UWM finalizes its seed in upcoming Horizon League Tournament following season-ending win
The UW-Milwaukee Panthers took care of business.
With seeding in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament in the air on the final day of the regular season, the Panthers jumped out in front early and cruised to an 89-67 win over Detroit Mercy at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Saturday to secure the No. 3 seed next week.
With six players – Darius Duffy, Faizon Fields, Themus Fulks, AJ McKee, Erik Pratt and Kentrell Pullian – being honored on senior night, it was Pullian who led the way for Milwaukee with 18 points while Fulks added 16 points and nine assists. Jamichael Stillwell had a 16-point, 10-rebound performance for his 16th double-double of the year, further extending his program record.
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Milwaukee never trailed after the first minute and, despite some occasional lapses in concentration in the second half, led by double digits for the final 30 minutes.
After finishing the regular season tied for second place and will host a Horizon quarterfinal Thursday, which head coach Bart Lundy confirmed will be played on campus at the Klotsche Center, as have all of Milwaukee’s previous tournament home games under Lundy.
"The atmosphere is huge," Lundy said. "To come into that gym and to feel like everybody is on top of you, and add tournament pressure to that, is tough for an opposing team."
Danilo Jovanovich remained sidelined with a foot injury, but Lundy didn't rule him out for next Thursday's quarterfinal.
As their attention now shifts to the postseason, we will do the same. Here are the three keys for the Panthers to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
A pair of difference-makers
One of the Panthers’ strengths is they have a large handful of players who can be the team’s best player on any given night, but two in particular seem to set the tone for the entire team’s performance.
Jamichael Stillwell, the Horizon’s leading rebounder, is at the forefront of that list. He presents the ultimate matchup nightmare when he’s at his best. As Lundy recently described it, Stillwell is always good. But when his activity is turned up to a turbo level, he single-handedly can decide games.
When the Panthers have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard, Stillwell has also struggled (save for, ironically, maybe Stillwell’s best game of the year against Robert Morris in January). He had four points and six rebounds in a 77-60 loss at Cleveland State on Feb. 8; six and nine in the 76-62 loss at Longwood; nine and seven (on only seven shot attempts) in the home loss to Purdue Fort Wayne; and took and missed five threes in the Panthers’ most recent loss at Robert Morris.
“I would say that, when Jamichael is at his peak with his energy, that we are as good a mid-major basketball team as there is in the country,” Lundy said. “He means everything.”
McKee is the other player who sets the tone for UWM.
The senior transfer has scored 12 points per game over his last seven while shooting 46% from three, a marked improvement from his prior 11 in which he averaged 7.5 points on 32.6% shooting.
It goes beyond just those numbers, too. There’s a noticeable, almost tangible difference to McKee’s activity level and swagger on the court of late. You could see it against the Titans during a sequence late in the first half where he came up with a steal with 1-on-1 full-court pressure and then forced a shot clock violation with stifling isolation defense moments later.
When he's hitting corner threes and being a pest on defense, the Panthers' entire energy level changes.
Do the Panthers turn the ball over?
The numbers say it all.
Entering play Saturday, the Panthers ranked 320 out of 364 Division-I opponents in turnover rate at 19.85.
Seven times this year, Milwaukee has turned the ball over on a quarter of its possessions or more. It is 2-5 in those games.
When the Panthers limit their turnovers, they hardly lose. In their 15 best games from a turnover standpoint, they are 13-2.
What’s perhaps most concerning is when those high-turnover games have come. The Panthers’ season-worst turnover game – 34.1% of possessions – was a loss at Cleveland State. The next-worst came against Northern Kentucky. After that, Robert Morris. A 16-point loss at Oakland was the seventh-worst turnover game of the year.
Saturday was a step in the right direction; the Panthers didn’t commit a turnover until 15 minutes into the game, had just two in the first half and finished with eight.
"For a while there we only had four (turnoves)," Lundy said. "We possessed the ball better. Last game against Oakland we only had 10 against that zone. I don't know what to do because none of my teams have been that good with the ball. I don’t want to jinx it. The players have taken it seriously that we need to cut down on the turnovers. That’s kind of our swing vote."
Knocking down shots from deep
The Panthers have been able to win games throughout the season on nights where they don't shoot the ball well due to their athleticism and rebounding, but those sorts of games are going to be much more difficult to win against top competition.
Some of Milwaukee's biggest struggles on offense have come against zones or when the opponent packs the paint. The Panthers, who hit eight of 24 threes Saturday, shot just 32% from three during the regular season, which has led to Horizon foes daring them into taking shots from deep.
Some of that will come down to Pratt, who can catch fire from deep as he did against Detroit, when he knocked down three triples in near-succession late. Pullian (34%) is the only other member of the main rotation that shot above 30% from deep in the regular season.
Still, Lundy wants his team to keep shooting.
"We have to make some threes," Lundy said. "I think we’re trending that way. But when we make shots and take care of the ball we’re pretty good."