Men's Basketball | 11/28/2017 3:00:00 PM

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball program (1-3, 0-0 GLIAC) will begin the GLIAC schedule at home against Grand Valley State (3-3, 0-0 GLIAC) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to league newcomer Purdue Northwest (0-5, 0-0 GLIAC) on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. contest.

STORYLINES
Following a tough non-conference schedule that featured four in-region opponents, Wayne State sits at 1-3 overall.  In each of the past two games, the Warriors have needed to dig themselves out of double-digit deficits and have done so only to run out of steam down the stretch.  A quick start for WSU will be important as league play begins this week against Grand Valley State.  The opening week of the GLIAC schedule continues as WSU makes its first-ever trip to Purdue Northwest on Saturday afternoon.

THE SERIES
Wayne State trails 32-48 in the all-time series against GVSU, including a 19-23 mark inside the Matthaei.  WSU had won five straight before GVSU won the next four prior to last season's 65-62 win by WSU in Detroit.  The Saturday contest will be the first-ever meeting between Wayne State and Purdue Northwest.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
GVSU enters Thursday's GLIAC opener at 3-3 overall.  The Lakers lost both games at the Barry Invitational in Florida in their last action, including a one-point defeat (69-68) to Lynn.  Head coach Ric Wesley is in his 14th season with Grand Valley State.  Hunter Hale is shooting 45 percent from behind the arc to lead GVSU in scoring at 12 points per game.  Ben Lubitz is averaging 10.2 points per night, while Zach West is the team's leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per contest.

Purdue Northwest is in its second year since Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central combined to make one of the newest members of the GLIAC.  The Pride are 0-5 and will search for their first Division II win within the conference schedule.  Head coach Matt Bush is in his second season after serving as the leader at Purdue North Central for three seasons.  Torrance Johnson is averaging 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per night to lead the team, while Tyree Coe is scoring 11.8 points per game and Lukas Vilkovsky is adding 10.6 points per game.  PNW is allowing 89 points per contest and scoring 71.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State played its first road game of the regular season this past Saturday at Lewis, and the Warriors were unable to hold onto a five-point second half lead and fell 69-57.    The Flyers led 34-23 at halftime, but WSU would start fast in the second half and eventually take a 39-34 lead.  However, Lewis would regain control and win by 12.  Ronald Booth tallied a game-high 18 points, while Latin Davis, Jr. posted 13 points and Marcus Moore contributed 11.  Moore also dished out five assists and led the team with six rebounds.

GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Wayne State was selected to finished second in the GLIAC South Division by the conference coaches.  The Warriors received 58 points and four first-place votes.  In addition, Chuck Key and Marcus Moore were voted to the Preseason All-GLIAC South Division Team.  The 58 points and four first-place votes were the third most overall in the 12-team league.  Ferris State was tabbed as the favorite to win the North Division (66 points / 11 first-place votes), while Ashland (63 points / 8 first-place votes) edged WSU for the top spot in the South Division.

OVERCOMING DOUBLE-DIGIT LEADS
At halftime of each of the past two games against Bellarmine and Lewis, the Warriors have needed to make adjustments and overcome double-digit deficits.  Wayne State has done just that but has run out of steam in both contests.  The Knights led by 15 at the break before WSU pulled within four and Lewis had an 11-point lead at halftime before Wayne State scored the first 16 points of the second half to lead 39-34.

NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
In the latest NCAA stat release, Wayne State ranks 11th in fewest turnovers (40), 14th in turnovers per game (10.0) and 36th in fewest fouls (40).  In addition, the Warriors are 47th in scoring defense, allowing 67.5 points per game.

CHUCK'S BIG DAY
One of the better players in the league and region, senior Chuck Key started slow in the exhibition at Detroit and the season-opener against Alderson Broaddus.  However, he showed why he is WSU's go-to guy with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting against KWC on Nov. 12.  

MOST IMPROVED TEAMS
Wayne State was one of the most improved teams in the country last season, adding nine wins to its 2015-16 win total and subtracting eight losses.

REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS
Three of the top 10 teams in the Midwest Region competed inside the Matthaei during the season-opening weekend on Nov. 11-12.  According to the D2SIDA Preseason Regional Poll, Kentucky Wesleyan was seventh, Wayne State was ninth and Lake Superior State was tied-for-10th.  WSU's also hosted Bellarmine who was ranked third nationally and holds the top spot in the region entering the 2017-18 season.

NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
WSU's non-conference schedule could be the toughest of any GLIAC program.  After an exhibition win at DI Detroit Mercy, the Warriors hosted two strong in-region opponents in Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan before welcoming Bellarmine, who is ranked third nationally to begin the season.  The early portion of the non-GLIAC schedule concluded with last week's trip to Lewis.

COACHING MILESTONE
With the win on Dec. 3, 2016, over Hillsdale, David Greer became the winningest coach in the 99 years of Wayne State men's basketball.  He passed his predecessor Ron Hammye's mark of 212 victories, which he collected in his 13 seasons (1988-01). 

WINNING STREAKS
The longest winning-streak in program history is 17 games done on two occasions in 1955-56 and 1994. Other streaks of note include 14, 12, and the nine-game winning streak for the 2016-17 team is one of four of that length in program history and the longest since 1998-99.

RETURNING CORE
The returning trio of Ronald Booth, Chuck Key and Marcus Moore scored 60 percent of the points last season.

20-POINT WINS
WSU collected six 20-point victories during the 2016-17 season, including a 23-point win over Northwood on Jan. 26th and a 24-point win against Lake Superior State on Jan. 28th.  The Warriors added to that total with their 90-65 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 12th.

COMCAST/XFINITY
Every home men's basketball game in 2018 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast/CN 900.

LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM).  Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com.  WSU alum Kendall LeSure, who played at Wayne State from 2000-04 and scored 1,068 points during his career, joins Kevin for home games.