Wayne State opens GLIAC play with Tiffin and Ohio Dominican this week. The Warriors will play just one more non-conference game this season against Kalamazoo on Dec. 11th in Detroit at 7 PM. Tiffin beat WSU for the only time ever in 2012 while ODU has yet to top Wayne State. Last season, the Warriors started 11-0 in league play before falling at Ferris State in double overtime on Jan. 24th. In 2012-13, WSU was 11-3 at home and will look to continue its home dominance this week.

SCOUTING TIFFIN/OHIO DOMINICAN

The Dragons enter Thursday's contest at 4-1 after  going 2-1 at the Naniloa Volcanoes Resort Thanksgiving Classic in Hawaii. Most recently, Tiffin defeated Fort Lewis 102-92 in double overtime. In that contest, current GLIAC South Division Player of the Week Joe Graessle scored 35 points in 33 minutes. TU is coached by Jerry Buccilla, who is in his first season as the head coach after serving the past four seasons as the associate head coach. Graessle is averaging 27.8 points per game in the team's five games this season. Ohio Dominican is 2-2 entering the week with a Thursday matchup at Saginaw Valley looming. Most recently, the Panthers fell at home against Seton Hill, 88-76. In that game, ODU was led by 19 points from Chad Nelson. Mark Minch is leading the team at 23.0 points per game. Head coach Dan Evans is also in his first season with the program after six seasons as an assistant at Hillsdale. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

Wayne State leads the all-time series 12-1 over Tiffin with the Dragons taking home its first ever win against the Warriors two seasons ago on Jan. 19, 2012, by a score of 83-77 in Tiffin, Ohio. Tiffin offically became a GLIAC member prior to the 2008-09 season. WSU has never lost to Ohio Dominican in the five meetings all-time.

LAST TIME OUT

WSU dropped a non-conference game at Lewis (4-0), 78-57, inside Neil Carey Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers never trailed and shot 63.6 percent in the second half; taking advantage of a seven-minute scoring drought by the Warriors to collect its third straight win over a GLIAC foe. Lewis tied the all-time series at 4-4 with the home team winning the last five meetings. Gavin Toma matched a career high with 19 points to lead all scorers. Toma also scored 19 points in the win over Wilberforce to begin the season. Also in double figures for the Warriors vs. the Flyers were Chene Phillips with 11 points and Bryan Coleman with 10. Coleman also grabbed nine rebounds to match his career-high. Ryan Jackson led Lewis with 16 points, who were helped by 28 points off their bench.

IN THE POLLS

The GLIAC released the 2013-14 Preseason Poll on Nov. 7th as voted on by 24 media members. Wayne State University was predicted to win the GLIAC North Division with 172 points and 10 first-pace nods. Also picking up first-place votes in the North Division Poll were Grand Valley (6), Michigan Tech (5), and Ferris State (3). Findlay was a unanimous choice to win the the South Division receiving all 24 first-place votes.

COACH GREER

David Greer is in his 13th season at the helm of the Warrior basketball program during the 2013-14 academic year.  He is the fourth-longest tenured coach in program history.  Coach Greer's squad returns nine letterwinners of which there are seven seniors including three starters from a squad that finished 17-10 (16-6 GLIAC) last season. Greer, who has directed the Warriors to a 185-149 record, was voted the 2012-13 GLIAC Coach of the Year by his peers. Greer coached his 300th WSU (non-exhibition) game vs. Northwood on Feb. 11, 2012, and his 200th GLIAC game vs. Grand Valley on Feb. 18, 2012. He is 10-2 in GLIAC openers in his time at WSU and has won the last seven league openers.

2012-13 RECAP

The Warriors won a share of the regular-season conference championship last season, the first for the WSU men's basketball program since the 1998-99 season, and played in the NCAA tournament for the 13th time in program history (fourth appearance under Greer) .

PRESEASON ALL-GLIAC

Mike Hollingsworth (Utica, Mich.) was voted All-GLIAC First Team while Chene Phillips (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) was a Second Team All-GLIAC selection by the league's head coaches. 

Hollingsworth, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, led the Warriors with a 14.6 points per game average last season and was twice named GLIAC Player of the Week.  He shot 49.4 percent from the floor and was third on the team in assists with 53 along with being voted to the All-GLIAC First Team.

    

Phillips, a senior guard, was fourth on the Warriors averaging 11.5 points per game a season ago.  A 6-foot-2 transfer after his sophomore season from Liberty University, Phillips started all 27 games for Wayne State last season and was first on the team in steals (45) and second on the squad in assists (94).  Phillips also went to the charity stripe with great frequency, sinking 114 free throws last season.

COMCAST/XFINITY

Russ McNamara will call all of the men's action this season on 1400 AM  and 92.7 FM The Patriot. Former Tartar and WSU Hall of Fame inductee Cliff Russell will provide analysis for every home game.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS

The 2013-14 school year marks the fourth season of Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com. Not only will all home WSU basketball, football and volleyball games be available for viewing by a world wide audience on a pay-per-view basis, but also the Warrior Daily ~ a video each weekday, available for free on WSUAthletics.com featuring interviews with WSU coaches and staff, and student-athletes.

Fans wanting to watch Wayne State events via Warrior All-Access will need a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher. Games will be sold on an individual basis with special viewing packages also available.  Warrior All-Access will also feature On-Demand Audio and Video with the stored archived video and audio on WSUAthletics.com.

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