Watching a team struggle is a strange experience. The season begins with hope and expectation, then slowly becomes a ceaseless nightmare.
There’s a certain disbelief that morphs into listlessness as everything seems to go against a losing squad. But out of despair rises hope. The team asks, “Why not us? What do we have to lose?” And out of that lowest point rises a rejuvenated team, a squad playing for pride and fighting for every possession.
The Milwaukee Panthers lost seven of eight games before stealing a road win against Youngstown State on Jan. 24. Down to eight scholarship players, UWM had Horizon League front-runners Wright State on the ropes in the second half on the final Friday of the month.
The Panthers won the turnover battle, attempted eight more shots than the Raiders, and were nearly even in rebounding. Yet, the league leaders showed why they are the cream of the crop in the HL, pulling away late for a 76-69 victory.
“Give them credit,” Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy said of Wright State after the game, “they’re an excellent team. They’re physical, they rebound the ball and put a lot of pressure on you on the perimeter.”
WSU, picked seventh in the conference preseason poll, has now won nine of its last 10 to open up a one-game lead.
Wright State did not make many threes on Friday night, finishing 7-27 from beyond the arc. But the treys they hit proved to be crucial.
The Raiders gained control during an eight-minute stretch spanning the final four minutes of the first half and the opening four minutes of the second half.
A Dominic Pangonis three just before the first-half buzzer punctuated a 13-5 Raiders run, giving the visitors a 36-26 halftime lead.
To begin the second half, sharp-shooter Solomon Callaghan hit a pair of shots from deep as Wright State extended its advantage to a game-high 19 points. The Raiders outscored the Panthers 25-8 on either side of the break.
But a gritty, short-handed Panthers squad mounted a comeback through a spirited defensive effort. The Raiders went scoreless from the field for more than eight minutes as the hosts chipped away.
UWM big man Sekou Konneh contributed big blocks and a big put-back dunk during this run.
For all its defensive efforts, Milwaukee could not muster enough shot-making. Following an 11-0 spurt, the Panthers made one field goal over the next four minutes, as Wright State found stability through its defense.
Lundy isolated the minutes bridging halftime as the turning point, noting the deficit was too much to overcome. “That really sunk us. You can’t fault our guys’ effort. I thought everybody fought, and we got a little worn down.”
Then came the knockout punch. After the Milwaukee siege closed the gap to five points, Wright State’s leading scorer — freshman guard Michael Cooper — drained three straight from long distance as the league leaders went up by 16 points. Two of those shots came following offensive rebounds.
“Those two offensive rebounds kicked out,” Lundy said, “we call them dagger threes. You take those little sections out, and we’re playing better.”
For Wright State head coach Clint Sargent, Milwaukee’s second-half push highlighted the improvements his team still needs to make.
“You’re going to have peaks and valleys within a game,” Sargent said after defeating Milwaukee. “Everybody has really good players. Every coach in this league is very good. They’re going to respond. But you’d like to see those bad moments be a little less bad.”
Injuries have hampered the Panthers all year, and the situation has only worsened.
Senior starters John Lovelace Jr, Seth Hubbard, and Danilo Jovanovich are out for the year. Starting center Faizon Fields has missed eight straight contests with a bone bruise in his ankle and has no timetable to return.
Reserve forward Simeon Murchison was out on Friday night, and fellow backup big man Tate McKenzie played just two minutes before he was unable to continue.
With so much injury upheaval, Lundy has taken a unique view on his uncertain lineups.
“We’ve had this group for about two weeks now,” the Milwaukee head coach said. “It sounds weird to say that, but we’ve had so many different teams. These guys are learning to play as a group, and we’re doing different things defensively.”
“If we can keep this group [together], we’ll continue to get better, and we’ll be dangerous at the end.”
Lundy also noted how the player shortage has led to a slower pace of play. After averaging 71.2 possessions per game against non-conference opponents, the Panthers are playing just 67.2 possessions per contest since the new year, per Bart Torvik.
The Wright State game was 73 possessions, marking the fifth straight time Milwaukee has lost a game with at least 70 possessions.
“We can’t play at the pace we’ve played at since I’ve been here,” Lundy said. “We don’t have enough bodies; we’re playing seven, eight guys. We’ve got to be a little smarter, possess the ball a little more.”
It is an unforeseen but necessary adjustment for a team unable to play at the usual fast pace of past Bart Lundy squads.
A New Horizon League Contender
Another week, another contender at the top of the Horizon League.
Milwaukee was the preseason favorite and started 3-0 in league play. Then Green Bay and Northern Kentucky surged toward the top with winning streaks of five and four games, respectively.
Now, the consistency of Wright State and Oakland — the only squads without back-to-back losses in the Horizon League — has helped them separate.
Wright State is intriguing due to its notable defensive improvement in year two under head coach Clint Sargent. In Scott Nagy’s final season in 2023-24, the program was 33rd in offensive efficiency and 348th in defensive efficiency in the nation, per KenPom.
The Raiders are up to 175th in ADJD this year — best in an offense-heavy Horizon League — including top-100 steal and block rates.
Guard TJ Burch has been key to Wright State’s defensive revival. The sophomore is fifth among Division I men’s college basketball players with 2.85 steals per game. Burch nabbed four steals against Milwaukee.
Sargent praised the Ball State transfer for being a leader on both ends of the floor.
“He has very good ball instincts and is buying into a niche,” Sargent told the Dayton Daily News in December. “We said, ‘Hey, if you can lead us in steals and lead us in assists, you’re going to be a great player.’ And he’s taken that to heart.”
Burch’s play has also aided in his teammates’ development, especially guard Michael Cooper.
“I hate [going against him] in practice, but it’s cool to be on his team when it comes to game night,” Cooper said.
Like top recruits Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybansta, and Darren Peterson, Cooper is another indispensable freshman. The guard leads WSU in scoring at 14.9 PPG and is back in rhythm after missing four games earlier in league play.
Despite a starting lineup that often includes four underclassmen, the Raiders have played like a veteran squad. They are asserting themselves as the Horizon League favorites in the final month of the regular season.
