Panthers seek upset of fifth-ranked Badgers

Dec 10, 2014 - 3:29 PM Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - The fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers take a trip across the state to tangle with the Milwaukee Panthers in a non- conference battle at UWM Panther Arena.

This is the second straight game the Badgers will play in the city of Milwaukee, as they went up against Marquette last Saturday. They came away with a 49-38 victory in that contest, allowing them to bounce back from their first loss of the season, an 80-70 setback at home against Duke. They will be back at the Kohl Center on Saturday against Nicholls.

Milwaukee had won back-to-back games entering its last contest, but an 83-61 loss to DePaul put an end to its hopes for a three-game win streak. The Panthers are now 4-5 overall, although that includes a 3-1 mark at home, where they will be in their next game as well against Montana.

Wisconsin has an absolute stranglehold on this rivalry, with 30 wins in 31 previous meetings. The Badgers rolled to a 78-52 victory last season. Milwaukee's one and only victory against the Badgers came during the 1992-93 season.

There wasn't much offense to be found in Wisconsin's matchup with Marquette. The Badgers and Golden Eagles combined for only 30 field goals, with Wisconsin shooting 32.7 percent from the field in the contest. They did grind out a 41-28 edge on the boards, which proved useful, led by a 15-point, 10-rebound effort from Frank Kaminsky.

Kaminsky (16.4 ppg, 8.9 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 bpg) is the star of this squad and has been performing well to this point. He leads the team in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots, while proving to be a solid passer out of the post. Nigel Hayes (11.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) provides a strong presence on the glass and the scoreboard as well, while Sam Dekker (10.7 ppg) and Traevon Jackson (10.1 ppg) stretch the floor a bit. However, John Gasser (6.7 pg) was the only other double-digit scorer against Marquette, netting 12 points, all of which came from beyond the arc (4-of-8).

Milwaukee also struggled offensively in its last game. The only problem was that unlike the Badgers, the Panthers could not slow down their opponent. While they made a meager 37.5 percent of their shots from the floor, including 4-of-23 from beyond the arc, DePaul drilled 10 3-pointers and finished with a stellar .531 field goal percentage overall. Steve McWhorter and J.R. Lyle each had 13 points in the loss.

The Panthers have generally managed less-than-impressive offensive showings. They are netting 66.2 points per game and shooting at a 42.7 percent clip from the floor. On defense, they are allowing 67.6 ppg on 41.7 percent accuracy. McWhorter (16.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.4 apg) is the leading scorer and much more for the squad, leading in assists and steals (1.7 spg) as well. He is the only player averaging in double figures, with Lyle (9 ppg) and Cody Wichmann (8.2 ppg) the next best options.