INDIANAPOLIS (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- Playing for a trip to the 2020 Horizon League Basketball Championship game for the third time in the last five seasons, No. 3 seed Green Bay will take on No. 2 seed Northern Kentucky in the tournament semifinals on Monday night at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. GB knocked off No. 6 Oakland on Thursday night at home, while the Norse earned the double-bye and have not played since Feb. 28. Playing in the nightcap following the first semifinal, the game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPN2. It can also be heard on WDUZ The Fan with Brian Kuklinski and Bill Rabeor on the call.
2020 Horizon League Tournament Bracket |
Tournament Central
CATCH THE ACTION: Monday, March 9, 8:30 p.m. CT // Indianapolis, Ind. (Indiana Farmers Coliseum)
Semifinal Matchup: No. 3
Green Bay Phoenix (17-15, 11-7 HL) vs. No. 2 Northern Kentucky Norse (21-9, 13-5 HL)
Other semifinal matchup: No. 1 Wright State Raiders vs. No. 4 UIC Flames - 6 p.m. CT
Previous Meetings:
Game 1: Green Bay 73, NKU 59; December 30 | Game 2: NKU 71, Green Bay 62; January 31
Where to Watch Live: TV-ESPN2 | Online-WatchESPN
Where to Follow Stats: www.horizonleague.org
Where to Listen: The Fan WDUZ 107.5 FM
Tickets: Buy Here
Watch Party: Fans can visit either of The Bar locations in Green Bay to join other Phoenix fans for a watch party for both games. The Bar will have food and drink specials for fans in attendance.
Game Notes: Green Bay | NKU
For Live in-game updates, follow the Phoenix on social media: Twitter - @gbphoenixmbb, Instagram - @gbphoenixmbb
PROJECTED STARTERS
SERIES HISTORY
- NORTHERN KENTUCKY: Now in their fifth season in the Horizon League, NKU leads the all-time series 6-4 and had beaten the Phoenix in five-straight games until GB won in Kentucky earlier this season 73-59 on Dec. 30. The Norse bounced back with a win in Green Bay on January 31, and the two teams have never met in the postseason.
ABOUT GREEN BAY...
QUARTERFINAL CONQUERED
- Green Bay earned yet another trip to the tournament semifinals, its third in the last five seasons, with a dominant second half against Oakland in the 78-63 victory at the Resch Center. The game was tied at 30-30 at the half, but the Phoenix outscored the Golden Grizzlies 48-33 in the final 20 minutes thanks to a 58.7 percent shooting clip. Amari Davis led all scorers with 19 points and three other players had double-figures for GB, with Cody Schwartz (16 points), JayQuan McCloud (11 points) and Kameron Hankerson (10 points) all getting in their share. It's the second-straight Quarterfinal win for the Phoenix, who knocked off UIC at home last season before falling to No. 1 Wright State in the semifinals.
JUST BELOW BENNETT
- After another strong showing in the Quarterfinals with 19 points, true freshman Amari Davis is approaching all-time great Tony Bennett for the freshman scoring program record, who had 516 as a freshman in 1988-89. Davis sits just seven points from passing Bennett, the current Virginia head coach, with 510 points this season. He is now third all-time in the Horizon League for most points by a freshman, a ways away from second (Dikembe Dixson, UIC, 594). He was named the HL's Freshman of the Year, Third Team All-League and has garnered national attention for his offensive output this season. More impressively, Davis has scored 510 points this year without making one 3-pointer, and rarely ever attempting them.
ALL-LEAGUE MEMBERS
- Freshman Amari Davis and senior JayQuan McCloud earned themselves spots on the Horizon League All-League teams. Davis finished his impressive first season with the Phoenix as the Freshman of the Year in the conference and a part of the All-League Third Team after averaging 15.8 PPG while shooting over 50 percent from the floor. McCloud earned himself First Team All-League honors after leading the Phoenix in scoring at 17.4 PPG and leading the league in assists at 5.1 per game.
FOURMILIAR TERRITORY
- With 11 league wins this season, GB has now won 10 or more games in League play in eight of the last nine seasons, and the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Linc Darner. The team has finished fourth or higher in the HL in seven out of the last eight seasons as well, earning a postseason appearance in each of those six seasons, looking for a seventh this year. Under Darner, GB has finished 3rd, 4th, 7th, 3rd and 4th.
A PERFECT 10
- Amari Davis ended the final week of the regular season with another HL Freshman of the Week award, the 10th time this season, adding to his record for the most weekly awards by any freshman in the history of the Horizon League. Davis once again was key to the Phoenix's success, averaging 12.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG to help GB earn the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament. The Phoenix knocked off Youngstown State 102-92, with Davis scoring 15 points, which served as the ultimate battle for the top three seed. The Trotwood, Ohio, native then had 9 points against Cleveland State, finishing 9-for-20 on the week and playing 30 minutes in each game. Davis is second on GB in scoring with 15.8 PPG, and has scored the second-most points in program history as a freshman and the fifth-most in HL history.
FEED THE BIG FELLA
- Manny Patterson has been a big reason GB has won seven of its last nine games, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 8 points in his last game while battling Xavier Hill-Mais throughout the contest. Patterson scored 14 against Youngstown State and 11 against Cleveland State while shooting a combined 11-12 from the floor in the two games prior. He was 6-7 from the floor against the Penguins and a perfect 5-5 from the floor against the Vikings, and added a 3-for-5 effort against Oakland. In the 8 games the big fella has reached double figures this season, the squad is 6-2.
HANKERSON STAYS HOT
- Over the last nine games beginning in February, Kam Hankerson is averaging 15.2 PPG while shooting over 46 percent from the floor. Hankerson has scored in double-figures in seven of those nine games, and is on a stretch of four-straight in double-figures. He is third on the team in scoring with 11.2 PPG this season.
COUNTIN' ON CODY
- Cody Schwartz balled out Thursday night for Green Bay in their Horizon League tournament second round victory over Oakland. The senior was 5-7 from the floor and 2-3 from thee point land to help propel the Phoenix over the Golden Grizzlies. Additionally, he was 4-5 from the charity stripe to cap off his 16 point night. The squad is 10-2 on the season when Schwartz reached double figures in the point's column.
STELLAR SENIORS
- The four seniors of Kam Hankerson, JayQuan McCloud, Josh McNair and Cody Schwartz all play a major role for the Phoenix. Hankerson, McCloud and Schwartz start for coach Darner while McNair is one of the first off the bench for the squad. As a whole, the seniors account for over 50 percent of the Green Bay's top 4 scoring offense in the nation.
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 scoring offense (82.0 PPG) **Ranks 4th in the NCAA
- 1st in assists per game (16.3 APG) **Ranks 12th in the NCAA
- 1st in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.31-1) **Ranks 24th in the NCAA
- 1st in 3-point field goal percentage (37.3%) **Ranks 21st in the NCAA
- 1st in turnover margin (2.10-1)
- 1st in field goal percentage (46.2%)
- 2nd in free throw percentage (75.5%) **Ranks 42nd in the NCAA
- 3rd in steals (7.03 SPG)
STEALS ANS SWATZ
- Green Bay is top three in the Horizon League in both block shots and steals. The squad is averaging 3.26 blocks per game and 7.03 steals per game on the year. However, over the last 6 games where the Phoenix went 5-1, the team is averaging 4.8 blocks and 6.4 steals.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MCBUCKETZ
- JayQuan McCloud has been balling all season long for the Phoenix. The senior is third in conference scoring by averaging 17.2 PPG and in 18 Horizon League games, he's been in double-figures for 17 of them. He's been playing his best in the month of February, reaching 20-plus points in five of his last eight games while shooting over 50 percent from the field. He had a double-double against Cleveland State with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and was two assists shy of a triple-double. The senior leader will be key to the team's continued postseason success.
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.
CONNECTING WITH KENPOM
- After three games in the books, Green Bay has played at the 7th-fastest pace among all NCAA Division I teams, averaging 74.1 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
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