UMKC Hosts Southern Utah On Saturday Looking For Its First Summit League Victory
1/11/2008 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will look to pick up its first Summit League victory of the year on Saturday night when it faces Southern Utah at Municipal Auditorium beginning at 7:05 p.m. The game will be the second of a UMKC-SUU doubleheader, and it will be broadcast live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. Neil Harwell will call the play-by-play, while Doug Elstun will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.umkckangaroos.com.
A Look At Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds enter Saturday's contest with a 4-11 overall record and a 2-2 mark in Summit League play. SUU has won two of its last three games, as it won at Cal Poly (61-53) on Dec. 29 before topping Western Illinois (73-60) on Jan. 3. In their last game on Jan. 5, the T-Birds fell at home to IUPUI, 78-61.
Just one Southern Utah player is averaging in double figures, but a total of five players are averaging more than seven points a night. Forward Geoff Payne is leading the squad in both scoring (20.5) and rebounding (7.3), while shooting .537 from the floor.
The T-Birds are averaging 65.5 points per game, while shooting .453 from the field and .326 from long range. The squad is +4.3 on the glass (35.2-30.9), but it is averaging nearly 19 turnovers per game on the year.
SUU Game Facts
- Roger Reid is in his first season as the head coach for the Thunderbirds. Prior to moving to Cedar City, Reid coached for two seasons at Snow College. He has also coached for BYU, where he led the Cougars to five NCAA tournament berths and three WAC Championships.
- Five players on the SUU roster came with Coach Reid from Snow College, including leading scorer and rebounder Geoff Payne.
- Geoff Payne ranks 26th in the NCAA in scoring this season with his 20.5 average. The forward has also posted four double-doubles for SUU on the year.
SUU vs. UMKC - The Series
Southern Utah holds the 13-11 advantage in the all-time series over UMKC. The Kangaroos, however, have a 10-2 record against the Thunderbirds in games played in Kansas City. Last season, the two teams split the two meetings, as UMKC won 66-62 in Kansas City, and SUU won 66-59 in Cedar City.
Last Contest
UMKC dropped a 96-76 decision at Missouri on Tuesday night in Columbia. The score was even at 35 at the half, before MU opened the second half with a 25-6 run to make the score 60-41 with 15:22 remaining. The Kangaroos didn't fold, as they got the deficit to within nine points on a pair of occasions with the final coming at 72-63. The Tigers then stretched their advantage in the closing minutes, as they won by the 20-point margin.
Notes From The MU Game
- The Kangaroos were out rebounded by just six against the Tigers, 40-34. UMKC finished with 15 offensive rebounds in the game.
- UMKC tied a season-high with 11 steals against MU.
- The Kangaroos finished the contest with 14 three pointers on 35 attempts. It was the third straight game that the team has made at least 10 three pointers.
Another Line-up Shuffle
Head Coach Matt Brown used his third straight and seventh different starting line-up of the season at Missouri. Brown inserted freshman Nathan Balch into the starting line-up in the guard position in favor of fellow freshman Reggie Hamilton.
Playing The Close Ones
UMKC has dropped its four Summit League games by an average of 7.5 points per game, but the squad has been very competitive in each of the league contests. The Kangaroos forced overtime at Oakland, and they were up one at IPFW with seven minutes to play. In their last two league games, UMKC was topping IUPUI by three with 42 seconds remaining, and the team was within a field goal with three minutes to play against Western Illinois.
Triple Me Up
The Kangaroos have made 10 or more three pointers in each of the past three games and in four of the past five contests. On Tuesday, UMKC connected on 14 treys, which were the second most for the squad in a game this season. The Kangaroos also tied a season-high with 35 three-point attempts (at Northern Arizona), and it was the fourth game that the squad has attempted 30 or more long balls.
UMKC is averaging 24.5 three point attempts per game this season. The team is connecting on 9.7 of those chances, while shooting .396 from the behind the three-point arch.
The team's 165 three point makes and 417 three point attempts are both tops in The Summit League. UMKC has made 10 or more three pointers in eight games this season with a season-high of 16 makes coming on Dec. 6 at Oakland.
Ford Joins UMKC Basketball Program
Fred Ford has joined the UMKC men's basketball program after spending the past semester at the WARE Prep Academy in Atlanta, Ga. The 5-11, 175-lb., guard was a three-time all-SAC conference selection and a two-time all-area honoree at Fort Wayne Southside High School. He averaged 14 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Archers. Ford will redshirt for the remainder of the season to give him four years of eligibility beginning in 2008-09.
A Second Half Team
The Kangaroos are making it a habit of falling behind early and rallying late. UMKC is being outscored by 108 points in the first half of games this season (612-504). The squad, however, is outscoring its opposition in the final 20 minutes by 17 points (661-644). The Kangaroos are averaging 29.6 points in first halves of games compared to 38.9 points per contest in the second half.
UMKC has scored 50 or more points in a half this season on three occasions and all three outbursts have come in the final 20 minutes. The team scored 61 points in the second half at Oakland on Dec. 6 and 54 points in games against Arkansas Tech and Loyola Chicago.
Double Digit Dane
Junior Dane Brumagin finished with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting at Missouri on Tuesday night, 14 of which came in the first half. Five of the forward's six makes in the game came from behind the three-point arch.
Over the past two games, the Montgomery City, Mo., native has been averaging 19.0 points for the squad, as he's connected on nine three point field goals in 20 attempts for a .450 percentage.
Brumagin has now scored in double figures in 14-of-17 games on the season and in six of those games he finished with 20 or more points. He has also been the high scorer for the Kangaroos in nine games on the season.
Brumagin's most prolific games of the season, and his career, came during a two-game stretch in early December when he scored 75 points in two games. The forward netted 40 points at Oakland on Dec. 6 on 12-of-17 shooting, and he followed it up with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting at IPFW on Dec. 8. As a result, he was named the Mid-Majority Baller of the Week on Dec. 10.
More Than Just A Scorer
Junior Dane Brumagin has not only been UMKC's most consistent scorer this season, but the forward has also been one of the team's top rebounders. The Montgomery City, Mo., native has led the team on the boards in six of the last eight games and in a team-best eight contests on the season. His 5.3 rebounds per game are also tops on the team. Brumagin has finished with eight or more rebounds in four games this season, and he posted a career-high nine boards against Central Arkansas on Dec. 29.
Getty Matches Season-High
Junior Brian Gettinger matched a season-high with 17 points against Western Illinois on Jan. 5. The forward made 4-of-5 three point attempts in the game, and he finished with a team-best seven rebounds. Gettinger now has three games this season with three or more triples.
Steal City
The Kangaroos matched a season-high with 11 steals against Missouri on Tuesday. Freshman Nathan Balch had a career-high four swipes in the contest, which is tied for the team-high in a game this season. Junior Dane Brumagin also finished with four steals for the Kangaroos against WIU on Jan. 5.
Balance Is Key
The Kangaroos had four players score in double figures in the victory over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22. It was the fifth game this season for the team to have at least four players with 10 or more points. On Nov. 24, UMKC had a season-high five players score in double figures in the 90-82 victory over Arkansas Tech.
UMKC now has three players on the year that are averaging 10 points or more per game. Dane Brumagin (18.2), Brent Stephens (12.0) and Reggie Hamilton (11.8).
Stephens Posts Second 20-Point Game Of The Season
Senior Brent Stephens returned to the starting line-up at Missouri on Tuesday night, and he responded with his first 20-point game since Nov. 13 when he scored 28 against Washburn. The forward finished with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting at Mizzou. He made 3-of-6 from long range.
The Jay, Okla., native has been in double figures in two of the last three games, and he's averaging 14.3 points for the team during the stretch. On the year, Stephens is second on the team with a 12.0 scoring average. He has finished in double digits in 11-of-17 games and in 34 contests in his Kangaroo career.
Getting After It Defensively
The Kangaroos have forced 117 (16.7 p/game) turnovers over the past seven games. The squad has also been contesting the three-point shot, as their opponents have made just 39-of-121 of their attempts for a .322 percentage.
M.I.A
Junior Alex Pledger has not seen any game action since the season opener at Kansas on Nov. 11. Pledger is sidelined with an ankle injury and elbow injury.
Blackwell Finds His Groove
Senior Tim Blackwell scored more than 20 points in back-to-back games against Northern Iowa and Loyola Chicago earlier this season. The guard finished with 21 points against the Panthers before scoring a season-high 24 against the Ramblers on 5-of-12 shooting. The 24-point showing is the second highest output for the guard in 96 career games.
The Cameron, Mo., native has posted a pair of 20-point games this season and six such games in his UMKC career. He has scored in double figures in six games on the year and in 36 games in his career.
Players Mentioned
