Wayne State Men's Basketball Weekly Game Notes

NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament Web Site

2010-11 RECORDS:
#25-Wayne State 22-7, 14-5 GLIAC
#27-Ferris State 22-7, 16-3 GLIAC
#12-Southern Indiana 24-5, 14-4 GLVC
#30-Drury 22-7, 13-5 GLVC

SERIES:
WSU trails Ferris State 38-36
WSU trails Southern Indiana 7-0
WSU has never faced Drury

LAST MEETINGS:
WSU won 73-71 at FSU on March 6, 2011
WSU lost 81-64 at #6-USI on Nov. 15, 2006

RADIO:  WDTK (1400 AM)

ONLINE AUDIO:  wdtkam.com

LIVE STATS:  http://www.bellarmine.edu/athletics/teams/stats/1011/mbb/NCAAMW01/xlive.htm

* GAMES 30-31 STORYLINES

Wayne State has advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last eight years after earning the GLIAC's automatic bid with Sunday's league tournament championship game win.

The Warriors will face Ferris State for the third time in the last 23 days this Saturday.

* ALL-TIME SERIES

This will be the fourth neutral court meeting between WSU and FSU. Wayne State defeated the Bulldogs, 68-63, on March 4, 2005, in Findlay in a GLIAC semifinal contest. The only previous NCAA tournament meeting was a 70-67 FSU win on March 6, 1987, in St. Cloud, Minn.

The first three series meetings between WSU and USI all took place in the NCAA tournament with the Screaming Eagles winning 112-84 (1994), 72-69 (1999) and 69-68 (2004).

* GLIAC TOURNAMENT RECAP

Wayne State claimed its fourth GLIAC tournament title last week with wins over three 20+-win squads.

The Warriors recorded a 79-62 victory over Hillsdale College (20-6 overall) on March 2, and followed that with wins over Findlay (24-4) and Ferris State (22-7) in Big Rapids, Mich.

The visiting Chargers jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the first 5:40 of the game as the Warriors managed just one field goal, a triple by Dale Brundidge in the first six minutes. After that, WSU had an 11-0 run as HC went 7:46 without a point.

Wayne State never looked back to earn its first post-season win since 2005. Bryan Smothers had 20 points while Mike Hollingsworth contributed 18 points and nine rebounds.

There were 10 lead changes in the first 24 minutes of the Findlay game, but WSU finished the contest with a 37-26 scoring advantage down the stretch.

Smothers again had 20 points with Jerry Oden recording 12 points and eight rebounds.

The championship game was tied 10 times (five in each half) and WSU ended the game scoring nine of the final 14 points in the last three minutes, including a tip-in by Hollingsworth with 1.5 seconds left snapping a 71-71 deadlock.

Hollingsworth led the Warriors with 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Smothers tallied 11 points and a game-best nine assists.

Smothers was voted tournament MVP while Hollingsworth earned a spot on the all-tournament team along with FSU's Darien Gay and Justin Keenan, UF's Nathan Hyde and MTU's Ali Haidar.

Podcast of final 30 seconds of GLIAC Men's Championship Game.

* ON THE BENCH

David Greer, just the ninth head coach in 93 years of WSU basketball, is in his 10th season at WSU with a 149-128 record. He is the fifth-longest tenured coach at WSU.

The 22 victories by the Warriors this season are the most under Greer and the highest total since the 1998-99 NCAA qualifying squad compiled a 25-5 record.

Wayne State's 14 GLIAC wins this year are the most since the same 1998-99 took first place in the conference with a 16-3 mark.

* SCOUTING FERRIS STATE

The Bulldogs are 2-2 in their last four games following a 12-game winning streak.

GLIAC Player of the Year Justin Keenan has a league-best 21.6 points per game average. Darien Gay (14.8 ppg) also averages in double figures.

Keenan is shooting a team-best 54 percent (200-of-368) from the field, while grabbing a conference high 286 rebounds. He has made 83 more free throws than anyone else in the GLIAC.

Matt DeHart leads the squad in three-pointers made (71).

Lou Williams is second in rebounding (154), while ranking first in blocked shots (56).

Dontae Molden leads FSU in both assists (125) and steals (43).

WSU-FSU SERIES NOTES

• Wayne State trails 38-36 in the all-time series

• FSU won the only previous NCAA tournament meeting in 1987 (70-67 in St. Cloud, Minn.)

• Saturday's contest will be the fourth neutral court meeting

* WAYNE STATE NCAA HISTORY

The Warriors are making their 10th NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history and third under Greer.

WSU also participated in the 1970 NCAA College Division Great Lakes Regional at Central Michigan. The Tartars were upended by the Chippewas, 73-61, in the first round.

Wayne State competed in the 1956 NCAA Division I tournament besting DePaul (72-63) in Fort Wayne, before falling to the University of Kentucky (84-64) in a Sweet Sixteen match-up in Iowa City.

In 1939, Wayne University downed Anderson University of Indiana, 66-26, in the National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament opening round.

WSU-USI/DU SERIES NOTES

• WSU has an 0-7 all-time mark vs. the Screaming Eagles

• The Warriors have never faced Drury in men's basketball

• USI has won all three previous NCAA tournament meetings

• Four of the seven meetings vs. USI have been on neutral courts