Milwaukee Panthers
Horizon League (21-13, 7-9)
Milwaukee has some decent wins under their belt from non-conference play, but they finished Horizon League play with a disappointing 7-9 record. However, everything came together in March for Coach Rob Jeter’s squad. They knocked off Valparaiso and top seeded Green Bay before going to Wright State and winning the Horizon League title.
Big Wins: 11/11 at Davidson (81-77), 2/8 at Green Bay (73-63), 3/8 at Green Bay (73-66)
Bad Losses: 12/21 vs Northeastern (59-62), 1/24 Detroit (54-73), 2/25 Illinois-Chicago (58-80)
Coach: Rob Jeter (9 seasons at Milwaukee)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Panthers take quite a few three-pointers, but the team as a whole only makes 32.3 percent of those attempts. Jordan Aaron and Austin Arians shoot much better than that though. Aaron, the team’s leading scorer at 15.0 points per game, connects on 35.6 percent of his attempts, while Arians is at 36.5 percent. Those are not great numbers, but both are certainly capable of having big outings. Steve McWhorter, a transfer from Indiana State, came in and made an immediate impact. He is not a great scorer, but can at least keep the defense honest with his shooting. More importantly, he averages 4.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This is a pretty big team with plenty of frontcourt depth, but rebounding has been an issue. Kyle Kelm and Matt Tiby do a lot of work in the scoring department, but are not the toughest frontcourt players around. Malcolm Moore and J.J. Panoske provide good depth, but do not add anything different on the glass. Panoske, a 6-10 sophomore, is a threat to block a shot or two, but he averages just 10.4 minutes per game. Milwaukee has a solid defense, especially on the perimeter, but without a shot blocking threat, stronger opposition can have their way with them in the paint.
Probable Starters:
Steve McWhorter, Junior, Guard, 8.0 ppg, 4.0 apg
Jordan Aaron, Senior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 2.4 apg
Austin Arians, Sophomore, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Matt Tiby, Sophomore, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Kyle Kelm, Senior, Forward, 12.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Malcom Moore, Senior, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg
J.J. Panoske, Sophomore, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.0 (188th in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.7 (199, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (219, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.5 (171, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (103, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.3 (246, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (59, 5)
Rebound Margin: -1.7 (251, 7)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (100, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.5 (280, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 CBI First Round loss to TCU
2011 NIT First Round loss to Northwestern
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oklahoma
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida
2005 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama
2005 NCAA Round of 32 win over Boston College
2005 NCAA Regional semifinal loss to Illinois
2004 NIT Opening Round win over Rice
2004 NIT First Round loss to Boise State
2003 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
