Panthers shooting for another big upset
With one road victory against a Power 5 conference team already to their credit, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers will try for another on Friday night when they renew their series with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center.
The trip back to Madison should bring back some fond memories for the Panthers, who upset the Badgers, 6867, on Dec. 9, 2015. It was just the second win for UWM over UW in 33 tries, with the series taking a hiatus last season.
“I wouldn’t say it’s really a rivalry, but it’s a big game for us,” said Panthers sophomore guard Jeremy Johnson, whose last-second jumper beat Elon on Sunday to improve UWM’s record to 4-1.
“Who knows what their game plan is coming in, but we’re planning on going there and playing our hardest and hopefully come out of there with a win. I know their guard play is pretty nice and they’ve got the big guy inside.
“But I feel like if we go there and do what we can do, it’s going to be a great game.”
The Panthers have already experienced plenty of ups and downs early in the season.
The high point was their 74-56 victory at Iowa State on Nov. 13, a performance they followed up with a dud in a 69-55 loss to Division II Concordia-St. Paul in the first game of UWM’s own tournament, the Black & Gold Shootout, four days later.
The Panthers got back on track the next day with a 66-51 victory over Florida International, then rallied from a 19point, first-half deficit to beat Elon, 7271, on Sunday thanks to Johnson’s shot.
It was UWM’s biggest comeback victory since Nov. 15, 2008, when it erased a 24-point halftime deficit to down UCDavis.
Balance has been the key for the Panthers, who are led by Brock Stull’s 14 points per game. Bryce Barnes and August Haas also have been effective splitting time at the point, and Bryce Nze and Brett Prahl have formed a solid tandem in the paint.
UWM’s lack of depth and overall size are weaknesses, both of which can be exploited by teams like UW.
Coach Pat Baldwin’s 4-1 start, meanwhile, is the best ever in a rookie campaign in UWM’s Division I history. His predecessor LaVall Jordan opened 2-3, while Rob Jeter went 3-2.
Madison is a familiar stop for Baldwin, who spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Northwestern.
“Anytime you play an opponent like Wisconsin — and I came from that league — they’re going to be extremely disciplined and well-coached with really good players,” he said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us to go into the Kohl Center.”