Sure, they lost to Loyola, Marquette, Northern Iowa, Sam Houston State and Drake, but that’s not the point. The fact is that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball team has its biggest home game of the season coming up.

For the first time since this young columnist can remember, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Badgers are coming to Milwaukee to face the Panthers in a hardwood matchup that will have Panther fans flocking to the U.S. Cellular Arena, at least some of them.

One of the problems facing the Panthers Athletic Department is ticket sales. All UWM students are able to get their free tickets, of which there are almost 700 still available, from the athletic department in the Klotsche Center.

Being the biggest regular season game of the year, the Panthers are attempting to get a sellout crowd, but because of their slow start the pressure for tickets seems to be going down. What the Panthers, and Panther faithful, need is to get every single student to claim their ticket in order to send the Badgers back to “Madtown” with one more notch in the right-hand column.

Are you thinking to yourself, “why would I go?” It’s a good question because the Panthers have been struggling as of late, but if you watched the Panthers play Loyola on Saturday night you would understand that this team has come a long way.

Paige Paulsen and Torre Johnson, both seniors, have taken this young squad and turned it into a potential Cinderella team. Judging by the way this team has developed chemistry on and off the court, this team could pull itself together to make a huge impact on the Horizon League.

Again, you may be thinking that just because this team has chemistry doesn’t mean they will stand a chance against a powerhouse like Madison, especially after the loss against Marquette. If you are thinking that, here is my answer:

The Panthers are not as bad as they look. Sure, the fact that Johnson has to put up 30-plus points a game in order for UWM to even be in the game is a definite negative but when you see players like Deion James and Deonte Roberts step up and play hard against tough teams it shows the potential of a young team looking for leadership.

Other players like Tim Flowers and Roman Gentry are still finding their feet. Flowers is working his way down low and learning how hard it is to transfer from high school play to the college level, but watching him play game in and game out, you can tell his is growing and learning. Gentry is also in the learning stage, stepping up as a leader in one game this season; he is finding his role on this team.

Speaking of roles, this entire team is still in search of its own role. The Panthers are the best and the worst team in the Horizon League in terms of different areas of play. They are still a work in progress but that does not mean they cannot make a surprise.

If you are one of those fans straying away from going to the game on Wednesday, I suggest you think again. There is no excuse to skip out on this once-in-collegiate-tenure opportunity, especially when this Panther team has something to prove. This team will be coming out, and coming out strong looking for its fourth on the season and you don’t want to miss it.

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