Continuing to play through a stretch that has left the roster undermanned due to injury, the Milwaukee men's basketball team closes out a three-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon affair at Youngstown State. The contest, which has been moved up an hour to try and get ahead of Winter Storm Fern, will now get underway at 12 p.m. CT and will mark the first between the two teams this season. The matchup will be available on ESPN+ and will also have live statistics for fans to follow the action. The audio broadcast will be available on 101.7 FM The Truth and its streaming services, as well as the Varsity Network. Scott Warras is on the call for his 10th season as the voice of the Panthers and all links are posted on the MKE website.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENT
Youngstown State brings an overall record into play Saturday of 10-11, having gone 2-6 over its past eight games. The Penguins did post an 88-81 win over Green Bay Thursday to improve to 3-7 in Horizon League play. Second-year head coach Ethan Faulkner was promoted from a YSU assistant and has helped lead the Penguins to their best stretch at the NCAA DI level. Last winter he led the team to its third-straight 20-win season with a 21-13 overall record to mark a program first. The Guins went 13-7 in conference action and made their first-ever appearance in the championship game, falling to Robert Morris. Over the last four years, the team has won a Horizon League-best 54 conference games and claimed the first regular-season conference championship in school history in 2022-23. YSU was predicted to finish third in the Horizon League preseason poll and Cris Carroll was voted to the Preseason All-Horizon League First-Team after averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season. Carroll leads the way this season, averaging 17.5 points a game to rank fourth in the league. Bryson Dawkins is second at 11.7 ppg and Rich Wolf gives the squad three in double-figures at 10.1 ppg. Carroll also leads the way at 5.0 rebounds a night and the team stands 25th in the NCAA with its 10.6 three-pointers made per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee leads the all-time series by a count of 35-21 (which dates back to 1974), which comes out to 32-21 in the NCAA DI era. YSU does have the upper hand of late, claiming wins in nine of the past 13 meetings, including the four in a row prior to the 88-75 MKE decision in January of 2023. The Panthers did right the ship a bit by sweeping the season series last winter, but the Beeghly Center has been a challenge - with Milwaukee now 4-7 the past 11 - with the 84-74 win last year snapping what was a four-game slide.

LAST TIME OUT
Amar Augillard led five players in double-figures with 16 points but a strong finish to the first half was enough to tip the scales to Robert Morris against Milwaukee in an 88-76 loss Thursday night at the UPMC Events Center.
 
The Panthers (8-13, 4-6 Horizon League), who were competing with just 10 dressed players on the night, played the Colonials (13-8, 5-5 Horizon League) evenly over the final 17-plus minutes, but couldn't get over the hump as RMU grew its halftime lead out of intermission and then held that advantage the rest of the way.
 
Augillard finished with his 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Chandler Jackson added an MKE-high 15-point effort, Esyah Pippa-White tied his with 13 points, while Stevie Elam and Aaron Franklin both posted identical 10 point/7 rebound statlines on the night.

WALKING WOUNDED
The Panthers have really been bit by the injury bug this season, losing five would-be members of the starting lineup for various lengths of time. The timeline has been tough on the roster and forced flexibility in lineups, with the team using its 12th different one (through 21 games) against Robert Morris Jan. 22.
*Jonn Lovelace Jr.: Bart Lundy opened his press conference following the season opener against Hampton Nov. 3 announcing that Lovelace would miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season due to a leg injury suffered in practice just days before the season was set to begin. Lovelace was primed for a senior season and was expected to be a key contributor after appearing in all 32 contests last winter.
*Seth Hubbard: The team announced Dec. 14 that Hubbard will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury. He was the team's leading scorer to that point (16.6 ppg).
*Faizon Fields: After battling through a variety of injuries last season, Fields suffered an ankle injury Jan. 1 at Wright State and has been out each of the past six games.
*Stevie Elam: After an impressive first month of his freshman campaign, Elam suffered a foot injury at Wichita State. He would end up missing a month of action before returning to the court Jan. 9 against Northern Kentucky.
*Danilo Jovanovich: Jovanovich continues to work though his injury situation, missing the past four contests after being the only player to start the first 17 games of the year.
*Other players that have missed time this season due to injury include Isaiah Dorceus (1 game), Chandler Jackson (2 games) and Tate Mackenzie (5 games).

LINEUP LOWDOWN
The starting five for the Panthers so far this season has seen quite the variety as a result of the injury situation, as the team has now used 12 different lineups this season, including new combinations in each of the past six games. The most recent included three freshmen, as Sekou Konneh, Stevie Elam, and Josh Dixon were all featured together at Robert Morris Jan. 22 - marking the first time an MKE starting five has featured three freshmen since the end of the 2021-22 campaign. That winter, Donovan Newby, Devon Hancock, and Jason Sinani started each of the final two games of the season.

I'LL TAKE A 30-PIECE
Amar Augillard's 35 points he scored against Purdue Fort Wayne Jan. 18 broke his former career-best of 30 set back in November of 2024 against Sacramento State. The total also marks the third-most in a game by a member of the MKE roster in over 20 years – with only BJ Freeman scoring more (outings of 43 and 38) since January of 2005. Officially it goes down as tied for the 20th-most scored in a single game in the history of the program. It's also the first 30-point outing for a Panther in 54 contests - the most recent coming when Freeman went for 32 against Green Bay in March of 2024.

THE NEXT MEMBER OF THE 500 CLUB
Bart Lundy recorded a milestone moment in his coaching career against IU Indianapolis Jan. 11, reaching the 500-victory plateau with the 95-83 decision over the Jaguars. Lundy entered year No. 24 sitting at 492 wins. and has averaged over 21 wins per season since he started roaming the sidelines for Queens in the 1998-99 campaign.

Lundy joins an exclusive club: active NCAA coaches with 500 wins. There are currently 17 active members if counting NCAA Division I victories alone, and Lundy would make the 22nd when counting all NCAA levels. He has done so in efficient manner, claiming win No. 500 in his 738th game, an impressive .678 winning percentage. Based on a check of records, there is a list of no more than 40 coaches all-time that have reached the 500 milestone at a higher winning clip.

Lundy Notable Milestone Victories
1: Eckerd College, 81-59 on 11/15/1998
100: Barton College, 90-83 on 1/28/2003
200: Radford, 77-54 on 2/27/2008
300: Livingstone College, 104-60 on 11/17/2017
400: Young Harris College, 133-80 on 11/21/2021
500: IU Indianapolis, 95-83 on 1/11/2026

LET'S BE FRANK
Aaron Franklin came through with a breakthrough outing in the win against Purdue Fort Wayne Dec. 29, posting the first double-double by any Panther player this season (first in 14 games/since Jamichael Stillwell had 16 points & 10 boards against Detroit Mercy 3/1/25) when he finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for his first double-double in his MKE career. The 13 points were then a season-high and the 13 rebounds eclipsed his former best of 11, which came against Green Bay in December of 2023. Franklin came up with a solid effort against Northern Kentucky Jan. 9 as well, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. That point total helped him reach the 1,000-point plateau for his collegiate career. He followed that up with his best outing as a Panther - posting a double-double and setting new MKE highs with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the win over IU Indy Jan. 11. His rebounding has been invaluable of late, recording 81 boards over his past nine appearances. That helps his rebound average in league games jump up to 8.4 per game - currently ranked third in the Horizon League. He is seventh in overall games at 6.0 rpg. He would then go on to add his second straight double-double against Oakland Jan. 15, scoring 13 points while grabbing 13 boards.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers have been very solid at home this season, posting a 6-3 mark in Milwaukee. The team is averaging 83.1 points per game - while allowing 74.0 ppg - and shooting 46.0 percent (267-of-581) from the floor overall while out-rebounding opponents by an average of 7.8 rebounds per contest (40.7/32.9). In addition, Milwaukee is committing just 10.1 turnovers in home games. The road has not been as kind, with the team scoring 72.1 ppg on 42.6 percent (293-of-688) overall while grabbing an average of 33.6 rebounds in those 11 matchups.

SEKOU SENSATION
Redshirt freshman Sekou Konneh continues to impress as the season rolls on, topped by his outing against Oakland Jan. 15. He recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds against the Golden Grizzlies, marking the first double-double of his collegiate career in the process. The 16 points was a season-high versus an NCAA Division I opponents (he had 17 against Dominican) and the 11 rebounds marks the highest total for a freshman in quite some time. His performance was the first double-double for an MKE freshman since Patrick Baldwin Jr. collected 19 points and 11 rebounds (which was also the last time a freshman had 11 boards) against Eastern Kentucky back on Nov. 13, 2021. Konneh went 7-11 from the floor against OU in a season-high 25 minutes on the floor. He would go on to add 11 more boards his next outing at Purdue Fort Wayne Jan. 18.

DIGGIN' IN
The defensive effort for Milwaukee against Purdue Fort Wayne Dec. 29 was noteworthy. The 55 points allowed was not only a season-low, but marked the fewest points for an NCAA Division I opponent in 106 games - dating back to when MKE held Boston University to 46 in November of 2022. It also marks the fewest allowed in a Horizon League game in Bart Lundy's tenure - more impressive given that the Mastodons were averaging 84.9 ppg coming in. The 16 first-half points scored marked the fewest since that same contest in which Boston U had just 13 at the break. The 36.2 percent (21-58) overall shooting was also a season-best for the Panthers defense, as was the 21.9 percent (7-32) from deep.

PROTECT THE ROCK
The Panthers have been very good taking care of the basketball so far this season, averaging just 10.4 turnovers per game - a number that ranks tied for second in the Horizon League (just a touch behind Purdue Fort Wayne at 9.9). In fact, since 2000, there have been only two seasons where the Panthers averaged even as few as 12 turnovers per game: 11.1 in 2020-21 and 11.0 during the 2015-16 campaign.

D-LO DOING IT
It has been an impressive breakout season for Danilo Jovanovich, who enters play Thursday as the team's leading active scorer (12.4 ppg/24th in HL) and rebounder (6.1 rpg/T-5th in HL) at the midway point of the season. He was the only Panther to start all 17 games this winter prior to missing the IU Indy game Jan. 11 and has connected on 59.5 percent (91-of-153) of his field goals while also adding the element of the three-pointer in 2025-26: he has made 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from downtown after attempting just six 3's in his career prior to this season. A year ago, Jovanovich appeared in 17 games in his first year in Milwaukee, limited by injury in which he averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. After posting a pair of games earlier this season with double-figure points and nine rebounds, Jovanovich recorded his first collegiate double-double at Wright State Jan. 1 with a team-best 15 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The work done on rebounds against Purdue Fort Wayne Dec. 29 was one for the record books as well. The 53 total rebounds were the most in a regulation game against an NCAA Division I opponent since setting the school record with 59 against Loyola Chicago back in January of 2009. The 53 total ranks tied for ninth in a game all-time. The +33 margin (53-20) checks in at second-most in program history, trailing only the +36 (59-23 that day) in that same matchup with the Ramblers in 2009.

DIXON DELIGHT: FOR STARTERS
Josh Dixon made his first two collegiate starts some of the more memorable in program history. His first foray into the starting lineup came against South Dakota State Dec. 19, leading the way in the victory with a game and then season-high 24 points. At the time, the 24 points marked the most for any Panther freshman since Patrick Baldwin Jr. went for 26 against Robert Morris back on December 4, 2021. Dixon finished 8-of-18 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line. He added four assists and five boards.

He then one-upped that with a 28-point eruption against Cleveland State Dec. 21, leading the way for MKE to improve to 2-0 in league play. His 52-points over two games not only landed him Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors, but Dixon was also selected the Lou Henson Award National Mid-Major Player of the Week. He now owns two of the top six freshman scoring marks in school history.

MOST POINTS IN A GAME, FRESHMAN
31 Roderick Johnson vs. Northern Ill. on 2/15/96
31 Roderick Johnson vs. Cleveland St. on 2/8/96
29 Pat McCabe vs. Loyola on 1/19/95
28 Josh Dixon at Cleveland State on 12/21/25
26 Patrick Baldwin Jr. vs. RMU on 12/4/21
24 Josh Dixon vs. South Dakota State 12/19/25 24 Clay Tucker vs. C. Michigan on 11/20/99
24 Chad Angeli vs. Loyola on 2/12/98
24 Damion Ninkovic vs. Detroit on 1/29/98

Dixon's 52 points in back-to-back games are also the second-most for an MKE freshman all-time, trailing only the 62 Johnson netted back in February of 1996 (see list).

JACKSON STEPS UP
Chandler Jackson had recorded 11 points in his four appearances on the season coming into play against Cleveland State Dec. 21, yet netted 11 points in the first half alone to help spur a huge scoring run that turned the game around. He used 5-of-8 shooting to score his 14 total points against the Vikings, making 4-of-6 three-pointers, including a late one that iced the victory for the Panthers. He also added three rebounds. Jackson was right back at it against Purdue Fort Wayne Dec. 29, finishing with 11 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.

BAKER'S DOZEN FOR AMAR
Amar Augillard came up big for the Panthers in the second half of the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 19, scoring 20 of his 23 points after intermission. He put the team on his back at one point, scoring 13 consecutive points to take the scoreline from 61-58 Panthers at the 9:40 mark to 74-71 on a pair of free throws at the 3:57 mark, helping Milwaukee stay just far enough ahead of the Jackrabbits to pull out the thrilling victory.

DOUBLE DOWN ON THAT 20
Josh Dixon (24 points) and Amar Augillard (23 points) combined Dec. 19 against South Dakota State to be the first teammates to score 20+ in the same game for the Panthers since February of last season, when Themus Fulks (21) and AJ McKee (20) accomplished the feat against Youngstown State. They did it again in the win over IU Indy Jan. 11, with Augillard finishing with 28 and Dixon an even 20 on the afternoon.

EVERYONE'S TOP PLAY
Seth Hubbard's game-winner against Robert Morris Dec. 6 was recognized with a spot on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top 10 Plays of the Day" nationally. It also marked the most recent game-winner in the closing seconds for the Panthers since Angelo Stuart's 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left sent the Panthers past Northern Kentucky in February of 2024.

LEAGUE LIFTOFF
Since joining the MCC/Horizon League, Milwaukee is now 17-15 in league openers following the 74-72 result against Robert Morris this year, which improved Bart Lundy to 3-1 in his tenure. The victory in the league opener in year No. 1 for Lundy turned the tide in Horizon League lid-lifters, as the team had gone 1-7 dating back to an 82-76 victory over YSU in 2013-14.  

TOUGH TERRITORY
The Panthers set themselves up for a very challenging non-conference schedule and the results have shown what they were up against. Milwaukee ran into opposition with outstanding home records to close November. The last four November road games came against teams that were a combined 18-0 at home in 2025-26 at that point in the year: Akron (4-0/won 20 straight), Wichita State (4-0), Texas Tech (4-0/41 straight at home vs. non-conference opponents), and Indiana (6-0). Throw in the road games at Wofford and Wisconsin, and the current win-loss record at home for the six road non-conference games the team played is currently an impressive 54-7 (.885 win percentage thru Jan. 19).

BIG TEN BATTLES
The Panthers played Indiana and Wisconsin in the non-conference slate, having now gone 12-54 all-time against Big Ten opponents (they have not played any of the most recent additions in Oregon/UCLA/USC/Washington before they joined the conference). The team has its most wins and best record against Northwestern (7-6 all-time in a series that dates back to 1923) and has played Wisconsin the most (36 times in the series, amazingly dating back to a 37-18 UW victory in November of 1901). The most recent victories over a member of the conference came during the 2015-16 campaign, when Milwaukee posted road wins over Wisconsin (68-67 on 12/9/15) and Minnesota (74-65 on 12/23/15) in a span of two weeks.

GETTING TO THE GLASS
Faizon Fields recently passed a career milestone, as the grad student continues to accumulate rebounds in his NCAA career. He heads into play Saturday with 540 career boards. Although he won't officially go into the school's all-time rebound leader list, he became the 17th player to be wearing Black & Gold when he collected the No. 500 milestone carom against Indiana State Dec. 14.

JUST GETTING STARTED
Stevie Elam continues to contribute during his freshman campaign and was rewarded with Horizon League Under Armour Freshman of the Week honors for his efforts. After missing the Dominican game due to injury, the newcomer set season highs in both points and rebounds against Akron Nov. 29, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds, making 4-of-9 three-pointers. That topped his former high-water totals of 16 points and six boards. He's just the fourth MKE freshman to win the league honor all-time (it started for the 2013-14 season) and the first since Patrick Baldwin Jr. in December of 2021.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS
The Panthers enjoyed a record-breaking performance against Dominican Nov. 25, breaking a handful of program records en route to the 125-point total - tying the school record for most points scored in a game in the process.
Team Points: 125
*Tied the school record of 125 which the team scored against Judson on December 13 of 2015. In Bart Lundy's three-plus seasons, the team has now set three of the top six marks all-time:
125 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25*
125 vs. Judson 12/13/15
118 vs. Lakeland 11/4/24*
117 vs. Prairie View A&M 11/20/04
116 at Illinois (OT2) 12/3/90
112 vs. Cardinal Stritch 11/12/22*

Points in Second Half: 72
72 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25
66 vs. Lakeland 11/4/24
64 vs. Loyola Chicago 12/21/02
61 vs. Prairie View A&M 11/20/04
61 vs. Oshkosh 12/23/91

Fields Goals made: 49
49 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25
47 vs. Lakeland 11/4/24
47 vs. Judson 12/13/15

Players in Double-Figure Scoring: 8
8 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25
7 vs. vs. Lakeland 11/4/24
7 vs. Judson 12/13/15

Margin of Victory: +55
+79 vs. Mount Senario (100-21) 12/27/00
+74 vs. Cardinal Stritch (112-38) 11/12/22*
+62 vs. Prairie View A&M (117-55) 11/20/04
+56 vs. Lakeland (118-62) 11/4/24*
+56 vs. MSOE (102-46) 11/7/22*
+55 vs. Dominican (125-70) 11/25/25*
*Bart Lundy teams have now set four of the top six marks in this category all-time.

Rebounding Margin: +30
+36 vs. Loyola Chicago 1/28/09
+32 vs. Lakeland 11/4/24
+30 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25

Assists in a game, Team: 26
32 vs. Judson 12/13/15
32 vs. Prairie View A&M 11/20/04
29 vs. Mount Senario 12/27/00
28 vs. Lakeland 11/4/24
28 vs. Cleveland State 2/28/04
26 vs. Dominican, 11/25/25

MURCH IS THE MAN
Simeon Murchison also enjoyed his best collegiate outing against Dominican Nov. 25, finishing with 10 points and 3 rebounds in his 11 minutes of playing time against the Stars. His point total was double his prior high of 5 against Wright State in Jan. of 2024 and minutes total topped the 8 he had vs. Oakland in Jan. of 2024. His most rebounds prior was two.

WELCOME TO MILWAUKEE
Head coach Bart Lundy announced the incoming class of signees Nov. 19, welcoming Ben Akoro of O'Fallon, Ill., Christian Burnett of Milledgeville, Ga., Justin McCarter of Marietta, Ga., CJ Worsham of Chicago, Ill., and SJ Young of Willis, Texas, to the program.

Burnett (sophomore at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Ga.), McCarter (sophomore at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla.), and Worsham (sophomore at Panola College in Carthage, Texas) will be transfers to the Panthers, while Akoro (O'Fallon Township High School in O'Fallon, Illinois) and Young (Willis High School in Willis, Texas) will be true freshmen.

ANOTHER MEMBER IN THE CLUB
Last season, the Panthers saw both Themus Fulks and Kentrell Pullian score the 1,000th point of their NCAA Division I careers with the Panthers, becoming the 31st and 32nd players to reach the plateau in the Black & Gold. There was a new addition waiting in the wings as the season tipped off, as newcomer Seth Hubbard has already established himself at the DI level. A transfer to the Panthers following one season at Toledo and two at Western Michigan, he hit the court this winter having scored 945 points in his NCAA Division I career, averaging 9.9 points in 95 career games. He sank No. 1,000 with a three-pointer in the middle of the second half against Little Rock Nov. 10 to become the 33rd member of the 1,000-point club - and the fifth to do so as a combined total with other programs as part of his overall career total.

PANTHERS AND THE POLLS
Milwaukee was attempting to earn its first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since a 63-60 decision against No. 21 Butler on February 18, 2009 when it battled No. 11 Texas Tech Nov. 14. Recent ranked matchups include #25 Colorado (106-79 L on 11/14/23), #24 Florida (81-45 L on 11/18/21), #2/#3 Kansas (95-68 L on 12/10/19), #18 Notre Dame (86-78 L on 11/17/15), #5/#6 Wisconsin (93-54 L on 12/10/14) and #6/#7 Villanova (73-53 L on 3/20/14), with the Panthers 0-12 against ranked opponents since that victory over Butler.

Going back, after losing their first 25 games against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll in program history, the Panthers added three wins over the course of two memorable postseasons, all coming in the NCAA Tournament. Milwaukee beat 21st-ranked Alabama and 14th-ranked Boston College in 2005 and 24th-ranked Oklahoma in 2006. The Panthers do also own a win at Butler in 2001-02 when the Bulldogs were ranked 25th in the ESPN/USA Today poll but were not ranked by the AP. Their record now all-time checks in at 4-48, with the victory over BC at #14 the biggest upset. Milwaukee has played the No. 1 team in the country just once - when it took on Illinois in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament in 2005. The next-highest was Kansas at No. 2 back in 2004-05 and again in 2019-20.

DANDY DEBUT
Seth Hubbard came through with a recent trend - impressive debuts by a Panther newcomer - when he netted 23 points to lead the MKE offense against Hampton Nov. 3. In addition to Jamichael Stillwell's 18-point/14-rebound debut last year, Angelo Stuart went for 24 points against MSOE in his first appearance in the Black & Gold in 2022, with BJ Freeman making his initial appearance of the campaign the next game at Purdue and finishing with 19 points of his own.

NOW THAT'S SOME TILT
The team adopted the slogan "Tilt The Floor" heading into last season and then went and did everything in its power to back that up. In addition to scoring at a total per-game clip that finished among the highest in program history at 78.4 points a night, the Panthers finished in first place in the nation in fastbreak points - and it wasn't even really close. They had been battling along with a handful of other teams all winter but when the season was completed, no other team at the NCAA DI level scored more fastbreak points than MKE's 18.38 a game. For perspective, the MKE offense put up 15.3 a game two years ago and 12.3 per contest in Bart Lundy's first season at the helm. The number was just 7.5 a game the year before Lundy's arrival.
FASTBREAK POINTS LEADERS NCAA DI
1. Milwaukee was the best at 18.38 ppg
2. New Mexico State 15.83
3. N.C. Central 15.79
4. Michigan State 15.59
5. Florida 15.58

The Panthers wasted no time in 2025-26, scoring 33 fastbreak points against Hampton in the opener Nov. 3 and then 39 more in the win over Little Rock Nov. 10.

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 the seventh time in the past 13 years. The team is now 23-13 in season openers since returning to the NCAA Division I ranks full-time in 1990-91, which includes a big 102-46 win over MSOE in Coach Lundy's MKE debut three years ago and a dominant 118-62 win over Lakeland last season (in addition to the 90-86 win over Hampton this season). In all, the team is now 30-6 in that same span in home openers, claiming wins in 23 of the past 26 (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 1994 (have won the previous 17 in that scenario).

HITTING THE MARK
With a 21-11 overall ledger a year ago, the Panthers recorded the 13th 20-win season in program history. It also marked back-to-back-to-back for Bart Lundy after posting a 20-15 mark two years ago and a 22-12 ledger in his first season on the bench. That gave Milwaukee three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2003-04 (20-11), 2005-06 (22-9), and 2004-05 (26-6) - which was the tail end of four consecutive years hitting the mark. Lundy is the first MKE coach to claim 20+ victories in three consecutive campaigns since Bruce Pearl in 2002-03 (24-8), 2003-04 (20-11) and 2004-05 (26-6).

FOR THE MKE
In today's world of college basketball, change is still inevitable. This season, Milwaukee welcomes eight new faces, broken down into three freshmen (2 true freshmen in Stevie Elam and Josh Dixon & redshirt freshman Sekou Konneh) and five transfers (including NCAA Division I transfers in Seth Hubbard/Toledo and Amar Augillard/Fresno State). Other transfers include Isaiah Dorceus (Daytona State), Chandler Jackson (Parkland), and Tate Mackenzie (Howard). That brings the total number of student-athletes on the roster to fifteen. The background stretches far and wide ... and actually across the country with the list including an impressive array of 11 states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

POLL POSITION
The Panthers were listed in the "receiving votes" section of the CollegeInsider.com Preseason Mid-Major Top 25 poll this season, essentially ending up at No. 29. Last winter they checked in at #18, marking the first time that Milwaukee had been in the preseason edition list by CollegeInsider.com since prior to the start of the 2014-15 campaign – a season in which the team was coming off its most recent trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The last few months prior to the start of the season witnessed the MKE program atop many of the early rankings, including taking the top spot in the Under Armour Horizon League preseason poll for the second straight year (after earning the top spot for the first time in 18 years last winter). National organizations are taking notice as well, with respected polls such as Lindy's (No. 1 for the second year in a row), Blue Ribbon Yearbook (No. 1 for a second season), Mid-Major Madness (No. 1 back-to-back), HoriZone (picked No. 1 after No. 2 last year), among others, to all be considering the Panthers the team to beat in the league this season.

POLL TRENDS
Milwaukee was picked to finish first in the Under Armour preseason poll conducted by the League's head coaches, SIDs, and media members. That marks a recent trend for the Panthers under Bart Lundy. Two years ago, the program was picked second, marking its highest choice in over a decade. Last year, the Panthers were picked No. 1 for the first time since prior to the 2006-07 campaign. In addition, Milwaukee saw three of its players earn Preseason All-League honors – no other league program had more than one of its players selected. Newcomer Amar Augillard was picked as a First-Team honoree, while both Faizon Fields and Seth Hubbard earned Second-Team status.

2025-26 Under Armour Preseason Poll
#   Team (First-place votes) Points
1. Milwaukee (24) – 428
2. Oakland (7) – 384
3. Youngstown State (2) – 364
4. Robert Morris (8) – 345
5. Purdue Fort Wayne (1) – 287
6. Northern Kentucky – 274
7. Wright State – 221
8. Cleveland State (2) – 217
9. Detroit Mercy – 176
10. IU Indianapolis – 115
11. Green Bay – 93

REBOUND REPORT
After breaking the 30-year-old program record for rebounds per game (was 38.4 rpg) in Bart Lundy's first season at 39.1, the team just missed resetting the mark in year two when it finished at 39.0. Last season, the squad was at it again, resetting the program mark at 39.2 rebounds per night - highlighted by a final rebound margin of +9.3. In addition to being first in the Horizon League in every rebound category, the Panthers also ranked high across the nation. The team finished 21st in the NCAA in rebounds per game, fifth in offensive rebounds per outing (14.4), and just out of first place in the nation with that +9.3 margin.
REBOUND MARGIN
1. Saint Mary's at +10.3
2. Milwaukee at +9.3
3. South Dakota State at +9.2
PROGRAM RECORD FOR REBOUNDS
1. 39.2 in 2024-25
2. 39.1 in 2022-23
3. 39.0 in 2023-24
4. 38.4 in 1992-93 (record for 30+ years)

AMAR AWARENESS
One of the key additions to the MKE roster this season is no stranger to filling up the scoresheet and has been heralded as one of the top newcomers in the Horizon League by numerous sources and publications nationally, arriving at Milwaukee following a stop at Fresno State last season where he averaged 13.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs in 2024-25. But more impressively, had four 20+ point outbursts in his 11 appearances, topped by a 30-point effort against Sacramento State. That followed a season at Triton College in River Grove, Ill., where he was selected as the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Player of the Year after averaging 22.7 points per game while finishing ranked No. 2 in the nation in total points (841). Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, in addition to being tabbed a member of the Horizon League Preseason First Team, he was also selected to the first team by "Blue Ribbon Yearbook".

RECORD BREAKERS
Milwaukee again added more entries to the record book last season, establishing new Top-5 marks in numerous categories.
Points scored: fourth at 2,510
Scoring Average: sixth at 78.4 ppg
Field Goals Made: third at 907
Field Goals Attempted: fourth at 1,939
Field-Goal Percentage: third at .468
Total Rebounds: third at 1,253
Rebound Average: first at 39.2
Offensive Rebounds: second at 462
Free Throws Made: fifth at 507
Free Throws Attempted: fifth at 741

LUNDY'S LINE
Head coach Bart Lundy brought an extensive background of success to the Panthers, which included an impressive run through the postseason that extended many years and a pair of trips to the NCAA DII Final Four in his career. A look back at his final seven seasons at Queens reveals the gaudy numbers posted.
2021-22: 30-4 overall, 2-1 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

TURN THE RADIO UP
This marks the fourth full hoops season that 101.7 FM The Truth will serve as the radio home of the Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball radio broadcasts. Fans can listen to veteran broadcaster Scott Warras, now in his 10th season, call all the play-by-play action on air at 101.7 FM and via live online streaming services. In addition to the traditional radio broadcasts available on 101.7 The Truth and its mobile app, all Panther men's basketball broadcasts will be streamed live on the Black & Gold Network at mkepanthers.com, the Wisconsin on Demand, and Varsity Network mobile apps (available in the App Store & Google Play). This season, fans of Milwaukee basketball will have more ways than ever to listen to the action.

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 ninth 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 return home to celebrate Homecoming Week, hosting Wright State Friday. Game time against the Raiders is set for 7 p.m.