DETROIT (3/1/2021) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will look to continue its hot play and stay alive for a conference title as the Titans head to NKU on Tuesday, Mar. 2, to face the Norse in the second round of the Horizon League Basketball Championship. 

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at BB&T Arena and will be streamed online on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App. Fans can also listen to the action on the radio on WLQV 92.7 FM & 1500 AM FaithTalk Detroit with the Voice of Detroit Mercy basketball Dan Hasty.

Detroit Mercy - seeded fifth - enters the game at 12-9 overall having won nine of the last 10 and 11 of their last 13 games. A win would put the Titans into the semifinals for the first time since the 2012-13 season. 

The Titans are coming off an 83-73 victory over Robert Morris in the first round as junior Antoine Davis set a tournament record with 46 points and 10, 3-pointers. Junior Chris Brandon posted a double-double with 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while graduate senior Bul Kuol had 14 points and seven boards. 

NKU earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament after going 13-10 overall and 11-7 in HL action. Junior Trevon Faulkner was named Second Team All-Horizon League as he leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points, while Marques Warrick was tabbed the HL Freshman of the Year and Third Team All-League after posting 15.9 points per game. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• NKU leads the all-time series, 9-2. 
• The Norse are also 5-1 all-time against the Titans at BB&T Arena and one of those wins was a tournament game in 2018-19, a 99-88 victory in head coach Mike Davis' first season as freshman Antoine Davis netted 30 points. 

ON THE ROAD IN THE PLAYOFFS

• Detroit Mercy is 5-11 all-time in tournament road games and has dropped two in a row when playing a conference tournament game on the road.
• The last win by the Titans in a road conference postseason game was in 2012 when they beat Valparaiso to win the title. 

THE 5TH-SEEDED TITANS

• The Titans returned to the postseason after not competing in the conference tournament last year due to an APR penalty.
• The fifth seed is the highest the Titans have been since they earned the fifth seed in 2014-15.
• This is the eighth time in school history that the Titans have been the fifth seed as they are now 7-7 all-time, reaching the semifinals with a pair of wins in 2003 and the title game with a pair of wins in 1996. 

THE HL HISTORY OF THE 5TH SEED

• The fifth seed in the Horizon League Basketball Championship is now 34-39 all-time, reaching the title game in 1996 (Detroit Mercy) and 2002 (Loyola) and winning it all once in 2014 (Milwaukee). 

SOME HOT SHOOTING

• Detroit Mercy shot 55.6% against Robert Morris in the first round, its third-straight game over 50.0%. The Titans have now tallied at least 50.0% shooting from the field in seven of the last 10 games and nine of the last 14, reaching as high as 66.0% in the win against Green Bay.
• The Titans are currently third in the Horizon League and 65th in the nation at 46.2%, but was at 47.9% in HL action and 50.1% in the last 13 games.

FROM THREE

• The Titans have connected on double-digit 3-pointers in 10 of their last 13 games and 11 times this season, actually, all 11 times have been in the last 15 games.
• They nailed 17 in the first win against Green Bay and 16 in the first win against Purdue Fort Wayne and are now 150-of-344 (43.6%) in the last 13 games after shooting just 31.0% (62-of-200) in their first eight. 
• Detroit Mercy is now leading the HL and 12th in DI with 10.1 triples per game, while it's 39.0% from behind the arc is second in the league and 14th in the country. 

CASHING IN ON THE FREE ONES

• Detroit Mercy led the HL and was ninth in the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 78.2% last season and are currently third in the nation and tops in the HL again hitting 80.3% on the year (256-of-319). 
• Part of that success is junior Antoine Davis, who is leading the league and eighth in the country hitting 91.5 % (86-of-94) and owns a career 88.8%, first in school history and the ninth highest among all active Division I players. 
• The Titans also have six other players who are hitting over 70.0% at the line on the year and a few are on a hot streak as Davis has hit a school-record 49 in a row, Willy Isiani has made all nine of his on the season and 10 in a row dating back to last year and Matt Johnson has made his last eight at the line and 17-of-18 on the year.

STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE

• The Titans currently rank 54th in the nation and fourth in the HL averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game. 
• Detroit Mercy has less than 10 turnovers eight times on the year with a season-low of seven at Notre Dame.
• They also rank 11th in the country and second in the league averaging just 14.4 fouls per game. 
• In fact, in 10 of the 21 games on the year, teams have gone to the line 10 or fewer times against the Titans, including Green Bay going 1-of-2 in one game, Purdue Fort Wayne was 4-of-9 and 3-of-4 and Robert Morris was just 7-of-9 and 5-of-10 in the regular season. 

  
HELPING A TITAN OUT

• As a team, the Titans are registering 14.4 assists per game, fourth in the Horizon League and 94th in DI.
• They have at least 15 assists in 11 games on the season, reaching a season-high 21 in the win at Oakland. 

JUST ON FIRE

• 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 the worst 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 around in his last 15 contests.
• Davis is averaging 27.5 points and 5.3 assists, while shooting 47.2% from the field (136-of-288) and 45.1% from behind the arc (74-of-164) in the last 15 games.
• He has also made 49-straight free throws spanning eight games, a new school record and eclipsing his mark of 38 in a row that he had last season. 
• He has also now reached at least 23 points in 13-straight games, the best 20-point streak by a Titan since Spencer Haywood's 16-straight in 1968-69 - and to Haywood's resume, most of those were 30-point games. 

OH LORDY HE WENT FOR 40

• 46 to be exact as Antoine Davis broke a pair of Horizon League Tournament records scoring 46 points on 16-of-26 from the field and 10-of-16 from three in the first-round win over Robert Morris. 
• The 46 points broke the record of 45 by Xavier's Byron Larkin against Loyola in 1987, while his 10 triples broke the Titans own Rashad Phillips' tournament record of nine against Cleveland State in 2001. Larkin also owns the field-goal mark with 17 against Loyola in 1986. 

DAVIS AMONG NATION'S LEADERS

• After finishing third in the nation in scoring as a freshman (26.1) and fourth in the country as a sophomore (24.3), Antoine Davis is now tied for second in the nation with Iowa's Luka Garza at 24.3 ppg., trailing only the 24.7 by Max Abmas of Oral Roberts. 
• Davis' career 25.0 points per game are tops in school history and among all active players, while his 2,024 points are sixth-most among active players and the most in the junior class. 
• He is already just the fourth player in HL history to lead the league in scoring twice and the third to do it in back-to-back years (YSU, Kendrick Perry-2012, 2014, Detroit Mercy, Rashad Phillips-2000, 2001, Loyola, Keith Gailes-1990, 1991, Loyola, Alfredrick Hughes-1983, 1984, 1985) and is looking to become the second to do it three times (Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola). 

RACKING UP THE POINTS

• Junior Antoine Davis now has 59 career 20-point games, 20 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests in just 81 collegiate games and has also scored in double figures in all 81 games - reaching at least 17 points in 66 of them.
• On the season, he has posted a league-best 15 ,20-point games and also a league-high five 30-point outings. His HL Tournament record 46 points against Robert Morris is tied for the league and nation high with Cleveland State's D'Moi Hodge (vs. Purdue Fort Wayne). 
• He also tallied 35 points at Cleveland State and also posted 30 points in games against Green Bay, Purdue Fort Wayne and at Oakland. 
• He is now tied for 11th all-time in scoring in the Horizon League at 2,024 points - just two points shy of top 10 - while his 25.0 points per game are second in HL history.

ONE LETHAL SHOT

• Antoine Davis is coming off another record-setting performance from three as he tied a school record for the third time and broke the HL Tournament record going 10-of-16 against Robert Morris in round one, on his way to 46 points. 
• On the season, he had an 8-of-11 from three in his 30-point performance against Purdue Fort Wayne and that was after nailing 7-of-11 in the second win over Green Bay a couple of weeks earlier. 
• In fact, he has hit at least four triples in 12 of the last 14 and five in eight of those. 
• He now has 43 career games with four or more triples, 15 with six or more, eight times with seven or more, and has thrice connected on 10 in his career, tying a school record. 
• Davis has 312 career 3-pointers, second in school history and third in HL history - two shy of second - while his career 3.85 triples per game is the highest among all active players in DI and the fifth-best mark all-time in NCAA history. 
• Earlier this season, he was an uncharacteristic 0-of-9 at Michigan State, 0-of-6 game at Western Michigan and 0-of-7 versus Wright State and that marked just the second, third and fourth time in 81 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 & 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.
• Last week against Robert Morris, he passed DeBusschere (19,78) for third in school history as he now has 2,024 points, crossing the 2,000-point plateau in his 81st game, quicker than the other two 2,000-point scorers in school history John Long (2,167 total and 2,000 in game 102) and Rashad Phillips (2,319 total and 2,000 in game 116). 

DAVIS DISHING IT OUT

• Junior Antoine Davis has 341 career assists - 11th in school history - good for 4.2 per game, and is currently sixth in the Horizon League at 4.8 per night.  
• Davis has at least three assists in 19 games, including 16 straight, and has at least five in six of his last 11 outings, tying his season-high with eight in the first win over Green Bay as well as both regular-season games against Robert Morris, just one-off his career-best.

A LONG JOURNEY FOR KUOL

• A native of the Sudan, graduate senior Bul Kuol has posted double digits in scoring 18 times with four 20-point outings.
• He had 14 points and seven rebounds in the opening tournament game and that was after he finally picked up that elusive double-double tallying 18 points and a career-best 11 rebounds against Robert Morris in game one and then came back with 16 points in game two. 
• At Cleveland State, he scored 18 points with eight boards, three assists, two steals and a block in the win.
• He tallied a career-high 29 points against Purdue Fort Wayne as he was a career-best 12-of-21 from the field with five 3-pointers and three steals. 
• Against Green Bay, he scored 22 points in the game two win and averaged 20.5 points and 6.0 rebounds for the series.  
• In the first home game with Oakland, he tallied a then career-high 28 points on 7-of-14 from the field, a career-best 6-of-12 from three and 8-of-8 at the line.
• Kuol netted his first 20-point game with 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 13th in the HL averaging 15.4 points, hitting a team-high 45.9% from the field, 42.0% from behind the arc and 77.8% at the line.

HIGH WATERMARK

• Sophomore Noah Waterman ended the regular season in style as he averaged 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds shooting 66.7% (14-of-21) overall and 60.0% (9-of-15) from three against Robert Morris.
• He tallied 19 points with five rebounds in game one and a career-high 22 with six rebounds in game two. 
• He has now scored in double figures in seven of his 14 games and is shooting 53.5% overall and 50.8% from three.
• He scored 17 points with five rebounds and two blocks in the win at Cleveland State, knocking down three big 3-pointers in the final three minutes to seal the win.  
• At Oakland, he recorded 18 points and a career-high eight rebounds with two blocks in the win, while at home against Oakland, he tallied 19 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals in just his second game as a Titan. 
• A transfer from Niagara, Waterman played in seven games with five starts until an injury ended his season last year.
• In high school, he was 6-2 but hit a growth spurt and is now almost seven feet.
• With the NCAA blanket waiver that was announced in mid-December, Waterman became immediately eligible to play. 

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 his third career double-double. 
• Fraser has shown that he can do it all for the Titans as he has scored in double figures eight times, grabbed at least five rebounds in eight games, handed out at least three assists in 11 contests and come away with at least two steals in 10 games. 
• Fraser is averaging 4.5 assists in his last six games and has 67 assists against just 29 turnovers on the season, for sixth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
• Fraser led the team with six assists in the first-round victory, while nothing seven points and nine boards against Robert Morris in the regular-season finale.  
• Against Purdue Fort Wayne, he tallied 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the second win and that was after a career-high seven assists in game one.
• Fraser had 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 posted 10 points and registered nine boards with four assists.
• At Oakland, he scored seven points and had seven boards in game one and then handed out six assists in the win, while at Youngstown State, he netted 14 points. 

SOMETHING TO PROVE

• A transfer from St. Bonaventure, Matt Johnson was selected the HL Sixth Man of the Year as he has scored in double digits eight times, grabbed at least five rebounds in eight games and handed out at least three assists in three contests. 
• He also has three 20-point performances including a career-high 24 against Purdue Fort Wayne as he was a career-best 9-of-14 with six 3-pointers to go with six boards. 
• He made a name for himself in his debut tallying a then 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 then career-high with 20 points and recorded a collegiate-best eight boards against Wright State. 
• His previous career-high in scoring was 12 points at George Washington last season as a member of St. Bonaventure, where he scored just 37 points all year.

BRANDON CLEANING THE GLASS

• Chris Brandon returned to the team against Wright State after missing the first four contests of the season due to a wrist injury and is really starting to look like his sophomore-year self in the last few weeks.
• He is coming off his fifth career double-double with 10 points and a season-best 13 rebounds with two blocks in the tournament win over Robert Morris.  
• In the last weekend of the regular season against Robert Morris, he scored a season-high 14 points with six rebounds and a career-high three steals in game one and then had eight rebounds in game two. 
• At Cleveland State, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, hitting 9-of-13 shots from the field, while collecting three steals. In game two, he posted 12 points and had seven caroms. 
• After playing just 10 minutes in the first game against Wright State, he scored 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 is currently shooting 72.9% from the field (35-of-48) and 64.8% in his career. 
• 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 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 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 - at Oakland.