Saturday, December 30
#6 Macomb (9-1) at #5 South Suburban (12-1)
4:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CT | 15800 State St, South Holland, IL 60473
Live Stream
BY THE NUMBERS: 8
The Monarchs, currently the No. 6 team in the country, extended their winning streak to
eight (8) games after topping No. 19 KVCC on the road in overtime, 92-84, on Dec. 16. On Saturday, the Monarchs face arguably their toughest test to date when they head to the Chicagoland area to battle No. 5 South Suburban at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT.
BY THE NUMBERS: 52
On Saturday, the sixth-ranked Monarchs will visit South Holland, Ill., to take on the fifth-ranked Bulldogs of South Suburban College. The Bulldogs, led by head coach John Pigatti, enter the game on a
52-game home winning streak and have only lost 15 games at home in Pigatti's 18-year tenure, winning 95% of the time (276-15).
INSIDE THE ROAD WIN AT KVCC
The Monarchs led by as many as 14 points midway through the second half before the host and 19th ranked KVCC Cougars battled back to take a late lead of their own in Kalamazoo on Dec. 16.
Josh Hines would drain a game-tying triple in the waning seconds to send the game to overtime where the Monarchs regained control and won, 92-84.
AN UNSELFISH TEAM
Juwan Maxey paces six in double figures at 16.8 points per game (PPG).
Tymias Williams is next at 15.2 PPG, while
Parker Day and
Josh Hines follow at 13.0 PPG and 12.9 PPG, respectively. The returning tandem of
Kyle Millender (11.4 PPG) and
Justin James (10.2 PPG) round out the six in double digits, while three other Monarchs are just shy of that mark:
Marlon Williams (8.9),
Jotham Nweke (8.3) and
Tate MacKenzie (7.3).
DaMaryon Fishburn checks in at 4.0 PPG.
NATIONAL LEADERBOARD
At the time of this release, the Monarchs rank second nationally in scoring at 97.9 PPG, second in assists (24.4) and check in third in field goal percentage at 52.2%. On the defensive end, the Monarchs rank second nationally in field goal percentage defense at 34.2%. Additionally, the Monarchs rank fourth nationally in rebounds per game at 50.1.
MAXEY'S BALANCED PLAY
Hard work pays off! In the gym constantly throughout the year, sophomore guard
Juwan Maxey continues to grow his game and is enjoying a stellar second season at Macomb with a balanced stat line that includes: 47.9 FG%, 43.1 3P%, 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 4.2 APG.
A LOOK AT: SOUTH SUBURBAN
Featuring the leading scorer in the country (Jemel Jones - 32.5 PPG), the fifth-ranked Bulldogs of South Suburban College enter Saturday's top-six showdown with Macomb at 12-1 overall. The Bulldogs lone loss of the season came at KVCC on Dec. 8 by an 83-78 final. The Bulldogs average 91.1 points per game on 49.5% shooting.
THE ULTIMATE ROAD TEST
As highlighted in our 'By The Numbers' segment, the No. 5 Bulldogs are one of the better teams on their home floor in all of college basketball. In his 18th season at the helm, head coach John Pigatti has only suffered a loss 15 times in South Holland and has amassed eight seasons of unbeaten basketball at home. South Suburban's last loss at home to a team out of Macomb's region (Region 12)? Dec. 20, 2014 to Lakeland CC.
REBOUNDING BATTLE
Saturday's game features two of the top rebounding teams in the country as the Monarchs enter the game fourth in total rebounds per game (50.1) and the Bulldogs check in eighth in offensive rebounds per game (16.7).
Parker Day leads the Monarchs on the glass at 7.4 per game,
Tymias Williams (7.2) and
Tate MacKenzie (6.8) follow closely.
WHEN THEY LAST MET
The No. 9 Monarchs upended the third-ranked Bulldogs last season in a top 10 battle by a 71-66 final on Dec. 30, 2022 in Warren. Former Monarchs
Tamario Adley (16 pts) and
Aidan Rubio (14 pts) combined for 30 points to help lead the Blue & White to the home victory.
