Overview:
UW-Milwaukee men's basketball schedule features four opponents from last year's NCAA Tournament, two Milwaukee-based events and a matchup with a Power 5 school.
UW-Milwaukee basketball released their full schedule for the 2024-25 season on Monday, featuring four opponents who earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2024 and one Power 5 matchup.
They’ll also participate in the UWM-hosted Cream City Challenge and MKE Tip-Off at the Fiserv Forum.
Portland State, Wofford and St. Thomas come to Milwaukee for the Cream City Challenge from November 22-24 – UWM will face all three opponents throughout the weekend.
The MKE Tip-Off takes place on December 15, a tripleheader at the Fiserv Forum pitting the Panthers against Akron. The event also includes a matchup between Power 5 squads Northwestern and Georgia Tech, with San Francisco and Loyola (Chicago) capping off the event.
Milwaukee opens its regular season against Sheboygan-based Lakeland University, their third consecutive lid-lifter against an in-state Division III opponent.
Following the opener, they hit the road with an intense three-game trip against Northern Iowa, Longwood and Duquesne. Longwood and Duquesne both qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2024, with Duquesne advancing to the Round of 32.
The Panthers then return home for the three-game Cream City Challenge, before heading south for their final pre-conference season tune-up, facing UCF and Southern Miss.
Milwaukee, last year’s Horizon League tournament runner-up, begins league play with conference semifinalist Cleveland State on December 5 at the UWM Panther Arena.
As part of the Horizon League slate, the Panthers face each in-conference rival twice during the regular season, once in Milwaukee and once on the road.
The team renews its rivalry with Green Bay early, traveling up I-43 to face the Doug Gottlieb-led Phoenix on December 11. The black-and-gold will host the in-state rivals on January 11 at the UWM Panther Arena.
Last year’s postseason competitors clashed both on and off the court last year, including disputes over practice times and a broken camera. Head coach Sundance Wicks departed to become the head coach at Wyoming, the flagship university in his home state.
A short break from league play in December includes a matchup with 2024 MAC champion Akron in the MKE Tip-Off, and a game with D-III North Central (Ill.).
Milwaukee begins the new year with a conference championship rematch against a new-look Oakland squad on January 2, later facing the Golden Grizzlies in the penultimate contest of the regular season on February 27.
They close the regular season with Detroit Mercy on March 1, a team looking to rebound from their 1-31 campaign last year.
The Klotsche Center will play host to three home games – the opener vs. Lakeland and matchups against North Central and IU-Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI) over the university’s winter recess.
Milwaukee enters the year as one of the league favorites, returning four of six primary starters from last year’s Horizon League runner-up squad. Leading scorer BJ Freeman left for Arizona State, and guard Elijah Jamison transferred to UNC-Wilmington.