Green Bay Phoenix
Horizon League (23-12, 11-7)
Green Bay had a tough time stringing wins together during Horizon League play. There was a stretch that lasted over a month where the Phoenix did not win more than one game in a row. They did not lose more than one game in a row either. To be fair, nearly all of those games were on the road, so picking up road wins was certainly a good thing for Green Bay knowing the back end of their schedule was going to be at home. And the Phoenix got a lot of momentum because of that, winning four straight before falling to Valparaiso 70-68 in the regular season finale. They took that momentum and played very well at the conference tournament, slipping past that Valpo squad in overtime in the semifinals and beating Wright State in the finals to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 11/24 Akron (66-63), 3/7 vs Valparaiso (99-92), 3/8 vs Wright State (78-69)
Bad Losses: 12/6 Toledo (69-71), 1/9 at Youngstown State (93-103), 1/29 at Milwaukee (94-95)
Coach: Linc Darner
Why They Can Surprise:
The Phoenix can win games because of turnovers and it is Carrington Love and Jordan Fouse who lead the way in that regard on both ends of the floor. Love averages a team high 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Love is also the team’s best scorer. The 6-1 senior is prolific from beyond the arc, but he can also attack the basket effectively. Fouse is a big 6-7 wing. He too can knock down some three-pointers, but his length is what makes him so dangerous on both ends of the floor. On top of his 12.8 points per game, Fouse averages 3.3 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.4 blocks and 8.4 rebounds per game. He can do it all and do it all well. Charles Cooper and Khalil Small are also solid perimeter defenders and will help force plenty of turnovers. Cooper has struggled with his shot, but he is tough and will drive to the basket and get plenty of buckets around the rim or at least a trip to the charity stripe.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Fouse is 6-7 and a beast on the glass, but this team forces him to spend most of his time at the four spot. The big man is 6-8, 230 pound forward Kenneth Lowe. Lowe is a decent interior scorer, but he is not going to be the first name the opposition worries about defending. Jamar Hurdle provides most of the depth at the five spot behind Lowe. Those two though are not great rebounders and the Phoenix rely heavily on Fouse and Cooper to lead the way on the glass. As a result, this team is often outrebounded, especially against bigger, stronger opposition. Fouse is a matchup nightmare for most opposing power forwards, but this team could run into an athletic, stronger power forward in the NCAA Tournament and Green Bay will struggle to rebound when that happens. The Phoenix must be as tough as possible on the glass and win the possession game by creating turnovers and making the most out of those opportunities.
Probable Starters:
Carrington Love, Senior, Guard, 17.7 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.6 spg
Khalil Small, Sophomore, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 1.0 apg
Charles Cooper, Junior, Guard, 13.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, 5.6 rpg
Jordan Fouse, Senior, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 3.3 apg, 8.4 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.4 bpg
Kenneth Lowe, Junior, Forward, 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Turner Botz, Junior, Guard, 5.9 ppg
Tevin Findlay, Junior, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 1.1 apg
Jamar Hurdle, Junior, Forward, 6.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 84.0 (6th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 79.6 (324, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (143, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.1 (267, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.9 (180, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.1 (197, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 65.8 (309, 8)
Rebound Margin: -1.2 (231, 6)
Assists Per Game: 13.9 (130, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (126, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NIT First Round loss to Illinois State
2014 NIT First Round loss to Belmont
2013 CIT First Round loss to Bradley
2010 CBI First Round win over Akron
2010 CBI Second Round loss to St. Louis
2009 CBI First Round loss to Vermont
1996 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia Tech
1995 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Purdue
1994 NCAA Round of 64 win over California
1994 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Syracuse
*all team stats through 3/6
