Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Basketball: Lourdes closes out the 2015 calendar year on Thursday afternoon, playing an exhibition game against NCAA Division I foe Central Michigan, in a contest that counts for the Chippewas.  The Gray Wolves reach the midway point in their regular season on Saturday, as Lourdes rings in the new year welcoming Madonna to Tam-o-Shanter.

Head Coach Andre Smith: In his sixth season both on the Lourdes bench and overall as a men's collegiate head coach, Andre Smith has a 91-80 (.532) record.  He is the only head coach in Lourdes program's history.  Smith was the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2012-2013.

Series Notes: Lourdes has never faced Central Michigan on the hardwood.  The Gray Wolves are 7-5 all-time against Madonna in a series that dates back to Nov. 6, 2010.  Lourdes swept last year's meetings, downing the Crusaders 63-61 in Livonia, Mich. on Dec. 13, 2014 before winning at Tam-o-Shanter 58-53 on Jan. 17, 2015.  The Gray Wolves hold a narrow 3-2 series advantage in games played at Tam-o-Shanter.

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes led by as many as 10 points in the second half last Tuesday (Dec. 22) before holding on for a 62-59 victory on the road at Indiana-Northwest.  Zach Steinmetz led four Gray Wolves in double figures with 22 points and nine rebounds while E.J. Blackwell added 15 points.  Julian Johnson and Anthony Swanigan each tallied 11 points in the victory.

Scouting Central Michigan: The Chippewas have won three of their last four games entering the week following a 72-52 victory over Howard last Tuesday (Dec. 22).  Braylon Rayson leads four Central Michigan players averaging in double figures, scoring 15.3 points per game while shooting 41.5% from three-point range.  Rayshawn Simmons adds 14.0 points per night while John Simons is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 7.1 boards per contest.  Central Michigan travels to William & Mary on Tuesday before hosting Lourdes.

Scouting Madonna: The Crusaders enter the week having lost three straight games and eight of their last nine overall following a 98-90 loss at Purdue-North Central last Monday (Dec. 21).  Madonna hosts Spring Arbor on Wednesday before heading to Lourdes.  Chris Dierker leads Madonna scoring 12.1 points per game while pulling down a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per night.  Khalil Malone and Nick Owens are also scoring in double figures, tallying 11.2 and 10.0 points per game respectively.

Making History: When Lourdes tips off against Central Michigan, it will mark the first time the Gray Wolves have ever faced a NCAA Division I squad.  While the game will count in the regular season standings for the Chippewas, Lourdes will count it as an exhibition contest for NAIA Division II.

Looking for Success at Home: Lourdes will open 2016 at home on Saturday against Madonna, looking to kick off the second half of the schedule on a positive note.  The Gray Wolves will play five out of six games at home to start the second half, looking to move up the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings.  Lourdes is 3-1 at home thus far this year, and is tied for seventh place in the WHAC.  The Gray Wolves are just a game-and-a-half out of fifth though.

Looking Back on 2015: Lourdes finished the 2015 calendar year with a 15-15 record overall since the Central Michigan game will not count in the final record.  

Trying to Start 2016 with a Win: The Gray Wolves are 3-2 in program history in their first game of a new calendar year.  Lourdes opened 2015 with a 63-50 loss at home against Northwestern Ohio after downing Marygrove to start 2014.

70 is the Magic Number: Lourdes is undefeated when scoring 70 points in a game this season.  Meanwhile, when the Gray Wolves have surrendered 70 points in a contest, they have yet to win, posting an 0-5 record.

Who's in the Lineup Today?: Lourdes has had nine different players start at least one contest thus far this season, with only Anthony Swanigan drawing the starting nod in all 14 games.   

Limiting Scoring Yet Again: The Gray Wolves enter the week ranked ninth in NAIA Division II allowing just 65.6 points per game this season after finishing in the top-five nationally in scoring defense each of the last four seasons.  Lourdes finished third in NAIA Division II last season surrendering just 58.7 points per game.  In 2013-2014 Lourdes was fifth (63.10), one year after leading the country in 2012-2013 allowing just 51.3 points per night.

More National Rankings: Defensively, the Gray Wolves are holding the opposition to just 41.6% shooting from the floor, a mark that ranks 33rd nationally.
Lourdes ranks 43rd in NAIA Division II shooting 36.4% from three-point range this year and is 48th in rebounding margin, outboarding the opposition by 3.36 per night.

Individually Among the National Leaders: Zach Steinmetz ranks 30th in the country averaging 8.6 rebounds per contest.  Julian Johnson is 32nd in NAIA Division II with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio while ranking 37th with 57 total assists.

This and That: E.J. Blackwell leads Lourdes in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game, while Steinmetz adds 16.2 points per contest ... Steinmetz is 33 points shy of 1,200 for his career ... Steinmetz also surpassed the 700 rebound mark for his career at Marian, and enters play having pulled down 710 while at Lourdes.