DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball program (4-12 overall, 3-8 GLIAC) will a host two teams from the West side of the state this week. First Grand Valley State (11-8 overall, 5-6 GLIAC) visits the Matthaei on Friday night and then Davenport (16-3 overall, 8-3 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon.
STORYLINES
Wayne State hosts Grand Valley State and Davenport this week as the Warriors continue to show signs of growth without the reward of tallies in the win column. WSU has lost three games in overtime and two more by a single possession, all in the month of January.
THE SERIES
Wayne State trails 34-49 against Grand Valley State in the all-time series. The Warriors have won three of the past four meetings and are 20-23 inside the Matthaei.
The Warriors have bested Davenport in two of the three meetings. WSU won twice last season (65-62 in Grand Rapids and 71-56 in Detroit) before the Panthers won by three (73-70) on Dec. 6th earlier this season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Grand Valley State has lost three in a row and sit at 11-8 overall with a 5-6 league mark. Ric Wesley is in his 15th season as the Lakers' head man. Redshirt junior guard Hunter Hale is the team's top scorer at 17.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Jake Van Tubbergen is averaging 14.9 points per night and grabbing a team-best 6.7 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Jeremiah Ferguson is contributing 13.4 points per game. As a team GVSU is scoring 80.8 points per contest and allowing 75.1.
Davenport enters the week at 16-3 overall and 8-3 in the GLIAC. The Panthers have won three in a row and eight of their last nine games. Head coach Burt Paddock is in his 10th season with the program. DU has five players scoring in double figures led by redshirt senior forward Dyllon Hudson-Emory at 17.5 points per game and sophomore guard Avery Hudson with 16.5 points per game. That duo also leads the roster in rebounding at 6.2 and 6.0 boards per night, respectively. Hudson is the team's top passer at 5.7 assists per contest. The other top scorers are redshirt sophomore guard Chris Rollins (10.3 PPG), junior forward Robbie Bramhill (10.3 PPG) and redshirt junior guard Janeau Joubert (10.2 PPG). As a team, Davenport is scoring 85.6 points per game and allowing 71.4.
LAST TIME OUT
The Green & Gold erased a 15-point second-half deficit against seventh-ranked Ashland on Saturday but fell 63-61 on a contested jumper from AU's Ben Haraway.
Latin Davis, Jr. scored two of his 14 points with a coast-to-coast layup to tie the game.
Xavier Cochran and
Darian Owens-White each tallied 15 points, while
Javon Henderson stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and four steals to collect his fourth career double-double. It was the fifth time this year WSU lost with four starters in double figures (at ODU, Lake Erie, at DU, SVSU and AU).
HENDERSON'S CONTRIBUTION
Javon Henderson has grown into a standout player during his final collegiate campaign. He has posted four double-doubles in January, the first four of his career. He notched a 31-point and 14-rebound performance at Purdue Northwest (Jan. 10th) and followed that with 15 points and 13 rebounds at Parkside (Jan. 12th). He posted a pair of double-doubles last week, first at Central State, where he tallied 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks. He followed with 11 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and four steals vs. Ashland on Saturday.
CLOSE CALLS
Wayne State snapped a four-game losing streak on Jan. 23 at Central State. During the dry spell, the Warriors played three overtime games and another came down to the final possession. WSU lost the four games by a total of 14 points. The trend continued last Saturday (Jan. 26), as the Warriors fell on a last-second jumper against Ashland. Wayne State has lost seven games by four points or less this season, including the three aforementioned overtime contests.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Wayne State has played seven (#1-Bellarmine, #2 Lewis, #2 Ashland, #5 Northern Michigan, #7 Davenport, #8 Ohio Dominican and #9 Grand Valley State) of the top 10 teams in the Midwest region (at the time of the meeting). However, WSU's remaining schedule ranks 106th (.554 winning percentage) and 80th in terms of cumulative opposition (.553 winning percentage).
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Darian Owens-White ranks 11th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.469) and 26th in minutes per game (36:32).
Latin Davis, Jr. ranks 38th in minutes per game (35:52).
Javon Henderson ranks 41st with 3.06 offensive rebounds per game.
SHARP SHOOTER
Sophomore
Darian Owens-White is quickly becoming one of the most lethal long-range shooters in the league and nation. He has made 47 percent of his three-point attempts this season. He currently ranks fifth in the league and 11th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.469), and is eighth in program history in career three-point percentage (.423 / 52-of-123). Additionally, his 52 made triples ranks 33rd.
RIM PROTECTOR
Senior center
Tristan Wilson has become one of the best shot blockers in program history. Wilson ranks ninth with 78 career blocks and his 1.2 blocks per contest is seventh best in the Wayne State record books. This season, he ranks fourth in the GLIAC in blocks per game (1.4). His 21 total blocked shots is tied-for-sixth best in the league.
HEAD COACH LONGEVITY
Head coach
David Greer is in his 18th season as the top man on the Warriors' bench. He equals the school record for years as head men's basketball coach in 2018-19, joining Newman Ertell (1929-48) and Joel Mason (1948-66) at 18 years on the WSU bench.
COMCAST/XFINITY
Every home men's basketball game in 2019 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast/CN 900. Sean Baligian (play-by-play), Rod Beard (analyst) and Joe Abramson (sideline) will call the action.
LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM). Former Warrior standouts
Ian Larkin and Mike Lewis will serve as analysts during home broadcasts during the 2018-19 season. Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com.