By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - As Green Bay hits the road once again this weekend to play at Cleveland State, expect the Phoenix to be involved in yet another close game. The Phoenix has played in seven games in a row decided by single digits.

Green Bay (7-10, 3-4 HL) will visit the Holstein Center in Cleveland on Friday night at 7 p.m., facing Cleveland State (15-4, 5-2 HL) in a contest televised live nationally by ESPNU. Jim Barbar, who called Green Bay's win last Saturday, will handle the play-by-play duties while David Kaplan will serve as the color analyst.

In its most recent game down to the wire, Green Bay pulled out a 57-56 win over Wright State when freshman Keifer Sykes (Chicago, Ill.) drained a pair of free throws with three seconds to play. The free throws finished off an improbable 17-point comeback for the Phoenix and ended the team's four-game slide.

Sykes scored a game-high 16 points against the Raiders and is averaging 15.8 points per game since turning 18, but sophomore Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) tried to steal the spotlight with a near triple-double. Brown had nine points, eight rebounds and a Horizon League record 11 blocked shots, the most by any player in the country this season.

Green Bay will look to carry its momentum to the road when it plays the Vikings, one of the league's top teams. Cleveland State is ranked No. 10 in the mid-major top-25 poll due in large part to its success in close games. The Vikings are 9-2 in games decided by 10 points or less.

The Vikings are coming off a road loss, however, after falling 72-66 at Valparaiso last Sunday afternoon. The senior-dominated team was led by a junior against the Crusaders, with Tim Kamczyc scoring 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

The game will also be broadcast live on WDUZ The Fan with the pregame show beginning at 6:45 p.m. Matt Menzl and Andrew Gavin will be on the call for the radio broadcast. To listen live online, click here.   

• INSIDE THE SERIES: In the all-time series with the Vikings, Green Bay holds a 36-26 advantage. The Phoenix holds a 21-9 edge at home but the Vikings have won 16-of 29 games in Cleveland. CSU swept the two games in the series a season ago, including a 64-57 Viking win in Cleveland the last time the two teams met (2/26/11).

• MATCHUP TO WATCH: The contest features two players that have been red hot from beyond the three-point line in Horizon League play. Cleveland State's Jeremy Montgomery is shooting 51.3 percent (20-39) from long range in conference action while Green Bay's Kam Cerroni (Sussex, Wis.) has knocked down 48.4 percent (15-31) of his threes.

• VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH: Cleveland State is a senior-laden team, but junior Tim Kamczyc has come on strong in recent weeks for the Vikings. In Horizon League play, 6-foot-7 forward is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and is shooting 64.2 percent from the field.

• CAN I SEE SOME ID: Sykes, who turned 18 on Dec. 30, has been on a tear since becoming able to legally vote. One of the youngest players in the country, Sykes has scored in double figures in four-straight games as an 18-year old. In league play, Sykes is tenth in the conference in field goal percentage (54.0) and is tied for 17th in scoring (11.6 ppg). The Chicago native has scored 16 or points in three of the past four games.

• BLOCK PARTY: Brown's 11 blocks against Wright State set a number of records and were also a first for any player in Division I this season. The 11 swats, including seven after halftime, broke his own school record as well as the Resch Center and Horizon League records for blocks in a game. Brown's total also raised his blocks per game average to 3.2, a number which ranks second in the Horizon League and ninth in the country.

• CRASH THE GLASS: The area that Brown may have improved the most from his freshman campaign is rebounding. Brown is second in the Horizon League in rebounding (7.9 per game) and is averaging nine boards per game in league play. He has tallied eight or more rebounds in 11 of 17 games after doing so just eight times as a freshman.

• CLOSE CALLS: Green Bay has played seven games in a row decided by less than 10 points. In the past two seasons, Green Bay has lost just three Horizon League games by 10 or more points. Only Cleveland State and Butler have fewer double-digit losses in that span.

###

Season tickets, Pick 5 packages and single-game tickets for both programs are currently on sale with the Green Bay ticket office. For more information on ticket packages and promotions, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com/tickets.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.

Like Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball and Green Bay Phoenix Athletics on Facebook.