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Detroit Titans – Milwaukee Panthers Preview – 01.23.2016

It will be a battle between Horizon opponents when the Milwaukee Panthers (13-6) welcome the Detroit Titans (9-8) to US Cellular Arena. The game gets underway at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.

The Panthers enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out UIC 87-62 the last time they played. Matt Tiby was the game’s high scorer with 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Titans are coming off a close 77-76 loss at the hands of Wright State in their last outing. Paris Bass had a game-high 28 points.

Over the last five games, Bass has been on fire for the Titans. During that stretch, he has averaged 21.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.

Milwaukee is a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 163 points. The Panthers have gone 13-6 Straight Up (SU) and 9-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Panthers are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 9.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Milwaukee’s offense. They are 12th in the nation in assists with an average of 17.9 per game. Milwaukee will look to take advantage of the Titans and their propensity to foul. Detroit ranks 346th in the nation in fouls, averaging 23.7 per game.

On the other side, the Titans have 9-8 SU and 8-7 ATS records. Offensively, they average 83.9 points per game, which is good for 16th in the country. The Titans convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking 19th in the nation at .396.

Milwaukee and Detroit meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Milwaukee won the last game in the matchup, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record over their most recent games (5-5). With an 8-2 record, the Panthers have the advantage ATS. Milwaukee held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Detroit never accomplished this feat in that span.

Predictions: SU Winner – Det, ATS Winner – Det, O/U – Over

Notes

Wisc-Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.

The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wisc-Milwaukee’s last 5 games.

Wisc-Milwaukee is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home.

Wisc-Milwaukee is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing Detroit.

Wisc-Milwaukee is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Detroit.

Milwaukee sits at 4-2 SU against conference rivals, while Detroit has an even 3-3 SU record against its foes.

Detroit is one of the top-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 83.9 points per game (ranked 16th). Milwaukee, on the other hand, allows 70.1 points per game (ranked 152nd).

Detroit scores 74.8 points per away game (ranked 68th). Milwaukee ranks a poor 197th in points allowed at home, allowing 69.1 points.

Detroit lost its last game by a one-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, Milwaukee is 2-3. Detroit is 2-1 in close games this season.

Ranked 82nd, the Detroit Titans have an offensive rating of 110.5. The Milwaukee Panthers rank 171st with a defensive rating of just 102.2.

The Detroit Titans average a field goal percentage of 46.1% this season. The Milwaukee Panthers have a losing record of 3-5 when opponents have a FG% of 46.1% or greater.

The Milwaukee Panthers and the Detroit Titans both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Milwaukee is 77th and 36th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Detroit is 85th and 64th in these categories.

The Milwaukee Panthers rank 12th in assists per game with an average of 17.9. The Detroit Titans are among the worst in the country with 13.3 assists per game (ranked 187th).

Detroit, the 82nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.4 per game. Milwaukee does worse, ranked 256th with 2.7.

On average, Detroit forces a turnover rate of 18.5%. When Milwaukee turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 4-2 record.

Written by GMS Previews

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