GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team is closing out the 2025-26 regular season as they host Youngstown State on Senior Day this Saturday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. CST.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Youngstown State (15-15, 8-11 HL) vs. Green Bay (16-14, 11-8 HL)
Saturday, February 28, 2026
1:00 PM CST
Follow the action: Watch ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Green Bay men's basketball team dropped a Horizon League road game on Sunday, losing to Detroit Mercy 74-70 at Calihan Hall. Preston Ruedinger led the Phoenix (16-14, 11-8) with 19 points, six assists, and three steals. C.J. O'Hara added 17 points and four steals. Justin Allen also contributed with 17 points. Orlando Lovejoy led Detroit Mercy (14-13, 11-7) with a game-high 33 points. Lance Stone was the only other Titans player to hit double-figures with 10 points.
 
ABOUT THE PENGUINS
The Penguins are led by second-year head coach Ethan Faulkner, who has the Penguins at a record of 15-15 and 8-11 in the HL. Youngstown is led by Cris Carrol, who averages 17.3 points per game, fourth-most in the Horizon League. Carroll also leads YSU with 5.3 rebounds and 29.7 minutes per game. Carroll has scored in double-figures in 28 of his 30 starts for the Penguins, including a season-high 34 points vs. Green Bay on Jan. 22. Another key contributor is senior Bryson Dawkins, who averages 13.1 points per game and has scored at least 13 points in 11 of his last 13 games.
 
INSPIRING JOURNEY
There are over 5,000 NCAA Division I basketball players across the nation, and Green Bay is home to the oldest player of them all. 29-year-old Ramel Bethea served five years in the U.S. Navy before playing his first competitive basketball at MiraCosta College last year. Over the summer, Bethea transferred to Green Bay.
 
POSTSEASON PICTURE
Through 19 Horizon League games, the Phoenix sits at 11-8 in league play, fifth in the HL standings. Green Bay has locked up a top-5 seed and will host a Horizon League First Round game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Kress Center.
 
CLUTCH RUDY
Phoenix point guard Preston Ruedinger called his own number and delivered a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat NKU in overtime, 87-84, on Feb. 4. Ruedinger is one of the best passers in the Horizon League, sitting third in the league at 5.3 assists per game. Ruedinger has started all 30 games so far and plays the most minutes per game on the team at 35.0. Ruedinger made history with a career-high 13 assists vs UCSB on Dec. 17, the seventh-most in a game in program history.
 
MONEY MARCUS
Phoenix forward Marcus Hall is picking up where he left off last season. Through 27 games, Hall is averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per game. Hall was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team on October 8. He has scored in double figures in 19 of his 27 games so far this season, featuring a career-high 32 points in last Sunday's loss at Milwaukee. With his 32nd point in the game, Hall eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark.
 
JUSTIN-CREDIBLE
Senior guard Justin Allen is a talented scorer, reaching 20+ points eight times this season. Three of those seven games came during the month of January. He has scored in double-figures in 10 of his last 16, and is third on the team, averaging 13.2 points per game. Allen posted a season-high 34 points against PFW on Feb. 12.
 
O'MAZING O'HARA
C.J. O'Hara is in his second season at Green Bay and has started all 30 games this season. O'Hara is tied for the team lead in scoring, averaging 14.1 points and 4.4 rebounds, and is third on the team at 32.1 minutes per game. O'Hara has scored double figures in 25 of his 30 starts, including a career-high 23 points on Feb. 4 at Northern Kentucky.
 
NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT
Through 30 games, Green Bay has proven to be one of the most efficient offenses in the Horizon League. The Phoenix is shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 39th in the country, and 36.7 percent from three, good for 47th in the NCAA.
 
PHOENIX RISING
Green Bay sits at a record of 16-14 through 30 games. Last year at the same point, GB was 4-26. It took just nine games for the 2025-26 Phoenix to match the win total of the 2024-25 Phoenix. GB has already exceeded its Horizon League win total from a year ago quickly, having finished 2-18 in league play last year. The Phoenix is 11-8 through 19 Horizon League games.

YEAR TWO
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Doug Gottlieb enters his second year as the head coach of Green Bay men's basketball. Gottlieb, well-known for his broadcasting career, brings with him a wealth of experience as a player, commentator, analyst, and coach in the basketball world. Coach Gottlieb announced on Dec. 17, after GB's win over UCSB, that he will be taking a break from hosting The Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio to focus on Phoenix basketball.

INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2025-26 Phoenix roster features players from two different foreign countries and 11 from different U.S. states. Maruan Cicic is from Montenegro, and Vukasin Todorovic is from Slovenia.

NEW ERA SAME RISE
After a season with 12 newcomers a season ago, the 2025-26 Green Bay roster will bring in 10 newcomers this year. Of GB's rostered players, six are returners, six are transfers, and four are true freshmen.

FAMILIAR FACES
Multiple returners will play large roles in the upcoming 2025-26 season, including Marcus Hall, Preston Ruedinger, Mac Wrecke, and C.J. O'Hara. Last season, Hall averaged 13.9, Ruedinger averaged 8.0, Wrecke averaged 6.1, and O'Hara averaged 4.0 points per game. Caden Wilkins and Brady Fitzgerald are the other two returners to the Phoenix squad.

 OFFSEASON RECAP
August 21 – Keifer Sykes named as General Manager
August 27 – Keil Ganz named as an assistant coach
August 28 – Kerry Rupp named as an assistant coach
 
Over the summer, The Phoenix brought in four freshmen for the 2025-26 season: Keegan Van Kauwenberg, Vukasin Todorovic, Trey Schachter, and Maruan Cicic. Six transfers make their way to Green Bay this season, including Ramel Bethea, Josh Hines, Justin Allen, Dontrell Hewlett, Rob Stroud, and LeBron Thomas.

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