GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Sitting in a 3-way tie for third place in the Horizon League standings, Green Bay will host Youngstown State on Thursday night at the Resch Center in what is now the biggest game of the season. The Phoenix and Penguins, along with UIC, both sit at 9-7 in the standings and are all chasing the coveted No. 3 seed. With the recent news of Detroit Mercy being ineligible for the conference tournament, the No. 3 seed will now have a bye to the Quarterfinals on Thursday.
You can view the updated bracket here.
The Phoenix will conclude the regular season on Saturday for Senior Night against Cleveland State for Krash the Kress. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can also be heard on WDUZ The Fan with Brian Kuklinski on the call.
CURRENT HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS
CATCH THE ACTION: Thursday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. // RESCH CENTER
Matchup #1: Green Bay Phoenix (15-15, 10-7 HL) vs. Youngstown State Penguins (16-14, 9-8 HL)
RECAP: Green Bay Picks Up Key Win Over Youngstown State
CATCH THE ACTION: Saturday, Feb. 29, 7 p.m. // KRESS CENTER
Matchup #2: Green Bay Phoenix (15-15, 10-7 HL) vs. Cleveland State Vikings (11-19, 7-9 HL)
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Where to Follow Stats: www.greenbayphoenix.com
Where to Listen: The Fan WDUZ 107.5 FM
Tickets: Buy Here
Promotion: Senior Day | Krash the Kress
Game Notes: Green Bay | Cleveland State
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
PROJECTED STARTERS
LAST GAME (@Oakland 92, Green Bay 88 (2OT); Feb. 23)
- In one of the most exciting games Green Bay has played this season, it came up just short at Oakland on Sunday afternoon 92-88 in a double-overtime back and forth game at the Athletics Center O'rena. The Phoenix (14-15, 9-7 HL) was ready to claim the road win leading by two with 5 seconds left and Oakland at the free throw line, but the Golden Grizzlies (12-17, 7-9 HL) snagged the offensive rebound and the putback to force another OT they would go on to win. Senior JayQuan McCloud had a pair of what would-be game-winning shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but both did everything but go in. McCloud led GB with 26 points and five mad 3s, some of which came at clutch times. Fellow-guards Kameron Hankerson (16 pts) and Amari Davis (13 pts) did their best to help get the road win, but Xavier Hill-Mais was the deciding factor for Oakland with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Hill-Mais hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in the second overtime, before the two teams exchanged free throws to close the game.
- GB led 40-30 at the break, but Oakland came out strong out of the gate and grabbed control, before the Phoenix showed its resilient effort and didn't back down. The first overtime belonged to Green Bay, taking a seven-point lead early on after a Cody Schwartz 3-pointer. Oakland came back with a 6-0 run of its own, and the late offensive rebound send the game to an exciting second overtime at 80-80.
- The loss puts Green Bay in a 3-way tie for third place at 9-7 with Youngstown State and UIC. The Phoenix and Penguins will play at the Resch Center on Thursday night, in what could be the deciding factor in who gets that No. 3 seed. UIC will host Detroit Mercy and Oakland to end its regular season. Pending results, the seeding will come down to a host of tournament tiebreakers.
- PJ Pipes had 11 points off the bench, and forwards Will Chevalier, Josh McNair, Manny Patterson and Schwartz did their best to contend with Hill-Mais in the post. Bell added 8 points and Schwartz finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
- YOUNGSTOWN STATE: GB has dominated the all-time series against the Penguins, leading 34-13 overall and a dominating 21-2 in Green Bay. The last nine meetings have YSU with a 5-4 lead, following the Penguins' 98-94 overtime win back on January 25.
- CLEVELAND STATE: Following Green Bay's 78-74 win in Cleveland earlier this year, GB now owns the 50-30 advantage in the all-time series. Head coach Linc Darner is a dominant 9-1 all-time against the Vikings and the program is 28-10 all-time in Titletown.
ABOUT GREEN BAY...
SHOUT OUT TO THE SENIORS
- The Phoenix have 4 seniors on the 2019-20 roster who will be complete their final year of eligibility at the end of the season: Kam Hankerson, JayQuan McCloud, Josh McNair and Cody Schwartz. Hankerson has been in the program for his entire collegiate career, being a part of the Darner's second official recruiting class. McNair and McCloud joined Green Bay as juniors for the 2018-19 season from their respected junior colleges, while Schwartz transferred to the squad in 2017 from San Jose State.
HEATIN' UP HANKERSON
- February has been a hot month for Kam Hankerson. During the month, the shooting guard is averaging 15.5 PPG while shooting a little bit over 46 percent. In the 6 games, Hankerson has scored 16+ points in four and 20+ points twice. The Phoenix will need the senior to stay hot with their final two games of the regular-season being crucial for what seed they'll receive for the Horizon League Tournament. Hankerson notched his 1,000th career point earlier this season, and will continue to add to that total this season.
DAPPER DAVIS
- The front-runner for HL Freshman of the Year, Amari Davis continues to pour in the points. He is second on the team in scoring with 16.1 PPG and ranks 8th in the Horizon League. He has scored in double-figures in six out of his last seven games and has 22 points or more in three of those games. The record-holder for HL Freshman of the Week awards with nine, Davis has one more week left to add to that total.
PESKY PENGUINS
- If you look at the all-time series, Green Bay leads Youngstown State with a 34-13 overall record. However, in the last 10 matchups with the Penguins, the Phoenix are only 5-5. A bonus for the squad though is that 4 of those 5 losses have come on the road. When looking at the all-time series again in home games, Green Bay is 21-2.
CRUISIN' THROUGH CLEVELAND
- As of late, Green Bay has dominated Cleveland State. In the last ten matchups, the Phoenix have been victorious over the Vikings in nine of them. Additionally, the squad loves when the visitors are in town with the program's all-time record against Cleveland State at home being 28-10. The last time the Phoenix lost to the Vikings in Green Bay was back on February 20, 2015.
TOP OF THE STATS
Green Bay leads the Horizon League and ranks nationally in multiple key categories. Here is where Green Bay stacks up among the 10 Horizon League teams, and nationally in some stats:
- 1st in assists per game (16.3 APG) **Ranks 11th in the NCAA
- 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.29-1) **Ranks 24th in the NCAA
- 1st in turnover margin (2.07-1)
- 2nd in scoring offense (81.8 PPG) **Ranks 5th in the NCAA
- 2nd in field goal percentage (45.9%)
- 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage (37.10%) **Ranks 25th in the NCAA
- 2nd in free throw percentage (74.7%) **Ranks 60th in the NCAA
- 3rd in steals (7.15 SPG)
HL STANDINGS UPDATE
- With only two games left in conference, Green Bay sits at 9-7 in league play, tied for third place with Youngstown State and Milwaukee. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, the Phoenix have locked up a first round home game next Tuesday, March 3, in the Horizon League Tournament. Wright State and Northern Kentucky have earned the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds for the tournament, which means they've both received byes to the semifinals in Indianapolis on Monday, March 9. Best case scenario for Green Bay would be the No. 3 seed. However, depending upon what happens around the league and during the squad's final regular-season games this week, the Phoenix could fall anywhere between the No. 3 and No. 7 seed.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MCBUCKETZ
- JayQuan McCloud has been balling all season long for the Phoenix. The senior is fourth in conference scoring by averaging 18.8 PPG. In 16 Horizon League games, he's been in double-figure for 15 of them, but the guard has been scorching as of late. In the past three games, McCloud is averaging 28 PPG, scoring 26 twice and 32 in a road win against Detroit Mercy. During this red hot span, he's shooting over 50 percent from the floor, 52 percent from three-point land and 82 percent from the charity stripe.
PROTECTING THE ROCK
- The Phoenix continues to rank as one of the best teams in the NCAA in both sharing the basketball, and taking care of it. As of Feb. 26, GB ranks 11th in the NCAA in assists per game with 16.4 and ranks 24th in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio, with both numbers leading the Horizon League. Additionally, GB is first in the HL in turnover margin with 2.07 to 1, continuing to value possessions despite its uptempo pace of play. The Phoenix, which has been standard under head coach Linc Darner, ranks 11th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. GB is averaging 74.3 possessions per 40 minutes, which also leads the Horizon League. The team has six games with 21 assists or more as a team this year.
3X3U: McCLOUD AND HANKERSON
- Guards JayQuan McCloud and Kameron Hankerson are two of 10 Horizon League seniors named to the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship Midseason Watch List, which was announced on Tuesday. The 2020 event is scheduled for April 3-5 at Atlanta's Atlantic Station, where it will be contested outdoors for the first time.
- In what is the single-largest gathering of draft-eligible talent in the months leading up to the NBA Draft, the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship features 128 seniors from all 32 Division I conferences vying for one of the biggest purses at any FIBA-sanctioned 3x3 event. Teams will compete for $150,000, with $100,000 going to the tournament champions. The winning team will once again earn an automatic berth to the 2020 USA Basketball 3x3 Open National Championship in May.
- Both players are averaging in double-figures for the Phoenix this season, with McCloud averaging a team-best 16.0 PPG and Hankerson averaging 10.2 PPG. Both players have started in all 11 Horizon League contests this season, making up a formidable backcourt with freshman Amari Davis. McCloud and Hankerson have combined to score over 1,700 points in their GB careers.
NOTABLE NO. 900
- Green Bay set a pair of school records in the 126-64 win over Concordia Univ. Chicago on December 18 at the Kress Center, scoring the most points ever in a game and making the most field goals as well (51). All eight players had at least 10 points in the game, a product of the season-high 28 assists. GB shot a season-high 65.4 percent from the field, pouring in a program-record 72 points in the first half alone. GB also registered 19 steals, tied for fourth all time in a single game. The win marked the 900th win in program history, which started back in 1969, an average of around 18 wins a season.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 11th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 73.5 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
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.
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