Men's Basketball 11.20.25

Titans Head To Nationally-Ranked Michigan State

Men's Basketball 11.20.25

Titans Head To Nationally-Ranked Michigan State

DETROIT (11/20/2025) -- It might be a family reunion off the court, but the Titans are looking to make it a business trip on the hardwood as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team prepares for a road battle at #17/18 Michigan State on Friday.

Game time is set for 6:30 p.m., at the Breslin Center and will be televised live on The Big Ten Network and online at FoxSports.com.

The homecoming is for head coach Mark Montgomery, who played and coached at Michigan State and is making his second trip back to MSU with an opposing team, falling 88-60 with NIU in 2018.

The Titans are coming off a 72-62 setback to Eastern Michigan as senior Orlando Lovejoy tallied a game-high 20 points and a team-best six rebounds. He leads the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game and is averaging 19.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in the last two games.

Michigan State is 4-0 on the season after an 83-66 victory over Kentucky at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The game is part of a big weekend as UDM visits DePaul on Sunday.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

This is just the 63rd meeting between the two schools, located just 81 miles apart, and just the second match-up since the start of the 21st century.
Michigan State leads the all-time series, 46-16, but the Titans have won three of the last five.
Detroit Mercy is 6-27 all-time on the road, with its last win coming in 1997, a 68-65 triumph.
In that game, MSU had an early 10-3 lead, but UDM stormed back to take a 31-26 advantage at the break. The Titans stayed in front the rest of the way to hand coach Izzo and the Spartans their third-straight loss in the series. Jermaine Jackson had 16 points and seven assists, while Bacari Alexander had 13 points. The defense forced 17 MSU turnovers.

ONCE A SPARTAN

Titan head coach Mark Montgomery was a student-athlete and assistant coach at Michigan State, spending more than 15 years in East Lansing.
He was a four-year letterwinner from 1988-92 under head coach Jud Heathcote and assistant coach Tom Izzo, earning All-Big Ten Third Team as a senior.
He then served as an assistant coach twice, from 2001-2011 and 2021-24, helping the Spartans reach 20 wins and the NCAA Tournament in every season.

AGAINST RANKED FOES

Detroit Mercy is 16-127 all-time against ranked foes and 3-74 on the road, dropping its last 28 in a row to ranked opponents.
The Titans' last win against a ranked team was a 63-54 victory over #24 Butler at home on Jan. 10, 2002, while the last road win over a ranked team was a 64-63 triumph at #9 Marquette on Feb. 6, 1979.

FUN FACTS ABOUT 1997

Here are some facts about 1997 when the Titans last came to East Lansing and left with a win.

* The price of an AM/FM Cassette Sony Walkman was $44.99
* Bill Gates invested $150 million in Apple to save it from going bankrupt
* Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer to ever win the Masters
* Titanic, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Men in Black were the three biggest films of the year
* Virtual pets were among the most popular toys
* Google.com was registered as a domain name
* Cory Provus was breaking hearts on the campus of Syracuse, while Steve Smith tallied his career high 41 points at Utah

JUST SPECULATION

The Titans were picked to finish ninth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, while senior Orlando Lovejoy was named First Team All-HL.
Other publications have slated UDM anywhere from 6th-9th, while Lance Stone and Keshawn Fisher have earned Freshman Of The Year nods by the Horizone Roundtable and Mid Major Madness, respectively.

A DAUNTING SLATE

Detroit Mercy will have a challenging non-conference schedule, visiting four states and playing eight games in the first 26 days of the season, and three this week alone.
The slate includes trips to Michigan State, Notre Dame, and DePaul, as well as UIC, Toledo, and Niagara.
The game at MSU is intriguing as head coach Mark Montgomery will face his college coach and former boss, Tom Izzo.

LOCAL & GLOBAL TITANS

Detroit Mercy will have a lot of local flair, as eight of the 14 Titans hail from Michigan, including six from the Detroit Metro area.
Along with those Titans, Detroit Mercy also has three players from Ohio, a student-athlete from Nevada, and two from out of the country in Canada and Australia.

LOOKING FOR THAT SWEET SHOT

One of the Titans' offseason emphases was shooting and getting more shots up, which they did in the season opener, hoisting 77 shots, including 40 from behind the arc, at UIC. It was the second-most 3-point attempts in school history.
UDM then went 28-of-67 at Notre Dame, 30-of-64 in the win over Cleary, and 32-of-71 at Toledo.
Last season, UDM was seventh in the Horizon League, hitting at 33.0% from three, ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game, and 11th in the conference and 347th in the country with just 17.0 attempts per game.
After their 1-of-19 effort from thee against Eastern Michigan, the red, white, and blue have now reached double-digit 3-pointers just four times in the last 69 games and twice last year (10 at Oakland, 11 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne).

MAKING THE FREE ONES

The Titans took advantage of the free throw line last year, ranking fourth in the Horizon League at 73.5%, and tallying double-digit free throws 24 times.
They got off to a good start, going 15-of-20 at the line at UIC, but were 25-of-41 versus Cleary and 11-of-17 at Toledo, before converting 17-of-18 against Eastern Michigan.

GIVE ME THAT BALL

Detroit Mercy had just two games last season with double-digit steals, but tallied 11 in the season opener at UIC.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Sophomore TJ Nadeau scored the first basket of the season and has not stopped scoring, netting double figures in three of the five games, including a career-best 24 points on a career-high 9-of-14 from the field and six triples at Notre Dame.
He also led the team with 16 points in the win over Cleary and finished with 15 points and five rebounds at Toledo.
He is tied for second on the squad with 12.4 points per game and has now scored in double figures 14 times in his career and nine times in his last 15 outings.
Nadeau was one of three Titans to appear in all 32 games last year, with 16 starts, and registered 8.9 points - second on the team - 3.5 rebounds - sixth on the squad - while hitting 36.1% from the field, 34.3% from three, and 86.0% at the line, playing in 24.4 minutes a night.
He led the team with 48, 3-pointers - connecting on a three in 25 of the 32 games - and was second with 100 total field goals.
He reached double figures 11 times and had at least five caroms in 10 contests.
He really came on as the season went along, going from 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 28.9% from the field in the non-conference to 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds, shooting 39.7% overall and 36.1% from distance in conference action.

OUR PRIDE AND JOY

Preseason All-Horizon League guard senior Orlando Lovejoy got off to a slow start for him, but has turned it on in the last two games, posting a team-high 18 points, five assists, and two steals at Toledo and finishing with a team-best 20 points and six rebounds against Eastern Michigan, his 10th career 20-point game.
He had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals at UIC in the season opener and dished out a team-high six assists at Notre Dame.
He now leads the team with 13.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.7 steals, and is also approaching 1,000 career points entering the game at 936.
He started all 30 games he saw action in last year, leading the team at 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 44.7% overall and 86.7% at the line, ranking in the top 10 in the HL in scoring (4th), assists (7th), steals (2nd), field-goal percentage (8th), free-throw percentage (2nd) and minutes played (2nd - 35:05).
Lovejoy netted double figures in 24 games, grabbed at least three rebounds in 26 games and six on nine occasions, registered at least three assists in 23 games and five or more in eight, and secured at least one steal in 25 games with 10 multi-steal contests.
He tallied nine 20-point games on the season, tied for the eighth most in the HL.
He scored a career-high 32 points with nine rebounds against Robert Morris, going 13-of-21 from the field, and 20 points with a career-tying 10 rebounds for his second career double-double, along with five assists, versus Milwaukee.
One of the most impressive stats is that the 6-3 guard is an old-style type of player, making just four total 3-pointers on the season as he looks to penetrate and kick it out. In fact, in six of his 20-point outings, he did not even attempt a three.

AC BRINGING THE FAITH

Junior Ayden Carter stood out at DII Walsh University and has made an impact on offense, netting double figures and grabbing at least five rebounds in three of the first five games.
In his DI debut at UIC, he tallied a team-high 18 points (7-14 FG) with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He came back with eight points and four rebounds at Notre Dame, 15 points and eight boards over Cleary, and 12 points and six rebounds at Toledo.
Through five games, he is tied for second on the team with 12.4 points and tops the team with 5.4 rebounds, hitting 23-of-38 (60.5%) from the field and 14-of-18 (77.8%) at the line.
At Walsh, he played in 50 games and tallied 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 46.2% from the field and 80.4% at the free-throw line.
As a sophomore, he led the squad at 19.0 points, was second with 5.7 rebounds, and third with 1.7 assists. Carter scored in double figures in 19 of his 20 games and netted eight 20-point games, including a career-high 34 points and 12 rebounds against Northwood.
As a freshman, he helped the team win the G-MAC and make the NCAA Tournament, playing in all 30 games and averaging 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Earlier this year, he was ordained as a minister by his church, Path2Life Ministries.

NATE THE GREAT

Sophomore Nate Johnson - a member of the Horizon League All-Freshmen Team - has scored at least six points in four games and pulled down at least four boards three times.
He just had six points and four rebounds against Eastern Michigan. He started the year with seven points, four rebounds, and two steals at UIC and added seven more points at Notre Dame and nine against Cleary.
He was one of the freshmen trio who played in all 32 games, making 31 starts, and posted 8.8 points - third on the team - 4.5 rebounds - second on the team - and 1.7 assists, hitting 38.6% from the field and 30.1% from three.
Johnson registered 13 games in double figures, 17 games with five or more rebounds, and nine games with at least two assists.
He pulled down a season-high 10 boards at Youngstown State, and scored a season-high 19 points, hitting 6-of-12 from the field, 3-of-3 from three, and 4-of-4 at the line, with six rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Johnson's cousin is former Titan standout Wilbert McCormick, who played from 1977-80 and is second in school history with 611 assists. Two cousins played college basketball in Xavier Johnson (Colorado State) and Raquan Battle (West Virginia), while another cousin, Morgan Tuck, played at Connecticut and won four NCAA titles before winning a WNBA championship with Seattle in 2020.

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone has sparked the offense in the last three games, posting 11 points with five rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his first start against Cleary, 11 points on 3-of-6 from three at Toledo, and seven points with three caroms versus EMU.
The son of assistant coach LaMonta Stone, he was a three-star and a top-five recruit in Michigan by 247 Sports and ESPN, as well as a top 55 point guard by ESPN, after tallying over 1,500 career points and breaking the Michigan high school record in assists, with more than 850 helpers in his career.
Stone was a four-time All-State selection, who was named First Team by the Detroit News and Associated Press as a sophomore and senior. He was tabbed Detroit Mr. Basketball as a junior, the first time a junior ever received the honor, and a Mr. Basketball finalist as a senior after tallying 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

Freshman Keshawn Fisher had a good start to his collegiate career, recording 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, with a pair of 3-pointers at UIC.
He then netted seven points and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds at Notre Dame, and had 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in just 14 minutes of action against Cleary and eight points in just 18 minutes against EMU.
Fisher is currently averaging 8.6 points and 3.0 rebounds, shooting 45.0% (18-of-40) from the field.
He was a three-star recruit and had an 85 rating on 247Sports.com after prepping at Overtime Elite Academy in Atlanta, an institution that has produced top 10 NBA draft picks Rob Dillingham, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, and Alex Sarr in the last few years.
In his lone season at OTE, he posted 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks, and was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year.
At River Rouge High School, he was named All-State First Team by the Detroit News and the AP as a senior after tallying 25.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks, shooting 50.6% from the field and 35.7% from three.

SPRATT IS COMING HOME

Detroit Mercy brought back a hometown kid when redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt transferred to UDM.
He had seven points at Notre Dame and five points with eight rebounds and two assists in the win over Cleary and eight points and eight boards at Toledo.
He spent his freshman campaign at Cleveland State but did not appear in a game for the Vikings.
In high school, he was All-League as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and All-State as a junior and senior. He posted 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 3.0 assists as a senior and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.
He is very familiar with the Horizon League, not only as a player on a 20-win CSU squad, but also because his cousin, Kay Felder, played for Oakland and was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 2016, and would go on to play in the NBA.

THE PRIZE FROM OHIO

The Titans landed one of Ohio's top recruits in 6-6 freshman Je'kel Cotton.
In his collegiate debut, he had two points and four rebounds in just eight minutes of action at UIC and pulled down seven caroms at Notre Dame. He also came up with a near double-double of nine points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes in the win over Cleary.
In high school, he was All-State as a senior after averaging 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds, netting a career-high 40 points.
He also topped his team in scoring as a junior at 17.3 points per game to go with 7.0 rebounds until an injury ended his season.

THE LEGEND OF GEETER

Senior Legend Geeter had two points, two assists, a steal, and tied for the team lead with five rebounds in the season opener at UIC, and had three points, three boards, and a block at Notre Dame.
He played in 29 games and tallied 7.9 points - fifth on the team - 4.1 rebounds - third on the squad - and 1.3 assists, shooting 41.2% from the field, 35.6% from three, and 80.3% at the line. He was also fourth on the team with 12 games in double figures.
On the glass, he posted at least three rebounds in 22 games and grabbed at least two offensive rebounds in 12 games.
He recorded 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, and also had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists at Oakland.

THE BIG MAN

The Titans reeled in a big man in 6-8, 250-lb London Maiden, and he tied for the team lead with five rebounds at UIC.
Maiden went to work inside at Toledo and had seven points, hitting 3-of-6 from the field.
Before the Titans, he played at Blinn College, where he averaged 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting 59.2% from the field and 71.0% from the line as a sophomore, earning NJCAA All-Region XIV Honors. He posted 19 games in double figures and collected three double-doubles.
He was also at Mars Hill College as a freshman, after redshirting at Kent State.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Sophomore Ryan Kalambay had four points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal in just seven minutes in the season opener at UIC.
He was one of three Titans to appear in all 32 games, making 15 starts, and averaging 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds, while hitting 53.0% from the field in 18.2 minutes a night.
He also led the team with 25 blocks and was second with 21 steals.
Just like rookie teammates Nate Johnson and TJ Nadeau, he grew as the season progressed going from just 37 points (1.9), 46 (2.4) rebounds, eight blocks, and 12 steals in just 11.4 minutes of action in his first 19 games to 77 points (5.9), 75 boards (5.7), 16 rejections, and 11 takeaways playing 25.9 minutes in the last 13.
He posted at least five rebounds on 14 occasions, including 12 times in the last 16 games.
Kalambay tallied his first career double-double with a season-high 13 points and 11 rebounds to go with an assist, a block, and a steal against Oakland.

THE RETURN OF LARY

Senior Jared Lary had just started to find his role last season at Detroit Mercy, but suffered a knee injury at Eastern Michigan.
He started six of the nine games he saw action in last season, recording 9.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 42.7% from the field and 40.0% from behind the arc.
He had 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block against Niagara and netted a season-high 15 points - all in the second half - shooting 6-of-9 overall and 3-of-4 from three, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block at Ball State.

FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDER

Detroit Mercy landed a recruit from Australia in a big way as 7-1, 235-lb Xavier Istomin-Monroe joined the Titans.
He had three rebounds at UIC and at Notre Dame and two more against Cleary, while blocking a shot in all three games.
He is only the second Australia-born Titan following Jayden Stone (2022-24).
As a prep, he won U-18 titles in both Canada and Australia.
Last season, he was at the Royal Crown Academic School in Toronto, helping the team win a NPA title, after averaging 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. He earned finals MVP after posting a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds in the championship game, and also helped the school to back-to-back CIS crowns in 2023 and 2024.
In his homeland, he suited up for the City of Sydney basketball association, leading the team to a Melbourne Classic U-18 national title in 2023.

HITTING THE VEGAS JACKPOT

Freshman Zak Abdalla has had sports in his bloodline from an early age.
He just scored five points with a rebound and an assist against Cleary.
He played his senior year at Trinity Prep in Las Vegas and tallied 15.0 points in the PRO16/NXTPRO league, an Official Grassroots Partners of PUMA. As a senior, he recorded 27.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and that was after being named All-State First Team at Foothill High School.
His dad played soccer at UNLV - leaving the Rebels as the program leader for most saves in a season (101) and a career (321) - and also coached women's soccer at UNLV and TCU before moving into college athletic administration. His uncle played soccer at UCLA, and his grandfather, Tim Grgurich, played baseball and basketball at Pittsburgh, later coached at Pitt, and served as an NBA assistant coach.

MEN'S BASKETBALL INKS 4 FALL SIGNEES

Detroit Mercy was able to secure some highly touted prospects from Detroit, the state of Michigan, and another Horizon League rival city in Indianapolis as the Titans announced the signings of Keaton Aldridge Jr. (Indianapolis, Ind./ Cathedral), Greg Grays Jr. (Detroit, Mich./Brother Rice), Chance Houser (Detroit, Mich./Mumford), and James Martin (Muskegon, Mich./ Muskegon).
Aldridge Jr. posted 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in the last two seasons, earning All-City and All-Conference.
Grays Jr. - the son of former Titan Greg Grays - has scored 1,410 career points and averaged 21.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in his prep career, earning First Team All-State as a junior.
Houser was All-State Second Team last year, tallying 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, leading Summit Academy to its first MHSAA D2 state finals.
Martin is a three-time team captain who has averaged 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals, earning two All-Conference accolades and was the team's Defensive Player of the Year last season.