Young state star impresses in his UWM debut as the Panthers fall to USC

For a mid-major team looking to bounce back from a miserable 2025-26 season, starting on the road against a ranked opponent with 7-footers in the middle was a tough ask.

That’s what the Milwaukee Panthers did, though, on opening night of college basketball season Nov. 2 and they suffered the sort of fate one might expect, a 95-63 loss to Southern California at the Galen Center in Los Angeles in the teams’ first meeting.

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The Trojans, ranked 22nd in USA Today coaches poll, used a size advantage that included 7-foot freshmen Adonis and Darius Ratliff, sons of former NBA player Theo Ratliff, and pulled away with a 19-2 run in the first half.

“Anybody that wasn’t here live, you don’t understand is how much length and positional size they have,” UWM coach Bart Lundy said in his postgame radio interview. “It’s basically an NBA team. There’s gonna be five guys on that team that are gonna play in the NBA, and a couple might be really good NBA players.

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Our favorite photos from UWM men’s basketball in 2025-26

The national anthem is sung before a game between UW-Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky in the first half of a game Friday, January 9, 2026, at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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Our favorite photos from UWM men’s basketball in 2025-26

The national anthem is sung before a game between UW-Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky in the first half of a game Friday, January 9, 2026, at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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Our favorite photos from UWM men’s basketball in 2025-26

UW-Milwaukee forward Faizon Fields (22) argues for a foul during the first half of their game against South Dakota State Friday, December 19, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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Our favorite photos from UWM men’s basketball in 2025-26

Milwaukee Panthers guard Stevie Elam (8) and guard Aaron Franklin (29) guard Detroit Mercy Titans…

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Publish date : 2026-11-03 06:38:00

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