By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - For the first time in three weeks, Green Bay will put on its white uniforms and play  a home game at the Resch Center, welcoming Detroit to town on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Phoenix will be happy to be back in the familiar surroundings of its home facility after dropping a trio of league road games at Butler, Valpo and Milwaukee by a combined eight points.

The most recent contest, a 64-63 loss at Milwaukee, was likely the hardest to handle for Green Bay. The Phoenix held a six-point advantage with less than two minutes to play before the Panthers stole the win on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.     

Green Bay has won each of its six home games in 2011-12 and was 12-2 at the Resch Center during the 2011 calendar year. This season, sophomore Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) is averaging 14.3 points per game at home while fellow big man Brennan Cougill (Sioux City, Iowa) has posted averages of 11 points and 8.3 rebounds, strengthened by the 19-point, 19-rebound effort he had in Green Bay's last home game, a 63-61 win over Idaho on Dec. 22.

The visiting Titans were picked to finish second in the Horizon League in the preseason poll but have battled injuries and inconsistency to a 8-10 start overall and a 2-4 record in league play. However, led by Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Ray McCallum, Detroit defeated Butler 76-65 last Sunday. The Titans hit a season-high nine three-pointers in the victory.      

• INSIDE THE SERIES: In the 42nd meeting all-time between the two squads, Green Bay will be looking to even the series with Detroit at 21-21. While Detroit comes in with a one-game edge in the all-time series, the Phoenix leads 12-7 in Green Bay, including an 85-74 victory at the Resch Center on Jan. 30, 2011.

• MATCHUP TO WATCH: Last Saturday, freshman Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) went toe-to-toe with All-Horizon League selection Kaylon Williams of Milwaukee, and the point guard scored a career-high 20 points. Against Detroit, Sykes will battle with Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year Ray McCallum, who enters the game averaging 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

• CAN I SEE SOME ID: Sykes, who turned 18 on Dec. 30, has been on a tear since becoming able to legally vote. Believed to be the youngest player in the country, Sykes followed up a 17-point effort at Valparaiso with the career-high 20 points at Milwaukee. In league play, Sykes is seventh in the conference in field goal percentage (54.2) and is tied for 19th in scoring (11.0 ppg).

• CRASH THE GLASS: The area that Brown may have improved the most from his freshman campaign is rebounding. Brown is second in the Horizon League in rebounding (7.9 per game) and is coming off back-to-back double-digit rebound efforts. He has tallied 10 or more five times this season after doing so just three times as a freshman.

• BLOCK PARTY: After five blocks against Milwaukee, his fourth five-block game of 2011-12, Brown now has 109 blocked shots in his 47-game Green Bay career. He needs three more blocks to pass Matt Hill (1995-99) for third place on the school's career list and four more blocks to move past Larry Hill (1988-92) for second place. Brown has a block in 41 of his 47 career games and is on pace to break the program's career blocks record and his own single-season record of 67 this season. The career record of 132 is held by Terry Evans (2005-09).

• CLOSE CALLS: Green Bay is coming off three-straight frustrating road losses by a combined eight points. In the past two seasons, Green Bay has lost just three league games by 10 or more points. Only Cleveland State and Butler have fewer double-digit losses in that span.

• OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Green Bay exploded offensively against Valparaiso on Dec. 31, setting offensive season highs for field goal percentage (59.4%), three-pointers made (12), three-point percentage (50.0%) and assists (12). The Phoenix followed that up by hitting 17-of-30 field goals in the opening half against Milwaukee for 56.7 percent.

###

Season tickets, Pick 5 packages and single-game tickets for both programs are currently on sale with the Green Bay ticket office. For more information on ticket packages and promotions, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com/tickets.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix, @GBPhoenixMBB and @GBGavin.

Like Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball and Green Bay Phoenix Athletics on Facebook.