DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's basketball team hits the road on Tuesday night for a non-conference tilt with UW-Platteville before returning to their home court on Saturday for a showdown with Illinois Wesleyan.
 

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST UW-PLATTEVILLE
UW-Platteville holds a 11-5 all-time record against Loras. The Duhawks have defeated UW-Platteville just two times since the turn of the century, with the last victory coming during the 2010-2011 season.

LAST MEETING VERSUS UW-PLATTEVILLE
The Duhawks were defeated by UW-Platteville last season during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Mirko Grcic led the team with 12 points, on 4-of-10 shooting. Platteville held the Duhawks to 34.5 percent shooting from the floor, and 3-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Pioneers were led by Jim Socki, who scored 23 points.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
UW-Platteville enters Tuesday's action with a 4-3 record. They will be coming off a lopsided 82-52 defeat at the hands of North Central (Ill.). The Pioneers have had previous success against Iowa Conference opponents this season however, defeating both Luther and Coe, while losing to Dubuque by a single point. This season UW-Platteville has produced three players averaging double-digit scoring. Boston Johnson and Cory Vaassen are currently tied for the team-high with 13.9 points per game. The Pioneers have struggled with turnovers this season, giving opponents the ball 90 times in seven games as opposed to 70 assists. UW-Platteville isn't afraid of shooting the long ball, but have converted on only 31.6 percent of attempts.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST ILLINOIS WESLEYAN
Illinois Wesleyan has faced the Titans each of the last three seasons and hold a 1-4 record all-time against them. The Duhawks last win came during them 2013-2014 season when they upset the second-ranked Titans by a final score of 80-75 in the Athletic & Wellness Center.

LAST MEETING VERSUS ILLINOIS WESLEYAN
These two sides met last season in Bloomington, Illinois with the Titans owning the home-court with a 94-72 victory. Illinois Wesleyan earned their revenge following an upset the season prior. Justin VanWambeke led the Duhawks with a team-high 19 points. Loras shot 50 percent from the floor, but were bested by the Titans 59.3 percent. The difference in the game came with turnovers, as the Duhawks committed 21 turnovers and just 10 assists.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Illinois Wesleyan enters Saturday's action with a 4-2 record after falling out of the d3hoops.com top 25 rankings. The Titans two losses on the season came at the hands of two ranked teams in Benedictine and Ohio Wesleyan and were both by single-digits. Last time out, the Titans bounced back with a 67-57 win over previously undefeated WashU. Illinois Wesleyan is a sharp shooting team, converting on 46.2 percent of their 3-point attempts. The Titans find success by out-rebounding, out-shooting, and committing less turnovers than their opponents. Each of Illinois Wesleyan's opening night starters have averaged double-digit scoring, with Bryce Dolan leading the lot at 16.8 points per game on 50 percent shooting.

GEORGE MAKING STRIDES
Freshman guard Demond George has made strides early in his collegiate career, despite the growing pains that are typically associated with being a freshman in the NCAA. After six games, George currently ranks fourth on the Duhawks in scoring, averaging 10.7 points per game. Along with being fourth scoring, George ranks fourth in shots made, first in steals, and fourth in minutes played. Playing big minutes will serve him well as his freshman year proceeds.

GRCIC LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS
Senior Mirko Grcic has been a threat for the Duhawks in their first six games of the season. Grcic has hauled in 62 total rebounds, one less than the second and third place ranked players combined (Justin VanWambeke, 34, and Ryan DiCanio, 29). As a junior, the Lake Zurich native averaged 11.08 rebounds per game, slightly higher than his current average of 10.3. Aside from rebounds, Grcic is also leading the team in scoring with 93 points, averaging 15.5 per game.

FREE POINTS ELUDING DUHAWKS
Entering Tuesday's game, Loras ranks eighth in the Iowa Conference in free-throw percentage at 56.8. With the Duhawks being a young squad, chances are they will find themselves in a number of close games this season, of which many can end favorable with strong shooting from the charity stripe. Freshman Ryan DiCanio leads the Duhawks, shooting 83.3 percent on 15-of-18 from the line.