Youngstown State at Milwaukee
Feb. 23, 2024 | UWM Panther Arena
Milwaukee, Wis. | 8 p.m.

Broadcast Information
Radio: 570 WKBN (Robb Schmidt) | Listen
TV: ESPN+ | Watch
App Audio - iHeartRadio App
Live Stats

Tipoff Notes
The Youngstown State men's basketball team (19-9, 11-6 HL) returns to the road to visit Milwaukee, Friday, Feb. 23. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wis.. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
The Penguins play their final road game of the regular season when they visit Green Bay Sunday, Feb. 25. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Kress Center in Green Bay, Wis.   

Last Time Out
Youngstown State is coming off an 81-73 loss to Cleveland State on Feb. 17 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ziggy Reid led the Penguins with 19 points while DJ Burns posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Brett Thompson and EJ Farmer each had 12 points and Brandon Rush added 10.

Scouting Milwaukee
Milwaukee enters the game with an overall record of 14-13 and an 9-7 record in Horizon League play. The Panthers are led by BJ Freeman with 19.1 points per game and Erik Pratt at 12.7 points per contest. As a team, the Panthers are averaging 78 points per game and allowing 78.6 points per contest.

Series vs. Milwaukee
This is the 54th meeting between Youngstown State and Milwaukee in a series that dates back to 1972. The Panthers own a 33-20 advantage in the all-time series, but the Penguins have won the last two games and six of the last seven. In the last meeting, Youngstown State defeated the Panthers in overtime, 97-85, on Feb. 8 at Beeghly Center.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 20-9 overall and 12-6 in Horizon League play.
• Mark the third straight season with at least 12 conference wins - longest streak in program history.
• Mark the first time since 1963-65 that YSU has won at least 20 games in consecutive seasons.
• Be the third time since 1981-82 YSU recorded at least 20 wins.
• Give YSU a 7-7 road record.
• Be YSU's 21st win over Milwaukee.
• Be the 240th in Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's career and his 116th at Youngstown State.
• Make Jerrod Calhoun the third coach in school history to record at least 116 wins.
• Be Jerrod Calhoun's 10th win over Milwaukee.

20 Win-Seasons
With a win over Milwaukee, it will mark the first time Youngstown State won at least 20 games in consecutive seasons since 1963-64 and 1964-65. It will also mark just the third time in program history the Penguins won 20 games in consecutive seasons. The first time was in 1956-57 and 1957-58. It will also mark just the third 20-campaign since 1981-82 when the Penguins joined the NCAA Division I.  

DJ Breaking Records
DJ Burns has been a force on the boards and in the scoring column for the Penguins all season. Burns posted his 17th double-double of the season with 24 points and 17 rebounds to set the Youngstown State single-season double-doubles mark against Robert Morris on Feb. 14.  He now has 18. The old record of 16 was set by Jerome Sims in 1991-92.

YSU Double-Double List 
1. DJ Burns (2023-24) 18
2. Jerome Sims (1991-92) 16
3. Shane Johnson (1988-89) 14
4. Adrian Nelson (2022-23) 13
5. Quin Humphrey (2005-06) 11
5. Tim Jackson (1990-91) 11
5. Tim Jackson (1989-90) 11 

Thompson Turnin Up 
Youngstown State fifth-year senior Brett Thompson has turned up his offensive production since being inserted into the starting lineup 23 games ago. Since that time, Youngstown State owns a record of 17-6. Thompson has been impressive against Horizon League opponents averaging 15.4 points, 4.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. Over the last four games, Thompson has scored at least 20 points three times, and he averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 assists per game and made 22 of his last 26 free throws.

Zig Don't Zag
Ziggy Reid has been on quite a tear for the Penguins. Over the last 13 games, Reid has scored in double figures in each contest and averaged 17.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also shot 46.4 percent (78-for-168) from the floor and 37 percent (20-for-54) from 3-point range. He has also made 57 of his last 63 free-throw attempts.

Boarding burns
DJ leads the Horizon League with 292 total rebounds and 10.4 rebounds per game. Burns has also posted 18 double-double on the year and has a double-double in 10 straight games. Over the last 10 games, Burns averaged 16.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and shot 48.4 percent from the field and 90.4 percent from the free-throw line. In league play, Burns is averaging a double-double of 14.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Burns has reached double-digit rebounding totals in 11 of the last 12 games and 19 times this season. 

Block Party
Youngstown State has been protecting the rim the season. The Penguins lead the Horizon League with 131 blocks and 4.7 blocks per game. The Penguins' 131 blocks rank fifth on the YSU single-season list. YSU posted 10 blocks against IUPUI on Jan. 25. It marked the second time this season YSU had at least 10 blocks in a game. Against Navy, YSU record 10 blocks. It marked the first time in more than 10 years the Penguins had at least 10 blocks in a game. The last time YSU had 10 blocks in a game was against Westminster on Nov. 23, 2013.