Men's Basketball 03.02.26

Postseason Has Titans Hosting Milwaukee On Wednesday

Men's Basketball 03.02.26

Postseason Has Titans Hosting Milwaukee On Wednesday

Senior Legend Geeter and the Titans will meet Milwaukee to start March Madness.

DETROIT (3/2/2026) -- The calendar has turned to March, and it is time to gear up for the postseason as the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will begin the Barbasol Horizon League men's Basketball Championship by hosting Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. on Dick Vitale Court, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with Jeremy Otto and Dan Hasty on the call.

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

Detroit Mercy has won seven of nine and enters the postseason as the third seed at 15-14 overall and 12-8 in Horizon League play.

A victory would be the 16th on the season, the most since UDM was 16-15 in 2015-16, and would move the Titans into the Horizon League Championship Semifinals for the first time since 2012-13. A win would also push UDM to 8-2 in its last 10 games, its best 10-game span since a 9-1 run in 2020-21.

The third seed is the highest since the Titans were the #2 seed in 2012-13. Detroit Mercy is 38-42 all-time in the HL postseason with eight trips to the title game (1988, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2012) and three championships (1994, 1999, 2012).

The Titans are coming off a 95-89 victory on the road over #MetroSeries rival Oakland. First Team All-Horizon League senior guard Orlando Lovejoy had a game-high 29 points, hitting 13-of-16 shots, while HL Third Team recipient sophomore TJ Nadeau scored a career-high 29 points and handed out a career-best five assists.

Milwaukee finished the regular season at 12-19 overall and 8-12 in the conference. The Panthers were picked to win the Horizon League in the preseason poll, but have dealt with several injuries, losing a couple of starters for the year and a few other players for stretches during the season.

Detroit Mercy swept the season series, taking a 76-63 win on the road and a high-scoring 91-86 triumph at home.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

Detroit Mercy swept the season series this year for the first time since 2021-22, but the Panthers still have a 36-31 advantage in the match-up.
The Titans own a 17-13 record at home, but the teams have split the last eight meetings in the Motor City.
UDM is 1-5 all-time against Milwaukee in the postseason, with the Panthers winning five in a row. The lone win was a 74-60 semifinal victory in 1998, held in Green Bay.
Three of the six meetings have been held in Milwaukee (2005, 2014, 2024), while the other three have been on neutral courts (1998, 2004, 2017).

LOOKING FOR THE THREE PEAT

UDM is looking for a third win over a team for the 12th time in school history.
The last time was in 2022-23, when the red, white and blue took both regular-season meetings and the postseason match-up against Purdue Fort Wayne.

PERFECT AT HOME

The Titans are actually a perfect 9-0 at home in the playoffs.
In recent history, they have defeated Green Bay (2021-22) and Robert Morris (2022-23).
Detroit Mercy also beat Youngstown State in 2014-15, Loyola in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Valparaiso in 2009-10, and Cleveland State in 2003-04 and 2005-06.

TITANS AS THE 3

The #3 seed has been pretty good to the Titans as they are 9-3 all-time as the third seed, with three 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 69-38 all-time in the Horizon League postseason, with 22 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).

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE

Detroit Mercy is second in the Horizon League in three-point field-goal defense (33.5%) and second in overall field-goal percentage defense (44.7).
Also, in the last nine games, the Titans have shot at least 50.0% six 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).

CLEANING THE GLASS

UDM has hit the glass all season long and is second in the conference at 37.6 rebounds per game - 66th in DI - and third in the HL and 57th in the country with 12.3 offensive rebounds per game.
Detroit Mercy won the glass in 13 of the 20 league contests 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.
UDM posted a 44-34 margin at Purdue Fort Wayne, where the Titans collected 15 offensive rebounds.
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 32nd in the nation at the free-throw line at 77.0%.
UDM has reached double-digit made free throws in 23 games this year and has 11 games with at least 20.
Senior Orlando Lovejoy leads Horizon League and is 37th in the NCAA at 88.6% (117-of-132).
Other Titans making the free ones include freshman Lance Stone at 86.1% (51-of-59) and sophomore TJ Nadeau at 85.3% (64-of-75).

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 leads the Horizon League in league-only games at 40.1% from the outside.
Overall, Detroit Mercy ranks 147th in three-point shooting (34.7%) and 288th in triples per game (6.7), seventh and 11th, respectively, in the HL, and has reached double-digit 3-pointers eight times in the last 93 games.
Last season, UDM ranked 11th in the HL and 341st in DI, connecting on 5.6 per game.

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.
Senior Orlando Lovejoy leads the way, ranking fourth in the Horizon League with 1.64 steals per game.
On the flip side, the Titans committed a season-low six miscues at Cleveland State and have had 10 or fewer turnovers in 11 games this year, including four of the last six.

WHAT NADEAU ABOUT NOTHING

Sophomore TJ Nadeau - named All-HL Third Team - has netted double figures in 19 of his 28 games.
The #HLMBB All-Academic Team honoree registered his ninth career 20-point game with a career-high 28 points 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, tying his career best with six 3-pointers and 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep at Cleveland State.
He also had 20 against Robert Morris 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 13.6 points per game and also leads the team with 64 triples, as his 2.3 3-pointers per game are tied for seventh 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 (15.4), assists (3.7), and steals (1.6), and fourth in rebounding (3.5).
He is in the top 10 in the Horizon League in scoring, assists, steals, and free-throw percentage (88.6%) and 12th in field-goal percentage (44.9%). He also has a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (103 A, 55 T).
He currently has 1,312 points, 307 assists, and 164 steals in his career, posting a pair of 30-point performances and 16, 20-point efforts, including seven this year.
His defensive prowess has seen him post at least two steals in 14 of his 28 games played, and 19 career games with at least three steals.
Also in his career, he has 21 games with at least five assists.
He has had some huge games here in the stretch run to help the Titans get the third seed and win seven of their last nine.
Lovejoy just scored 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting with four assists and two steals in the win at Oakland.
Two 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 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.
He has now scored in double figures in nine straight games and is averaging 20.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, shooting 70-of-126 (55.6%), 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 Division I 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 eight of his 16 career 20-point outings, he has not even attempted a three.

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.
Geeter now has at least five rebounds in 19 games this season, including 10 of the last 11, and is eighth in the HL in rebounding (6.2) and 11th in offensive rebounding (2.0).
He also has at least three assists in nine games and 34 in the last 10 contests.
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 to help seal the win. Before that, he had 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists against Milwaukee.
He was 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 the game before with a career-best 24 points, nine rebounds, and four assists against 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 15 games, Geeter is averaging 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, shooting 55.4% from the field.

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 12 times in the last 16 games and 13 times total in league play.
He just had 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists at Oakland, and scored 15 points and registered a season-high nine rebounds against 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 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 79-of-168 (47.0%) from the field and 44-of-102 (43.1%) from distance and averaging 13.3 points and 4.1 boards in his last 19 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 dealt with an illness that limited him for a part of the conference season, but he has been in double figures in three of the last eight games.
He had seven points in 12 minutes against Milwaukee after scoring 10 points in just 10 minutes against Youngstown State. Maiden had 10 points and five boards at Wright State and 10 points and four boards at Milwaukee.
He had 16 points and 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 versus IU Indy.

KALAMBAY'S PLAY

Sophomore Ryan Kalambay has started to make his mark in the paint, just as he did in the second part of last season.
Kalambay has scored at least eight points in six of the last 10 games, and grabbed at least five rebounds in 17 of his last 19 games - including four in double digits. Overall, he is tallying 5.1 rebounds and stands eighth in the conference at 2.14 offensive rebounds per night.
He now leads the team with 37 blocks - the most since Chris Brandon had 44 in 2019-20 - and stands sixth in the HL with 1.24 blocks per game.
Kalambay had 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 had 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, and tied his career-high with five blocks at Green Bay, and that was after eight points and a team-high 10 caroms 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 against 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 nine games.
He also has 60 assists and just 34 turnovers on the year, and is averaging 7.3 points and 2.2 assists in the last 14 games, making 19-of-47 (40.4%) from three.
He had 10 points and two steals against Green Bay. Stone recorded 12 points and three assists against Youngstown State, and eight points and five assists at Milwaukee.
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 breaking the Michigan high school record in assists, with more than 850 helpers in his career.

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.

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 KEY TO SUCCESS

Freshman Keshawn Fisher had a good start to his collegiate career with 12 points at UIC and 14 points versus Cleary.
He had 10 points against Cleveland State, including an off-the-glass pass from Orlando Lovejoy and a dunk that was #8 on SportsCenter Top plays.
Fisher scored a season-high 15 points with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal at Youngstown State.
He also had 14 points with a season-best nine rebounds at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Fisher 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, and 3.2 assists.

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.