DETROIT (12/202023) -- The holiday week on the road continues for the Titans as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will head up north to face the Chippewas of Central Michigan on Thursday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., at McGuirk Arena and will be broadcast live 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.

The game is the ninth on the road for the Titans and the second of three this week, as UDM was in California on Monday and will be in North Carolina on Saturday.

It will be the fifth game against the MAC this season as the Titans are 184-129 all-time against current members of the league. The in-state match-up favors the Titans, who are 293-176 (.622) all-time against other schools from the state of Michigan. 

Detroit Mercy saw a pair of freshmen make their debuts with some positive minutes the last time out at Loyola Marymount as Ryan Hurst scored 13 points and had four rebounds, while Michael Oaks had five points and two blocks. Senior Jayden Stone leads the team with 18.9 points - second in the Horizon League - and graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia tops the team with 6.1 rebounds to go with 8.7 points. 

Following the game, the red, white and blue will end the non-conference season with a trip to North Carolina State on Saturday.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• These two programs have met just twice since 2010, but the Titans have won four in a row and nine of the last 10 as they lead the series, 22-11. 
• Detroit Mercy is 9-7 all-time on the road and has won four straight (2010, 2008, 2001, 1999) in Mount Pleasant, with the last loss coming in 1996.
• The first-ever meeting was way back in 1913 as the Titans defeated Central Michigan, 24-21, behind nine points from John Hanrahan.

LOOKING TO END THE SLIDE

• The Titans have lost 12 in a row dating back to last season, the longest streak since UDM dropped 13 straight during the 2007-08 season.
• Meanwhile, the 11-game slide to start the season is the longest by the Titans since starting 0-14 in 1987-88, a year that saw the squad reach the MCC Championship game, while the 11-game in-season streak is the longest since an 11-game slide during the 2017-18 year. 

TOUGH NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

• Detroit Mercy will have 11 non-conference games, with several against multi-bid leagues.
• Nine of the 11 contests will have the Titans on the road as the red, white and blue face teams from the AAC, ACC, BIG 10, SEC and the WCC, among others.
• The 11 foes totaled a 202-161 (55.6%) record last season, with four making postseason trips in NC State (NCAA), Northwestern (NCAA), Toledo (NIT), and Cincinnati (NIT), and are already 74-40 (61.4%) this year.  

EARNING THOSE HOTEL POINTS

• The Titans started the year with four straight away from Calihan Hall for the fourth time in school history and the third time under head coach Mike Davis.
• In 2020-21, Detroit Mercy started the year with nine straight on the road, while in 2019-20, the red, white and blue played seven in a row away from the Motor City.
• It also happened in 2006-07 when the Titans played their first five on the road.
• Overall, 12 of the first 15 games for the Titans will be on the road. 

LOOKING FOR THAT OFFENSE

• Everyone knew the Titans' offense might look different without Antoine Davis.
• Detroit Mercy currently ranks 346th in scoring at 60.8 points per game.
• Without the NCAA all-time second-leading scorer and the top 3-pointer shooter in NCAA history, UDM also ranks 321st with 5.5 triples per game.
• In fact, the Titans have not hit double-digit 3-pointers this season, the longest streak since going 11 straight at one point during the 2015-16 campaign.  

SHOWING SOME DEFENSE

• The Titans had 10 steals and forced Loyola Marymount into 17 turnovers their last time out, coming away with 10 steals, the third time in the last five games they have had double-digit steals. 
• The Titans forced Ball State into a season-high 21 turnovers with a season-best 12 steals. 
• The 12 steals were the most since tallying 13 against IUPUI last season, while the 21 forced turnovers were the most since IUPUI had 21 on the road in 2021.
• Detroit Mercy also posted 11 steals and six blocks against Oakland, the most since recording seven blocks against IUPUI at home last year.

A PRECIOUS STONE

• Senior Jayden Stone played just three minutes at Loyola Marymount as he injured his ankle early in the game and is considered day-to-day. 
• He has had a great start to the year, topping his career high twice and extending it to a career-best 34 points against Eastern Michigan, hitting 12-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. He also corralled six rebounds, had four assists and three steals. 
• Stone led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists against Ball State, the most steals by a Titan since 2017.
• He had a game-high 26 points, hitting a season-high 5-of-8 from three, along with grabbing a team-best eight boards at Cleveland State. 
• He flirted with a triple-double, posting 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Oakland, and that was after 23 points, five rebounds and three assists at Southern Illinois Edwardsville. 
• Earlier in the year, he had a then career-high 25 points at Cincinnati, going 9-of-20 from the field and connecting on four triples, and also led the team with 22 points at Ole Miss.
• Stone is averaging 18.9 points, second in the HL and 47th in the nation, with his 2.6 triples per game, fourth in the HL, along with 5.8 rebounds - eighth in the conference - and 2.1 assists. 
• He has now played in 24 career games with the Titans and has netted 20 or more 10 times, been in double figures 18 times, and has grabbed five or more rebounds on 16 occasions, including nine of the 11 games this season. 

SCORE IT MARK

• Sophomore Marcus Tankersley scored just seven points apiece in the first two games at Toledo and Cincinnati on 6-of-13 shooting, but he has picked up the offense since then.
• He just led the team with 17 points at Loyola Marymount and that was after his best game in college, tallying his first career double-double with a career-best 23 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern. 
• He had 11 points with seven rebounds against Ball State, finished with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a career-high three steals against Oakland and tallied 16 points at Southern Illinois Edwardsville. He exploded for a then career-high 19 points at Ole Miss on 8-of-13 from the field with four rebounds and a career-high five assists and came back with 14 points and eight rebounds at Ohio. 
• Dating back to last season, he has now scored in double figures in 10 of the last 13 games. Overall, he is tallying 13.4 points and shooting 43.1% from the field, 11th in the HL. 
• Last year, he came on at the end of the season, scoring 10 points with three steals and five boards against Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Championship opening round and ended the year with a season-best 14 points, hitting 6-of-9 from the field, with three rebounds and three assists in the HL Quarterfinals at Youngstown State.

DEL CADIA NETS CAREER BEST

• Graduate senior Edoardo Del Cadia tied and then set his career high in points, while posting his first career double-double in the first 11 games. He has also showcased some fine all-around play as a post-player.
• He just had five points, a team-high six rebounds and two steals in just 14 minutes at Loyola Marymount as he was limited due to foul trouble. Against Ball State, he registered 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, while at Cleveland State, he scored five points, tied for the team lead with eight rebounds and handed out a season-best five assists with a block. 
• He recorded 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, shooting a career-best 6-of-9, at Southern Illinois Edwardsville and tallied a career-best 16 points and career-tying 10 boards at Ole Miss, to go with three assists, a block and a steal.  
• He has scored in double figures in five games and has grabbed at least five rebounds in nine of the 11 games this season as he is currently averaging 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds - 10th in the HL - a team-high 2.4 assists and shooting 49.3% (36-of-73) from the field. 

WELCOME NEWBIES

• A pair of freshmen made their collegiate debuts at Loyola Marymount and got right into the mix.
• Ryan Hurst - who has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since the start of practice in October - tallied 13 points, four rebounds and a steal. The 13 points in his collegiate debut were the most by a Titan freshman in his first game since Antoine Davis had 32 at Western Michigan in 2018.
• Meanwhile, Michael Oaks - who signed with the Titans out of a prep school two weeks ago and enrolled early - was immediately eligible and had five points and two blocks. 

DAVIS COMING ALIVE

• Sophomore Tyree Davis was scoreless and grabbed just two rebounds in the first four games, but he has come alive in the last seven contests, reaching his season-high of eight points twice and grabbing a season-best five boards, shooting 13-of-20 (65.0%) from the field. 
• He just had five points, two steals, two rebounds, and a block at Loyola Marymount, and that was after eight points and his season-high five boards at Northwestern. 
• Davis earned his first Division I points, putting in two baskets and ending with four points against Eastern Michigan. 
• He then provided some energy and great minutes against Oakland, making 4-of-5 from the field and ending with eight points, four rebounds, and his first two career blocks. 
• Davis' dad, Ricky Davis, played 12 years in the NBA and averaged 13.5 points per game, including a career-high 20.6 with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002-03.

MY FAVORITE COLOR IS PINK

• Junior Jamail Pink gave the Titans some strong minutes in his first start at Southern Illinois Edwardsville, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers and registering two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a career-high 29 minutes.
• He hit all six of his free throws to match his season-high of six points to go with two steals at LMU. 
• He scored five points with three boards and two assists at Northwestern and netted five points against Ball State. 
• Pink had connected on just two career 3-pointers coming into this season, both last year, but has four triples on the year, while his career-high is seven points against NKU last season.

OLAJUWON IN THE BOOKS

• Redshirt freshman Abdullah Olajuwon - who has missed the last couple of games with an injury - has had games with increased production to start the season in all areas on the court.
• Against Oakland, he registered two points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.  
• He had four points with a steal against Eastern Michigan and four points, a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals at Ohio.
• He scored his first basket in the season opener at Toledo and added two more points with six boards at Cincinnati.
• He is now 1,313 points behind his dad, Hakeem Olajuwon, who netted 1,332 in three years at Houston from 1981-84.

RETURN OF THE MAK

• Junior Mak Manciel is a local product from Sterling Heights, Michigan, who was a First Team NJCAA All-American as a sophomore at Henry Ford College after posting 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 47.6% from the field, 40.8% from three and 83.0% at the line. 
• Last year, he was at Arkansas State, but missed last season due to a knee injury.
• He scored his first Division I points on two free throws at Ole Miss, along with a steal. He connected on his first basket, a three, at Ohio and posted four steals and four rebounds against Oakland.

MOTOR CITY PRIDE

• Senior Kyle LeGreair is one of the lone veterans under head coach Mike Davis as he has played in 68 career games.
• He had five rebounds and three assists at Ole Miss, two steals at Ohio and three assists against Oakland.  
• Last year, he battled a shoulder injury, but still played in all 33 games with three starts and averaged 1.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He made 15-of-31 shots from the field (48.4%), including 3-of-5 from distance, and also had 23 steals and two blocks. 
• He was credited with multiple assists 16 times, at least three rebounds in 10 contests and a steal in 16 games. 

COACH WILLIAMS MAKES HISTORY

• Detroit Mercy hired its first female assistant men's basketball coach in school history in former high school coach Jerica Williams.
• She is one of 31 women on DI MBB staffs in positions of leadership directly working with the players, although she is the only current coach in Division I who has on-the-court instruction and recruiting duties.
• She was the girls' basketball head coach at Detroit Country Day from 2020-2022, where she was named back-to-back Coach of the Year in her first two years as a head coach while leading her team to back-to-back MSHAA Final Fours.
• Prior to the home opener on Nov. 21, Detroit Council Member Angela Calloway presented the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award to her for her outstanding achievement.
• The Spirit of Detroit Award is issued by the Detroit City Council to a person, event, or organization deemed to have performed an outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit.

WIN #411 & COUNTING

• Head coach Mike Davis earned his first triumph as a head coach on Nov. 14, 2000, when his Indiana Hoosiers defeated Pepperdine, 80-68, in Bloomington.
• Last season, he won his 400th career game, 70-49, over Charlotte at home.
• He now has 411 career wins, 146th in DI NCAA history, one away from 143rd, held by and Mike Deane and Brad Brownell.  
• Davis is one of nine current coaches to win 100 games at three different schools (Indiana, UAB, Texas Southern).