DETROIT (1/21/2021) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team is getting ready for another edition of the #MetroSeries as the Titans will make their way to Rochester to battle Oakland this weekend, Jan. 22-23, at the O'Rena.

Game times are set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the action on the radio on the new home of the Titans WLQV 92.7 FM & 1500 AM FaithTalk Detroit with the Voice of Detroit Mercy basketball Dan Hasty as well as special guest analyst Earl Cureton. 

The Titans (3-7, 2-4 HL) swept last weekend's competition as they defeated Green Bay by 25 in game one, 86-61, and then overcame a 14-point deficit to down the Phoenix, 68-65, on game two. 

Oakland enters the game at 5-12 overall and 5-5 in the league as the Golden Grizzlies swept Youngstown State last week, just a week after they went on the road and dropped two-straight games at Green Bay. 

This will be the first time in school history that the Titans will play an opponent four times in a year. The most has been three times with the last game usually occurring in the postseason.

Back in late December, Oakland was able to come away with two close wins in Calihan Hall, 77-75 in overtime and 83-80. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• This is the 29th career meeting between the two schools, located roughly 26 miles apart.
• Oakland now leads the series, 15-13, and has won nine in a row and 14 of the last 16 since joining the Horizon League in 2013-14. 
• The Titans are 1-7 on the road with their lone win coming in 2017, 93-88. 

HONORING SMOKEY & DUEROD

• The Titans will honor their late coach Smokey Gaines and former All-American Terry Duerod with a commemorative patch on their jerseys this season. It will be located on the top of their right shoulder. 

QUICK NUMBERS VS. OAKLAND

• Junior Antoine Davis is averaging 20.8 points, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals in six career games against Oakland.
• His shooting hasn't been up to his standards at 35.1% overall (39-of-111) and 29.0% (18-of-62) from three although he is 29-of-33 (87.8%) at the line. 
• Junior Chris Brandon had one of his biggest collegiate games at Oakland last year with a career-high 18 rebounds - the most boards by a Titan since 1992 - and posting six points, three blocks and two assists. 
• Bul Kuol averaged 21.0 points in the first meeting with Oakland, which included a career-high 28 points, as he shot 13-of-27 overall and 7-of-18 from long range and 9-of-10 at the line. 
• Noah Waterman made his Titan debut against Oakland in December and averaged 13.5 points, with a career-high 19 in game two, and in just his second collegiate game as he was 10-of-20 shooting and 4-of-8 from three in the series. 

AT THE TOP

• Detroit Mercy led the HL and was ninth in the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 78.2 percent last season and are currently 16th in the nation and tops in the league again in that category hitting 77.7% on the year (115-of-148).
• Oddly, the Titans have struggled at the line in the last three games hitting 26-of-41 (63.4%). 
• The Titans hit all 11 at the charity stripe at Michigan State and were 18-of-20 against Kent State, 16-of-19 at Western Michigan, 15-of-18 in the final game versus Wright State and 15-of-19 in the first game against Oakland. 
• Part of that success is junior Antoine Davis, who is second in the league and 128th in the country hitting 81.8 % (27-of-33) and owns a career 87.6%, second in school history and the sixth highest among all active Division I players. 

KEEPING THE BALL & STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE

• The Titans currently rank 98th in the nation and fourth in the HL averaging just 12.8 turnovers per game. 
• They also rank 12th in the country and second in the league averaging just 14.7 fouls per game. 
• In the first game victory over Green Bay, the Titans were whistled for just eight fouls (four on Willy Isiani) as the Phoenix shot just two free throws in the contest. 

TWO FOR 20

• The Titans have had two players reach 20 points in a game three times this season.
• In the season opener at Michigan State Antoine Davis led the team with 24 and senior Matt Johnson had 20. Against Wright State in game two, Bul Kuol netted 21 and Johnson 20, while versus the Phoenix in game two, Davis scored 30 and Kuol had 22.  
• In that win over Green Bay, Davis and Kuol totaled 52 of the Titans' 68 points. 

STARTING TO HEAT UP

• Antoine Davis had a slow start to the season averaging just 16.3 points, shooting 31.1 % from the field (37-of-119) and 10.4% from three (5-of-48) in the first six games
• After having one of his shooting games in his career in the second game against Wright State, where he was 3-of-18 from the field and 0-of-7 from three, he has turned it on in his last four contests
• Davis is averaging 23.0 points and 4.2 assists, while shooting 50.7% from the field (33-of-65) and 48.6% from behind the arc (18-of-37) in the last four games.
• He is coming off back-to-back season-high performances with 26 and 30 against Green Bay.

DAVIS 2ND LEADING RETURNING SCORER IN D1

• After finishing third in the nation in scoring as a freshman (26.1), Antoine Davis was right back on top of the nation's leaders as a sophomore finishing fourth in the country at 24.3 points per game, trailing only Marquette's Markus Howard (27.8), UTSA's Jhivvan Jackson (26.8) and Hampton's Jermaine Marrow (24.8).
• He entered the season as the second leading returning scoring behind Jackson as Howard and Marrow both graduated. 
• Davis' career 24.3 points per game is tops among all active players and his 1,703 career points are 13th most among active 
• He is currently second in the HL and 55th in the nation in scoring at 19.0 points and also tops the team and is eighth in the league with 3.7 assists per game.

RACKING UP THE POINTS

• Junior Antoine Davis now has 48 career 20-point games, 16 career 30-point outings and three 40-point contests in just 70 collegiate games and has also scored in double figures in all 70 games - reaching at least 17 points in 55 of them.
• He is now 41st all-time in scoring in the Horizon League at 1,703 points, while tied for third with 24.3 points per game.

ONE LETHAL SHOT

• Antoine Davis hit a season-high seven 3-pointers in the second win over Green Bay, going 7-of-11 from behind the arc. 
• He now has 34 games with four or more triples, 12 with six or more, six times with seven or more and has twice connected on 10 in his young career.
• Davis has 256 career 3-pointers, second in school history, while his career 3.65 triples per game is the second-highest among all active players in DI trailing only Dru Kuxhausen of McNeese State (3.78). 
• The 3.65 mark is also 14th all-time in NCAA history. 
• His uncharacteristic 0-of-9 effort at Michigan State, 0-of-6 game at Western Michigan and 0-of-7 versus Wright State marked just the second, third and fourth time in 70 collegiate games that he failed to hit a three. The other was an 0-of-5 mark against Cleveland State last season.

AD THE QUICKEST TO 1,000, NOW LOOKING AT 2,000

• Antoine Davis scored 27 points at Notre Dame last season, but it was his free throw for 26 that made history giving him 1,000 career points in just 39 games, passing the great Dave DeBusschere - a NBA Hall-Of-Famer - as the fastest Titan to reach 1,000.
• DeBusschere accomplished the feat in his 43rd collegiate on his way to 1,985. 
• Davis became the 43rd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points and just the third second-year player joining DeBusschere (who did it as a junior as freshmen could not play) and sophomore Ray McCallum in 2010-11.
• He now has 1,703 career points, sixth in school history and 28 behind fifth place, and 297 points shy of 2000 - something only two Titans have done (John Long and Rashad Phillips).

DAVIS DISHING IT OUT

• Junior Antoine Davis does not just score, but he also does a good job of helping his team and he handed out 4.5 assists per game, fourth in the HL and 89th in the nation, last season. 
• He has 278 career assists, good for 4.0 per game. 
• Davis has at least three assists in eight of the first 10 games, including five straight, and just posted a season-high eight in the first win over Green Bay, one-off his career-best. 

HIGH WATERMARK

• Redshirt freshman Noah Waterman made his Titan debut against Oakland and showed the fans what they have to look forward to.
• After posting eight points with three rebounds in 23 minutes in his first game, he came back to score 19 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals in game two. 
• Against Green Bay, he scored 15 points in game one on 5-of-8 shooting with four 3-pointers and two steals and in game two, he grabbed six boards and had just three points, but it was his key triple with less than four minutes left that help put some distance in the second win over the Phoenix, 62-58, at the time. 
• A transfer from Niagara, Waterman played in seven games with five starts until an injury ended his season last year. 
• He averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three. 
• As a prep, he was selected MVP of the Empire State Christian Athletic League in 2017 and 2018. He posted 33.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 blocks in his senior season.
• In high school, he was 6-2 but hit a growth spurt as a junior and is now almost seven feet tall. 
• With the NCAA blanket waiver that was announced in mid-December, Waterman became immediately eligible to play. 

A LONG JOURNEY FOR KUOL

• Graduate senior transfer Bul Kuol has already made a major impact on the team. 
• A native of the Sudan, Kuol has posted double digits in scoring nine times with three 20-point outings, while also setting career-high in points, 3-pointers, blocks and steals. 
• Last week against Green Bay, he averaged 20.5 points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%), 6-of-9 from three (66.7%) and 11-of-15 (73.3%) at the line, while grabbing 6.0 rebounds. 
• Against Oakland in game one, he tallied a career-high 28 points going 7-of-14 from the field, 6-of-12 from three and 8-of-8 at the line against Oakland. 
• Kuol netted a then career-best 21 points - hitting 7-of-15 shots and 4-of-8 from three, against Wright State to go with a high watermark of four thefts.
• He also handed out a career-high five assists in the first game with three swats.  
• He netted 18 points with six caroms at Notre Dame and was active in the season opener on defense, ending the game with 12 points and four boards at MSU. 
• He is now second on the team and 10th in the Horizon League averaging 16.2 points, hitting 44.1% at the field - 10th in the league - and 44.4% from behind the arc.

THE TITANS ADD KOKA TO THE MIX

• The Titans added a big body to their team in mid-December as Buay Koka transferred from Tulane and became immediately eligible as a grad transfer.
• In his first game against Wright State, the 7-1 Koka scored nine points and blocked two shots. He grabbed a career-high eight rebounds against Oakland with another two blocks and also had two steals. 
• He played in 34 games with Tulane as a freshman, sophomore and junior, but did not see any action as a senior prior to his transfer to Detroit Mercy
• He was a three-time member of the AAC All-Academic Team.
• Both he and Bul Kuol are believed to be the first Titan players from the Sudan. 

FRASER DID WHAT?

• Graduate senior Marquell Fraser accomplished something no Titan has done in 24 years and that was post a double-double in his Titan debut.
• Fraser had 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at nationally-ranked Michigan State, the first Titan to record a double-double in their first game since Derrick Hayes notched 14 points and 10 boards against Wayne State on Nov. 23, 1996. 
• It was the third career double-double for Fraser, who came back with an all-around game of 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals at Notre Dame, a season-best 19 points hitting 8-of-12 shots in the first game versus Wright State and 10 points with seven boards and five helpers in the second game.  
• In the second win over Green Bay, he was back in double figures for the first time in four games scoring 10 points and registering nine boards with four assists. 

SOMETHING TO PROVE

• A transfer from St. Bonaventure with one year of eligibility, Matt Johnson has been a key factor, scoring in double digits and grabbing at least five rebounds in six of his first 10 games as a Titan. 
• He certainly made a name for himself in his debut tallying a career-high 20 points going 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from three with five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal at No. 8 Michigan State.
• He came right back to score 15 at Notre Dame with five rebounds and an assist at Notre Dame, pulled down seven rebounds with a career-best five steals against Kent State and tied his career high with 20 points and recorded a collegiate-best eight boards against Wright State. 
• His previous career-high in scoring was just 12 points at George Washington last season as a member of St. Bonaventure. 
• He scored just 37 points all of last season, which included just four total 3-pointers, but through 10 games, he already has 107 points and has knocked down 18 triples. 
• Johnson played in 22 games last year with the Bonnies, averaging 1.7 points. 

CLEANING THE GLASS

• Junior Chris Brandon returned to the team against Wright State after missing the first four contests of the season due to a wrist injury.
• After playing just 10 minutes in the first game, he started to return to fashion in game two scoring six points with six rebounds and two blocks. One of his dunks was No. 3 on ESPN's SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the game on Dec. 20. 
• He had seven points in the second game versus Oakland and netted six points with a season-high eight rebounds in the second game against Green Bay. 
• Last year, he recorded career highs with a team-high 8.1 rebounds and 44 blocks to go with 6.3 points and 20 steals. He also shot a career-best 63.4% from the field, a team-high and second in school history. 
• Brandon was fourth in the HL with 3.13 offensive rebounds per game (44th in DI) and fifth in total rebounding at 8.1 (110th in DI) as he recorded a team-high four double-doubles on the year and pulled down at least 10 rebounds in 12 contests, including 10 times in conference action. 
• He posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds along with four blocks at #1 Gonzaga. He scored a career-high 18 points (9-10 FG) and blocked a career-best six shots with 12 rebounds against IUPUI and pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds - the most boards by a Titan since 1992 - with six points, three blocks and two assists at Oakland.  

BIG WILLY STYLE

• Junior Willy Isiani is back and looking to improve on his skill as a big man who can hit from the outside. A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, he is believed to be the first Titan from the country of Georgia.
• While he is known as a shooter, he is starting to learn the post position grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds with eight points at Western Michigan, posting a career-high five assists with six rebounds and two steals at Michigan State and 10 boards with two blocks at Notre Dame. 
• He showed his offense versus Kent State scoring 15 points with seven boards and three assists. 
• He connected on the three ball on 37 of his 51 field goals last season and 66 of 90 in his career have been from distance. 

THE COMEBACK KIDS

• The year of the pandemic has seen some unpredictable contests this season, especially in league games playing back-to-back.
• After beating Green Bay 86-61 in game one - the Titans found themselves down by 14 in game two in the first half, 31-17, before storming back to win 68-65.
• The 14-point comeback was the biggest since overcoming a 17-point deficit, 45-28 in the first half, at home against Milwaukee last season. 

HUGE WIN

• The Titans' 25-point win over Green Bay in game one, 86-61, was the biggest win by the Titans since defeating SIU Edwardsville by 26 points, 81-55, last season. 
• It was also the biggest win in conference play since downing Wright State at home, 79-58, in 2019. 

WHAT A SHOOTING PERFORMANCE

• In the Titans 86-61 win over Green Bay on Jan. 15, Detroit Mercy posted one of its best offensive performances in school history.
• The red, white and blue tied a school record for 3-pointers with 17 and also shot 66.0% in the game (31-of-47), 62.5% in the first half and 69.6% in the second half. 
• The 66.0% shooting was the best by the Titans since shooting 68.2% (30-of-44) at Youngstown State in an 83-70 victory in 2015. 

EXTRA SESSION BLUES

• The Titans played their first overtime game of the season in a 77-75 setback to Oakland. 
• Detroit Mercy has now lost six-straight overtime games with its last win coming in 2015, 93-87 over Youngstown State.