Related Links:
D3hoops.com Men's Top 25, Week 4
2015-16 Schedule (includes live coverage links)
UW-Stout Men's Basketball Web Page
UW-Stevens Point Men's Basketball Web Page
 
The No. 15 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team kicks off Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this week with games at UW-Stout and at home against UW-Stevens Point.
 
Tipoff against the Blue Devils is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
 
Three days later, UW-Whitewater hosts No. 19 and rival UW-Stevens Point for a 7 p.m. contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (9-2 overall) have won six straight games, and its two losses in the non-conference portion of the season came against top-ranked Augustana (Ill.) and Davenport (Mich.), the No. 3 ranked team in NAIA's Division II.
 
In the Rankings
 
UW-Whitewater moved up five spots to No. 15 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25. The team garnered 224 points and is slotted between No. 14 New York University (315 points) and No. 16 Chicago (197).
 
Last Time Out
 
The Warhawks wrapped up a 3-0 trip to Colorado College last Wednesday with a 81-58 victory over the host team on the final day of the Pikes Peak Holiday Classic.
 
Senior guard Trinson White (Milwaukee, Wis./Riverside), who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player following the conclusion of play, scored 21 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, tied for the third most in one game by an individual in program history. Junior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) posted a career-high 21 points, including 18 in the first half, for the Warhawks, who led for more than 37 minutes of the contest.
 
This Week
 
The Warhawks have won seven of the last eight games against UW-Stout, including a season sweep of the Blue Devils a season ago. UW-Whitewater closed out last year's WIAC regular season title run with an 86-77 triumph in Menomonie on Feb. 21.
 
UW-Stout (4-6) closed out its non-conference season with a 63-62 triumph over Skidmore (N.Y.) last Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Blue Devils, who were winless in conference play a year ago, were predicted to finish eighth in the league in a preseason poll of the conference's head coaches and athletic communications personnel.
 
John Keefe leads the Blue Devils in scoring with 14.8 points per game and is the WIAC leader in assists. He is also third in the league in steals. Jalen Patterson is second on the team with 10.1 points per contest, while John Lahti paces UW-Stout with 5.4 rebounds per affair.
 
UW-Stevens Point (7-4) finished its non-conference slate with three straight wins. The team visits UW-Eau Claire Wednesday before heading to Whitewater Saturday.
 
The Pointers, who shared the WIAC regular season championship with UW-Whitewater last season and claimed the national title, enter the week as the WIAC's No. 1 scoring defense, allowing 61.2 points per game.
 
Sean McGann leads UW-Stevens Point in scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg). Stephen Pelkofer (11.0 ppg) and Ethan Bublitz (10.0) also average double figures in scoring. Pelkofer is second in the conference in assists.