Men's Basketball 03.10.26

Titans To Battle Wright State For Horizon League Championship & NCAA Berth

Men's Basketball 03.10.26

Titans To Battle Wright State For Horizon League Championship & NCAA Berth

DETROIT (3/10/2026) -- It all comes down to this, a 40-minute game to decide who will represent the Horizon League in the NCAA Tournament as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will face Wright State for the Barbasol #HLMBB Championship on Tuesday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will be broadcast live on ESPN with Jordan Bernfield and Randolph Childress on the call.

Detroit Mercy is looking for its first Horizon League Championship since 2012 and its fourth in school history (1994, 1999, 2012), as well as its seventh berth to the NCAA Tournament (1962, 1977, 1979, 1998, 1999, 2012).

The third-seeded Titans have won nine of their last 11, which includes a win over top-seeded Wright State on their home court back in mid-February.

UDM (17-14) defeated #8 Milwaukee, 84-63, and #2 Robert Morris, 70-64, to get to this point. In the semifinals win over RMU, the Titans shot 52.3% in the second half to erase a six-point deficit. Senior Orlando Lovejoy led the way with 21 points and six assists, while freshman Lance Stone tied his season-best with 16 points.

Wright State (22-11) took care of #6 NKU, 103-90, in the semifinals after beating #10 Cleveland State, 90-61, in the first round.

The teams split this year's match-up, with WSU downing the Titans, 84-82, in Calihan Hall on Jan. 9, before the red, white and blue captured a 77-74 decision at the Nutter Center.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

Wright State has dominated the series over the last 11 years, winning seven of the last eight, 12 of the previous 14, and 19 of the last 24 for a 44-29 advantage in the all-time match-up.
UDM ended a seven-game slide to the Raiders with a win at Wright State on Feb. 12.
Detroit Mercy is 4-5 against the Raiders in the postseason and has dropped the last four to WSU in March Madness, with the last win a 61-48 victory in the 2005 quarterfinals.
It is the first time these teams will meet each other in the HL title game, and the sixth meeting on a neutral court, with Wright State leading the small sample size at 3-2.

WHOSE COURT IS THIS

UDM is 24-26 all-time on neutral courts in the Horizon League Championship.

TITANS AS THE 3

The #3 seed has been pretty good to the Titans as they are now 11-3 all-time as the third seed, with four trips to the title game and a championship.
In 1985-86, UDM beat Evansville and fell to Saint Louis in the semifinals.
In 1999-00, the Titans downed Wright State and UIC before falling to Butler in the title game.
In 2004-05, Detroit Mercy beat Wright State and Green Bay before falling in the championship game to Milwaukee, while in 2011-12, the Titans knocked off Loyola, Youngstown State, Cleveland State, and Valparaiso to win it all.

THE HISTORY OF THE 3RD SEED

The third seed is now 71-38 all-time in the Horizon League postseason, with 23 trips to the title game and eight championships.
UDM won it all as the third seed in 2011-12, the last time a third seed won the crown.
In the last 15 years, the third seed has made the finals in 2012 (UDM), 2013 (WSU), 2014 (WSU), 2016 (WSU), 2021 (OAK), 2022 (NKU), and 2023 (CSU).

THAT'S A WINNING SEASON

At 17-14, Detroit Mercy has clinched its first winning season since the 12-10 mark in the 2020-21 pandemic season.
Prior to that, the last full slate winning season was the 16-15 record in 2014-15.
The 17 wins on the season are the most since Detroit Mercy's 20-win campaign during the title season of 2011-12.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE

Detroit Mercy is second in the Horizon League in three-point field-goal defense (32.9%) and second in overall field-goal percentage defense (44.5).
Also, in the last 11 games, the Titans have shot at least 50.0% seven times (50.0% vs Oakland, 55.6% vs. NKU, 53.7% at Milwaukee, 52.5% at Wright State, 53.6% vs. Milwaukee, 54.1% at Oakland, 53.6% vs. Milwaukee).

CLEANING THE GLASS

UDM has hit the glass all season long and is second in the conference at 37.6 rebounds per game - 69th in DI - and third in the HL and 67th in the country with 12.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Detroit Mercy has won the glass in 14 of the 22 games against league foes - counting the postseason - and secured at least 15 offensive boards in seven games on the year.
The Titans posted a 49-27, +22, margin on the glass against Cleveland State. The +22 margin was the largest against a DI school since UDM posted a +33 against Youngstown State at home in 2016.
At Niagara, Detroit Mercy dominated the boards, 43-27, including 14 offensive that led to 14 second-chance points.
Earlier in the season, the Titans had 21 offensive caroms at UIC.

MAKING THE FREE ONES

The Titans tied their season high in free throws, going 26-of-30 in the road win at IU Indy, just a hair better than the 26-of-31 effort in the home victory over Cleveland State.
Detroit Mercy leads the HL and is 27th in the nation at the free-throw line at 77.2%.
UDM has reached double-digit made free throws in 25 games this year and has 11 games with at least 20.
Senior Orlando Lovejoy leads Horizon League and is 27th in the NCAA at 88.1% (131-of-147).
Other Titans making the free ones include freshman Lance Stone at 87.3% (55-of-63) and sophomore TJ Nadeau at 85.7% (66-of-77).

LOOKING FOR THAT SWEET SHOT

The Titans have struggled from downtown most of the year, but have connected on double-digit 3-pointers in four HL games after making 10-of-21 against Milwaukee two weeks ago. The Titans were also 12-of-20 against NKU, 11-of-29 versus Oakland, and 10-of-22 against Cleveland State.
While the numbers overall this season are not great, UDM actually led the Horizon League in league-only games at 40.1% from the outside.
Overall, Detroit Mercy ranks 145th in three-point shooting (34.7%) and 299th in triples per game (6.6), seventh and 11th, respectively, in the HL, and has reached double-digit 3-pointers eight times in the last 95 games.

PROTECT THE BALL

Detroit Mercy has tallied a season-high 11 steals twice, in the season opener at UIC and against Cleveland State, and came away with 10 steals against Green Bay.
On the flip side, the Titans committed a season-low six miscues at Cleveland State and have had 10 or fewer turnovers in 13 games this year, including six of the last eight.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Sophomore TJ Nadeau - who had no DI offer until coach Monty and was named All-HL Third Team - has netted double figures in 20 of his 30 games.
The #HLMBB All-Academic Team honoree led the way with 17 points in the first round win over Milwaukee, tying his season high with six rebounds.
He registered his ninth career 20-point game with a career-high 28 points in the win at Oakland, going 7-of-11 from the field, 5-of-7 from three, and 9-of-10 at the line, adding a career-best five assists.
He had a game-high 25 points against Milwaukee in the home regular season win, tying his career best with six 3-pointers, and posted 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep in the triumph at Cleveland State.
He also had 20 against Robert Morris at home and 24 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the field and six triples at Notre Dame.
Nadeau is second on the team with 13.5 points per game and also leads the team with 66 triples, as his 2.2 3-pointers per game are 11th in the HL.

OUR PRIDE AND JOY

First Team All-Horizon League and All-Defensive Team guard Orlando Lovejoy is all over the leaderboard for the Titans, leading the squad in scoring (15.5), assists (3.7), and steals (1.6), and fourth in rebounding (3.6).
He is in the top 10 in the HL in scoring, assists, steals, free-throw percentage, field-goal percentage (44.7%), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8 - 112 A, 58 T).
He currently has 1,346 points, 316 assists, and 168 steals in his career, posting a pair of 30-point performances and 17, 20-point efforts, including eight this year.
His defensive prowess has seen him post at least two steals in 14 of his 30 games played, and 20 with at least three steals.
Also in his career, he has 22 games with at least five assists.
He had some huge games here in the stretch run to help the Titans get the third seed and win nine of the last 12.
Lovejoy ended with 21 points (11-12 FT), six assists, and three steals in the win over Robert Morris in the semifinals.
He scored 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting with four assists and two steals in the win at Oakland.
A few weeks ago, he was the HL Player of the Week and earned a spot on the USBWA National Team of the Week after a career-high 33 points (11-19 FG, 11-12 FT) and five assists in the win over Green Bay, and 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the home victory over Milwaukee. He also had a team-high 18 points in the win at Wright State, and 24 points, going 8-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line, to help UDM knock off NKU in Calihan Hall.
He has now scored in double figures in 11 straight games and is averaging 20.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, shooting 80-of-150 (53.3%) in that span.
Earlier this season, Lovejoy had a career all-around game, tallying 18 points, a career-tying nine assists, a career-high eight steals, and seven rebounds as the Titans swept Cleveland State. The eight steals were the third most in school history and the most ever against a DI program.
One of the most impressive stats is that the 6-3 guard is an old-school player - making just four total 3-pointers last season and matching that this year - as he looks to penetrate and use his mid-range game.
In fact, in nine of his 17 career 20-point outings, he has not even attempted a three.
This year, only 10 players in the nation are averaging more points and fewer than four triples, and only one of those is a guard (Chaze Harris, South Alabama - 3).

THE LEGEND OF GEETER

Senior Legend Geeter has been that senior leader on the floor and has expanded his game into a scorer, rebounder, and distributor.
He just had nine points and 10 rebounds against Robert Morris in the semifinal win.
Geeter now has at least five rebounds in 21 games this season, including 12 of the last 13, and three with at least 10.
He is currently tied for sixth in the HL in rebounding (6.4) and 11th in offensive rebounding (2.0).
He also has at least three assists in 10 games and 38 in the last 13 contests.
He made his presence felt in the first round win over Milwaukee, ending with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Geeter had a great game in the win at Oakland, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, a career-tying six assists, and three steals. He had eight points and eight rebounds against Green Bay, grabbing a key rebound and hitting two free throws with under five seconds left.
He was also solid at Wright State with eight points, eight rebounds, and a huge block with under 1:30 left in the contest.
He posted his second double-double with 12 points, a career-tying 10 rebounds, and six assists, along with a block, against NKU, and just missed another double-double with a career-best 24 points, nine rebounds, and four assists versus Oakland.
Earlier this season, he netted 22 points, going 8-of-8 from the field and grabbing six rebounds against Wright State.
In his last 11 games, Geeter is averaging 9.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, shooting 48.1% from the field and 73.2% from the line.

SPRATT IS COMING HOME

Redshirt freshman Tyler Spratt - who was named to the HL All-Freshmen Team - has really come on since the start of the season, scoring in double figures 14 times in the last 18 games and 15 times total against league rivals, counting the postseason.
He just had 10 points in the semifinals win over Robert Morris, and 15 points in the playoff win over Milwaukee, helping put the Panthers away with 12 in the second half.
Spratt had 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the victory at Oakland, and scored 15 points and registered a season-high nine rebounds in the home win over Youngstown State.
He had an all-around game of nine points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block at Wright State, scoring the game-winning basket with under 10 seconds left.
Spratt was the HL Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after netting a season-best 28 points in the win against NKU, connecting on 8-of-10 from three (the most 3-pointers by a Titan since Antoine Davis in 2023), along with a season-high six assists and six rebounds.
He had 21 points against Oakland, making 9-of-19 from the field with six rebounds, and knocked in five 3-pointers, finishing with 17 points, six boards, and two assists against Purdue Fort Wayne.
After starting the season 10-of-47 overall (21.2%), 4-of-25 (16.0%) from three, and averaging 3.9 points, Spratt has made 87-of-182 (47.8%) from the field and 49-of-111 (44.1%) from distance, and averaging 13.1 points and 4.3 boards in his last 21 games.

THE BIG MAN

The Titans reeled in a big man in 6-8, 250-lb London Maiden has shown dominance at times in the paint.
Maiden has been in double figures in five of the last 10 games, providing instant offense in a short amount of time.
He just grabbed six rebounds in the semifinals victory, and that was after a 5-of-5 effort and 12 points in just 13 minutes in the playoff win over Milwaukee. He scored 10 points in just 10 minutes against Youngstown State in a winning effort, had 10 points and five boards in 17 minutes at Wright State, and 10 points and four boards at Milwaukee.
Earlier this season, Maiden netted 16 points with eight rebounds at Niagara, and a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds, going 6-of-7 from the field and 6-of-8 at the line in the win versus IU Indy.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Just like he did last season, sophomore Ryan Kalambay has improved tremendously as the season has progressed and has been a pain in the paint for opposing teams.
Kalambay has scored at least eight points in six of the last 12 games, and grabbed at least five rebounds in 19 of his last 21 games - including four in double digits. Overall, he is tallying 5.3 rebounds - second on the team - and 1.4 block shots.
He also leads the team with 40 blocks - the most since Chris Brandon had 44 in 2019-20 - and is second in the HL with 1.4 blocks per game.
Kalambay had five points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in the first-round win over Milwaukee.
He posted eight points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal in the win at Oakland, and that was after he tied his season-high with 10 points and five blocks to go with nine boards at Robert Morris.
He finished with eight points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and two steals at Wright State, securing the final board of the contest and hitting two free throws to seal the win, tied his career-high with five blocks at Green Bay, and that was after eight points and a team-high 10 caroms in the road win at Milwaukee.
Earlier in the season, he posted a season-high 11 rebounds with eight points versus Oakland and registered his second career double-double recording 10 points and 10 rebounds with two blocks to help UDM beat Cleveland State.

GREAT STONE TO BUILD UPON

Detroit Mercy freshman Lance Stone has started to step up in his rookie season, scoring in double figures in 10 games.
He just tied for the team lead with 21 points.
Stone also has 64 assists and just 37 turnovers on the year, and is averaging 7.8 points and 2.2 assists in the last 17 games.
He did not look like a rookie, tying his season high with 16 points in the semifinals win, knocking down a couple of big 3-pointers.
He had seven points and two assists in the win over Milwaukee in the first round.
Stone tallied 10 points and two steals in the home win against Green Bay, 12 points and three assists to down Youngstown State, and eight points and five assists in the Milwaukee road triumph.
He scored a season-high 16 points with four assists against NKU, and that was after a season-high seven assists with six points against Oakland.
Stone also dished out seven assists at DePaul, the most by a freshman since Antoine Davis.
The son of assistant coach LaMonta Stone, he posted over 1,500 career points and broke the Michigan high school record for assists, with more than 850 helpers.

THE PRIZE FROM OHIO

The Titans landed one of Ohio's top recruits in 6-6 freshman Je'kel Cotton.
Cotton missed a few games with a lower-body injury, but has stepped up at key moments in UDM's second-half surge, ringing in two big triples in the win over Green Bay and tying a season-high with nine points and three 3-pointers in the win at Wright State.
He also came up huge with nine rebounds, four points, a block, and a steal in the win over NKU.
Cotton had five points and two rebounds at IU Indy, hitting a key 3-pointer in an early run to help erase a 10-point deficit.
He was a part of the high-scoring bench, tallying seven points in just five minutes of court time against IU Indy.
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 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.

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.
Lary had four points and three rebounds against Youngstown State, and netted a season-high 10 points with five rebounds at IU Indy.
He had six points on a pair of huge 3-pointers with four rebounds at Youngstown State. He netted seven points at Purdue Fort Wayne, pulled down six rebounds at Niagara, and tallied seven points, a rebound, and an assist at DePaul.
He started six of the nine games he saw action in last season before the knee injury, recording 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds.
Lary 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.

NATE THE GREAT

Sophomore Nate Johnson has scored at least six points in six games and pulled down at least four boards six times.
He just had three boards and an assist in nine minutes at Oakland and two points, three rebounds, and a steal at Robert Morris. He had five rebounds off the bench versus Cleveland State, and a season-best 12 points and six rebounds against Siena Heights.
Johnson had seven points and four boards at MSU and 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.
A member of the HL All-Freshmen Team, he was one of the freshmen trio who played in all 32 games, making 31 starts, and posted 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, hitting 38.6% from the field and 30.1% from three.
Johnson's cousin is former Titan standout Wilbert McCormick, who played from 1977-80 and is second in school history with 611 assists.

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 grabbed a season-high five rebounds with three points against Siena Heights.
At Niagara, Istomin-Monroe had six points and two boards, and that was after his best offensive game with eight points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal at DePaul.
He had three rebounds at UIC, at Notre Dame, and at Michigan State, and has a blocked shot in four of the eight 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.
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.

AC BRINGING THE FAITH

Junior Ayden Carter - who is out for the season with a knee injury - stood out at DII Walsh, and netted double figures in six games before being sidelined.
He had a great all-around game with a season-high 21 points - his ninth career 20-point game - six rebounds, a career-tying four assists, and a career-high three steals against IU Indy.
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 had 15 points and eight boards over Cleary, 12 points and six rebounds at Toledo, and 10 points at DePaul.
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, scoring in double figures in 19 of his 20 games and netting eight 20-point games.
Earlier this year, he was ordained as a minister by his church, Path2Life Ministries.