GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Playing in its second of four games in the Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, Green Bay will face a familiar foe on Thursday night in Madison, taking on Wisconsin at the Kohl Center for an 8 p.m. tip off. After taking a year off against each other last season, Green Bay and Wisconsin will play at the Kohl Center again this year, with the game being televised on the Big Ten Network.
GB will also host the Legends Classic Subregional Round at the Kress Center on Nov. 24-26 against CSUN and Colgate. GB will play on Monday and Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
CATCH THE ACTION: Thursday, November 21, 8 p.m. CT // Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Matchup: Green Bay Phoenix (1-2) at Wisconsin Badgers (3-1)
Buy Tickets: Purchase Here
Game Promotion: N/A
Giveaways: N/A
Where to Watch: Fox Sports Live / BTN Live
Where to Follow Stats: www.uwbadgers.com
Where to Listen: The Fan 1400 AM WDUZ
Game Notes: Green Bay |
Wisconsin
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
LAST TIME OUT
- JayQuan McCloud and PJ Pipes both scored 17 points at the historic Pit last Wednesday, but New Mexico pulled out the 93-78 victory. Trevian Bell (13 pts) and Amari Davis (11 pts) also scored in double-figures and both teams combined for 34 turnovers in an up and down game. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools, with Jaquan Lyle pouring in 31 points for the Lobos. GB will have been off for 8 days since that last game.
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
SERIES HISTORY
- Other than last season, Green Bay and Wisconsin have met every season since 1999 and this will be the 25th meeting between the two in-state schools. Wisconsin is 23-1 all-time in the series and GB has never won in Madison, currently 0-20 in the state capital. Wisconsin won 81-60 in the most recent meeting back in 2017, when PJ Pipes scored 11 points off the bench as a true freshman.
ABOUT WISCONSIN
PIPE IT UP
- Junior point guard PJ Pipes has been playing his best basketball of late, having tied his career-high for points in two games this season against UW-Stout and New Mexico, pouring in 17. Pipes is averaging 13.3 PPG through three games this season, almost double his career average of 6.8 PPG. He leads the Phoenix in scoring, 3-pointers (8), steals (7) and has a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio at the moment.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Earning his first Horizon League Freshman of the Week honor, Freshman Amari Davis was the spark Green Bay needed in its season-opener at 23rd-ranked Purdue, scoring 10 points off the bench on a 5-for-9 shooting effort when the Phoenix was cold in the first half. Davis played 20 minutes in that contest, also grabbing a pair of rebounds and dishing out a couple of assists. The Trotwood, Ohio, native followed his collegiate debut with 15 points in a blowout win over UW-Stout, scoring all 15 in only 18 minutes. On the week, Davis went 12-for-18 from the field and had three steals, showing what looks to be a promising future under head coach Linc Darner.
SCORING IN RECORDS
- Thanks to the 115-point outburst against UW-Stout in its home-opener, GB now has six of the top 15 highest scoring games in program history under head coach Linc Darner. The 115 points are tied for the most in the Division 1 era, the same total scored by Darner's Phoenix against Detroit Mercy in January 2016.
FOUR-MAN
- Four players are averaging in double-figures for Green Bay through three games, led by Pipes' 13.3 PPG. JayQuan McCloud (12.7), Amari Davis (12.0) and Kameron Hankerson (11.3) are also averaging in double-figures, with two other players averaging just over 7.0 PPG.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 10th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 77.1 possessions per 40 minutes. In the four seasons under Linc Darner, here is where Green Bay has ranked in adjusted tempo:
- 2018-19: 13th
- 2017-18: 23rd
- 2016-17: 7th
- 2015-16: 6th
- As of Nov. 20, KenPom also ranks Green Bay's non-conference schedule as the 5th-toughest among all teams, and the matchup agianst Wisconsin will continue the challenge. This ranking would seem to be accurate, given the teams listed on GB's 2019-20 schedule. The Phoenix played at Purdue and visits New Mexico, Wisconsin, Xavier, UCF, Montana State, Eastern Illinois and Northern Illinois. They will also host Colgate this season, a mid-major projected to win their league and make it back to another NCAA Tournament.
PURDUE POSITIVITY
- Despite the final score in Green Bay's season-opening loss at 23rd-ranked Purdue on Wednesday night, the team and head coach Linc Darner had plenty of positives to take away. Save for a couple of lengthy runs by the Boilermakers, the Phoenix went toe-to-toe for much of the game with the defending B10 champions. GB trailed by just 12 with 7 minutes left, and was a shot away from cutting it to single digits in front of a hostile crowd at Mackey Arena. Most notably, freshman Amari Davis showed true promise, scoring 10 points and giving GB the spark it needed during a draught in the first half. Davis finished at the rim and knocked down mid-range jump shots. The program might have a star in the making.
SO LONG SANDY
- With the graduation of do-it-all guard Sandy Cohen III, GB will have to replace its leader in all major categories this season. Cohen led the Phoenix in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes a season ago, and has now taken his talents to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, after trying out for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League. Even with SCIII gone, GB still returns 75 percent of its scoring a season ago and returns four out of five starters. Playing a total of 38 games last year, Darner watched players earn valuable minutes and experience down the stretch in the CIT run. He will not be easy to replace, but Darner has five seniors and four juniors to look to.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
- Green Bay opens its season with three of its first four games on the road, and all 3 coming at hostile environments. GB will have its home-opener against UW-Stout on Nov. 9, but will follow that with trips to New Mexico (11/13) and Wisconsin (11/21) after that. GB will also play road games at Montana State, at No. 19 Xavier, at Eastern Illinois, at UCF and at Northern Illinois. The team will play 8 road games in the nonconference, compared to only five games at home.
GBonTV
- The Phoenix is scheduled to play five games on national TV this season, with a pair of games on BTN and ESPNU. GB will also play on FS2 against Xavier. Additionally, GB will play all of its home games on either ESPN3 or ESPN+, with the Legends Classic being aired on FloSports.
BASKETBALL IS BACK
- Seems like only yesterday, Green Bay finished its season with a deep run in the CIT that saw the team play into early April before falling in the CIT Championship game at Marshall. Finishing 21-17, it's the most games ever played by any Green Bay men's basketball team in its 50-year program history, and the longest a team has ever played. Prior to the four wins in the CIT, GB fell in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament to top-seeded Wright State, but after it finished 4th in the HL and earned a Quarterfinal round home game. GB will enter its 51st season in program history, and the fifth under head coach Linc Darner.
HORIZON HAPPY
- With its 10 wins last season, GB has now won 10 or more games in League play in seven of the last eight seasons, and the third time in four seasons under Darner. The team has finished fourth or higher in the HL in six out of the last seven seasons as well, earning a postseason appearance in each of those six seasons. The HL preseason poll has GB tabbed fifth, behind Wright State, NKU, UIC and Oakland.
SENIOR SZN
- The Phoenix boasts a strong veteran lineup in 2019-20, led by five seniors and a bevy of juniors. Seniors ShanQuan Hemphill, JayQuan McCloud, Josh McNair, Kameron Hankerson and Cody Schwartz have all played signficant minutes during their Green Bay careers, four of which started the bulk of games last season. The junior class, one of Darners first full recruiting classes, is led by PJ Pipes, Trevian Bell, Manny Patterson and Hunter Crist. Each of those players have also played significant minutes over the last two seasons, and will be leaned up again this season. Despite the departure of Sandy Cohen, GB will deploy a strong veteran side this season.
McCLOUD NINE
- JayQuan McCloud earned All-Horizon League Second Team recognition, serving as the team's returning leading scorer from a season ago. The Chicago native averaged 14.1 PPG in league play last season, playing in all 18 games and finishing with a team-high 35 made 3-pointers. Overall on the season, McCloud averaged 13.7 PPG and made 77 3-pointers, while ranking third on the team in minutes per game. He was also named to the CIT All-Tournament Team and was instrumental to the team's deep run in that postseason tournament.
FRESHMEN FOCUS
- Arriving on the UWGB campus for this season are four freshman, two scholarship players and two walk-ons. Amari Davis and Japannah Kellogg III were recruited by Darner and his staff and both come to GB after highly-successful high school careers. Davis comes Trotwood, Ohio, where he was named Ohio Division II State Player of the Year, leading his team to the Ohio DII State Title. He averaged just over 30 points per game his senior season and was named All-State. Kellogg III led his Ames High School team to its first State Tournament appearance since 2015, earning All-State recognition and All-Area and All-League First Team. Kellogg III stands at 6-8 and can play multiple positions for GB, giving Darner a pair of standout freshmen. Walking on for the Phoenix this year will be local standout Lucas Stieber and Novi, Michigan native Jiovanni Miles. Miles grew up with fellow-Phoenix Kam Hankerson, while Stieber has the honor of being GB all-time great Tony Bennett's nephew.
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