DETROIT (2/17/2025) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will have one final homestand this week starting on Wednesday as the Titans host IU Indy on Dick Vitale Court in Calihan Hall.
Game time is set for 7:00 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Watch ESPN App as Jeremy Otto and Dan Hasty have the call.
The winner of the game will stay alive for a home playoff game in the Barbasol Horizon League men's basketball championships.
Detroit Mercy is coming off a heartbreaking loss at rival Oakland as UDM let an eight-point second-half lead slip away to fall in overtime. Junior Orlando Lovejoy tallied his seventh 20-point game of the season with 20 points, while junior Legend Geeter was in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Freshman Nate Johnson has also picked up his game of late, averaging 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in the last nine games, going in double figures five times and pulling down at least five boards in seven contests, while freshman TJ Nadeau is posting 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in the last five games, with 14 of his 18 field goals coming from downtown.
IU Indy has lost three in a row and five of the last six as the Jaguars are also 8-19 overall and 4-12 in league play. In the first meeting, IU Indy took advantage of the shorthanded Titans to the tune of a 95-61 victory.
The Titans' last regular season home game will be on Friday as UDM welcomes first-place Cleveland State.
Tickets to all home games start at just $10 and can be purchased here.
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Despite being just a four-and-a-half-hour drive, the Titans and Jaguars had never faced each other before IU Indy joined the Horizon League in 2018-19 as Detroit Mercy leads the series, 8-4.
- The Titans are 5-0 all-time at home in the match-up, with four wins by double digits.
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 148-104 (.587) on the year, highlighted by Wisconsin (20-5), Wake Forest (19-7), Rhode Island (17-8), Loyola (16-9), Toledo (15-10) and Davidson (15-10).
CONGRATS
PLAYING A LITTLE EXTRA
- The Titans are 3-1 in overtime this year, the most wins in the extra session since 1982-83 when they won at Michigan State and at home against Canisius and Dayton.
- So far on the season, UDM downed Niagara 84-78 for the first win in extra time since a 116-109 victory against Houston Baptist in 2017. Detroit Mercy added another at Eastern Michigan (98-89) and at home against Robert Morris (78-76).
- UDM just tied a school record by playing its fourth overtime game of the season at Oakland, the most since the 1995-96 campaign.
MAKE THE EXTRA PASS
- The Titans are coming off an 18-assist performance at Oakland.
- The 18 helpers are the second most on the season, behind the 19 in the season opener against Cleary.
- Detroit Mercy connected on 31 field goals at OU, tied for the most on the year with the home win over Robert Morris.
OUR FRESH FIVE
- Detroit Mercy did something at Purdue Fort Wayne that it has not done in over 50 years: start five freshmen in a game.
- In an era where teams may not even have five freshmen on their roster, Grant Gondrezick II, Nate Johnson, Ryan Kalambay, TJ Nadeau and Miles Mitchell all got the nod, as Detroit Mercy had just eight available players in the contest due to injury.
- UDM is also believed to be the only team in DI to start five freshmen this year and is one of only three teams in the nation (South Dakota State, Tarleton State) to have five freshmen averaging at least 10 minutes of playing time.
- Due to injuries, the Titans have used 14 different starting line-ups on the year, but the same five have started the last five games (Lovejoy, Nadeau, Johnson, Geeter, Kalambay).
NOT YOUR NBA GAME
- The Titans are currently fifth in the Horizon League hitting at 33.3% from three.
- But a little different than in years past or today's NBA game, UDM is 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.5 per game and 11th in the conference, and 347th in the country with just 16.6 attempts per game.
- In fact, the red, white, and blue just knocked down 10 triples at Oakland, just the second time this season they have made double-digit 3-pointers (11 at home vs. Purdue Fort Wayne) and the fourth time in the last 59 games going back to the start of last year.
WINNING THE GLASS
- Detroit Mercy has outrebounded teams 15 times this year, including the last three games at Oakland (40-34), at Robert Morris (35-28), and at home against Youngstown State (36-29).
- The Titans are now second in the Horizon League, and 60th in the country with 38.1 rebounds per game and fifth in the HL and 78th in the country with 12.1 offensive boards per game.
- UDM registered a 48-31 tally at Wake Forest (14-6 on offense). The Titans outrebounded Ball State, 40-30, with 13 offensive 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 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 YSU.
PLAYING SOME DEFENSE
- The Titans have had their moments playing some great defense this season and have really come on in the last few weeks, holding five of the last eight opponents to under 70 points, including two in a row under 60 in wins over NKU and Green Bay.
- The last time the Titans held back-to-back teams under 60 points was on Dec. 2 and Dec. 5 of 2021, as they beat IUPUI 69-45 and UIC 64-56, both on the road.
- The Titans held NKU to 57 points, 30.2% from the field and 4-of-27 (14.8%) from three. The 57 points allowed was the fewest since the 91-52 season-open victory over Cleary and the fewest in HL play since beating Purdue Fort Wayne, 85-52, on Feb. 4, 2023, while the 19 field goals allowed was the fewest since Ball State had 17 earlier this season and the least in conference play since the Mastodons were 19-of-56 in that 2023 contest.
- In their 67-57 over Green Bay, they limited the Phoenix to 38.2% shooting and 7-of-28 from the outside.
- 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.
- Detroit Mercy forced Wake Forest into missing 25 of its last 31 from behind the arc and 34 of its last 50 shots overall after starting the contest 8-of-11.
- UDM is currently second in the Horizon League in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 31.8% from distance, and are third in overall field-goal defense, forcing teams to 42.6%.
MAKING THE FREE ONES
- The Titans have taken advantage of the free throw line this season, especially in the last six games where UDM has connected on 76-of-90 (84.4%).
- Detroit Mercy has tallied double-digit free throws 20 times during the year, including a season-high of 22 at Youngstown State.
- UDM is third in the Horizon League at 74.5%, but in HL games only, it tops the conference at 77.6%.
- Junior Orlando Lovejoy is second in the league at 86.2% (100-of-116). Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac is 34-of-41 (82.9%), junior Legend Geeter has made 49-of-61 (80.3%) and freshman TJ Nadeau is at 81.5% (22-of-27).
RUNNING 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 the 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 third 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.
- Against Robert Morris, the Titans started slow, making five of their first 20 shots, but finished the game 26-of-47 (55.3%) overall and 61.3% (19-of-31) in the second half to get the game to overtime.
HOW ABOUT THAT MAK-TION
- Senior Mak Manciel had a strong start to the season, leading the Titans at 13.4 points per game before suffering an injury at Ball State and missing 20 games.
- He came back with 10 points in 20 minutes against Youngstown State and just had 13 points (4-7 FG, 3-4 3FG) and two assists at Oakland in just 15 minutes of court time.
- Manciel tallied a career-high 30 points and eight rebounds against Niagara, where he was a career-best 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-7 from behind the arc, netting 18 of his points in the second half and six in overtime.
OUR PRIDE AND JOY
- Junior Orlando Lovejoy - who missed two games with an ankle injury at IU Indy and at Purdue Fort Wayne - has been remarkably consistent on offense and defense, scoring in double figures in 20 games and grabbing at least three rebounds in 23 games and five on eight occasions.
- He just posted 20 points, five rebounds, and three assists at Oakland after 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists against Youngstown State.
- In his seven 20-point games, he has not even attempted a three in six of them, as he is an old-school guard with a mid-range game and gets to the line.
- He had a great all-around game with 17 points, six assists, four steals, and three rebounds at Robert Morris. He netted 19 points with four rebounds, two assists, and a block in the NKU victory, then had 19 points with four rebounds and four assists and tied his career-high with five steals as the Titans topped the Phoenix.
- He has at least three assists in 19 games and five or more in eight, ranking seventh in the league with 3.8 per game.
- On defense, he has at least one steal in 21 games with eight multi-steal contests, including a career-high five at Loyola and against Green Bay, and is second in the HL with 1.80 per game.
- He had 20 points against Milwaukee and tied his career high with 10 rebounds for his second career double-double, along with five assists.
- He had a career-high 32 points and nine rebounds against Robert Morris, going 13-of-21 from the field.
- Lovejoy tallied 23 to go with four boards and three steals at Youngstown State after 20 points with four rebounds and three assists at Wisconsin.
- He posted 18 points and a career-high nine assists against Purdue Fort Wayne. In the non-conference, he scored 28 points against Rhode Island, with seven assists, four rebounds, and two steals and had a team-high 15 points, eight boards, and handed out six assists at Wake Forest.
- He leads the team at 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, shooting 44.7% overall and 86.3% 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 (3rd) and minutes played (1st - 35:40).
- In Horizon League-only games, Lovejoy's 18.6 points are second only to the 19.9 by Purdue Fort Wayne's Jalen Jackson, while his 38:10 minutes of playing time are first.
GEETER READY TO MAKE HIS OWN LEGEND
- Junior Legend Geeter has found himself at home in his hometown.
- Geeter - who missed a game at Purdue Fort Wayne with an injury - has started to get back on track, tallying 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, hitting 20-of-48 from the field (41.7%) in the last five games, scoring in double figures and grabbing at least seven board four times.
- He just had 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists at Oakland after 11 points, seven rebounds, and a career-tying six assists against Youngstown State.
- He posted 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds versus NKU and finished with 15 points and seven boards against Green Bay.
- Back in December at Davidson, he netted 17 points - hitting a career-high five 3-pointers - along with three rebounds, two steals and a block.
- 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 11 points, six rebounds with a career-high four steals and a block against Rhode Island and 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 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 41.3% with 15 triples and netting double figures in 12 games.
- Geeter was coached in high school by Titan assistant coach LaMonta Stone and started his career at Providence before spending the last two seasons at EMU.
WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING
- Freshman TJ Nadeau has really started to come alive, averaging 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in the last five games, with 14 of his 18 field goals coming from downtown.
- He scored 16 points with seven boards at Robert Morris, hitting 4-of-6 from three. The weekend before, he rang in five 3-pointers, including three straight to start the second half to give UDM an 18-point lead en route to 17 points and seven rebounds against NKU. He came back with eight points, two rebounds, and two assists against Green Bay, with all eight points coming in the second half to help stop any chance of a Phoenix comeback.
- He has scored in double figures seven times this season, netted at least seven points in 17 of the 27 games, and has at least four boards in 10 contests.
- He tallied his first 20-point game, ending with 20 points, eight rebounds, and two steals at Purdue Fort Wayne, and had 11 points versus Wright State.
- He posted 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 registered 13 points with a season-best nine boards at Wake Forest and netted his first double-digit effort with 10 points against Toledo.
- As a rookie, he is averaging 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds. He has also seen 40 of his 80 field goals come from behind the arc, leading the team, and has connected on a three in 21 of his 27 contests.
- His progress on the season has seen him go from 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 28.9% from the field in the non-conference to 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds, shooting 40.0% overall and 38.2% from distance in conference action.
NATE THE GREAT
- Nate Johnson has held his own as a rookie, playing all 27 games with 26 starts and registering 10 games in double figures, 13 games with five or more rebounds, and seven games with at least two assists.
- He is posting 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 38.6% overall and 34.2% from three on the season, but has upped those numbers to 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds, hitting 40.0% from the field and 40.6% from distance in the last nine games, going in double figures five times and pulling down at least five boards in seven contests.
- Even deeper, he has gone from averaging 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 34.4% overall and 31.8% from three in the non-conference to 9.7 points and 5.1 rebounds, hitting 40.6% from the field and 35.2% from three in HL games.
- Johnson just had 15 points, tying his season-best with three triples, six rebounds, and three assists at Oakland. He had 11 points and six rebounds with a steal against Youngstown State and 12 points and seven rebounds versus Green Bay.
- Johnson scored 16 points, going 6-of-13 from the field and tying his season-high with three 3-pointers, with five rebounds, two assists and two steals against Oakland.
- He had a season-high 19 points with six rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne and pulled down a season-high 10 boards at Youngstown State, adding six points and three assists.
JUST KUAC THIS
- Graduate senior Emmanuel Kuac was off to a strong start in his second Titan season but also missed three games with an injury.
- He had 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals against NKU, the first time he was in double figures since netting 16 in the overtime win over Robert Morris.
- He returned after missing three games at Youngstown State and tied his career-high with nine rebounds and scoring seven points and had 16 points with four boards, two assists, two blocks and a steal against Robert Morris.
- He posted a team-high 18 points, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 from three against Toledo. He 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 130 field goals, 60 of those from three, including 41 of his 82 field goals as a Titan.
PUTTING IN THE MILES
- Freshman Miles Mitchell has come off the bench to provide a spark.
- He just had five rebounds in just five minutes at Oakland. He had a season-best nine rebounds with five points and a steal at IU Indy and had seven boards at Wright State.
- He grabbed seven boards at Wisconsin and eight boards with a block at NKU.
- Earlier in the season, he had eight points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes against Rhode Island.
KALAMBAY'S PLAY
- Freshman Ryan Kalambay has picked up his play in the last eight games, tallying double figures in scoring three times, five rebounds six times, and recording a double-double.
- After posting just 37 points (1.9), 46 (2.4) rebounds and eight blocks in just 11.4 minutes of action in his first 19 games, Kalambay has 50 points (6.2), 48 boards (6.0) and nine rejections playing 27.1 minutes in the last eight.
- He has also now connected on 19 of his last 26 at the line after starting the season 2-of-12.
- He had 10 points and seven boards against Youngstown State, connecting on 4-of-5 shots. He recorded six rebounds, a season-high three blocks, and three assists with a steal against NKU.
- Kalambay was named the HL Freshman of the Week on Jan.20 after registering his first double-double with a season-high 13 points and 11 rebounds against Oakland, going 4-of-8 shooting and 5-of-6 at the line.
- Kalambay came back with a near double-double with 10 points, nine boards and two blocks, shooting 5-of-8 at Cleveland State and had five rebounds at Wright State.
- He tied for the team lead with six boards to go with two assists, two steals, and a block at Davidson, had six rebounds, two points, and a block at IU Indy, and five rebounds with a block at Wake Forest.
A DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR OKORO
- Freshman Stephen Okoro - who missed eight straight games with an injury until returning for a few minutes against Green Bay - talked about being a Dennis Rodman-type player and is averaging 3.6 rebounds on the season, with 26 on offense and 32 on defense.
- He just had his second-best offensive game of the season, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 from the field with three rebounds in just nine minutes at Oakland, the most points since his 13 against Cleary to start the year.
- 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, coming away with a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field.
