Green Bay lost 72-70 at home to Division ll Michigan Tech at home on Wednesday, falling to 2-11 under first-year coach Doug Gottlieb. The Phoenix have lost their last eight games — including nine of the last 10 — following a loss to a program Gottlieb referred to as 'Nobody U' just a few days ago.
"Part of the reason I want to play better teams is it's two degrees and snowing outside," Gottlieb said, seemingly referring to Michigan Tech, after Green Bay's loss to Milwaukee last week."I don't really like the idea of 'Nobody U' coming in here. What do we learn from a game that we win by 20 (points). There's a methodology to it, and I'm going to have to adjust moving forward."
The Phoenix finished the 2023-24 season 18-14 (13-7 Horizon) under first-year coach Sundance Wicks before he departed for the vacant job at Wyoming in the offseason. Gottlieb was hired as his replacement shortly after in the program's third coaching hire in five seasons. Green Bay has reached the NCAA Tournament just once in nearly three decades.
Green Bay star guard Anthony Roy — tied with Villanova's Eric Dixon as the leading scorer (25.7 points per game) in college basketball — was benched by Gottlieb earlier this month against Cleveland State. Gottlieb said postgame he made a "personal decision" not to play him.
"I owe it to the guys to play the guys that do what we ask them to do," Gottlieb said on why he benched Roy. "There's things that transpired that I don't find appropriate to play today and I made the personal decision to not play him. I know how I want to do it and too many times in my life and too many times in the last six months I have acquiesced."
Green Bay faces Drake, one of four undefeated teams in Division I, on the road Saturday.
