UMKC Begins Three-Game Home Stand Thursday with Utah Valley
1/20/2016 9:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Utah Valley Wolverines (7-11, 1-2 WAC) at UMKC Kangaroos (8-11, 1-3 WAC)
Date / Time: January 21 - 7:05 p.m. CT
Site: Kansas City, Mo. / Municipal Auditorium (9,827)
TV: KSMO - Kansas City
Talent: Neil Harwell (pxp), JC Pearson (analyst)
Listen:UMKCKangaroos.com (free)
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream:WAC Digital Network
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
Twitter: @UMKCMensHoops #RooUp
Series: UVU leads 6-5
Home: 4-2
Away: 1-4
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: UMKC won 69-50 in KC, 2/26/15
Richardson vs. Opponent: 3-1
QUICK NOTES
- Martez Harrison is the WAC's active career leader in points (1,385), threes made (110), free throws made (437), steals (135), and assists (327).
- Harrison is sixth on the UMKC scoring chart with 1,385 points. He needs 19 points to tie Quinton Day for fifth at 1,404.
- During the Roos three-game skid, they have not been able to put together a full 40 minutes, playing one bad half in each game, two of which came on the road.
- Harrison ranks 77th in the nation in assists (84), while his 124 free throw attempts are 35th and 95 free throw makes are 32nd in the country. LaVell Boyd is 62nd with 47 threes made.
- Boyd needs three more threes to crack the 50 barrier, which would make him the first player under Kareem Richardson to hit 50 threes in a season.
- UMKC has several players in the WAC rankings. Martez Harrison and LaVell Boyd are 3rd and 11th in scoring in the WAC at 15.4 and 12.9 ppg. Harrison is 5th in assists (4.4), while sitting 7th in steals (1.3) and 5th in free throw percentage (.766). Dashawn King also ranks 10th in steals (1.2), while Boyd is 6th in three-point percentage (.409) and 4th in three point makes per game (2.5).
- UMKC is ranked No. 248 in the RPI rankings as of Tuesday, the fourth highest RPI in the WAC.
- The Kangaroos matched the school record for best home start at 7-0, before falling to CSUB.
- One of the Roos biggest issues this season has been turnovers. They have 264 this season, and rank 306th in the nation in fewest turnovers (13.9 per game). They had a season-low six against NMSU and only seven against UTRGV on Saturday however.
- The Roos non-conference strength of schedule is No. 143 in the nation, second in the WAC.
- UMKC finished its non-conference schedule with seven wins, marking the most for the Roos since the 2010-11 team also had seven. The last team with eight or more: 2001-02 team, with 10.
- The 'Roos are facing 10 schools this season that went to postseason tournaments last year (South Dakota St., UT-Martin, Iowa, Louisville, UNC-Wilmington, Oklahoma St., USC-Upstate, Seattle, New Mexico State and Grand Canyon). So far UMKC is 3-6 against those teams.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Wolverines enter the game with a 7-11 overall record, and are 1-2 in the WAC. They defeated UTRGV at home, while falling to New Mexico State and Grand Canyon.
They are led by a trio of scorers in Konner Frey (14.9 ppg), Jaden Jackson (14.3 ppg), and Marcel Davis (13.4 ppg), while Frey pulls down a team-best 6.6 rebounds per contest. Davis fills the stat sheet with 5.2 rebounds and a team-best 81 assists as well. The Wolverines are a fast-paced team, scoring 75.7 points a game, while giving up 78.2 per contest.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his third season as the head coach at UMKC, posting a 32-50 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.
His second season in Kansas City as the head man was another step in the right direction in 2014-15, and generated several program firsts. The 8-6 WAC record was the first above .500 at UMKC since 2005-06, and its second place finish matched the highest ever in league play. UMKC finished with a 6-1 WAC home record, the best in school history in conference play.
Mark Pope is in his first season at UVU (7-11) after four years as an assistant coach at nearby BYU. He is another Pitino disciple, playing for him at Kentucky and winning a national championship there in 1996. He also played seven seasons in the NBA.
THE SERIES
The Wolverines lead the overall series with UMKC by a 6-5 margin, but the Roos have won the last three. UMKC has also won the last two at home, and is 3-1 vs. them under Richardson.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- The 'Roos would have snapped a three-game losing streak.
- The 'Roos would have won four straight against Utah Valley in the series.
- Missouri-Kansas City would have won 14 of its last 16 games played at Municipal Auditorium.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will host first-place Grand Canyon on Saturday night in a 7:05 p.m. contest televised nationally on ASN, and locally on KSMO.
The Lopes and Roos are tied 2-2 in the all-time series, with each going 1-1 on their home floor. GCU has won the first meeting each of the last two years, while UMKC has taken the second, including a 70-65 win last time out in Kansas City on Feb. 28, 2015.
