GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team will conclude the regular season with a brief road trip that begins Thursday night at UIC, before heading to IUPUI on Saturday. The Phoenix currently sit 11^th in the Horizon League heading in to the last week of the regular season.

Thursday, Feb. 24 – 7 p.m. CT – CREDIT UNION 1 ARENA
Green Bay (4-23, 3-15 HL) vs. UIC (11-15, 7-10 HL)
Links: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
Saturday, Feb. 26 – 3:45 p.m. CT – INDIANA FARMERS COLISEUM
Green Bay (4-23, 3-15 HL) vs. IUPUI (3-23, 1-14 HL)
Links: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE FLAMES
UIC has been in the middle of the Horizon League standings for most of the season, currently sitting as the No. 8 seed. The Flames average 13.6 points off turnovers and have a positive turnover margin of 0.35. UIC's scoring offense is also in the middle of the pack, ranked sixth, averaging 71.3 points. However, their defense is ranked 11^th in the HL, surrendering 73.3 points per contest. The Flames are among the best at blocking shots and creating scoring opportunities, averaging 3.58 BPG (third in HL play), and 14.88 APG (second in HL play).
 
Kevin Johnson is one of the best shooters in the Horizon League, making shots at a 45.3-percent clip, good for 11^th in the HL (more than 5 FGA per game). Franklin Damaria, the team's leading scorer at 18.5 PPG, is fourth in the league. UIC's offensive attack is well-balanced, with Zion Griffin also chipping in with 11.2 points per game.
 
ABOUT THE JAGUARS
IUPUI has struggled this season under first-year head coach Matt Crenshaw. They rank near the bottom of most HL statistical categories but allow the second-fewest points in HL play (67.1 PPG), the third-fewest opponent rebounds (32.8 RPG), and grab the fourth-highest offensive rebounds per game (10.3).
 
A bright spot for IUPUI has been B.J. Maxwell, who paces the team with 12.6 points per game. He also leads the team with 33.2 minutes per game. Maxwell shoots 36.6-percent from the field, and an impressive 80.3-percent from the charity stripe. Maxwell is good on the glass, leading the Jaguars with five per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay and UIC have met 107 previous times, the most the Phoenix has played a single opponent. The Phoenix owns a 65-42 record all-time against the Flames, with the series dating back to January 23, 1971. GB won the first 15 contests in the series, from '71 to December 4, 1979. The Phoenix and Flames last met on January 15, when UIC defeated GB, 80-63.
 
The Phoenix and IUPUI have met just 14 times, despite the first meeting going back to 1977. The Jaguars joined the Horizon League before the 2017-18 season. Green Bay is 6-8 all-time against IUPUI, splitting the season series a year ago, and beating them earlier this year 69-54.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Green Bay faced the top two teams in the Horizon League this past weekend, first against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 18. Kamari McGee had 19 points and Manny Ansong added 12, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Mastodons in the 74-55 loss.
 
On Sunday, top-seeded Cleveland State paid a visit to the Kress Center. Cade Meyer dropped in a career-high 20 points, while McGee showed out again with 16. Ryan Claflin scored 12 points in 23 minutes off the bench, but the Vikings shot 62.5-percent from the field. The game was tight throughout, but Cleveland State pulled away in the end, 79-67.
 
LAST MATCHUP
Green Bay hosted IUPUI on Jan.13, and took down the Jaguars 69-54 thanks in part to a big performance from Randy Tucker. Tucker scored a career-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds.
 
GB also hosted UIC at the Resch Center earlier this season on Jan. 15. The Flames came out hot, and never trailed. Damaria Franklin had 19 and Kevin Johnson had 16 for UIC. The Phoenix was led by 23 points from Kamari McGee.
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Cade Meyer has been a force on the floor for Green Bay in the second half of the season. He was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week on Feb. 7 but has been unstoppable since Jan. 15. He has scored in double figures nine times in the last 11 games, including his season-high 20 points against Cleveland State last Sunday. Meyer is second on the team with 9.2 PPG.
 
Since Jan. 15, Meyer is averaging:

• 13.9 ppg
• 6.4 rpg
• 54.1-percent from the field

 
NATE THE GREAT
Nate Jenkins, one of four transfers this past offseason, has been a huge contributor for GB lately. Despite averaging just 2.1 points through Jan. 20, he has stepped up for Green Bay. Now averaging 6.1 points per contest, his best performance came on Feb. 4 at Cleveland State, when he recorded a career-high 19 points in a career-high 36 minutes. He shot 5-of-10 from the field that night, including 3-of-6 from deep and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. In his last seven games, he is averaging:

• 11.1 ppg
• 41-percent from the field (23-of-56)
• 41-percent from beyond the arc (11-of-27)

 
SHOOT YOUR SHOT
Green Bay has four players who are shooting 47-percent or higher from the field (minimum 50 field goal attempts), at least six-percent higher than the team's 41.2-percent shooting:

• Manny Ansong (110-of-221, 49.8-percent)
• Cade Meyer (91-of-183, 49.7-percent)
• Japannah Kellogg (64-of-133, 48.1-percent)
• Cem Kirciman (25-of-53, 47.2-percent)

 
ON THE HORIZON
After facing IUPUI on Saturday, Green Bay will turn their attention on the Horizon League tournament, which begins March 1. The first round and quarterfinal (March 3) will be played on campus sites. If the season ended today, the Phoenix would be the 11 seed, heading to take on the 6 seed, Youngstown State on March 1.
 
NEW PHOENIX FACES
Green Bay welcomed seven new members for 2021-22.
 
Transfers
Mitch Listau (6-4, G | Belmont)
Randy Tucker (6-4, G | Vincennes)
Tutu Majok (6-8, F | Bossier Parish CC)
Nate Jenkins (6-2, G | Iowa)
 
True Freshman
Kamari McGee (6-0, G | Racine St. Catherine's)
Cade Meyer (6-8, F | Monroe)
Brayden Dailey (6-7, F | Cuba City)
 
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
Pl. School (1st-place) – Votes
1. Cleveland State (30) – 502
2. Wright State (9) – 463
3. Northern Kentucky (1) – 406
4. Milwaukee (2)– 396
5. Detroit Mercy (2) – 350
6. Oakland – 340
7. Youngstown State – 214
8. UIC – 204
9. Purdue Fort Wayne – 169
10. Robert Morris– 157
11. Green Bay – 146
12. IUPUI – 85

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