Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix
Horizon League (22-10, 13-5)
RPI: 71
Big Wins: 12/4 Wright State (57-46), 1/15 Cleveland State (80-65), 2/2 Butler (75-66)
Bad Losses: 12/18 Oakland (76-79), 1/5 at Loyola Ill (60-62), at Youngstown State (73-77)
Coach: Tod Kowalczyk
Probable Starters:
Rahmon Fletcher, Sophomore, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 4.3 apg
Troy Cotton, Junior, Guard, 12.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Ryan Tillema, Senior, Guard, 17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Terry Evans, Senior, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.6 apg
Mike Schachtner, Senior, Forward, 11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Randy Berry, Junior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg
Pat Nelson, Junior, Forward, 1.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Bryquis Perine, Sophomore, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 2.0 apg
Why They Can Surprise:
Wisconsin Green Bay is one of the most prolific and efficient three-point shooting teams in the nation. Nearly all of that production comes from Ryan Tillema and Troy Cotton. Tillema is an interesting player due to his size. He is a 6-8 guard who shoots 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. That makes him extremely difficult to guard. And Tillema is not just a big guy who can shoot; he will also back down smaller defenders and do plenty of scoring in the paint. Tillema has been coming in off the bench most of the year, which is certainly different for a senior who averages 17.5 points per game, but whether he starts or not, Tillema will be on the floor at the end of the game.
Cotton, a 6-1 junior, will not score around the basket as much as Tillema, but he definitely gets the job done on the perimeter. His three-point shooting numbers are nearly identical to Tillema’s and when those two are hitting their shots, which is most of the time, the Phoenix can score a ton of points.
Why They Can Disappoint:
UWGB has a couple quality scorers in the paint too. Mike Schachtner and Terry Evans both average over nine points per game. However, Schachtner is not a very tough rebounder and Evans is only 6-5. That means Coach Tod Kowalczyk’s team has a lot of trouble on the glass. For a team that has a 6-8 wing who will work hard on the glass, they should not get outrebounded as often as they do. Randy Berry has been starting most of the year instead of Tillema and he is the team’s best rebounder. Without Berry on the floor, the Phoenix will struggle even more on the glass.
Who To Watch:
Green Bay has five players who average at least 9.8 points per game. Not many teams can say that. Even point guard Rahmon Fletcher gets into the action. Like just about everybody else on the team, Fletcher is a good outside shooter. However, he has to drive the lane quite a bit in order to drive and dish to the shooters, so he will do plenty of scoring around the basket. Much more important than adding another scorer to the mix is the fact that Fletcher is a solid ball handler and a great playmaker. Even during those rare times when Wisconsin Green Bay’s offense is struggling, Fletcher will make a play for himself or one of his teammates.
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.7 (93rd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.3 (130, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (126, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.3 (123, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (26, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.5 (4, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 78.9 (2, 1)
Rebound Margin: -1.3 (236, 8)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (102, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (59, 3)
Joel’s Bracket Says: CBI Final loss to Stanford
