KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to University Arena for the first time in a month on Friday afternoon as it hosts Valparaiso.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (3-7) vs Valparaiso (5-5)

Date/Time: Friday, Dec. 20 – 1 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan returns home for the first time in a month on Friday as it welcomes Valparaiso to University Arena.
• The Broncos are coming off of a 98-62 loss at North Dakota State on Sunday.
• Chansey Willis Jr. paced Western Michigan with 22 points and also had five assists.
• Marquese Josephs was also in double-figures with a career-high 12 points.
• The Broncos lead the MAC in rebounding margin (+6.5), and are also among the league leaders in total rebounding (38.8, 2nd) and offensive rebounding (12.9, 3rd).
• WMU's 9.9 turnovers per game is the 26th-best mark in NCAA Division I.
• Western Michigan owns a 40-29 edge in the all-time series against Valparaiso.
• Valpo has won each of the last three meetings, including both games of a home-and-home series during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.
• The Beacons are 2-0 against the MAC this year, with home wins over NIU and CMU.

HOME SWEET HOME
After a month-long stretch without a home game, Western Michigan returns to University Arena on Friday afternoon to face Valparaiso. The Broncos have not played at home since Nov. 20 against South Dakota.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of a 98-62 loss at North Dakota State to wrap up their road trip on Sunday afternoon. Chansey Willis Jr. led the Brown and Gold with a game-high 22 points, while Marquese Josephs added a career-high 12 points off of the bench. 

WILLIS' STRONG DEBUT
After missing the first eight games due to injury, Chansey Willis Jr. has made big contributions in his first two games for the Broncos. In his debut at St. Thomas on Friday, he had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists, the first 10+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists performance by a WMU player so far this season. He followed that up with a game-high 22 points and five more assists in Sunday's loss at North Dakota State. In his first two games for the Brown and Gold, Willis is averaging 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per contest.

MAKING HIS MARK
After not having a double-digit scoring effort in 26 NCAA Division I games prior to this season, Markhi Strickland has scored in double-figures in seven of Western Michigan's first 10 games in 2024-25. The Miami native is WMU's leading scorer among qualifiers at 12.7 points per game this season.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
As has been the case in the first two seasons under head coach Dwayne Stephens, rebounding has remained a strength for the Broncos this year. Western Michigan sits atop the MAC and 51st in NCAA Division I with a +6.5 rebounding margin. The Brown and Gold are also among the league leaders in overall rebounding (38.8, 2nd) and offensive rebounding (12.9, 3rd).

OWEN-ING THE GLASS
After ranking ninth in the league in rebounding last season, Owen Lobsinger has taken things up a notch during his senior campaign, ranking second in the MAC at 7.3 rebounds per game. Lobsinger's frontcourt mate, Max Burton, ranks 12th in the league at 5.6 rebounds per game.

GETTING OFFENSIVE
Western Michigan has led the conference in offensive rebounding in each of the first two seasons of head coach Dwayne Stephens' tenure. The Broncos enter Friday's game third in the league this season at 12.9 offensive boards per contest, and currently have three players inside of the league's top-10, in Max Burton (2.2, T-6), Owen Lobsinger (2.0, T-8) and Michael Sulaka (1.9, 10th).

PROTECTING THE ROCK
The Broncos have been among the nation's best in protecting the basketball, having yielded an average of just 9.9 turnovers per game. Committing single-digit turnovers in six of 10 games this season has Western Michigan second in the conference and 26th nationally in turnovers committed. WMU is one of 31 teams in NCAA Division I to be under 10.0 turnovers per game.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
After hitting five at North Dakota State, WMU has now made at least one triple in 433 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season. Brandon Muntu is the team's leading sharpshooter at 41.5 percent, which ranks as the 10th-best mark in the league.

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan owns a 40-29 all-time record against Valparaiso, including a 21-7 mark in Kalamazoo. The Beacons have won three straight meetings, and swept a home-and-home series between the two during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. WMU's last win in the series was an overtime triumph on Feb. 17, 2007, at University Arena.

SCOUTING THE BEACONS
Valparaiso comes into Friday with a 2-0 record this season against MAC foes, having won home games against NIU and Central Michigan during non-conference play. Four Beacons are averaging double-digits, led by Tyler Schmidt's 12.3 points per game.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Following the holiday break, Western Michigan returns to action on Dec. 30 with a visit to East Lansing to face Michigan State.