Friday, March 6th, 6:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Hinkle Fieldhouse (11,043) -- Indianapolis, Indiana. Television: None. Home Record: UWM 12-3, Wright St. 11-4. Away Record: UWM 3-10, Wright St. 5-8. Neutral Record: UWM 2-0, Wright St. 3-0. Conference Record: UWM 11-7, Wright St. 12-6. Series Record: UW-Milwaukee leads, 21-17.

GAME NOTES: Second-round action in the Horizon League Tournament will take place this evening when the fourth-seeded Wright State Raiders take on the fifth-seeded Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Panthers clawed their way through the first round with a 77-68 victory over Loyola-Chicago. It was the second straight win for Milwaukee, which is now 10-10 all-time in the HL Tournament. As for the Raiders, they also grabbed their 10th all-time victory in the event with a 68-56 decision over Valparaiso on Tuesday. Wright State has won three straight games, and five of its last seven matchups. The Panthers currently hold a 21-17 edge over Wright State in the all-time series, and that includes 13 wins in the last 17 matchups.

The Panthers only shot 34.6 percent in their first-round game against Loyola- Chicago, but the team used a strong 34-of-43 showing from the foul line to help take the nine-point decision. James Eayrs led the way for Milwaukee with 20 points and he also grabbed nine rebounds, while Ricky Franklin tallied 18 points and nine caroms. Tone Boyle contributed 10 points, and Avery Smith pitched in with six points, nine boards and four assists. Coming into this matchup, the top option for UWM would have to be Boyle as the guard is netting 13.4 ppg. Eayrs, who is collecting a team-high 5.6 rpg, is posting 11.5 ppg, while Smith checks in with 11.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.1 apg. As a team, the Panthers have been a tad inconsistent on the season, averaging 67.9 ppg behind a mere 39.6 percent shooting effort.

The Raiders have relied on a stingy defensive approach this season, and for the most part it has been extremely beneficial as the team is yielding just 56.9 ppg. The Raiders' outstanding defensive play continued in their recent win over Valpo, as the squad held the Crusaders to a meager 33.9 percent shooting, which included a 9-of-32 showing from long range. At the other end of the court, Wright State used a 19-point effort from Scott Grote to help reach the favorable outcome. Todd Brown added 16 points, while Cooper Land tallied 15 points. On the season however, the only player averaging double figures is Brown, as the guard is netting 12.0 ppg to go with 5.0 rpg. The struggles offensively have been evident for Wright State, as the team is netting only 59.9 ppg behind a weak 40.5 percent shooting effort.

These two schools split the regular season series, so expect a grueling rubber match. Wright State is solid defensively, but expect the Panthers to scratch out enough points to grab a tough win against a stingy defensive team.

Predicted Outcome

UW-Milwaukee 66, Wright State 63