Men's Basketball Looks For Revenge On NKU

Men's Basketball 02.22.23

Men's Basketball Looks For Revenge On NKU

Freshman Isaiah Jones and the Titans will look to make it four-straight wins on Thursday.

DETROIT (2/22/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will look to keep up its strong play as the Titans welcome NKU to Dick Vitale Court and Calihan Hall on Thursday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m.) and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App with Jeremy Otto and Earl Cureton '11 on the call. 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 Titans - winners of five of the last six games - come into the game at 13-16 overall and 9-9 in the Horizon League as they still have a chance to finish as high as fifth in the standings. A win on Thursday - or a loss by Purdue Fort Wayne at Milwaukee - would clinch top eight finish, while two wins in the final week of the regular season could see the Titans vault to fifth, provided they get a number of other results to fall in their favor.

Meanwhile, NKU is 17-12 on the season and 12-6 in the conference as the Norse are still in the hunt for a share of the HL championship, provided they win out and Youngstown State falls at IUPUI on Saturday. A win - or an Oakland loss to Wright State on Thursday - would clinch a top-four finish, giving them a first-round bye and a home playoff game in the second round.

Graduate senior Antoine Davis currently leads the nation in scoring (27.9 ppg.), total points (809), total 3-pointers (140), 3-pointers per game (4.83) and total field goals (263). He has 3,543 career points, 124 shy of Pete Maravich's NCAA record 3,667, and also has a career-best 140, 3-pointers on the year, 12th in NCAA history and 22 away from the single-season mark of 162 by Stephen Curry in 2007-08.

Graduate senior A.J. Oliver scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game and 10th time on the year with 12 points and eight rebounds against IUPUI and that was after a career-best 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting at Oakland. In his last six games, he has scored in double figures five times and is posting 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, hitting 51.9% from the field (27-of-52), 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three and 21-of-22 (95.5%) at the line.

Tickets to the game start at just $10 and can be purchased here.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Titans swept the regular season series last year, but NKU got revenge with a win in the postseason and took the first meeting as the Norse lead the all-time series, 12-4.
Detroit Mercy is also 2-4 all-time at home in the series.

VS. NKU

Antoine Davis is averaging 21.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 10 career games against NKU, shooting 42.6% from the field, 34.4% from three and 89.5% at the line. The 21.7 points per game are actually the lowest total versus any Horizon League school. He scored 29 at NKU last month and 33, 27 and 30 in three games as a freshman, but scored just 10 points at NKU as a sophomore, tied for the lowest scoring output in his career.

RETIRING #0

Detroit Mercy has announced that Antoine Jersey will have his #0 retired on Senior Day, Feb. 25, after the game as the Titans take on Wright State at 1:00 p.m.

WIN # 410 & 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.
This season, he won his 400th career triumph in the 70-49 victory over Charlotte.
He now has 410 career wins, 142nd in DI NCAA history with Howard Cann and Danny Nee and two away from 141st.

BRINGING THE O

Detroit Mercy has shot over 50.0% in eight games on the year and recorded a season-best 58.3% (35-of-60) at Oakland.
The 58.3% was the highest since shooting 66.0% (31-of-47) against Green Bay in 2001 and the best on the road since hitting 68.2% (30-of-44) at Youngstown State in 2015.
Meanwhile, the 35 field goals tied a season-high with the 35 against Purdue Fort Wayne earlier in the year.
It tallied 51.5% against Purdue Fort Wayne, hitting 35-of-68 from the field, and 50.9% against Cleveland State.
The Titans shot 52.7% against Robert Morris and at IUPUI, 52.6% against Bryant, 52.0% at home versus Charlotte and 51.7% against Ohio.
Detroit Mercy is 7-1 in games it has registered above 50.0% shooting.

HUSTLE & HARD WORK

Detroit Mercy has outrebounded its opponents 20 times on the season and in eight-straight games - by an average of 9.75 in that span with four games of +11 or more in the last five - as the Titans are third in the HL in rebounding at 36.3 per game and top the HL and stand 14th in the nation with 12.78 offensive rebounds per contest.
The Titans won the glass 36-26 against IUPUI and owned the boards at Oakland, 38-20, with the +18 rebounding margin the most since the +33 effort (53-20) at Youngstown State in 2016.
Detroit Mercy dominated the glass at Milwaukee, 43-27, with 25 offensive rebounds and owned the boards against Purdue Fort Wayne, 43-32, which included 12 offensive rebounds.
The Titans had a +15 effort (43-28) against Green Bay, which included a 19-8 margin on the offensive glass.

DAVIS RANKINGS

Antoine Davis currently leads the nation in scoring (27.9 ppg.), total points (809), total 3-pointers (140), 3-pointers per game (4.83) and total field goals (263). His 37:16 minutes a game is second in the league and 10th in the country.

FROM THREE

The Titans have nailed 125 triples in the last 11 games, highlighted by 16 at IUPUI and 17 against Robert Morris at home, tying a season-high and one shy of the school record.
Detroit Mercy has now connected on double-digit 3-pointers in 18 games and is first in the HL and sixth in the nation at 39.5% from three, as well as first in the HL and seventh in DI with 10.5 per game.

TAKING WHAT YOU GIVE US

The Titans have connected on double-digit free throws in 19 games on the season and made at least 20 five times - four of those in the last six games with a 21-of-24 effort against IUPUI, 20-of-23 at Green Bay, 21-of-24 at Milwaukee and 22-of-27 against Cleveland State. The season best for makes and attempts were 24-of-34 versus Rochester in the opener.
Detroit Mercy is second in the Horizon League and 13th in the nation in free-throw percentage at 77.2%.

VALUE THE BALL

Detroit Mercy posted a season-best 13 steals against IUPUI, the most since posting a school-record 25 against Siena Heights in 2017. It was the fourth game this season with double-digit steals. Meanwhile,
On the flip side, the Titans have seven games on the season with less than 10 turnovers.

NATIONAL NOTICE

Antoine Davis was recently named a top-10 finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard of the Year Award) by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also on the Late Season Top 25 Watch List for the Wooden Award for the nation's Most Outstanding Player, the only mid-major player on the list, the Top 50 Watch List for the USBWA's Oscar Robertson Trophy for the National Player of the Year and on the midseason Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year and the Lou Henson Award for the top mid-major player.
Last season he earned the Lou Henson Award All-American, First Team USBWA All-District V and NABC First Team All-District 12 selection.

WEARING THE SCORING CROWN

Antoine Davis owned the scoring crown in the Horizon League last year at 23.9 points per game, third in the nation, as he became the first player in HL history to top the league in scoring four times, passing Loyola Chicago's Alfredrick Hughes, who did it in three-straight seasons (1983-85).
He also finished top-four nationally for the fourth-straight year (26.1 for third in 2019, 24.3 for fourth in 2020 and 24.0 for third in 2021).
Davis is currently leading the country at a career-best 27.9 points per game, ahead of Penn's Jordan Dingle's 23.3.
The only Titan to ever lead the nation in a NCAA statistic was Spencer Haywood, who averaged 22.1 rebounds in 1968-69, while his current rate of 27.9 points would be the second-highest in school history and the highest in HL history, ahead of the 27.6 by Hughes in 1983-84.

ANOTHER NCAA RECORD FOR DAVIS

Antoine Davis scored 29 points against Bryant, but his 3-pointer in the first half got him to 11 points and secured the NCAA record for the most consecutive games in double figures with 116-straight and he has now extended that to 140 after his 31 points against IUPUI.
He broke the 115-mark mark held by Chris Clemons (Campbell, 2015-2019) and Lionel Simmons (La Salle, 1987-90).
Davis recently broke the all-time mark for total games in double figures, passing Creighton's Doug McDermott's 135.
As a freshman, Davis set the NCAA record for 3-pointers in a season by a rookie with 132, passing Stephen Curry's 122 he had at Davidson in 2007-08 and recently broke the all-time 3-point mark, passing Wofford's Fletcher Magee's 509 and now has 569 career triples.

RACKING UP THE POINTS

Antoine Davis now has 101 career 20-point games, 38 career 30-point outings and eight 40-point contests in 140 games - reaching 17 points in 122 of them.
He is also the first player in more than 40 years to record a 40-point game in four different seasons.
Davis became the first Titan to ever register back-to-back 40-point games when he had 41 against RMU and 42 at IUPUI, the first player to do it at DI since Marquette's Markus Howard had 40 against Davidson and 51 versus USC in 2019. He has two separate back-to-back 40-point games on the season with 41 at Milwaukee and 41 at Green Bay, the first player to register that feat since LSU's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1989-90.
This year, he has a league-best 24, 20-point games, 12, 30-point outings and four 40-point outbursts, with the four 40-point games the most since Campbell's Chris Clemons' four in 2018-19. If he nets 40 again, it would be the most since Gonzaga's Adam Morrison's had five during 2005-06.
He also has scored 30 or more in six-straight games, the longest 30-point streak in his career and by anyone in the NCAA in the last 25 years.

ABOUT 3,000 POINTS

Antoine Davis is the highest active scorer in the country with 3,543 points, second in NCAA history.
Only 11 players have reached 3,000 at the DI level and he is 124 behind Pete Maravich's NCAA-record 3,667
It was his 18th point at Robert Morris last season on a three that put him at 2,500 career points, which was just the fourth time that a student-athlete has posted 2,500 with his dad as head coach following Pete Maravich (Press Maravich), Doug McDermott (Greg McDermott) and Allan Houston (Wade Houston).
Davis and the Titans have seen 15 games canceled and not made up in the last two seasons - seven of those being at home - due to the pandemic, at least one game missed due to the Titans not being eligible for the postseason in 2019-20 and one game canceled at California in his freshman year due to smoke from wildfires.
Also at 140 games played, he is still seven away from the top 30 all-time in NCAA history for games played for non-COVID years.

DAVIS FROM THREE

Antoine Davis comes into the game third all-time in NCAA history with 4.06, three-point field goals per game and leading the nation this year at 4.83 per contest.
He set a school record with 11 triples against Robert Morris - eight in the first half alone - and his eighth was the record-breaking trifecta as he became the all-time leader in college basketball with his 510th trey, passing Wofford's Fletcher Magee's (2015-19). He now has 569 to his name.
He has 18 games on the year with four or more 3-pointers, with some of the top games the 11 against RMU, 10 at Charlotte, nine at RMU and eight at IUPUI and at Green Bay.
Davis has made a three in 135 of his 140 collegiate games, with 78 career games with four or more triples, 32 with six or more, 17 games with seven or more, and has five times connected on 10 or more.
Davis' 139 is a new school record, passing Rashad Phillips' 136 in 2000-01, and is now 12th in NCAA history, 22 away from the single-season mark of 162 by Stephen Curry in 2007-08.

CASHING IN ON THE FREE ONES

Graduate senior Antoine Davis led the HL and was 23rd in the nation in free-throw percentage (88.2%) last year, good for sixth in school history as he is also first with 91.7% in 2021, 90.1% for fourth in 2020 and 85.7% for ninth in 2019.
He is currently second in the Horizon League and 10th in DI at 89.9%.
Davis owns the school record at 89.0% (616-of-692), sixth among active players and 22nd all-time in NCAA history. His 616 free throws are also first in the Titan record book.
Davis hit a career-best 57 in a row between the end of his junior and the start of his senior year.

DAVIS DISHING IT OUT

Antoine Davis can not only score, but he can get his teammates involved as he is third in Titan history with 575 assists, 36 behind second-place Wilbert McCormick (611) and 40 in back of school-record holder Kevin McAdoo's 615.
He has 53 games with five or more assists and posted a nine-assist effort in the season opener against Rochester and eight against Oakland and six at YSU.
His career-best was 10 at IUPUI and against Western Michigan and UIC last season.
He is just the second player in NCAA history to amass 3,000 points and 500 assists, joining St. Peter's Keydren Clark (2002-06), who recorded 3,058 points with 501 career helpers.

G IS BACK

Senior Gerald Liddell - who missed a few games with an undisclosed injury - had to wait seven games to play as his eligibility was cleared by the NCAA, but it might have been worth the wait as the senior transfer has posted seven double-doubles in his first seven games. He was the first Titan to have seven-straight since Ryvon Covile registered seven in a row to end the 2006-07 season.
vs. Green Bay 19 points, 11 rebounds
at Cincinnati 18 points, 13 rebounds
at EMU 18 points, 14 rebounds
at Charlotte 13 points, 18 rebounds
at Tulsa 25 points, 12 rebounds
at Cleveland St. 18 points, 13 rebounds
at Purdue Fort Wayne 16 points, 16 rebounds
He tallied his eighth double-double with 13 points and a career-tying 18 rebounds and five assists at Oakland.
His all-around game has seen him tie his career-high with four steals at EMU, a season-high three blocks at Tulsa and against Green Bay.
He had 17 points and seven rebounds at Milwaukee, 16 points, eight rebounds, a career-tying five assists with two steals and a block against Purdue Fort Wayne and that was after 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists against Cleveland State. A couple of weeks ago, he netted 24 points with six rebounds, two assists and two steals against Youngstown State.
He has at least two steals in nine games and has blocked at least one shot in 12. He is currently not eligible for statistical leaders due to games played.
The 18 rebounds at Charlotte and at Oakland were the most by a Titan since Eli Holman had 18 versus Milwaukee in 2010.
Liddell started his career at Texas before transferring to Alabama State.
At ASU, he played in 25 games with 19 starts and averaged 10.3 points, a team-high 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists to go with 24 steals and 24 blocks. He shot 43.8 % overall and 37.0 % from three, reaching double figures in 13 games and posting five double-doubles.
In his three years with Texas, he saw action in 35 games with 10 starts and averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds.
As a prep at Steele HS in Cibolo, Texas, he was ranked No. 41 in the nation by 247Sports and No. 47 by ESPN.

HOOSIER IN THE MOTOR CITY

Graduate senior Damezi Anderson has now scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games and 17 on the year.
He recorded two-straight career-high games tallying his first 20-point outing with 20 points, along with a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and three steals at IUPUI, and then notched 22 points on a career-best 10-of-17 shooting with six boards and two helpers against Oakland.
He also has 15 games with four or more rebounds, with a career-high nine against Rochester and at Cleveland State and posted a career-best three blocks against IUPUI at home.
Anderson is now tallying 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his last 10 games, shooting 53.5% overall (46-of-86) and 43.1% (25-of-58) from three.
He started his career at Indiana before ending up at Loyola.
He did not play in 2021-22 at Loyola and saw action in four games the year before. Prior to that, he played for Indiana for two seasons, appearing in 39 games and registering 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds, including 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 18 games as a sophomore.
Coming out of high school, he was ranked #92 in the country by 247Sports and No. 114 in the nation by Rivals and was the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana.

NO MOSSING AROUND

TJ Moss joined the Titans after a successful prep career in high school and playing at South Carolina and McNeese State and has flashed his ability to be an all-around player.
He just scored in double figures for the fifth time this season with 11 points and tied his season and career high with four steals against IUPUI. He also had 11 points, six assists and four rebounds at Oakland. The weekend prior, he scored just two points, but registered a career-high eight assists and a career-tying six rebounds and two blocks at Green Bay and that was after six points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals at Milwaukee.
He has 38 assists and just 23 turnovers in his last 10 games, with five of those games with four or more assists.
Moss has handed out at least three assists 15 times on the season and has nine games with five or more rebounds, including tying his career high with six five times.
He recorded 11 points, five assists and two steals at IUPUI. He had 12 points, five rebounds and three assists against Milwaukee and a season-high 15 points with six boards at Wright State, where he was 6-of-9 shooting.
Moss recorded a season-best six assists and six rebounds at Cincinnati and eight points with a career-high four steals, three assists and two blocks at Purdue Fort Wayne.
He played in 64 games with eight starts at South Carolina and McNeese State prior to transferring to Detroit Mercy.

MOTOR CITY PRIDE

Junior Kyle LeGreair - known as one of the toughest Titans - has started to shine on the court.
He posted four points, four rebounds and a career-tying five assists with a block and a steal at Robert Morris.
LeGreair had three points, three rebounds, two assists and a career-high five steals at IUPUI, the most steals by a Titan since Madut Akec had five at Louisville last year.
LeGreair has one of his best games with four points, a career-high seven rebounds, a career-tying five assists, and two steals against Robert Morris. Before that, he tallied a career-best nine points with four assists at NKU and scored seven points with six boards and three assists against Youngstown State.
LeGreair came into his own last season, appearing in 22 games and was 7-of-9 from the floor, hitting his only 3-pointer, and tallied 12 steals. He tied his career-high with five helpers and added a career-best four rebounds at NKU and recorded a career-high five points with three rebounds and a steal against UIC, recording his first two career field goals.

A.J. LOOKING FOR ONE FINAL RUN

A.J. Oliver scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game and 10th time on the year with 12 points and eight rebounds against IUPUI, after a career-best 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting at Oakland.
In his last six games - where he has scored in double figures five times - he is posting 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, hitting 51.9% from the field (27-of-52), 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three and 21-of-22 (95.5%) at the line.
Over a longer stretch, in his last 11 games, Oliver is averaging 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 49.5% from the field (47-of-95), 40.8% from three (20-of-49) and 95.8% at the line (23-of-24) and that was after tallying just 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in his first 14 games, shooting 43.5% overall (27-of-62) and 29.7% from three (11-of-37).
He had 15 points and six rebounds at Green Bay and that was after 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and a career-high three steals at Milwaukee. He also posted 18 points against Oakland at home on 7-of-13 shooting with four 3-pointers and a season-tying nine rebounds.
He played in 95 games at Clemson and at Old Dominion from 2017-22 and averaged 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, shooting 35.0 % from the field, 37.1% from three and 79.1% at the line.
In 2020-21 at ODU, he started all 21 contests he played in and ranked third on the team with 9.7 points and led the squad shooting 88.6% at the line and 33 triples.
In his first year, he played in 22 games with 21 starts and was third on the team with 11.3 points per game, led the team with 51, 3-pointers while also pulling down 4.9 rebounds, pouring in a career-high 21 points against FAU and grabbing a career-high 12 boards versus UTSA.
Oliver joined Clemson mid-season in 2016-17 and did not play, but then got in 19 games for the Tigers in 2017-18, posting 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.