UWM basketball is set to begin Horizon League play. Both the men’s and women’s teams will play their first Conference game of the 2016-2017 season today.
The men’s basketball will head to Ohio for a couple of games against Youngstown State and Cleveland State while women’s basketball will play their first couple of games at home at the Klotsche Center. The women’s team is coming off an 11-day rest, last playing Dec. 18 against city rivals Marquette in a close one. The men’s team last played Dec. 19 against the Belmont Bruins and lost.
Tip-off tonight is 6 p.m. for the men’s game against Youngstown State and 7 p.m. for the women’s game against Wright State. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3.
The women’s basketball team enters the tournament with a current 8-3 overall record. This is an impressive improvement from last season’s 6-5 record when the women began conference play. The men’s team look to improve their current 4-9 overall record.
The Panthers should expect a competitive conference, as the women went 12-6 in last year’s conference and the men finished 10-8. The women’s team advanced to the finals last year, but fell to Green Bay. The men’s team lost to Green Bay in the second round.
The 2017 Horizon League Championship will be held March 3-7, in Detroit at the Joe Louis Arena. “Motor City Madness” will feature the men’s and women’s teams. Tickets for the championship tournament go on sale this morning.