MBB Preview: Blue Devils at Whitewater in WIAC tourney opener

WIAC Championship Website | at UW-Whitewater: Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

THIS WEEK'S GAMES:  The Blue Devils (13-12, 4-10 WIAC) earned the sixth seed in the WIAC Tournament and will take on third seed UW-Whitewater (19-5, 8-5 WIAC), Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Kachel Gym. The Warhawks took both contests this season. The Blue Devils are 7-13 overall in the WIAC tournament and are 5-8 in the first round. The Warhawks are 21-14 in WIAC tournament play and are 7-5 in first round action. The teams have met six times in the tournament and Whitewater holds a 5-1 tournament advantage over Stout.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the event are $8 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students.

ONLINE: WMEQ 880 AM Radio will be broadcasting the game live with Jimmy Kaska on the call. The game will also be available online on the iHeart radio network. Whitewater will be providing Live Stats and Live Video coverage. | Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

If Stout wins Tuesday, they would head to top-seeded UW-River Falls, Thursday, Feb. 23 for a semi-final game. If the Warhawks win, they would head to UW-Oshkosh. The championship game is slated for Saturday, Feb. 25. Only two sixth seeded teams have advanced to the championship game, Stout in 1999, the inaugural year of the tournament, and UW-Oshkosh in 2001. Stout lost, 90-88, in overtime at then-powerhouse UW-Platteville. The Titans lost to UW-Eau Claire.

As the sixth seeded team in 1999, Stout knocked off third seed UW-Eau Claire, 70-60, then picked off second seed UW-Oshkosh, 85-82, before heading to Platteville for what would be the first of only two overtime championship games in WIAC tournament history. The next year Stevens Point edged Eau Claire, 59-56, in overtime. There have been 13 overtime games in the tournament, with Stout playing in four of them. There has only been one overtime game, that coming in 2015 (Eau Claire 81, River Falls 79), since the tournament changed format to a six-team tournament.

Stout's last win in the tournament came in the first round of 2013, a 78-64 win over UW-Superior in Johnson Fieldhouse. The Blue Devils lost to Whitewater, 64-59, in the semifinals. Stout played in the championship game of the 2006 tournament. Coming into the tournament as the second seed, the Blue Devils defeated River Falls, 75-65, in the first round and Stevens Point, 78-70, in the second round. The Blue Devils lost at Whitewater, 78-60, in the championship game, but did receive a bid to the NCAA tournament that year.

One of Stout's biggest wins ever over the Warhawks came in the opening game of the 2000-01 WIAC Tournament. The Blue Devils were the eighth seed in the tournament and earned a trip to Whitewater in the first round. The Blue Devils played flawlessly that night, thrashing the Warhawks, 90-49, on their own floor. In the tournament's 18-year history, it's the only time an eight seed knocked off the top seeded team. No sixth seeded team has ever knocked off a top seeded team. The 41 point differential is the largest in the WIAC tournament history, although the Warhawks eventually matched the point differential in an 88-47 first round win over Eau Claire in the opening round of the 2006 tournament.

CAREER STATS: Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to check out the UW-Stout career high for points, rebounds, and assists of each Blue Devil player.


A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS

• John Keefe leads the Blue Devils in five separate categories, including: points per game (15.0), rebounds per game (6.2), assists per game (4.56), and minutes per game (35.5).
• In the WIAC, Keefe ranks first in assists (4.56), third in steals (1.52), fourth in rebounds (6.2), fifth in scoring (15.0) and first in minutes played (35.5).
• Keefe is currently tied for 40th with Craig Ebsen (1967-70) on the UW-Stout all-time scoring list with 854 points.
• John Lahti has scored in double digits in the last six conference games and has raised his scoring average to 10.2 points, up from 7.5 points before the conference season started. Lahti is second in field goal percentage (.557)  in the WIAC.
•  In conference games only, Lahti has averaged 12.4 points and shot .587 (74-126) from the floor. His 16 blocked shots (1.14/game) in conference games only was a league-best.
• Lahti is second in the conference in field goal percentage, at .557 on the season.
• Sam Ortmann is second on the team in minutes at 29.6 per game, and is a consistent scoring option, getting 7.9 per game, and shooting 46 percent.
• Jacob Nordstrom leads the team in blocked shots with 23 and his 0.92 per game is second in the league.
• Stout is ranked 27th nationally in turnovers, averaging 11.0 per game.
• The Blue Devils are averaging 69.1 points per game and are giving up 73.0.
• Statistics

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT

• The Blue Devils met a 3-point barrage from Oshkosh on Saturday to round out the regular season.
• The Titans drained 14 3-point shots on their way to a 73-55 victory in Johnson Fieldhouse.
• Three Blue Devils scored in double-digits, John Lahti with 12, John Keefe with 11, and Braden Walbeck with 10, including two of Stout's five 3-pointers.
• Game Story and Statistics

 

UW-Stout	Statistic	UW-Whitewater	x
69.1	Pts	78.0	x
73.0	Pts Allowed	69.1	x
.427	FG %	.467	x
.456	FG % Defense	.442	x
7.8	3 pt made	8.3	x
9.0	3 pt allowed	6.4	x
33.7	Rebounds	35.0	x
35.4	Rebounds Allowed	33.9	x
11.0	Turnovers	10.7	x
John Keefe 15.0	Leading Scorer	Chris Jones 18.7	x
John Keefe 6.2	Leading Rebounder	Scotty Tyler 5.8	x

SCOUTING UW-WHITEWATER

• Chris Jones leads the WIAC in points per game with 18.7, scoring 20+ points in 12 games this season, including a 32 point performance against Lindsey Wilson (Kentucky). Jones is fourth in the WIAC in assists with 3.2.
• The Warhawks' Scotty Tyler has the highest scoring game in the WIAC this year. He dropped 45 points against Ripon college back in December. Tyler leads the conference in blocked shots with 28 (1.27/game). Tyler is ninth in the WIAC in rebounds (5.8) and 10th in scoring (14.1).
• Whitewater ranks as the seventh best team in the DIII for 3-point percentage at 41.4, and ranks 17th in the nation in fewest turnovers, at 10.7 per game.
• Zach Knoblach leads the WIAC in 3-point shooting percentage (.526).
• The Warhawks lead the league in scoring with 78.0 points per contest. The Warhawks give up 69.1 points.
• Statistics

WARHAWKS LAST TIME OUT

• The No. 17 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team clinched its 12th 20-win season in 16 years under head coach Pat Miller Saturday with a 70-68 overtime victory over UW-Eau Claire.
• Junior guard Chris Jones was one of four Warhawks in double figures with a game-high 19 points. Sophomore guard/forward Derek Rongstad  tallied his third double-double in his last four games with 17 points, 15 rebounds.
• Statistics

WHEN STOUT AND WHITEWATER MET THIS SEASON

• The Warhawks defeated the Blue Devils both time out this season. The Warhawks have won seven straight games over the Blue Devils. Stout's last win over Whitewater came Dec. 7, 2013 with a 74-69 win in Johnson Fieldhouse. Stout's last win over the Warhawks in Whitewater was Jan. 30, 2010, a 95-77 romp.
• In game one this season, UW-Stout bounced back from an early deficit to pull to within striking range, but could not hold off UW-Whitewater as the 25th ranked Warhawks took a 65-51 win over the Blue Devils at home.
• Game Story and Statistics
• In game two, John Lahti scored 16 points, had eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots for UW-Stout, but the Blue Devils were defeated by UW-Whitewater on the road, 83-48.
• Game Story and Statistics

AWARDS AND HONORS: Cory Speer was selected as the UW-Stout/DigiCopy Athlete of the Week, Jan. 10, after coming off the bench against UW-Platteville and UW-Oshkosh...John Keefe was selected WIAC Athlete of the Week, Nov. 29, after scoring 32 points against UW-Superior and 15 against Buena Vista University...John Keefe was selected as the UW-Stout/DigiCopy Athlete of the Week, Nov. 20, after his performance over the first three games of the season.

BLUE DEVIL HISTORY: UW-Stout, then Stout Institute, played their first game Jan. 11, 1907, hosting the University of Wisconsin at the Armory in Menomonie. The Badgers handed the Trainers a 29-19 loss.




UW-STOUT COACH EDDIE ANDRIST

• Eddie Andrist (203-297 at Stout, 453-420 overall) is in his 17th year as the coach of the Blue Devils, and his 28th overall in the collegiate ranks.
• Andrist led the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Division III appearance five seasons ago when Stout advanced to the second round.
• Andrist coached at Mount Senario for 11 seasons and won three national championships.
• Andrist spent two stints as a UW-Stout assistant, first as a student coach in the 1970s, then again during the 1980s.
• Andrist spent two stints coaching international basketball, working with the country of Qatar

UW-WHITEWATER COACH PAT MILLER

• Pat Miller was named head coach of the Warhawks prior to the 2001-02 season. He enters his 16th year at the helm of the program in 2016-17.
• Entering the 2015-16 season, Miller ranked tied for 11th all-time, among all NCAA divisions, in winning percentage among coaches with a minimum of 10 seasons coaching at the NCAA level. He passed Ohio State's Thad Matta and North Carolina's Dean Smith following the 2013-14 campaign, and just tied Division I legend Jerry Tarkanian.

CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the eight team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Whitewater and UW-River Falls. Oshkosh was picked to win the league, followed by La Crosse, Whitewater, Eau Claire, River Falls, Stevens Point, Platteville and Stout. The order finished River Falls, Oshkosh, Whitewater, Eau Claire, Stevens Point (but could not qualify for the post-season), La Crosse, Stout, Platteville.


DEWEY MINTZ COURT: The basketball court in Johnson Fieldhouse was named Dewey Mintz Court, Dec. 10, in honor of 27-year Blue Devil coach Dwain Mintz, who coached the Blue Devil men's basketball team from 1962-1989. Nearly 30 years after he retired, Mintz is currently fourth on the WIAC all-time men's basketball coaches wins list with a record of 385-280.Mintz coached league contenders throughout his tenure at UW-Stout from 1963-89, including conference championships in 1966, 1969 and 1975. He was the NAIA District 14 Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1973, and NAIA Area IV Coach of the Year in 1969. During his 27 years at UW-Stout, Dewey Mintz Court is the fifth floor named among member schools in the WIAC. The others include: Bo Ryan Court at UW-Platteville; Ken Anderson Court at UW-Eau Claire; Dave "Augie" Vander Meulen Court at UW-Whitewater; and Bennett Court at UW-Stevens Point, named in honor of Dick and Jack Bennett.



UW-Stout 2016-17 Individual Season Highs (Updated February 19, 2017)

Points: 32, John Keefe vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
3-Pointers Made: 6, John Keefe, vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Rebounds:15, John Keefe vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017
Assists: 8, John Keefe vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016
Steals: 5, John Keefe vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016

UW-Stout 2016-17 Team Season Highs (Updated February 19, 2017)

Points: 95 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
Field Goals Made: 40 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
Field Goal Percentage:  .654 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017 (school record)
3-Pointers Made: 15 vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Free Throws Made: 19 vs. Buena Vista, Nov. 27, 2016
Free Throw Percentage: 1.000 (15-15) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 7, 2017
Rebounds: 51 vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017
Assists: 21 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017; vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Turnovers: 16 vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Blocked Shots: 8 vs. Hope College, Nov. 18, 2016
Steals: 11 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
Double-Doubles: 24 pts, 15 rbs, John Keefe vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017; 15 pts, 11 rbs, John Keefe vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated February 19, 2017)

John Keefe - #0
Points: 32 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
Rebounds: 15 vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017
Assists: 9 vs. Dubuque, Dec. 8, 2015

Solon Ellis - #1
Points: 3 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 15, 2017); vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017
Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-River Falls, Feb. 8, 2017
Assists: 4 vs. Pacific Lutheran, Dec. 29, 2015

Keegan Dickson - #2
Points: 20 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016
Rebounds: 9 (2x) vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016; vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Assists: 3 vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016

Jacob Nordstrom - #3
Points: 19 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 28, 2017
Rebounds: 9 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 14, 2017; vs. Central College, Dec. 29, 2016
Assists: 3 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017

Ringo Dau - #4
Points: 6 vs. UW-River Falls, Feb. 8, 2017
Rebounds: 4 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017
Assists: 1 vs. Hope College, Nov. 18, 2016

Brandyn Christman - #10
Points: 13 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 16, 2016
Rebounds: 7 vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 20, 2016
Assists: 1 vs. Emmaus Bible, Nov. 21, 2015

Zach Dahl - #12
Points: 2 vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017;
Rebounds: 2 vs. Monmouth College, Nov. 20, 2015
Assists: x

Brett Ahsenmacher - #13
Points: 22 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 8 vs. Northwestern, Dec. 7, 2016;
Assists: 4 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 21, 2015

Isaac Elliott - #14
Points: 19 vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Rebounds: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 30, 2016; vs. Bethany Lutheran, Nov. 24, 2015
Assists: 2 (4x) vs. UM-Crookston, Nov. 15, 2016; vs. University of Northwestern, Dec. 15, 2015; vs. Bethany Lutheran, Nov. 24, 2015; vs. Northwestern, Dec. 20, 2014.

Peyton Fulkerson - #20
Points: x
Rebounds: 1 vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2017;
Assists: x

Cory Speer - #23
Points: 31 vs. Buena Vista, Nov. 27, 2016
Rebounds: 9 (2x) vs. Buena Vista, Nov. 27, 2016; vs. Skidmore, Dec. 30, 2015
Assists: 5 vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:

Sam Ortmann - #24
Points: 16 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017; vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 5, 2016
Rebounds: 8 vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016
Assists: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 11, 2017; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014

John Lahti - #25
Points: 20 vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 7, 2017
Rebounds: 11 vs. University of Northwestern, Dec. 15, 2015
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016; vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 5, 2015

Braden Walbeck - #30
Points: 17 vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016
Rebounds: 6 vs. Lawrence University, Dec. 30, 2016
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017

Adam Mackey - #32
Points: 4 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017
Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017
Assists: 1 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017

Tanner Schmitt - #40
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Joe Haas - #45
Points: 2 (2x) vs. Pacific Lutheran, Dec. 29, 2015; vs. Emmaus Bible, Nov. 21, 2015
Rebounds: 1 (2x) vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 6, 2016; vs. Emmaus Bible, Nov. 21, 2015
Assists: x


The Last Time...(updated February 19, 2017)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30 points: 31, Cory Speer vs. Buena Vista (11/27/16)
Scored 25-29 points: 26, John Keefe vs. UW-Superior (12/1/15)
Recorded 15 rebounds: 15, John Keefe vs. Silver Lake College (1/3/17); Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Recorded 10 assists: 11, Erik Olson vs. UW-Stevens Point (2/13/13)
Recorded 6 steals: 8, by Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/21/08)

A Stout Team...
Had five players score in double digits: vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017: John Keefe (21); John Lahti (17); Keegan Dickson (16); Brett Ahsenmacher (14); Sam Ortmann (13); vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 14, 2017: Jacob Nordstrom (12); Cory Speer (12); Brett Ahsenmacher (11); John Lahti (11); Sam Ortmann (10); vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 5, 2016: Sam Ortmann (16); John Keefe (13); Keegan Dickson (12); Jacob Nordstrom (10); Cory Speer (10); vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016: John Keefe (32); Keegan Dickson (20); Cory Speer (12); John Lahti (11); Jacob Nordstrom (10). vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016: John Keefe (24); Isaac Elliott (19); Keegan Dickson (16); Sam Ortmann (10); John Lahti (10).
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 11, 2017 - John Keefe (15); John Lahti (13); Jacob Nordstrom (12); Brett Ahsenmacher (10); vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 7, 2017. John Lahti (20), John Keefe (18), Cory Speer (17), Jacob Nordstrom (10); vs. Buena Vista, Nov. 27, 2016, Cory Speer (31); John Keefe (15); Sam Ortmann (14); John Lahti (11).
Scored 105 points: 109, vs. Crown College (2/15/11)
Scored 100-104 points: 102 vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Recorded 60 rebounds: 64, vs. Concordia-Texas (12/11/2011)
Recorded 55-59 rebounds: 56 vs. Northland College (11/24/12)
Recorded 25 assists: 25, vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Won 10 or more games in a row: 10, 2005-06 season
Lost 5 or more games in a row: 6, 2016-17 season
Was held to 40 or fewer points in game: 40, vs. Plattsburgh State (12/30/13)

UW-Stout Individual Game Records
Most Points: 43, Chris Korba vs. UW-Oshkosh, 1991
Most Field Goals Attempted: 32, Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most Field Goals Made: 17, Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most 3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 14, Eric Hostetter vs.Crown College, 2010-11; Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made: 9/14, Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03; 9/12, Jerrod Buchholtz vs. UW-River Falls 1/5/11
Consecutive Field Goals Made: 13, Craig Summers vs. E. Montana,1981-82
Best Field Goal Percentage: 100%, Tuwan Clayton (8/8) vs. Northwestern, 12/1/94; Jimmy Whitehead (8/8) at UW-Eau Claire, 1/25/14; Aaron Jenny (5/5) vs. Northland, 11/24/12; Josh Kosloske (5/5) at Luther College, 11/25/13; Brandon White Blackmon (5/5) vs. UW-La Crosse, 1/12/08
Most Free Throws Attempted: 22, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71
Most Free Throws Made: 16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71; Troy Hamilton vs. Mt. Senario, 1989-90; Keith Moessner vs. UW-La Crosse, 1957-58
Consecutive Free Throws Made: 16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71
Best Free Throw Percentage: 100%, 16-16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71; 12-12, Duke Severson vs. Augsburg, 1959-60; 11-11, Nate Templer vs. La Crosse, 2/12/03; 8-8, Erik Olson vs. UW-Superior, 1/30/13
Most Rebounds: 38, Mel Coleman vs. UW-Whitewater, 1967-68
Most Assists: 14, Brian Ellingson vs. Northland, 1986-87
Most Steals: 8, Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran 11/21/08
Most Blocked Shots: 9, Jacob Nonemacher vs. UW-Whitewater, 1/27/07