MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the upcoming Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the Under Armour preseason poll conducted by the League's head coaches, SIDs, and media members which was announced today by the league office.
 
One season after being selected in second place to mark the highest choice in over a decade, the Panthers are No. 1 for the first time since prior to the 2006-07 campaign.
 
In addition, Erik Pratt and AJ McKee have been named to the Preseason All-League Second Team.
 
The Panthers tallied 15 first-place votes and 421 points in the coaches' poll to hold down the spot, with Purdue Fort Wayne tied for the same position with one less first-place vote.
 
Northern Kentucky (389 points/4 first-place votes), Oakland (345 points/5 first-place votes), and Wright State (315 points/4 first-place votes) round out the top five of the poll.
 
Bart Lundy has set the bar high in his first two seasons with the Panthers, bringing a much-needed resurgence and energy back to the program. He has led the team to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2004-05 and 2005-06, becoming the first head coach to record 20+ victories in his first two years on the bench in two decades.
  
Last winter, the team was at it again, riding a late-season surge to a memorable postseason run that came up just one game short of the NCAA Tournament after falling in the championship game.
 
At 20-15 overall, it marked the 12th 20-win season in program history. The team battled all season despite numerous injuries to starters and bench players alike, producing six different victories in which they dug out of double-digit deficits to claim wins. The Panthers went 9-2 at home against league opponents, the second straight season with the same mark (18-4 in two years). Milwaukee again added more entries to the record book, establishing new marks in total points (2,782), field goals made (980), field goals attempted (2,198), three-point field goals attempted (861), total rebounds (1,364), and offensive rebounds (473), while adding runner-up entries in rebound average (39.0 rpg) and blocked shots (155). Plus, the offense finished with a scoring average of 79.5 points per game – the highest for a Milwaukee team since 1992-93.
 
Excitement is high and optimism abounds as the Panthers approach the 2024-25 campaign.

Pratt enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, averaging 12.5 points a game to finish second on the team and 24th in the Horizon League. He added 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists (also 24th in the conference) per game, while shooting 41.0 percent (150-of-366) from the floor overall, hitting on 36.1 percent (70-of-194) from three-point range and 80.0 percent (56-of-70) from the free throw line. In addition, his 2.1 made 3's per game ranked No. 10 in the league as a constant deep threat for the Panthers.
 
McKee has been heralded as one of the top newcomers in the Horizon League by numerous sources and publications nationally. He arrives at Milwaukee following a stellar run at Queens University, where he was a three-year starter and led the team in scoring in 2023-24 with his 18.8 ppg average, while adding 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He ranked third in the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring, becoming the seventh player in program history to cross the 1,500-point mark for a career and enters play this year with 1,586 points following a season in which he was named ASUN Second-Team All-Conference
 
2024-25 Under Armour  #HLMBB Preseason Poll
T1.        Milwaukee (15) – 421
T1.        Purdue Fort Wayne (14) – 421
3.          Northern Kentucky (4) – 389
4.          Oakland (5) – 345
5.          Wright State (4) – 315
6.          Youngstown State (1) – 272
7.          Cleveland State – 252
8.          Green Bay – 171
9.          RMU – 148
10.        IU Indianapolis (1) – 91
11.       Detroit Mercy – 79
 
#HLMBB Preseason Player of the Year
Brandon Noel, Wright State
 
Preseason All-League First Team
Trey Robinson, Northern Kentucky
Sam Vinson, Northern Kentucky
Rasheed Bello, Purdue Fort Wayne
Jalen Jackson, Purdue Fort Wayne
Brandon Noel, Wright State
 
Preseason All-League Second Team
AJ McKee, Milwaukee
Erik Pratt, Milwaukee
DQ Cole, Oakland
Quinton Morton-Robertson, Purdue Fort Wayne
Alex Huibregtse, Wright State