UMKC Faces Milwaukee to Start Three-Game Road Swing Wednesday
12/2/2014 1:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UMKC Kangaroos (3-4) at Milwaukee Panthers (3-4)
Date / Time: December 3, 2014 - 7:00 p.m. CT
Site: Milwaukee, Wisc. / UWM Panther Arena (10,783)
TV: ESPN3
Talent: Andy Masur (pxp), Justin Lettenberger (analyst)
Radio: 810 AM
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream: ESPN3.com
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com (via UWM)
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos or @UMKCMensHoops #WACHoops
Series: Series tied 5-5
Home: 3-3
Away: 2-2
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: UWM won 84-79 at in KC, 11/30/14
Richardson vs. Opponent: 0-1
THE GAME
The 'Roos start another three-game road swing, starting with NCAA Tournament participant UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The 'Roos are looking to build off a win on Saturday at home, while the Panthers picked up wins in two of their last three games, and have a 2-1 mark at home.
QUICK NOTES
- The 'Roos are playing on the road for the sixth time in the first eight games to start the season.
- UMKC broke the school record for steals with 22 against William Jewell on Saturday, besting the previous mark of 18 set in 2003 vs. Oklahoma State. The 'Roos also forced 33 turnovers, matching the school record set in 2003 against Norfolk State.
- Martez Harrison is leading the WAC in assists (4.86), steals (2.86) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89), while ranking third in the league in scoring at 18.3 points per game.
- Shayok Shayok is second in the WAC in field goal percentage (.590) and fourth in rebounding (7.8), while Noah Knight is third in steals (2.0), Collin Jennings is third in three point shooting (.500).
- UMKC leads the WAC in turnover margin (+5.71) and steals per game (10.71) as a team.
- UMKC has shown its depth early in the year, with 12 different players scoring against Missouri S&T, 11 vs. K-State and WJC, and 10 against both Missouri and Youngstown State.
- The roster currently has eight players from the Kansas City area, the most ever at UMKC (previous record set last season with seven).
- UMKC also has eight players that are completely new to the roster this year.
- There is only one player (Mason Wedel) on the current roster that was not recruited by this coaching staff, in only its second season.
- UMKC is in its second season under head coach Kareem Richardson, and is playing its second year back at Municipal Auditorium, and second in the Western Athletic Conference.
- In Richardson's first year, he led the team to a fifth place finish in the WAC, and the fourth seed in the conference tournament, both of which were the highest since 2006 at UMKC.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Panthers enter Wednesday's game with wins in two of their last three games. They knocked off Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, but also have wins against Louisiana-Lafayette and Minnesota-Crookston, with narrow losses to Oral Roberts and IUPUI.
They are paced by returner Steve McWhorter at 16.6 points per game, while sharpshooter Cody Wichmann is averaging 8.6 per contest, with 15 threes. The other top returner is Matt Tiby, who scores 7.3 points a game. Newcomer Akeem Springs is second on the team with 8.6 points an outing. They out-rebound opponents by 2.6 per game, and average only 12.4 turnovers a contest.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his second season as the head coach at UMKC, posting an 13-24 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship in 2013 as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
He brings 14 years of Division I coaching experience to the fold, as well as four years playing at the Division I level, graduating from Evansville in 1997.
Rob Jeter is in his 10th season at UW-Milwaukee, is the second-winningest coach in school history with a 153-145 record, has guided the Panthers to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, and to three 20-win years in the last five seasons, with three postseason appearances in the last four.
THE SERIES
The 'Roos and Panthers are tied 5-5 in the overall series, with Milwaukee taking an 84-79 win in Kansas City last season on November 30. This will be the 11th all-time meeting, with each team winning twice in Milwaukee. The last meeting there came back in 1998, with UWM taking an 88-68 win. Jeter is 1-0 vs. Richardson.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- Kansas City would have snapped a four-game away losing streak.
- The 'Roos would have defeated UW-Milwaukee for the first time since 1998 on the road.
- The 'Roos would have won two straight games for the first time this season.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will be back on the road for Saturday's matchup at former Summit League foe South Dakota State. The 1 p.m. game will be televised live in Kansas City on KSMO and worldwide on ESPN3.
The Jackrabbits lead the series 11-5 overall and have won the last five meetings. Kansas City is 2-5 in Brookings, dropping the last two there. The last contest was a 65-60 win for SDSU last year in Kansas City. The last UMKC win at SDSU was in 2011, 63-58.
