GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- The postseason officially gets underway for the Green Bay men's basketball team on Thursday night at the Kress Center, as the Phoenix welcomes 10th-seeded Purdue Fort Wayne for a matchup in the First Round. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and be streamed live on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION
Thursday vs Purdue Fort Wayne // February 24, 2021
Kress Center // Tipoff at 7PM
Watch Live on ESPN+

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne finished the regular season at 7-14 overall combined with a 6-14 record in league play. The Mastodons are led by Jarred Godfrey, who was selected to the 2020-21 All-Horizon League Third Team. PFW is No. 11 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 39.3 percent.

TOURNAMENT TIME
Green Bay takes the court against Purdue Fort Wayne at the Kress Center on Thursday night for the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. The Phoenix swept the Mastodons in the regular season, which were the first-ever meetings between the programs. Winner of Thursday's matchup will advance to the Quarterfinals on Tuesday.

ACCOLADE FOR DAYS
Amari Davis earned himself a second-team nod for his efforts during the 2020-21 season, and teammate Lucas Stieber landed a spot on the league's all-freshman team.

PHOENIX RISING
Manny Ansong has brought new meaning to the phrase 'Phoenix Rising' with his ability to play above the rim. He tallied his first double-double of the season in his last outing with 19pts and 10 rebs. Ansong has been a consistent scorer for Green Bay, reaching double figure eight times and scoring a season-high 24 points against NKU. He also leads the team on the boards with 5.2 RPG. 

BEASTS IN THE BACKCOURT
Green Bay boasts some of the best guards in the Horizon League, as Amari Davis (17.2PPG), Josh Jefferson (14.8PPG) and PJ Pipes (14.0 PPG) lead the Phoenix in scoring and all rank inside the top 20 in the Horizon League. Lucas Stieber is the commander of the Phoenix offense and ranks third in the conference with a 3.4 assist/turnover ratio. He also ranks eighth in the league with 4.0 APG.

PERFECTION FROM PIPES
PJ Pipes started the season a remarkable 47-for-47 from the free throw line. Dating back to last season, PJ Pipes made 49-consecutive free throws, breaking Mike Schachtner's program record of 32 consecutive set back in the 2008-09 season. Pipes enters the tournament at 54-55 on the season.

STIFLING STIEBER
Lucas Stieber has been a problem for opposing teams this season, especially as of late. He leads the team in blocks and has recorded five multiple-block games. Stieber has registered at least one block in nine-consecutive games.

THAT'S (AMARI)
Amari Davis is playing some of the best basketball of his young career and has scored at least 20 points in eight games this season and led the Phoenix in scoring nine times.  The sophomore has scored in double figures in 16 of his past 18 games.

NO TIME FOR TURNOVERS
The Green Bay men's basketball team prides itself on taking care of the rock. GB has either matched or won the turnover battle in 15 games this season. The Phoenix surrendered a season-low three turnovers in Green Bay's last outing at UIC.

ANSONG ELIGIBLE
Forward Emmanuel Ansong had his NCAA waiver request officially granted on Tuesday, Dec. 22 receiving immediate eligibility to play this season for the Phoenix. Ansong didn't technically qualify for the blanket waiver the NCAA Division I council approved, as he transferred from Wheeling University (a Division II institution) with the waiver only applying to those who transferred from a NCAA Division I institution to another. Ansong played under Coach Ryan at Wheeling.

FINDING HIS RANGE
It may come as a shock considering Amari Davis was the HL Freshman of the Year and broke the program's freshman scoring record set by Hall of Famer Tony Bennet in 1989, but he sank his first career three-pointer in the second half of GB's matchup at #4 Wisconsin this season. Davis has since added shots from deep to his repertoire, shooting 28.8% (23-80) from long range this season.

BATTLES WITH B1G PROGRAMS
The Green Bay men's basketball hasn't shied away from tough competition to open the season, taking the floor against back-to-back opponents from the big ten. One of those matchups included the #4 ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The Phoenix also took the hardwood against Marquette after their upset over the Badgers, battling the Golden Eagles to the end before falling 82-68.

OUR REIGNING ROOKIE
Sophomore Amari Davis was named the Horizon League freshman of the year last season and earned an all-league third-team nod. In result, Davis was named to the preseason all-league first team and will look to build upon last year's success.

RYAN'S FIRST RECRUITING CLASS
Head coach Will Ryan completed his first recruiting class at the helm of the Green Bay basketball program in early November, as three in-state standouts inked national letters of intent to play for the Phoenix during the signing period. Kamari McGee (Racine, Wis.), Brayden Dailey (Cuba City, Wis.) and Cade Meyer (Monroe, Wis.) will all join the roster next season. McGee, Meyer and Dailey are widely considered three of the top-10 players from Wisconsin in the 2021 class.

DAVIS' DOMINANT FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
Not only did Amari Davis cement his name in the Phoenix record books, he also left his mark from a league-wide standpoint when he accumulated 10 HL freshman of the week honors, breaking Dikembe Dixson's record of eight set in 2015-16.

WELCOMING WILL RYAN
Head coach Will Ryan joins the Phoenix after a year at Wheeling University where he improved the Cardinal's record from 9-21 to 14-13. 

FRESH PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomes a total of 11 new members to the squad in 2020-21 and returns only two players with in-game experience from last season. The Phoenix has eight freshmen on the roster.

JEFFERSON JUMPING IN
Josh Jefferson, a transfer from Illinois State in 2019-20, is eligible for the 2020-21 season after sitting out last year due to NCAA division I transfer rules. Jefferson averaged 8.7 PPG with the Redbirds and buried 41 triples in 21 games.

RETURNING MINUTES
Green Bay returns two starters from last season, senior PJ Pipes and sophomore Amari Davis, who also happen to be the only players returning to the roster who donned the green and white for the Phoenix. Pipes averaged 27.1 MPG and Davis logged 28.6 MPG, totaling 55.7 of the possible 200 minutes. That's 28% of the team's minutes from last season.

RYAN'S RECORD ON STAFF
Will Ryan joined his father's staff at Wisconsin in 2002 and has made stops at North Dakota State (2007-14), Ohio (2014-19) and Wheeling (2019-20) before taking the helm at Green Bay. His record on staff at previous stops is an impressive 352-221.

Overall Record before GB: 352-221
Wisconsin: 123-42
North Dakota State: 134-84
Ohio: 81-77
Wheeling: 14-13

KRASHING THE KRESS
Since the inception of the Kress Events Center in November 2007, the men's basketball program has taken the floor in official game action 25 times. The Phoenix owns a 17-8 record in those contests.
 
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