GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team is back on the road this weekend, taking on league-leaders Cleveland State on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (2-19, 0-10 HL) vs. Cleveland State (15-6, 9-1 HL)
Saturday, Jan. 25
2:00 PM CST | Game Notes
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Listen (Mixlr) | Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
The Cleveland State Vikings are having another strong season under third-year head coach Daniyal Robinson. Robinson's record in his three years with CSU is 57-35. CSU is currently on an 11-game win streak, sitting at 15-6 overall and 9-1 in Horizon League play.
 
The Vikings are comfortably the best defensive team in the Horizon League, allowing just 64.7 points per game, which is nearly five points less than the second-place team (Oakland). Forcing turnovers is a large reason for that, as they force the seventh-most turnovers in the nation at 16.7 per game. Tevin Smith leads the team on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 14.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Tahj Staveskie and Dylan Arnett are also key pieces. Staveskie averages 11.7 points while Arnett averages 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay and Cleveland State have played 90 times in the two schools' histories. That is the second-most games Green Bay has played against a single opponent (UIC - 110). The Phoenix is 53-37 against the Vikings, including a 20-22 record on the road. CSU has won seven of the last nine games of the series, going back to the 2020-21 season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
A late comeback attempt wasn't quite enough as the Green Bay men's basketball team fell to the IU Indy Jaguars, 86-77 at the Resch Center Wednesday night. IU Indy was hot from the start and finished the night shooting 15-of-24 (62.5 percent) from three point range on the night.

The Phoenix (2-19, 0-10) had five players score in double figures, led by Jeremiah Johnson, who had 18 points. Marcus Hall and Mac Wrecke scored 12 a piece while Preston Ruedinger and Ryan Wade finished with 11 each.

IU Indy was led by big performances from Sean Craig and Paul Zilinskas. Craig had 24 points and nine rebounds while Zilinskas finished with 21.
 
MIDSEASON REINFORCEMENTS
Prior to this Thursday's game against Wright State, the Green Bay men's basketball team added Yonatan Levy, a 6'9" freshman forward from Hamerkaz, Israel, to the 2024-25 active roster. Levy played for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 2023-24 and received final eligibility certification from the NCAA in December. In five games played, Yonatan is averaging 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He had a career day against Youngstown State last Sunday, finishing with 18 points and four rebounds.
 
JEREMIAH JOHNSON
Jeremiah Johnson has made big strides in the last month. Since Dec. 14, the freshman has scored in double figures in six of his nine games played. Across those nine games, Johnson is averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

MAC ATTACK
Redshirt freshman Mac Wrecke had a career day on Dec. 21 against Drake, scoring 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes. Wrecke has started the last 12 games, scoring in double figures in five of them.
 
MONEY MARCUS
After a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, a season ago, Phoenix forward Marcus Hall has been outstanding to start the 2024-25 Season. Hall is currently averaging 13.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point range.
 
FREE POINTS
Green Bay had made their chances at the free throw line count. GB is knocking down 79.3 percent from the line, which ranks eighth best in the NCAA.
 
ROY RETURNS
After a stint at NAIA Langston University, where he was named an NAIA All-American First Teamer, Anthony Roy has returned to the Division I floor with Green Bay. After 11 games back in Division I, Roy has averaged 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He also shoots 50.3 percent from the floor and 43.2 percent from three. Roy is sending waves throughout the country, he is second in points per game and first in three-pointers made per game with 4.4, as well as being second in three-point attempts per game at 10.1. Roy has scored 30+ points in five out of 11 games, and 20+ points in nine of his 11 starts this season. Roy is set to have the highest-scoring season in Phoenix history. Roy is currently out for an extended period with a lower-body injury.
 
INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2024-25 Phoenix roster features players from three foreign countries and eight different U.S. states. Ben Tweedy is from Australia, Roee Oselka and Yonatan Levy are from Israel, and Mouhamadou Cissé is from Senegal.
 
TOP 10 TURNAROUND
After a program-low 3-29 season in 2022-23, Green Bay bounced back with a resilient 18-14 record a season ago in head coach Sundance Wicks' lone season with the Phoenix, jumping from last in the Horizon League to third. That 15.0 game turnaround is tied for the 10th-best turnaround in NCAA Division I history.
 
NEW LOOK ROSTER
The Phoenix underwent a roster transformation this past off-season. Of GB's rostered players, five are returners, three are transfers, and nine are incoming freshmen.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Multiple returners will play large roles in the upcoming 2024-25 season, including Foster Wonders, Preston Ruedinger, and Marcus Hall. Last season, Ruedinger averaged 8.4, Wonders averaged 7.8, and Hall averaged 6.4 points per game. Mac Wrecke and Ryan Wade are the other two returners and will be featured in Coach Gottlieb's rotation.
 
OFFSEASON RECAP
A lot happened during the 2024 offseason. Let's get you caught up:
 
May 12 – Sundance Wicks named Wyoming head men's basketball coach
May 14 - Doug Gottlieb is named the 10th head coach in Green Bay men's basketball history.
June 6 – The rest of the coaching staff is announced, consisting of Aerick Sanders, Damon Archibald, Dennis Harrington, and Kaden LeCapitaine, joining Jordan McCabe.
Over the summer - The Phoenix brings in eight freshmen for the 2024-25 season: Ayden Goll, Jeremiah Johnson, Ben Tweedy, Bennett Basich, C.J. O'Hara, Brady Fitzgerald, Caden Wilkens, and Roee Oselka. Five transfers make their way to Green Bay this season including, Donovan Santoro, Anthony Roy, and Mouhamadou Cissé.
 
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
PL. TEAM (1st PLACE VOTES) – PTS.
T1. Milwaukee (15) – 421
T1. Purdue Fort Wayne (14) – 421
3. Northern Kentucky (4) – 389
4. Oakland (5) – 345
5. Wright State (4) – 315
6. Youngstown State (1) – 272
7. Cleveland State – 252
8. Green Bay – 171
9. Robert Morris – 148
10. IU Indianapolis (1) – 91
11. Detroit Mercy – 79
 
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