Men's Basketball | 1/14/2015 4:00:00 PM

DETROIT -- In need of a win or two, the Wayne State University men's basketball team (2-9, 2-6 GLIAC) will begin South Division play this week by traveling to Tiffin (5-10. 1-7 GLIAC) on Thursday night and hosting Ohio Dominican (3-10, 1-7 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon.

STORYLINES
Head coach David Greer is two wins shy of 200 victories in his 14 seasons at Wayne State. WSU begins South Division play this week at Tiffin on Thursday and hosting Ohio Dominican on Saturday. The North Division went 48-16 against the South Division this season as cross divisional play concluded last Saturday.

THE SERIES
WSU leads the all-time series 13-1 against Tiffin with the Dragons' lone victory coming on Jan. 19, 2012, in Tiffin, Ohio. Coach Greer is 11-1 against TU in his previous 13 seasons with the Warriors. Wayne State has never lost to Ohio Dominican in six games, all under Coach Greer. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Tiffin enters the week at 5-10 overall and 1-7 in league games. TU has lost three straight after a home win over Hillsdale and a double-overtime victory against Northern Michigan. Khaleal McCormick leads the Dragons in scoring at 16.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the GLIAC. McCormick has posted five 20-point games this season. Ashton Khan is the only other player averaging in double digits at 10.6 points per game. Head coach Jerry Buccilla is in his second season as the leader of the men's hoops team. 

Ohio Dominican is 3-10 overall with a 1-7 GLIAC mark. The Panthers have lost two consecutive games after a win over Northern Michigan. ODU is led by Trent Weaver who is averaging 14.9 points per game while grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the league. Weaver has collected three 20-point games and three double-digit rebound performances. Head coach Dan Evans is in his second season leading ODU.

IN THE POLLS
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its 2014-15 Preseason Poll on Oct. 29th as voted on by local media members. The Wayne State University men's basketball team was predicted to finish third in the South Division with 90 points. Sophomore guard Clark Bishop was voted to the All-GLIAC Second Team as voted on by the league's head coaches. 

2013-14 RECAP
Last season, the Wayne State University men's basketball program knew it would be an uphill battle all-year long in the always tough GLIAC. That battle became more difficult when the Warriors lost Mike Hollingsworth to injury prior to the start of the season.  He was just the fifth player in WSU history with at least 990 points, 300 rebounds, 145 assists, 80 steals and 60 triples.

However, typical of David Greer coached teams, WSU fought its way to 12 wins including notable victories at Grand Valley State in overtime and a four-point win over No.16 Lake Superior State at home to end the season.

WSU missed the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2008 and will need to replace seven seniors who made a significant impact last season and in their careers.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU suffered a 63-57 setback at Saginaw Valley State on Jan. 10th inside O'Neill Arena.  The game concluded the North Division portion of the Warrior schedule as the remaining 14 contests will all be against South Division teams. SVSU, who entered the contest winners of nine straight, used 34 points in the paint and 28 points off 21 WSU turnovers to extend its winning streak.  The youthful Warriors only allowed one more made field goal, connected on the same number of three-point shots (four) and shot 90 percent (9-of-10) from the foul line, however the Cardinals were 13-of-24 from the charity stripe, and had 10 less turnovers. Marcus Moore led WSU with 12 points while Michael Lewis finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Tristan Wilson posted 10 points and six rebounds. C.J. Turnage, who was one of four Cardinals in double figures, tallied a game-high 17 points to go with his seven boards.

THE BEAT GOES ON
David Greer is in his 14th season at the helm of the Warrior basketball program during the 2014-15 academic year.  He is the fourth-longest tenured coach in program history and is two wins shy of 200 victories with Wayne State. Greer, who has directed the Warriors to a 198-170 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 State on Feb. 18, 2012.  Coach Greer passed Joel Mason for second place in victories with his 187th win in the victory over Ohio Dominican on Dec. 7, 2013.

NEELY INDUCTED INTO EMU HALL OF FAME
Current and longtime assistant coach Lorenzo Neely was inducted in the E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame. The Eastern Michigan University E-Club Alumni Chapter, the official varsity athletic letterwinners club, announced Neely as well as six other former standouts who were enshrined at the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, Oct. 24. Neely is entering his 11th season with the WSU men's basketball program, all spent with head coach David Greer, and has been a collegiate coach for the past 16 years. He finished his Huron career with 1,528 points, 433 free throws, 317 rebounds, and his 521 assists rank second in EMU's all-time record book. Neely served as an assistant men's basketball coach at EMU for two seasons including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998.

COMCAST/XFINITY
The final six men's and women's basketball home games will be broadcast live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast CN900.  Sean Baligian, Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will bring you the action.

WDTK - THE PATRIOT
Russ McNamara will call all of the men's action this season on WDTK - The Patriot (92.7 FM / 1400 AM). Fans can also listen online at WDTKAM.com. WSU Hall of Famer Cliff Russell will return to provide his insights for each home game.

ALL-NEW MATTHAEI
The Matthaei has received a face lift over the course of the past decade. In January of 2014, a new scoreboard and videoboard were installed which features live action and replays. During the offseason, the Warriors added a new parquet floor and the sub-floor (circa 1965) was replaced. And finally a new basketball office expansion was completed in the fall on the northwest corner of the Matthaei. The new expansion includes six coaches offices, a theater-style film room and a reception area.

NEXT UP
The Warriors will play three straight on the road beginning with Lake Erie on Jan. 22nd.