DETROIT (12/20/2024) -- The final non-conference game of the regular season will have the Titans in the Badger State as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team heads to Wisconsin on Sunday.

Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. (EST) at the Kohl Center and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network (Check your cable for the channel and if get the channel).  

The shorthanded Titans - who are missing three starters - are looking to end a three-game losing streak after falling at NKU their last time out. Junior Orlando Lovejoy led the way with 16 points, while freshman Grant Gondrezick II had 12 and rookie Nate Johnson added 11.

In fact, due to injuries, the Titans played 10 student-athletes at NKU and six of those were freshmen, as rookies accounted for 101 of the 200 minutes as well as 38 of the 60 points and 22 of the 34 rebounds.

Wisconsin is 9-3 overall, as the Badgers are receiving votes in both polls. They just ended a three-game slide with an 83-74 victory over Butler in Indianapolis last week.

Following the game, UDM will play nothing but Horizon League games the rest of the way, traveling to Youngstown State on Dec. 29.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Titans have dropped all three previous meetings with Wisconsin, as all three have been on the road. 
• The first meeting occurred in 1939, a 34-27 contest, as "Handy" Andy Smith led the Badgers with 12 points, while U-D was led by Charley Buchholz's eight.
• In 1992, UDM fell 108-86, while in 2003, the Titans lost 68-42. 

AGAINST THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE

• The Titans are 30-123 all-time against the Big Ten Conference - 12-81 on the road - but have dropped 18 in a row against the league.
• The last win was a big in-state triumph as the red, white and blue won at Michigan State, 68-65, on Dec. 13, 1997. 

TOUGH FOES IN THE NON-CONFERENCE

• The Titans will play a few home games in the non-conference campaign. Three will take place in November, marking the most home games since they had three in the 2018-19 season.
• Overall, the Titans' 10 DI opponents are 70-40 (.636) on the year, highlighted by Rhode Island (10-1), Loyola (9-1), Davidson (8-3), Wake Forest (9-3) and Wisconsin (9-3). 

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BENCHMARK

• The Titans have already eclipsed last year's win total of one and snapped a 22-game road slide with a win at Ball State.
• UDM posted four wins in November, the most in the month since going 4-3 at the start of the 2017-18 season.
• The Titans are now looking for a road win at one of the power conferences. 

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

• Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair this year, as 10 of the 15 Titans hail from Michigan.
• The 10 homegrown products are the most on the roster since UDM had 12 student-athletes from the Great Lakes State in 2017-18.
• Along with those Titans, Detroit Mercy also has a player from Wisconsin, two from Canada and a player from France and Nigeria.

A FEW NEW FACES

• With 11 new players on the 15-man roster, the Titans returned just 14.2% of their scoring, 12.9% of their rebounding, and 18.0% of their minutes played from last season. 
• Most of that was with Mak Manciel and Emmanuel Kuac coming back. 

TURNING ON THE OFFENSE

• The Titans scored 90 points for the second time this season in their 98-89 road win at Eastern Michigan. They also won 91-52 versus Cleary to start the year. 
• The 98 points were the most since UDM recorded 99 in two overtimes at Robert Morris last year, the only time it was in the 90's. 
• UDM's 54.8% shooting against the Eagles was the best since hitting 59.6% (31-of-52) at Wright State last year, while the 17 assists were the second most on the year after the 19 against Cleary.
• They nearly went over 50.0% again, ending with 48.3% (29-of-60) versus Purdue Fort Wayne, including 65.5% (19-of-29 overall and 9-of-14 from three) in the second half.
• UDM also nailed a season-high 11 triples against the Mastodons, the most since connecting on 12 last year at Wright State, and is third in the conference connecting on 36.8% from downtown. 

DOMINATING THE GLASS

• Detroit Mercy has owned the glass this year, outrebounding its opponents in nine of its 13 games. The Titans are second in the Horizon League and 57th in the country with 39.5 rebounds per game, second in the HL and 52nd in the country with 13.2 offensive boards, and third in the league and 74th in DI with a +5.4 rebounding average. 
• UDM registered a 48-31 tally at Wake Forest (14-6 on offense). The Titans outrebounded Ball State, 40-30, with 13 offensive boards and collected 15 of the last 20 rebounds in the contest to seal the win. 
• Detroit Mercy took the glass against Niagara, 49-28, the first time it had a margin of +20 or more since a 53-20 advantage at home over Youngstown State in 2016. 
• The Titans pulled down 53 rebounds in the season opener against Cleary, the most since the 53 they had against Youngstown State. They also edged Loyola, 40-39, which included 20 offensive caroms, and Tulsa, 47-44, 16-9 on offense. 

GIVE US ONE MORE CHANCE

• UDM's outstanding work on the glass has led to a 173-107 margin on second-chance points on the season.
• Detroit Mercy had 20 second-chance points in the season opener against Cleary, 22 at Loyola, and tallied a 17-4 margin at Ball State and 18-6 versus Wright State. 
• Last year, the Titans had just one game all season long with 15 second-chance points.

PLAYING SOME DEFENSE

• In the win at Ball State, the Titans held a team under 60 points on the road for the first time since a 71-58 triumph at Milwaukee in 2021-22.
• At Wake Forest, the Titans responded from a slow start to force the Demon Deacons into missing 25 of their last 31 from behind the arc and 16 for their last 50 shots overall after starting the contest 8-of-11. 
• Against Tulsa, the defense came back to force the Golden Hurricane into 8-of-25 (32.0%) from the field and 4-of-17 (23.5%) from three in the second half, while Purdue Fort Wayne was 6-of-26 from three in the second half. 

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE

• The Titans earned an overtime win against Niagara, the first win in extra time since a 116-109 victory against Houston Baptist (Houston Christian) in 2017. 
• UDM added another at Eastern Michigan, giving the red, white, and blue two overtime triumphs in a year for the first time since 2013-14.

313 IS WHERE O WANTS TO BE

• Junior Orlando Lovejoy hails from Detroit, evidenced by his 313 tattoo on his right arm.
• The EMU transfer has turned up his play in the last 10 games, scoring in double figures in eight, averaging 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, handing out 48 assists against just 26 turnovers with 18 steals.
• He has at least one steal in 11 games and five multi-steal contests, including a career-high five at Loyola and four at Davidson and at NKU, and is third in the HL with 1.92 steals per game.
• He also has at least three assists in 10 games and five or more in six, ranking fourth in the league with 4.4 per game. 
• Lovejoy just had a team-high 16 points with five rebounds, four assists, and four steals at NKU. 
• He tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals against Wright State, and that was after 18 points and a career-high nine assists against Purdue Fort Wayne. He scored 18 points with seven assists and three steals at Eastern Michigan, tying the game with a layup with just three seconds on the clock. 
• He scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line (no 3-pointers) against Rhode Island, with seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals. 
• Lovejoy tallied a team-high 15 points, grabbed a season-best eight boards, and handed out six assists at Wake Forest and registered 19 points, seven rebounds with five assists, and a steal at Ball State, going 5-of-12 from the field and tying his career-best with a 9-of-10 effort at the line. 
• On the year, he leads the team at 13.7  points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, shooting 41.5% overall and 81.5% at the line, ranking in the top 10 in the HL in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals, and free-throw percentage. 

GEETER READY TO MAKE HIS OWN LEGEND

• After stops at Providence and Eastern Michigan, junior Legend Geeter has found himself at home in his hometown. 
• He has been in double figures in five of the last six games.
• At Davidson, he netted 17 points - hitting a career-high five 3-pointers - along with three rebounds, two steals and a block at Davidson. 
• Geeter had a great opening week of conference play, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds with two assists and a block against Wright State, and that was after a career game, netting a career-high 22 points, going 9-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from distance ringing in the game-winning triple against Purdue Fort Wayne, while corralling nine boards. 
• He scored 14 points, along with three boards, three assists, and a steal at EMU, after 11 points, six rebounds, and a career-high four steals with a block against Rhode Island. Earlier in the year, he recorded 14 points against Niagara, going 3-of-5 from the field and 8-of-8 at the free-throw line.
• On the year, he is averaging 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 47.1% (41-of-87) overall and 12-of-22 from three. 
• Geeter - who was coached in high school by Titan assistant coach LaMonta Stone and was a top-50 recruit in the nation - started his career in the BIG EAST at Providence but did not see action in any games and spent the last two seasons at EMU.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

• Freshman TJ Nadeau was in double figures for the fourth time this season, ending with 11 points versus Wright State.
• Nadeau started HL play with nine points, five rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• He had a season-best 16 points at EMU, hitting 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from distance, and 4-of-4 at the line. 
• Before that, he posted 13 points with a season-best nine boards at Wake Forest and netted his first double-digit effort with 10 points against Toledo.
• On the year, he is averaging 7.5 points as 17 of his 33 field goals have been 3-pointers, the most triples on the squad. 

NATE THE GREAT

• Freshman Nate Johnson has held his own as a rookie on the hardwood, registering five games in double figures, 11 games with three or more rebounds, and four games with at least two assists. 
• On the year, he is averaging 7.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists, shooting 41.3% overall.
• He just scored 11 points with four rebounds and a block at NKU, his third straight game in double figures.
• He had 10 points with four rebounds at Davidson and had 12 points, three rebounds and two assists against Wright State prior to that and added 11 points and five rebounds versus EMU and 13 points at Loyola. 
• As the Titans opened the year with a 2-1 week, the Horizon League took notice as he was named the Under Armour Freshman of the Week on Nov. 11.
• The true freshman showed his all-around skills in his first three collegiate games, averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists, hitting 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the field, with four triples.
• He started his collegiate career with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win over Cleary. He came back and added 13 points and three boards at Loyola, then tallied nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the come-from-behind win over Niagara.

PUTTING IN THE MILES

• Freshman Miles Mitchell was a candidate to redshirt at the start of the season, but after not playing the first three games, he has come off the bench, providing a spark on offense and defense.
• He has 14 rebounds in the last two games, grabbing a season-high eight with a block and a steal at NKU and six boards with a block at Davidson.
• Mitchell finished with eight points and had four rebounds in just 13 minutes against Rhode Island and notched two points, four rebounds, an assist and a block in 15 minutes of action at EMU. 
• He is 13-of-23 from the field (56.5%) on the year, with all of those field goals coming around the basket.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

• Freshman Ryan Kalambay had one of his strongest games as he tied for the team lead with a season-high six boards to go with two assists, two steals, and a block at Davidson.
• He had two points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal against Rhode Island. He had his second-straight game with five rebounds, three points, two steals and a block against Tulsa after pulling down five rebounds with a block at Wake Forest.

GIVE ME A GRANT

• Redshirt freshman Grant Gondrezick II has really come on since the start of the year, reaching double figures in five straight games after scoring just 16 total points in his first seven. 
• He stepped up when his team needed him at Eastern Michigan, posting a season-high 22 points, a season-best seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal as he was 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, and 6-of-7 at the charity stripe.
• He just had 12 points with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals at NKU. He ended with 13 points at Davidson, 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals against Wright State, and added 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists versus Purdue Fort Wayne.
• He did not see any action at Elon last year, but was a high scorer at Benton Harbor, posting nearly 2,000 career points. As a senior, he netted 997 total points, averaging 25.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals. He earned First Team All-State and was named to the Mr. Basketball Top 10 Watchlist for 2023.
• His dad, Grant Gondrezick, played college basketball at Pepperdine and then two seasons in the NBA for the Suns, while his mother, Felicia, won the 1988 NCAA Championship at Louisiana Tech.
• His older sister, Kalabrya, played college basketball at Michigan State, while his other sister, Kysre, was Miss Basketball in Michigan, played for Michigan and West Virginia and currently plays in the WNBA.
• His uncle, Glen, his dad's brother, played at UNLV and spent six seasons in the NBA with the Knicks and Nuggets. 

A DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR OKORO

• Freshman Stephen Okoro talked about being a Dennis Rodman-type player and is averaging 4.0 rebounds on the season, with 24 apiece on offense and defense.
• He pulled down a game-high nine boards against Tulsa, with four off the offensive glass.
• He had four rebounds, two points, a block, and an assist in 10 minutes at Wake Forest and five rebounds with a block against Toledo.
• Okoro had three points and a team-best six boards at Loyola and made an impact in his Titan debut against Cleary. He played just 16 minutes and came away with a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field.
• He is the first Titan to have a double-double in his debut since senior Gerald Liddell at Purdue Fort Wayne in 2022, while the last freshman to accomplish the task was Marquis Moore at IUPUI in 2019.

JUST KUAC THIS

• Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac was off to a strong start in his second Titan season but is out indefinitely with a knee injury after playing in the first 11 games.
• He posted a team-high 18 points, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from three, against Toledo and had a 13-point performance at Ball State, where he was 5-of-10 overall and 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
• Kuac just netted 11 points with six boards against Purdue Fort Wayne and had 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal versus Niagara.
• For his career, Kuac has made 108 field goals, 53 of those from three, including 34 of his 60 field goals as a Titan. 
• Kuac missed the first 12 games of last year's season, recovering from an injury he sustained before arriving at UDM. However, he never fully recovered, recording 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19 games. 
• He showed what he could do when healthy at Milwaukee, shooting 9-of-19 and 7-of-13 from three en route to a career-high 27 points, a season-high eight rebounds, a career-tying three steals, and a block.