The Panthers (16-9, 9-5) conference championship hopes took a gut punch after going 1-2 during a pivotal stretch of games. Milwaukee was one missed shot from IU Indy in regulation from posting an 0-3 record last week.
The preseason Horizon League favorite started the week with their second straight 81-79 home loss. Purdue Fort Wayne took advantage of countless defensive breakdowns to hold off the Panthers Sunday afternoon. The Panthers did bounce back to complete their season sweep over IU Indy in a heart-stopping, overtime thriller, 84-80, on Wednesday. Against Cleveland State, the Panthers started cold and stayed that way until the first-half buzzer sounded, and they were left with a 21-point deficit. Milwaukee started the second half with a 10-0 to finally make this a competitive contest. But thanks to Tahj Staveskie and his 30 points, the first-place Vikings heated back up and held off Milwaukee 77-60.
Both losses featured great comebacks and clutch plays and showed the resilience of MKE. Unfortunately, they also included abysmal 3-point shooting, turnovers, and countless easy layups or uncontested shots. The losses dropped Milwaukee to 5th place in the conference.
The Panthers now have to fight, claw, and battle to secure a top-four spot in the Horizon League tourney. Last year, MKE did not secure that coveted quarterfinal home game but was fortunate enough to play that contest in Green Bay. A strong contingent of Panther fans traveled the 90 minutes to provide almost a neutral game atmosphere. But based on the Phoenix record, MKE will be playing far away and without fan support for a trip to Indy.
Bart Lundy’s squad has 6 games to figure it out and save the season. Currently, this team isn’t playing as one and will need to look at themselves in the mirror. The same issues that have plagued the Panthers all year remain, and without a 180 turn, the season won’t end in Indianapolis or the field of 68. Will the Panthers answer the bell and come out swinging, or will they remain on the stool?
The Good
Free Throw Shooting: The Panthers shot 71% from the line last week, going 48/67 from the line. Against Indiana Fort Wayne and Cleveland State, Milwaukee was able to get to the line and shot 28 free throws in each game. In between those contests, Milwaukee shot a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe vs. Youngstown State.
Rebounding: Milwaukee outrebounded the Mastodons and Jaguars by a combined count of 88-61. The Vikings did earn 2 more than the Panthers on Saturday, but this continues to be an area of strength overall. It is almost expected that MKE will outrebound their opponents.
The Bad
Turnovers: You can’t win games and don’t deserve to if you consistently turn over the ball. Milwaukee recorded 14 turnovers vs. Fort Wayne and IU Indy. They then committed a shocking 25 turnovers vs. Cleveland State.
Synergy: The 3-guard offense doesn’t seem to be hitting on all cylinders. Besides the aforementioned turnovers, the offense hasn’t seemed in sync for long stretches during conference play. Milwaukee lacks a consistent, go-to option in the clutch or to stop runs on the offensive end. Additionally, the number of defensive breakdowns and errors three months into the season is beyond frustrating. After Sunday’s loss, Coach Lundy stated, “But it’s the off-the-ball laziness with our hands and our close-outs and our urgency that really crushed us tonight.” In 2 games each vs. the Jaguars and Mastodons, Milwaukee appeared to have no answers or improvements against their best players. In two games, the backcourt for Fort Wayne (Jalen Jackson and Rasheed Bello) combined for 93 points. Paul Zilinskas of IU Indy scored a combined 46 points, 6 steals, and 6 rebounds in his 2 games vs. MKE. Does Milwaukee lack a defensive stopper similar to their clutch-time struggles on the offensive end?
Technical Fouls: I mentioned this problem last issue, but the Panthers picked up 2 more techs this week, and both killed momentum while occurring at the worst possible time.
3-Point: Not to be a broken record, but teams will continue to sag back and force Milwaukee to hit threes. So far, in many close games, this strategy is working. The Panthers shot 13/50 (26%) in 3 games last week.
Players of the Week
Offense: Faizon Fields. In 3 games, Faizon scored 13 points and 9 rebounds, 14 points and 6 rebounds, and 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Defense: Jamichael Stillwell. J-Mike averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds last week. In the Panthers lone win, Stillwell scored 17 points and snatched 14 rebounds.
Bench: Aaron Franklin and Esyah Pippa-White scored 12 points and 5 rebounds off the bench in Wednesday’s clutch, overtime win vs. Jaguars.
Next Up
February 14th Home, vs Wright State
February 16th, Home, vs Northern Kentucky
