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Game 12
Opponent: University of Arizona
Date: Thursday, December 22, 2022
Site: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Game Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Series Record: Arizona leads the series 1-0 since 1997
Live Stats: here
Live Stream: PAC-12 Networks - here
Radio: Arizona Learfield Sports Network
MSU Coaches: MSU -Kevin Broadus (46-46 (4th season) • UA - Tommy Lloyd (44-5, 2nd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.arizonawildcats.com
SETTING THE STAGE
The Morgan State men's basketball team (4-7) prepare to face the University of Arizona Wildcats (11-1, 1-1) on Thursday night inside the McKale Center. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. (EST) and fans can catch the action live via Pac-12 Networks.
• Redshirt sophomore forward Will Thomas scored a game-high 22 points off the bench for Morgan State, but UMBC led for all but 13 seconds of action and won their fourth consecutive game, defeating local rival Morgan State, 75-63, before 2,030 fans at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Dec. 10. Senior guard Malik Miller added 14 points (4-8 FG) with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Morgan turned over the Retrievers 16 times and scored 16 points off those miscues.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona leads the all-time series 1-0 margin. The Wildcats defeated Morgan State on Nov. 20, 1997 by a score of 115-53.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
• Arizona is led by head coach Tommy Lloyd. Lloyd, was named head coach at the University of Arizona on April 14, 2021 after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga the previous 22 seasons. In his first season as a head coach in 2021-22, he was named National Coach of the Year by the NABC, USBWA and the Associated Press, becoming the first Arizona men's basketball head coach to win any of those awards. He led Arizona to a 33-4 overall record and a 18-2 mark in Pac-12 play to claim the conference's regular season title.
• Arizona was tabbed to finish in second place in the 2022-23 Pac-12 preseason poll. Arizona had 352 votes (3 first place votes), while UCLA was picked to finish first with 386 points and 26 first place votes.
• Dec. 20, 2022 -- Kerr Kriisa scored 18 points, Cedric Henderson Jr. added 16 and No. 5 Arizona pulled away in the second half to beat Montana State 85-64 on Tuesday night. Arizona pulled it out by wearing down Montana State and hitting 10 of 25 3-pointers for its 26th straight home win.
• Arizona enters Thursday night's contest averaging 90.0 points per game (ranks No. 1 in Pac-12) on 52.9 percent shooting from the field and lead the conference by shooting 37.7 percent from behind the arc. The Wildcats are +9.6 on the boards outrebounding their opponents 41.8 to 32.3.
• Junior 6-foot-11 forward Azuolas Tubelis (Vilnius, Lithuania) is leading the Pac-12 averaging 20.1 points per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. He also ranks second in the league in rebounding (8.6 rpg).
• R-junior Oumar Ballo (Gonzaga transfer) is averaging 18.1 points and is shooting 73.3 percent from the field and 5th-year senior guard Courtney Ramey (St. Louis, Md.) is averaging 11.8 points on 43.6 percent shooting from the field.
TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING DOUBLE-FIGURES
The Bears will enter Saturday's game against Bowling Green with two players averaging double-digits.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke holds the lead for the team high in points, averaging 17.4 points, to go along with 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds.
• Senior guard Malik Miller is the team's second leading scorer averaging 16.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and is shooting 52.7 percent from the field.
INVESCO QQQ LEGACY CLASSIC
The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, a college basketball showcase featuring Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) created by actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, WME Sports (the sports division of WME, an Endeavor company), Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, announced the second installment of the showcase will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
• This year's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) men's college basketball showcase will feature Morgan State University versus Delaware State University and Norfolk State University versus Hampton University competing in a doubleheader airing on TNT.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Offensively, Morgan is currently averaging 80.9 points thru its first 11 games.
• Morgan exploded for 130 points in its home opener versus Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears are shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke leads the team averaging 17.4 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and has connected on 32-of-76 3-pointers (.421).
• The Bears averaged 75.0 points (No. 2 in MEAC) thru 28 games during the 2022-23 season.
BEAR DEFENSE
Defensively, Morgan State limits its opponents to scoring 70.4 points per game on 41.6 percent shooting from the floor and 29.4 percent from 3-point range, allowing 6.1 long distance strikes per night.
• The Bears have caused 236 turnovers (21.5 to/g) with 139 steals (12.6 stl/g) and 48 blocked shots (4.4 blk/g).
• Morgan State is outrebounded by the opponent with a -1.0 margin as the opponent grabbed 404 total boards (36.7 rebs/g) compared to the 415 total rebounds (37.7 rebs/g) secured.
• Last season, Morgan held opponents to 72.4 points per game (rank No. 6 in MEAC) and 43.7 percent shooting from the field (No. 8).
• The 19.3 turnovers per game Morgan's defense forced last season ranked No. 2 in the country.
THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE
Through games played on Wed., Dec. 19, the Bears rank No. 2 among all MEAC teams in 3-point shooting percentage (36.5%, 72-for-197).
• Isaiah Burke leads the conference shooting 42.1% from 3-point range (32-for-76).
• Burke and Khalil Turner are the only Morgan players who have made at least 10 shots from 3-point distance this season... Burke leads the way with 32 and Turner has made 11-of-34 3s.
• Last season, MSU ranked No. 6 in the MEAC in that category, having shot 31.3% from 3-point range in 28 contests.
HOME COOKING
• Morgan has started the 2022-23 season 3-0 at home.
• Morgan completed the 2021-22 season with an 8-3 mark inside Hill Field House.
• The last time the Bears lost at home was against North Carolina Central (74-64) ... their previous loss was on Jan. 23, 2022 against Howard (91-82) on Jan. 23, 2022.
NON-CONFERENCE
• The Bears are off to a 4-7 start in non-conference play so far this season.
• Morgan State went 5-8 in non-conference play in the 2021-22 season.
• Last season, MSU went 4-0 at home, 0-7 in road games and 1-1 in neutral site games.
AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus is entering his fourth season at the helm of the program after being named as the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition in this most recent season, elevating the caliber of wins for a program that aims to compete at a championship level within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Broadus demonstrated exemplary leadership while successfully overcoming a number of challenges at the onset of his tenure at Morgan, including having to navigate rebuilding a program under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In Broadus' debut season, Morgan State went 15-16, its largest victory total since 2013-14. Then in the midst of a pandemic, the Bears produced a 14-8 mark --- their best winning percentage since going 27-10 and making the NCAA tournament in 2009-10. This past season, Morgan finished with a record of 13-15 overall, and placed fourth in the MEAC standings with a 7-6 record while advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals game.
• Prior to Morgan, Broadus worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps.
• Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing a number of local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.
WHO'S OUT
• Trevor Moore (Houston, Texas), Sherwyn Devonish (Bladensburg, Md.), Lagio Grantsaan (Utrecht, The Netherlands), Seventh Woods (Columbia, S.C.), Chad Venning (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Keith McGee (Rochester, N.Y.), Elijah Bowens (Bowie, Md.), Myles Douglas (Edgewood, Md.) and De'Torrion Ware (Hopkinsville Ky.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.
WHO'S BACK
The Bears return four starters from last year's team, bringing back guards Malik Miller, and Isaiah Burke. MSU also returns guards Will Thomas along with forwards Ty Horner and Collin Nnamene.
WHO'S IN
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2021-22 roster: G Daiquan Copeland, G Kevon Wiggins,G Chase Williams, G Kamron Hobbs, G Robert Lawson, F Djonkam Lewis, F David McCullough, and F Khalil Turner.
RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS
Morgan State returns 29.2 percent of its scoring, 28.7 percent of its rebounding and 29.0 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Malik Miller - .552), three-point percentage (Isaiah Burke, .410), free throw percentage (Miller, .605), rebounding (Miller - 8.8 rpg), assists (Burke, 2.0), steals (Malik, 2.0), blocked shots (Miller, 0.7). and minutes played (Burke, 22.8). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago also return - Miller (16) and Horner (9).
HOME GROWN
Morgan State has seven players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Senior guard Isaiah Burke is from Annapolis and was a prep standout at Bowie HS, while senior guard Malik Miller hails from Washington, D.C. and played at Friendship Tech Prep. Junior guard Will Thomas is from Baltimore and played at Mervo HS. Bowie State transfer David McCullough is a product of Bowie, Md. and played at Riverdale Baptist HS. Freshman guard Chase Williams is from Waldorf, Md. and was a prep standout at Grace Brethren HS.
BROADUS' STAFF
Morgan State head basketball coach Kevin Broadus' coaching staff consists of assistant coaches Chretien Lukusa, Keith Goodie and Larry Stewart.
• Lukusa enters his first year as associate head coach with Morgan State Basketball, after serving the previous three years as an assistant coach with the program.Prior to Morgan State, Lukusa spent five years on staff at Binghamton University, three years as an assistant. In his time at Morgan State, Lukusa has contributed many facets of the program, including recruiting, player development, and scheduling.
. A 2011 Binghamton graduate who also earned his master's degree at the University, Lukusa returned to the program in 2014. After serving two seasons as the coordinator of player development, Lukusa earned a promotion to assistant coach in Summer 2016.
• Goodie enters his enters his first season as a member of Broadus' coaching staff for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Goodie comes to Morgan State after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Delaware State University from 2020-21 under head coach Eric Skeeters. Prior to the Hornets, he was a member of Todd Bozeman's staff at Morgan State from 2007-to-2015.
• Stewart's most recent stop was as an assistant coach at fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) member Maryland Eastern Shore (2019-21). A standout player at Coppin State from 1988-1991, Stewart led the Eagles to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1990 and first ever National Invitational Tournament in 1991. Stewart signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) in 1991.
THE SCHEDULE
Morgan State will have a coast-to-coast presence --- and even make an international venture --- during nonconference play.
• The Bears open Nov. 7 against Xavier, a Big East school coming off an NIT title. Three nights later, Morgan State begins its 12-game home slate against Penn State Allegheny.
• The Bears will also visit Virginia Commonwealth before playing two games in the Jamaica Classic on Nov. 18 and 20 before heading west to meet Loyola Marymount on Nov. 23. The highlight of the December slate is a Dec. 22 trip to Arizona, which is coming off a Pac-12 championship.
|• MEAC play begins Jan. 7 against North Carolina Central. Another January highlight is defending league champion Norfolk State's trek to Hill Field House on Jan. 23.
• The final nonconference game is actually against a MEAC opponent. The Bears will meet Delaware State on Feb. 4 in the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic in Newark, N.J. Morgan State closes the regular season with three out of its last four at home, including a Senior Night showdown March 2 against crosstown rival Coppin State, before its annual trip to the MEAC tournament March 8-11 in Norfolk, Va.
PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason poll.
• The 2022-23 Bears earned 81 total points in the voting. Norfolk State claimed 15 first place votes and 127 points total as the defending MEAC champions. North Carolina Central (102 pts) was selected second, followed by Howard in third place (93 pts). Coppin State (67 pts), Maryland Eastern Shore (46 pts), Delaware State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (30 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Senior guard Malik Miller was named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-11 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.
HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows. Including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
• Follow us on social media:
Facebook: /MorganStateBears
Twitter: @MorganStBears
Instagram: /MorganStateBears
ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
