Milwaukee Set to Open NCAA Tournament Against Villanova

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After an 8-year absence, Milwaukee returns to the NCAA tournament on Thursday night, as the No. 15 seed Panthers meet No. 2 Villanova in the nightcap of the Buffalo [pd. Game time is approximately 9:25 p.m. ET and can be seen on TBS.

Milwaukee went on a stunning weeklong run through the Horizon League Tournament, winning road games at Green Bay and Wright State en route to the title. In claiming the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the Panthers became the first team to record a sub-.500 conference record. Milwaukee trailed for just 8:49 of 165 minutes in the Tournament, improving to 21-13 on the season.

The Panthers' 13-win improvement from a year ago is the best in the nation.

Led by Jordan Aaron, the Panthers exceeded expectations with a 21-13 record and a fifth-place regular-season finish in the Horizon League. After finishing last a year ago and having been picked to finish there again, the Panthers surpassed last season's win total in early December. Milwaukee also more than doubled its league win total from a season ago.

The First Niagara Center should not intimidate Milwaukee, as UWM has 10 true road wins and 14 total victories outside of its home city. The Horizon League has found success in Buffalo before, as Butler reached the Sweet 16 in 2007 at the then-HSBC Center.

Milwaukee owns a history of success in the NCAA tournament, recording two wins in 2005 and reaching the round of 32 in 2006. Current head coach Rob Jeter guided that 2006 squad.