:Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball
{{Short description|American men's college basketball team}}
{{Infobox CBB Team
|current = 2024–25 Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team
|name = Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball
|logo = Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers wordmark.svg
|logo_size = 250
|university = University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
|conference = Horizon League
|location = Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|coach = Bart Lundy
|tenure = 3rd
|arena = UWM Panther Arena
|capacity = 10,783
|student section =
|nickname = Panthers
|h_body= FFFFFF
|h_pattern_b=_goldcollar
|h_shorts= FFFFFF
|h_pattern_s=_goldbottom
|a_body=000000
|a_pattern_b=_whitecollar
|a_shorts=000000
|a_pattern_s=_whitebottom
|3_body=FFFDF0
|3_pattern_b=_blacksides
|3_shorts=FFFDF0
|3_pattern_s=_blacksides
|NCAAchampion =
|NCAAfinalfour =
|NCAAeliteeight = 1989*
|NCAAsweetsixteen = 1989*, 2005
|NCAAroundof32 = 2005, 2006
|NCAAtourneys = Division II: 1960, 1989
Division III: 1982
Division I: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2014
|conference_tournament = Horizon League
2003, 2005, 2006, 2014
|conference_season =WIAC
1913, 1934, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1948, 1960'''
----
'''Horizon League
2004, 2005, 2006, 2011
}}
The Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Horizon League for the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. They play their home games at UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and are currently coached by Bart Lundy.{{Cite web |last=Thamel |first=Pete |author-link=Pete Thamel |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Bart Lundy accepts men's basketball coaching job for UW-Milwaukee Panthers, sources say |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33539899/bart-lundy-accepts-men-basketball-coaching-job-uw-milwaukee-panthers-sources-say |access-date=March 18, 2022 |website=ESPN}} The Panthers have made four NCAA Tournament tournament appearances, most recently in 2014.
History
{{seealso|List of Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball head coaches}}
UWM's predecessor institutions (Milwaukee Normal School, Milwaukee State Teachers College and Milwaukee State College) have competed in basketball since the 19th century as the Milwaukee Normals (1896–1927) and Milwaukee State Green Gulls (1927–1956).
Milwaukee State's only undefeated season came in 1940 under head coach Guy Penwell as the Green Gulls finished the year 16–0 enroute to their third Wisconsin State Conference championship.
The team competed under the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee name for the first time for the 1956–57 season. In honor of joining the University of Wisconsin System, they sported the cardinal red and white colors and adopted "Cardinals" as their nickname. Three years later, the Cardinals made their first post-season appearance in the 1960 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament.
=1965–1998: Becoming the Panthers; up to Division I=
Seeking to establish their own identity, Milwaukee adopted the colors of black and gold on September 1, 1965 and became known as the Panthers. They also left the Wisconsin State College Conference (now the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), of which they had been members since 1913, to form a conference with other urban public universities in the Great Lakes region such as Illinois-Chicago and Cleveland State. Such plans for a new conference never materialized, and the Panthers remained independent even as they moved from the NCAA College Division (now NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III) to the University Division (now NCAA Division I) in 1973.
The team moved again to NCAA Division III in 1980. Between 1985 and 1987, Milwaukee competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In 1987, the program moved to NCAA Division II where it won its regional in the 1989 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, advancing to the contest's Elite Eight. Since 1990, Milwaukee Men's Basketball has competed in NCAA Division I. They played in the Mid-Continent Conference for one year in 1993–94 before joining the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, which became the Horizon League in 1999 and has been the Panthers' home ever since.
=1999–2001: Bo Ryan era=
In 1999, the Panthers hired Bo Ryan, a highly successful Division III coach at UW–Plattville, as the team's new head coach. Under Ryan, the Panthers had their first consecutive winning seasons since 1993, and Ryan was also instrumental in bringing wider attention and fan enthusiasm to the program. After just two seasons, Ryan left to become the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers.
=2002–2005: Bruce Pearl era=
After Bo Ryan's departure, Milwaukee would hire Bruce Pearl, a successful Division II coach at Southern Indiana, as head coach. Milwaukee reached new heights of success during the mid-2000s, making its first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship appearance in 2003 under Pearl, followed by a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2005 and a second-round appearance in 2006. Pearl left to become the head coach at Tennessee after 2005 and the school hired Rob Jeter, a former assistant under Bo Ryan.{{Cite web|url=http://host.madison.com/sports/just-one-opening-at-uw-rob-jeter-is-driven-to/article_f7a843ad-3a95-5141-acbf-1a3928fca64c.html|title=JUST ONE OPENING AT UW ROB JETER IS DRIVEN TO SUCCEED AT UWM; GARY CLOSE WON'T BE GOING TO EASTERN ILLINOIS.|last=Journal|first=Jon Masson Wisconsin State|website=madison.com|access-date=2016-04-07}} The Panthers won three straight regular-season Horizon League championships from 2004 to 2006 as well as the Horizon League tournament championship in 2003, 2005, and 2006.
=2006–2015: Rob Jeter era=
The Panthers' most recent Horizon League regular season championship came in 2011, where they'd host the Horizon League Championship game, but lost to Butler. In 2014, the Panthers won the Horizon League tournament, making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006. Just a few weeks later, UWM was handed a one-year postseason ban due to a low Academic Progress Rate.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24520325/wisconsin-milwaukee-banned-from-2015-postseason-due-to-apr|title=Wisconsin-Milwaukee banned from 2015 postseason due to APR|website=CBSSports.com|access-date=2016-04-07}} Under Jeter, while the Panthers were mostly competitive, they were unable to stay consistently on top in the Horizon League standings.
On March 17, 2016, Milwaukee fired Rob Jeter after 11 seasons with the Panthers.{{Cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/rob-jeter-fired-as-uwm-mens-basketball-coach-b99689696z1-372401751.html|title=Rob Jeter fired as UWM men's basketball coach|website=www.jsonline.com|access-date=2016-04-07}}
=2016–2021: LaVall Jordan and Pat Baldwin eras=
On April 7, 2016, Milwaukee announced that Michigan assistant coach LaVall Jordan would be the new head coach.{{cite news|last1=Rosiak|first1=Todd|title=Michigan assistant LaVall Jordan to coach UWM basketball|url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/panthers/michigan-assistant-lavall-jordan-to-coach-uwm-basketball-b99702068z1-374908571.html|access-date=8 April 2016|publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=7 April 2016}}
Less than one year later, on March 3, 2017, the Panthers made history by being the first No. 10 seed to win a game in the Horizon League Tournament. They went on to place second overall in the tournament, losing to Northern Kentucky in the championship game on March 7.{{Cite web|url=http://mkepanthers.com/news/2017/3/7/mens-basketball-milwaukees-wild-postseason-ride-ends-in-title-game.aspx?path=mbball|title=Milwaukee's Wild Postseason Ride Ends In Title Game|website=Milwaukee Athletics|access-date=2017-06-06}} After this one lone season, Jordan accepted the head coaching job at Butler. On June 20, Milwaukee hired Northwestern assistant coach Pat Baldwin as their new head coach.{{Cite web |date=2017-06-20 |title=Milwaukee hires Baldwin as new hoops coach |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19687513/milwaukee-panthers-hire-pat-baldwin-head-coach |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}
In 2021, the Panthers made national news when they were able to successfully recruit Baldwin's son Patrick Baldwin Jr., who was rated by ESPN as the number four rated recruit in the country, becoming the highest rated player to commit to a Horizon League school.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-12 |title=5-star recruit picks Milwaukee over Duke, UVa |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/31432017/five-star-recruit-patrick-baldwin-play-father-milwaukee |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} Baldwin Jr. struggled with injury in his freshman season, and the Panthers finished the season 10–22. On March 2, 2022, Pat Baldwin was fired as head coach after five straight losing seasons.{{Cite web |last=Rosiak |first=Todd |title=Pat Baldwin fired after five seasons as men's basketball coach at UW-Milwaukee |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uwm/2022/03/02/pat-baldwin-fired-after-five-seasons-coach-uw-milwaukee/9340848002/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Journal Sentinel |language=en-US}} Patrick Baldwin Jr. declared for the 2022 NBA draft, where he was selected 28th overall by the Golden State Warriors, becoming the first player in program history to be selected in the first round.{{Cite web |title=Warriors Select Patrick Baldwin Jr. (#28) & Gui Santos (#55) in 2022 NBA Draft, Presented by Oracle |url=https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-draft-results-20220623 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=www.nba.com |language=en}}
=2022–Present: Bart Lundy era=
On March 18, 2022, the Panthers hired Bart Lundy, a successful Division II coach at Queens (NC), as the team's next head coach.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-18 |title=Sources: Lundy accepts job at UW-Milwaukee |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/33539899/bart-lundy-accepts-men-basketball-coaching-job-uw-milwaukee-panthers-sources-say |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} In Lundy's first season, the Panthers won 20 regular season games for the first time since 2004-05, finishing second in the Horizon League before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament to Cleveland State. Milwaukee accepted an invite to the 2023 College Basketball Invitational, their first postseason appearance since the 2014 NCAA tournament. The Panthers defeated Stetson in overtime in the first round, marking their first postseason tournament victory since 2006, before losing to eventual champions Charlotte in the quarterfinals. In 2023-24, despite high hopes, the Panthers struggled through much of the season, mainly due to injuries to key players. The team still rallied to advance to the Horizon League Championship game before losing to Oakland, finishing with a record of 20-15, which was also the first time since 2006 that the Panthers had consecutive 20-win seasons. Lundy also became the first coach in the program's history to have 20-win seasons in each of his first two seasons coaching the team.
Milwaukee wins vs. the AP Top 25
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Opponent !Date !Score !Site |
| 2004-05
|#21 Alabama |3-17-05 |W 83-73 |Neutral |
| 2005-06
|#24 Oklahoma |3-16-06 |W 82-74 |Neutral |
| 2008-09
|#21 Butler |3-18-09 |W 63-60 |Home |
Postseason
=NCAA Division I Tournament results=
The Panthers have appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament four times. Their combined record is 3–4.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Milwaukee Panthers|Year|Seed|Round|Opponent|Result}} | ||||
| align="center"
| 2003 | #12 | First round | #5 Notre Dame | L 69–70 |
| align="center"
| 2005 | #12 | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #5 Alabama #4 Boston College #1 Illinois | W 83–73 W 83–75 L 63–77 |
| align="center"
| 2006 | #11 | First round Second Round | #6 Oklahoma #3 Florida | W 82–74 L 60–82 |
| align="center"
| 2014 | #15 | First round | #2 Villanova | L 53–73 |
=NCAA Division II Tournament results=
The Panthers have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament two times. Their combined record is 3–2.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Milwaukee Panthers|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}} | |||
| align="center"
| 1960 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | Lincoln (MO) Augustana (IL) | L 92–100 W 109–82 |
| align="center"
| 1989 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight | Augustana (SD) Northern Colorado Southeast Missouri State | W 99–95 W 89–88 OT L 84–93 |
=NCAA Division III Tournament results=
The Panthers have appeared in the NCAA Division III tournament one time. Their record is 1–1.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Milwaukee Panthers|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}} | |||
| align="center"
| 1982 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd Place | Augustana (IL) Beloit | L 63–70 W 75–73 |
=NIT results=
The Panthers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) two times. Their combined record is 1–2.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Milwaukee Panthers|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}} | |||
| align="center"
| 2004 | Opening Round First round | Rice Boise State | W 91–53 L 70–73 |
| align="center"
| 2011 | First round | Northwestern | L 61–70 |
=CBI results=
The Panthers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) two times. Their record is 1–2.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Milwaukee Panthers|Year|Round|Opponent|Result}} | |||
| align="center"
| 2012 | First round | TCU | L 73–83 |
| 2023 | First round Quarterfinals | #6 Stetson #3 Charlotte | W 87–83 OT L 65–76 |
Conferences
| class="wikitable"
! Years ! Conference ! Win–loss ! Win–loss ! Seasons | ||||
| 1896–1913 | Independent | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| 1913–1964 | Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) | N/A | N/A | 51 |
| 1964–1973 | NCAA College Division Independent | rowspan=6 | 412–346 | rowspan=6 | .544 | 9 |
| 1973–1980 | NCAA Division I Independent | 7 | ||
| 1980–1985 | NCAA Division III Independent | 5 | ||
| 1985–1987 | NAIA Independent | 2 | ||
| 1987–1990 | NCAA Division II Independent | 3 | ||
| 1990–1993 | NCAA Division I Independent | 3 | ||
| 1993–1994 | Mid-Continent Conference{{efn|group=UWMilwaukeeMBB|Currently known as the Summit League since 2007.}} | 7–11 | .388 | 1 |
| 1994–present | Horizon League{{efn|group=UWMilwaukeeMBB|Formerly known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) until 2001.}} | 227–237 | {{winpct|227|237}} | 30 |
;Notes:
{{notelist|group=UWMilwaukeeMBB}}
Home arenas
| class="wikitable"
!Years !Arena | |
| 1956–1977 | Baker Fieldhouse |
| 1977–1992 1998–2003 2012–present | J. Martin Klotsche Center |
| 1992–1998 | The Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena (The MECCA) |
| 2003–2012 | U.S. Cellular Arena |
| 2013–present | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena |
Milwaukee–Green Bay rivalry records
{{sports rivalry series table
| team1 = Milwaukee
| team1style = {{NCAA secondary color cell|Milwaukee Panthers}}
| team2 = Green Bay
| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|Green Bay Phoenix}}
| format = compact | cols = 2
| series_summary = yes
| 1971 | N/A | Green Bay | 82 | Milwaukee | 75
| 1979 | N/A | Green Bay | 58 | Milwaukee | 57
| 1980 | N/A | Green Bay | 57 | Milwaukee | 53
| 1980 | N/A | Green Bay | 70 | Milwaukee | 50
| 1993 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 75 | Green Bay | 68
| 1993 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 61 | Green Bay | 48
| 1994 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 64 | Milwaukee | 42
| 1994 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 58 | Green Bay | 55
| 1995 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 79 | Milwaukee | 58
| 1995 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 63 | Milwaukee | 43
| 1996 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 67 | Milwaukee | 54
| 1996 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 81 | Milwaukee | 66
| 1997 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 62 | Milwaukee | 49
| 1997 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 62 | Milwaukee | 46
| 1998 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 68 | Milwaukee | 51
| 1998 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 80 | Milwaukee | 72
| 1999 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 74 | Milwaukee | 66
| 1999 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 59 | Green Bay | 57
| 1999 | Chicago, IL | Green Bay | 72 | Milwaukee | 66
| 2000 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 67 | Milwaukee | 65
| 2000 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 67 | Green Bay | 42
| 2000 | Chicago, IL | Milwaukee | 62 | Green Bay | 58
| 2001 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 53 | Milwaukee | 49
| 2001 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 79 | Green Bay | 57
| 2002 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 63 | Green Bay | 51
| 2002 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 76 | Green Bay | 66
| 2003 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 79 | Milwaukee | 68
| 2003 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 78 | Green Bay | 54
| 2004 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 82 | Green Bay | 70
| 2004 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 81 | Green Bay | 70
| 2005 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 86 | Green Bay | 56
| 2005 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 76 | Milwaukee | 72
| 2006 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 80 | Green Bay | 60
| 2006 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 84 | Milwaukee | 77
| 2007 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 73 | Milwaukee | 67
| 2007 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 74 | Green Bay | 73
| 2008 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 65 | Green Bay | 61
| 2008 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 76 | Green Bay | 66
| 2009 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 77 | Milwaukee | 75
| 2009 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 72 | Milwaukee | 68
| 2010 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 71 | Green Bay | 51
| 2010 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 61 | Milwaukee | 54
| 2011 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 69 | Milwaukee | 64
| 2011 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 88 | Green Bay | 75
| 2012 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 64 | Green Bay | 63
| 2012 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 81 | Green Bay | 75
| 2013 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 74 | Milwaukee | 54
| 2013 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 78 | Milwaukee | 61
| 2013 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 62 | Milwaukee | 46
| 2014 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 93 | Milwaukee | 86
| 2014 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 73 | Green Bay | 63
| 2014 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 73 | Green Bay | 66
| 2015 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 79 | Milwaukee | 63
| 2015 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 81 | Milwaukee | 70
| 2016 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 95 | Green Bay | 94
| 2016 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 70 | Milwaukee | 68
| 2016 | Detroit, MI | Green Bay | 70 | Milwaukee | 61
| 2017 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 80 | Milwaukee | 74
| 2017 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 80 | Milwaukee | 56
| 2018 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 99 | Milwaukee | 92
| 2018 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 76 | Green Bay | 58
| 2019 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 92 | Milwaukee | 82
| 2019 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 90 | Milwaukee | 74
| 2020 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 87 | Green Bay | 80
| 2020 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 94 | Milwaukee | 90
| 2021 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 68 | Green Bay | 65
| 2021 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 74 | Green Bay | 62
| 2022 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 63 | Green Bay | 49
| 2022 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 54 | Green Bay | 44
| 2022 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 81 | Green Bay | 67
| 2023 | Milwaukee, WI | Green Bay | 80 | Milwaukee | 79
| 2023 | Green Bay, WI | Green Bay | 70 | Milwaukee | 58
| 2024 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 90 | Milwaukee | 69
| 2024 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 95 | Green Bay | 84
| 2024 | Green Bay, WI | Milwaukee | 88 | Green Bay | 67
| 2025 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee | 70 | Green Bay | 59
}}
Players in the NBA draft
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Year ! Player ! Round # ! Pick # ! Overall # ! Team | |||||
| 1961 | Ron Debillous | 10th | 1 | 84 | New York Knicks |
| 1971 | Vance Tyree | 16th | 1 | 225 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1977 | Larry Pikes | 8th | 3 | 154 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1991 | Von McDade | 2nd | 26 | 53 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2022 | Patrick Baldwin Jr. | 1st | 28 | 28 | Golden State Warriors |
See also
References
[https://mkepanthers.com/documents/2020/11/23//MBB_Media_Guide_Final_2021.pdf?id=12986 Basketball Media Guide (history)]
{{reflist}}