GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay men's basketball returns to the Resch Center for another non-conference matchup, this time against Kansas City tomorrow at 7 p.m.. The Phoenix will look to make it two home victories in a row after taking their last home game over IUPUI 68-61.
Saturday, December 10 – Green Bay, Wis. – RESCH CENTER
Kansas City (4-8, 0-0 Summit League) vs. Green Bay (1-8, 1-1 HL)
7:00 PM | Blackout Night (WEAR BLACK!) | Tickets
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Green Bay is 3-4 against Kansas City, including 1-1 at home against the Roos. The first meeting between the programs was on 12/9/89, a 64-59 win for GB in Kansas City. KC's last visit to Titletown was 11/17/01, a 47-48 loss for the Phoenix. GB defeated KC 83-66 at home on 2/26/90. Green Bay was defeated by the Roos last season in Kansas City, 82-64.
ABOUT THE ROOS
Marvin Menzies was welcomed as the 8th head coach in UMKC history this past spring. The Roos are 4-8 through their first dozen games of the 2022-23 season, but Menzies has a track record of winning, proven by his 252-167 record in 13 total seasons as a head coach.
Keep your eyes on Shemarri Allen. The senior guard is a force for Kansas City, pacing the Roos in assists (8.6 APG), steals (1.6 SPG), and minutes (34.1 MPG). He also averages 15 points per contest, second-best on the team, only behind RayQuawndis Mitchell's 16.8 PPG.
LAST MATCHUP
The Phoenix defeated IUPUI 68-61 in front of a packed Resch Center on Monday, marking the first overall win and first Horizon League victory of the 2022-23 campaign. Tuesday night, Green Bay fell to Loyola-Chicago 70-46. Cade Meyer had a great start to the week, posting 19 points against the Jaguars before totaling 15 against the Ramblers on Tuesday.
MAKE WAY FOR MEYER
Meyer, a sophomore forward, is having a successful start to the 2022-23 campaign. He is shooting 50 percent on 35-of-70 from the field and is 33-of-59 (56 percent) inside the arc. Meyer, from Monroe, Wis., is coming off a strong 2021-22 campaign in which he was named Freshman of the Week once and was tabbed to the Horizon League All-Freshman team. Meyer has also recorded at least one block in six of GB's nine games.
NO HARM, NO FOUL
Green Bay has shown discipline on the hardwood through their first nine games, committing just 15.7 fouls per contest. That ranks 103rd in the nation and fifth-best among all Horizon League teams, only behind Oakland (12.9), Wright State (13.9), Purdue Fort Wayne (14.1), and Robert Morris (15.6). As a team, Green Bay has totaled 141 fouls while drawing 164 from their opponents.
BROCK IN HIS BAG
Redshirt freshman Brock Heffner has rounded into form in his last two appearances. A spark for GB against UIC on Nov. 26, the forward set season-highs in points (19), field goals made (6), rebounds (3), and assists (2) while also tallying a steal in 33 minutes. Heffner followed up that performance by racking up 33 minutes again versus Milwaukee on December 1, finishing with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, and three assists. In his first game as a Phoenix, Heffner totaled four blocks at Indiana State on November 7.
WHAT DO YOU ZAE?
Sophomore Zae Blake has been a difference-maker in his first season as a Phoenix. Despite missing one game, Blake ranks at or near the top of most statistical categories on the team, including:
- 1st in points (11.0 PPG)
- 1st in assists (2.1 APG)
- 1st in steals (1.6 SPG)
- 1st in field goal percentage (30-of-51, 58.8 percent)
- 1st in three-point percentage (10-of-20, 50 percent)
- 2nd in rebounds (3.3 RPG)
RANDY THE RAVAGE
Redshirt junior guard Randy Tucker has been impactful off the bench for Green Bay. He is shooting 21-of-51 (41.2-percent) from the floor and has been locked in from the charity stripe, knocking down five free throws in six attempts. Tucker, a Rock Island, Illinois, native, is third on the team with 3.1 rebounds while averaging 21.7 minutes per game.
ON THE HORIZON
The Phoenix won't face another Horizon League opponent until late December, playing five consecutive non-conference games (including Loyola-Chicago). After Saturday, Green Bay will embark on a long seven-game road trip that includes stops at St. Thomas, PAC-12 foes Stanford and Oregon State, and Horizon League opponents Detroit Mercy, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Cleveland State.
NEW PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomes 10 new players for the 2022-23 season.
TRANSFERS
Garren Davis (6-4, G | Clarendon College)
Clarence Cummings III (6-5, F | State College of Florida)
Zae Blake (6-1, G | Southwest Mississippi CC)
Brock Heffner (6-8, F | Hawaii)
Davin Zeigler (6-3, G | Indian Hills CC)
Ryan Wade (6-2, G | Central Michigan)
TRUE FRESHMEN
Donavan Short (6-10, C | Denmark, Wis.)
Amari Jedkins (6-7, F | Racine, Wis.)
Jack Rose (6-5, G | Bristol, Wis.)
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
Pl. Team (1st-place votes) – Pts.
T1. Purdue Fort Wayne (17) - 394
T1. Northern Kentucky (15) - 394
3. Wright State (3) - 329
4. Oakland (2) - 321
5. Youngstown State (1) - 291
6. Detroit Mercy (2) - 268
7. Cleveland State - 188
8. Robert Morris - 163
9. Milwaukee - 132
10. Green Bay - 111
11. IUPUI - 49
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