on the night.

BIG MO!
Moses Bol emerged down the stretch last season, seeing more minutes and production as he commanded the paint with his presence. Bol blocked five shots against Green Bay Feb. 13 - all coming in the second half - marking the first game of at least five blocks for a Panther since J.J. Panoske set the school record with eight against Northern Kentucky in January of 2016 - a span of 195 games. He also set an NCAA-best by grabbing eight rebounds against the Phoenix that evening.

THE ROAD TO 1,000
Jalen Johnson joins the Panthers with quite an extensive career at the NCAA Division I level under his belt at Alabama A&M in which he was named a BoxToRow All-American in each of his final two seasons. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last winter and will start the season with 893 career points (now at 930 heading into the St. Thomas game). Once he gets to 1,000, he would be the 29th player in program history to do so wearing a Panther uniform, while also joining Te'Jon Lucas (2/19/20) and Jake Wright (final game of the 2018-19 campaign) as the third consecutive to have reached the mark while not spending 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).

DEEEEEEEE-FENSE!
The Panthers were very good on defense last season, leading the Horizon League with their .401 opponent field-goal percentage - a number that finished No. 37 in the country. Milwaukee held Green Bay to just 26.0 percent (13-of-50) shooting from the floor Feb. 13, the sixth time last season they held an opponent below .300 (North Dakota was held to .290/Saint Xavier to .297/Northern Kentucky to .294/Green Bay to .278/Wright State to .290). In addition to those six stellar outings, the Panthers also held six other opponents to .388 or less on overall field goal attempts in a game. The 49 points scored by the Phoenix Jan. 5 marked the first time MKE held an opponent under 50 since a 72-49 victory over Detroit Mercy back on Feb. 22, 2018 - a span of 101 games. The team also set a new program record in the category in the NCAA DI era, topping the .413 mark allowed by the team back in the 2004-05 campaign.

Also for perspective, that day against the Titans was the last time an opponent was held under 30 percent (UDM connected on .286 that day) prior to this season. The last time a Milwaukee defense held opponents under 30 percent even TWICE during a season was way back in 2011-12 (.255 vs. Wright State and .276 against Butler).

TURN THE RADIO UP
This marks the first full hops season that 101.7 FM The Truth will serve as the radio home of the "Educators Credit Union Milwaukee Panthers Men's Basketball Radio Broadcasts". Fans can listen to veteran broadcaster Scott Warras, now in his seventh season, call all the play-by-play action on air at 101.7 FM and via live online streaming services. Plus, head coach Bart Lundy will appear on 101.7 FM The Truth's "MKE in the Morning" shows with Mel and DZ on the first and third Wednesday of every month throughout the 2022-23 basketball regular season.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
Milwaukee broke a recent skid in Horizon League openers two years ago, topping Green Bay (68-65) after having dropped the initial game of the conference slate each of the prior six times, dating back to an 82-76 victory over Youngstown State in 2013-14. Since joining the MCC/Horizon League, Milwaukee is now 14-14 in league openers following the tough loss to Youngstown State a year ago.

IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT
It was a long time coming for Vin Baker Jr., taking the court November 9 of last season for the first time since the end of the 2019 season - a span of 993 days. Since that date, Baker Jr. spent the 2019-20 season sitting with Milwaukee due to transfer regulations and then missing all of the 2020-21 campaign due to injury.  But he came up big against North Dakota, contributing 11 points off the bench, including an emphatic dunk in the closing minutes that put the game away and set off a huge celebration on the MKE bench. His 11 points tied his career-best, matching the 11 he scored against Pittsburgh in Feb. 2018.

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 eighth 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
It will be a busy holiday weekend for the team, hosting the "Cream City Classic" Nov. 26-28 at the Klotsche Center. Game one is Saturday against UC Davis, set for a 4 p.m. tipoff.