UMKC to Face Wofford in Chicago Invitational Challenge Friday
11/24/2011 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Radio: 1510 AM (Steven Davis)
Webcast: None
Live Stats: Here
THE GAME
The Kangaroos will face Wofford on Friday afternoon at 2:30 (CT) in the final leg of the Chicago Invitational Challenge at Sears Centre Arena in a northwest suburb of Chicago (Hoffman Estates, Ill.). The Kangaroos could face either Longwood or Prairie View A&M on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. The Kangaroos two previous games that were part of the Challenge were at Bradley and Wisconsin, with those two teams facing eachother at 7:30 p.m.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Wofford comes into the contest with a 2-2 overall record after defeating Bradley on Tuesday by a 70-66 score. The Terriers only two losses have come against Georgia and Wisconsin.
They are led by 6-6 senior guard Kevin Giltner, who averages 15.0 points per game. He is coming off a 29-point performance against Bradley. Freshman guard Karl Cochran is averaging 11.3 points per outing, while Brad Loesing has posted 23 assists. As a team the Terriers are shooting 38.7 percent, and holding opponents to 40.1 percent.
THE COACHES
Brown joined the 'Roos as the eighth head coach in school history on April 12, 2007. In his five seasons as head coach, Brown has guided UMKC to a 43-81 overall record and has coached seven players to all-Summit League recognition.
Mike Young is in his 10th season at Wofford, and has a 139-141 record there. He served the previous 13 seasons as the head assistant. He has led the Terriers to back-to-back Southern Conference titles, and NCAA Tournament appearances.
THE SERIES
The Kangaroos and Terriers are meeting for the first time ever. The 'Roos are 2-1 against current Southern Conference opponents with their wins coming against Samford, and the loss against Tennessee-Chattanooga. The last meeting was Feb. 12, 1990 against Samford, UMKC won 109-77.
Matt Brown has never faced a Southern Conference opponent.
is in his fifth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's basketball program, and comes off his most successful season at the helm. In 2010-11, he posted his first winning record at 16-14 overall. The 'Roos also posted the third-most home wins in school history, going 11-4 in Kansas City, and the third-most overall wins in program history.