Where: Nutter Center
Radio: 106.5-FM
TV: ESPN
Probable Wright State starters
Player, Ht., Yr., Pos., PPG
Miles Dixon, 6-1, Sr., G, 8.9
Matt Vest, 6-5, Sr., G, 7.0
Jerran Young, 6-6, Sr., F, 8.2
Cole Darling, 6-8, Sr., F, 8.7
AJ Pacher, 6-10, Sr., F, 10.8
Probable Wisconsin-Milwaukee starters
Jordan Aaron, 5-10, Sr., G, 14.9
Kyle Kelm, 6-9, Sr., F, 12.4
Steve McWhorter, 6-2, Jr., G, 8.1
Matt Tiby, 6-8, So., F, 12.3
Austin Arians, 6-6, So., F, 10.9
About Wright State: Kenpom.com gives Wright State a 77 percent chance of winning this game, with a predicted final score of 68-62. The Raiders are 123rd in Pomeroy ratings – their highest spot since Dec. 2 when they were 122nd – and Wisconsin-Milwaukee is 173rd. … The Raiders are listed as 6.5-point favorites. … WSU has won a season-high six consecutive games. During the win streak they have shot 48.6 from the floor after shooting 45.0 through the first 27 games. WSU also has upped its long-range accuracy, making 42.3 percent from 3-point range, compared to only 34.5 through the first 27 contests. … AJ Pacher should become Wright State's career leader in games played tonight. He's currently tied for first with Vaughn Duggins with 130. … the Raiders are undefeated this year on Tuesday nights with wins against Milwaukee (Jan. 21) and Valparaiso (Feb. 25).
About Wisconsin-Milwaukee: The Panthers took a four-game losing streak into their season finale at Detroit, but they haven't lost since. The team has reeled off four consecutive wins, including an upset of No. 1 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay in Saturday night's Horizon League tournament semifinals. … Milwaukee is lowest-seed team (fifth) to reach the HL championship game since No. 6 Illinois-Chicago beat No. 5 Loyola in the 2002 final. … The Panthers are playing in their sixth HL championship game and they have won three of the previous five (2003, 2005, 2006). This is the first time they will play a title game on the road. … Milwaukee only made three 3-pointers in both regular-season games against Wright State, which was tied for its second lowest total of the year. The Panthers shot 20.7 (6 of 29) from the arc against the Raiders and 32.9 percent (211 of 642) against their other opponents.
FYI: The home court has been a huge factor in the Wright State-Milwaukee series for the last decade. The Panthers have not won at the Nutter Center since 2005, but on their home floor they have won 16 of the last 17 against the Raiders. This year WSU won 73-57 at the Nutter Center on Jan. 21, while Milwaukee prevailed 68-64 at the Klotsche Center on Jan. 30. Milwaukee owns a 26-23 edge in the all-time series, but WSU has won four of the last five and is 2-1 against the Panthers in tournament games.
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