STORYLINES
Wayne State will look to get the offense going at home when regional powers Lewis and Hillsdale visit the Wayne State Fieldhouse.  WSU and Lewis will square off on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM, before Hillsdale visits Detroit on Saturday for a 3:00 PM match-up.

WAYNE STATE FIELDHOUSE
Wayne State opened its brand new basketball fieldhouse against Michigan in an exhibition contest on Nov. 5th in front of a sold out crowd.  The night featured several special moments including a pre-game ceremony that featured basketball alumni (Bob Holmes and Shareta Brown) and coaches (Ron Hammye, David Greer and Carrie Lohr), University president Dr. M. Roy Wilson, and Detroit Pistons Vice Chair Arn Tellem.  Halftime featured a performance from Spyder Turner.  Several community and University leaders were on hand, including Mayor Mike Duggan and the WSU Board of Governors.

THE SERIES
Outside of last season, when the GLIAC played a conference-only slate, Wayne State and Lewis have played every season since 2009.  WSU trails 6-8 in the all-time series, but are 4-2 in home games.  The Warriors won the last meeting in 2019, 67-66, in Romeoville, Ill.  The Green & Gold lead 47-38 in the all-time series against Hillsdale, a former GLIAC foe.  WSU is 31-14 at home in the series and took the 2019 matchup, 65-60, in Hillsdale.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS 
Lewis has started the season with losses to Northern Michigan (67-57) and Michigan Tech (64-56).  Head coach Scott Trost is in his 16th season with the program.  Connor Niego is the team's top scorer through two games at 12.5 points per night.  He is also the top rebounder on the roster with 9.0 boards per game.  Deon Ejim has made a team-best three triples this season and is averaging 8.5 points per game.

The Chargers are winners of their first two games of the season over Saginaw Valley State and Northwood.  Hillsdale will play Ferris State on Wednesday night before heading to Detroit.  Head coach John Tharp is in his 16th season leading HC men's basketball.  Junior forward Patrick Cartier is averaging 32 points per game early in the season, while senior forward Austen Yarian is grabbing 10.0 rebounds per contest and dishing out 5.5 assists per game.

HOME OPENERS
Wayne State is 13-7 in home openers under head coach David Greer.  The Warriors won the first 10 home debuts ,but have gone 3-7 since.

1,000-POINT SCORER
Brailen Neely entered this season with 993 career points combined between his time at Oakland and now as a Warrior.  With 21 points at Ashland last Friday, he surpassed the 1,000-point plateau, including 795 points for the Green & Gold.

LAST TIME OUT 
WSU was unable to avenge a season-ending loss to Ashland last season, with a 59-50 setback to open the 2021-22 season on Nov. 12th.  The game was even at 26-26 at halftime but the Eagles won the second half 33-24.  Brailen Neely led all scorers with 21 points, while Avery Lewis notched a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

SEASON OUTLOOK 
The Warriors will aim to carry the momentum from a GLIAC championship last season.  WSU will be playing their home games in a new arena, after playing in the Matthaei since 1968.

In a unique and challenging season due to the pandemic in 2020-21, head coach David Greer led the Green & Gold to its first outright GLIAC championship since the 1998-99 campaign and the team's 14th trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The 2020-21 GLIAC Coach of the Year, Greer helped guards Brailen Neely and Darian Owens-White to NABC All-Region honors and it's the first time in program history that two players have been recognized as All-District during the same season.

Owens-White was a First Team All-Midwest District and a First Team All-GLIAC honoree, while Neely was a Second Team All-Region and a First Team All-GLIAC selection.  Owens-White was the first Wayne State student-athlete to be voted to the NABC All-District First Team since Tony Goins in 1998-99.  Avery Lewis earned Second Team All-GLIAC recognition, while being a member of the league's All-Defensive Team.

It was the first time WSU had two First Team All-GLIAC selections since Mike Hollingsworth and Bryan Smothers collected the awards following the 2010-11 season.

The roster welcomes four newcomers, including two transfers.  Those transfers are brothers Tyree Martin (Missouri Western) and Treavon Martin (Illinois-Chicago).  Freddy Johnson and David Hughes are the pair of freshmen joining WSU.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Head coach David Greer returns for his 21st season as the top man on the Warriors' bench.  Greer is the all-time leader in both wins and seasons.  He has been selected GLIAC Coach of the Year on two occasions (2012-13 and 2020-21).

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
WSU was predicted to finish second in the GLIAC South Division according to the league's head coaches.  The Warriors earned 42 total points and two first-place votes.

Grand Valley State was the picked ahead of WSU with 49 points and nine first-place votes.  Michigan Tech (56 points / six first-place votes) and Ferris State (55 points / five first-place votes) were the top-two favorites in the North Division.

DANCING IN MARCH
The Green & Gold played in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history a year ago, and for the first time since 2013.  Head coach David Greer has guided Wayne State to the national tournament on five occasions (2004, 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2021).  The last time WSU won a game in the NCAAs was in 2005 when the Warriors topped Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 56-55, in Findlay, Ohio.

GLIAC CHAMPS
The Green & Gold won its eighth GLIAC championship last year and its first outright GLIAC regular-season title since the 1998-99 season.  Following that 1998-99 season, WSU topped Saginaw Valley State, Gannon and Michigan Tech to win the tournament title.

LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every Wayne State contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM).  Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every regular season home game, will be available to stream for free via Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com.