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Starting introductions
The Washburn Ichabods can clinch at least a share of their first MIAA title since the 2004-05 season with a win over Lincoln in their regular season finale in Lee Arena on Saturday starting at 3:30 p.m. Washburn (20-7, 14-5 MIAA) is coming off a 68-60 win over Emporia State last time out while the Blue Tigers (4-21, 4-15 MIAA) fell at Truman 74-57. The Ichabods won the first meeting with Lincoln 84-59 on Jan. 18 earlier this season in Jefferson City, Mo. A Washburn win, along with a Central Missouri win over Truman as well as a Missouri Southern win at Northwest Missouri would give the Ichabods the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Tournament. There are several other tie-break scenarios which can happen as well so final seeding may not be determined until the final regular season game of the night with Fort Hays State and Emporia State playing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening.
After its game with Lincoln, Washburn will open the MIAA Tournament on March 2 at a time to be determined after the final seeds are announced.

Game Quick Facts . . .
Game No. 28 - Washburn (20-7, 14-5 MIAA) vs Lincoln  (4-21, 4-15 MIAA)
Game Notes: Washburn | Lincoln
Date: Feb. 25, 2012
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Topeka Kan.
Arena: Lee Arena
Radio: KTPK 106.9 FM
Online Audio: Through wusports.com (free)
Online Video: Through America One
Live Stats: Through wusports.com
Media Stats: Through wusports.com
Washburn Head Coach: Bob Chipman (Kansas State, 1973) - 716-295, 33rd season
Lincoln Head Coach: John Redmond (Wayne State, 1976) - 7-44, 2nd season
Series History / Streak: WU leads 21-3 / WU has won the last 21
Last Meeting: WU won 84-59 on Jan. 18, 2012 in Jefferson City

Ichabods on radio
Washburn basketball games can be heard live on KTPK 106.9 FM. The game can also be heard on the internet at www.wusports.com by following the “Live Audio” link on the basketball schedule page. Mark Elliott will have the call on the radio with Jake Lebahn providing color commentary.

The coaches
Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman is in his 33rd season at the helm of the Ichabod basketball program. Chipman is 716-295 (.707) overall and he has 475 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA - the most of any teams in the league since the 1991-92 season. Chipman has led the Ichabods to the MIAA Tournament 19 times collecting an all-time league-best 29 wins going 29-16 with a .675 winning percentage during tournament play. In home games, Chipman has amassed a home record of 416-77 (.840) record going 363-66 in Lee Arena and 54-12 in Whiting Fieldhouse. Chipman is 11th amongst all NCAA II coaches in winning percentage who have coached at least 10 seasons. Among that group, he is second in all-time coaching victories in active coaches in career victories. Among all coaches who have at least 10 years experience in DII, he is 25th in winning percentage and seventh in victories. At Washburn he has led the Ichabods to 11 conference regular season titles (9 MIAA), 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and the 1987 NAIA National Championship. Chipman 21-0 against Lincoln.
Lincoln head coach John Redmond is in his second season as the head coach at LU, having compiled a 7-43 record in Jefferson City. He was the program's assistant for two seasons prior to taking over as the head coach. He is 0-3 against the Ichabods.

Last time out for the Ichabods • WU 68, Emporia State 60 • 2/22/12
EMPORIA, Kan. -- Will McNeill scored Washburn's final 16 points en route to a 68-60 win over Emporia State sweeping the season series while helping set up the Ichabods with an opportunity for at least a share of the MIAA title with a win over Lincoln.
After Emporia State cut the lead to six at 58-52 with 2:12 to play in the game, McNeill picked up a steal and then scored a traditional 3-point play with 1:20 to play in the game pushing the Washburn (20-7, 14-5 MIAA) lead back to nine at 61-52. After another steal by McNeill, he was fouled and hit a pair of free throws to go up by 11 at 63-52.
Again the Hornets (9-16, 5-14 MIAA) hit another 3-pointer to cut the lead back to eight at 65-57, McNeill hit a free throw and wrapped up his scoring with a dunk with seven seconds left to record his 27th and 28th points of the game.
The Ichabods led 33-19 at the break after a quick 5-0 run by Alex North on a lay up and a 3-pointer pushed the Ichabod lead to 14 entering the locker room. Washburn held the Hornets to 6 of 25 shooting from the floor in the first half while the Ichabods connected on 13 of 28 attempts for a 46 percent clip. Jeff Reid, who hit a pair of 3-pointers, and McNeill each scored eight in first half.
McNeill led all scorers with his 28 points finishing 10 of 11 from the free throw line while Reid scored 15 and North scored nine points. McNeill led the Ichabods with eight rebounds while picking up three steals in 37 minutes of action.
Tola Lawal led ESU with 21 points of 6 of 9 shooting.
The Ichabods held a 32 to 26 advantage on the glass over ESU. Washburn finished 25 of 57 from the field for a 44 percent average. ESU finished 18 of 44 shooting a 63 percent mark in the second half hitting 12 of 19 shots from the floor.

Final notes for the Emporia State game
Washburn's win was its 20th of season and was the most since recording 24 during the 2004-05 season, the last time the Ichabods recorded a 20-win season … Will McNeill needs one steal to tie and two to set a Washburn record for a career entering the Lincoln game with 155 swipes while Jordan Canfield (1992-97) owns school record with 156 … the Ichabods tied the all-time series with Emporia State at 99 wins each in 198 games … Washburn swept the Hornets for the first time since the 2004-05 season when the Ichabods won the two regular season meetings and a game in the MIAA Tournament.

About Lincoln
Lincoln (4-21, 4-15 MIAA) enters Satruday's game coming off a 74-57 loss at Truman. The Blue Tigers are scoring 62 points per game and are shooting 40 percent from the floor while allowing opponents to connect at a 48 percent clip averaging 77 points per game. The Blue Tigers are shooting 31 percent from beyond the 3-point line (155 of 495) while shooting 63 percent from the free throw line (244 of 387). Lincoln is -6.3 in rebound margin and they average nearly 14 turnovers a game while forcing 12 a game. Cedric Ridle (17.2 ppg) leads the Blue Tigers in scoring. Ridle is also leading the team with 7.7  rebounds per game.
 
Series history with Lincoln
Saturday's meeting will be the 25th in the series history. Washburn has won the last 21 meetings in the series which began on Dec. 18, 1957 with the Blue Tigers winning 93-80. Lincoln won the next two and the teams did not meet again until Jan. 24, 1990 when the Ichabods won 98-93 on the road. Washburn has won the last 21 games in the series and the last five match ups by an average margin of 22 points per game. Last season's 69-67 win in Jefferson City was the Ichabods first appearance in Jefferson City since an 82-66 win on Jan. 23, 1999. Overall the Ichabods are 9-1 against Lincoln in Jefferson City all-time having won their last nine games with the lone loss coming in 1957 in the first meeting in the series. In Topeka, the Ichabods are 10-1 and on neutral site games Washburn is 2-1.
 
Last meeting with Lincoln • WU 84, LU 59 • 1/18/12
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A 25-2 run in the first half propelled the Washburn Ichabods to a 84-59 win over the Lincoln Blue Tigers.
The Ichabods led 41-21 at the break as Washburn (12-5, 7-3 MIAA) won its 21st straight game over the Blue Tigers (3-12, 3-7 MIAA). The Ichabods limited the Blue Tigers to 8 of 25 from the field including 1 of 11 shooting from 3-point range. The Ichabods were 19 of 35 from the field hitting 54 percent of their shots. Washburn also had a 22 to 12 advantage on the glass pulling down 10 offensive rebounds leading to eight second chance points, 28 points in the paint while forcing 10 turnovers leading to 15 points off turnovers.
Washburn was led by Will McNeill who scored 18 points recording five rebounds, three assists and three steals all in 24 minutes. Martin Mitchell scored 16 hitting 6 of 9 shots from the field and Kyle Wiggins came off the bench to score 13 points hitting 5 of 6 shots including scoring seven straight. Bobby Chipman led the team with seven rebounds while hitting the Ichabods only 3-pointer of the contest as Washburn finished 1 of 7 from deep.
The Blues Tigers were led by Gregory Motley who scored 27 points all in the second half hitting 6 of 11 3-point attempts and 9 of 15 from the field.
In the second half, the Ichabods improved to 15 of 26 shooting in the second half hitting 58 percent of their shots and the Blue Tigers improved to 14 of 32 from the field. Washburn led by as many as 31 in the second half.
Washburn outrebounded the Blue Tigers 38 to 25 recording 13 offensive rebounds. Washburn outscored Lincoln 54 to 12 in the paint and 24 to 9 in points off turnvovers. Washburn also held a 14 to 0 in fast break points.      

Last time out for Lincoln • TSU 74, LU 57 • 2/22/12
(Feb. 22, 2012) – (LU Media Relations) -- KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Blue Tigers started hot but cooled down late as the Lincoln men's basketball team fell at Truman State, 74-57, on Wednesday night (Feb. 22).
Lincoln had the advantage for nearly the entire first half in this one, as James Edmond put the Blue Tigers ahead early by scoring LU's first five points of the game. He also assisted on a trey from Clifton Fleming, then made a layup on the ensuing possession to give the Blue Tigers a 10-6 lead.
The Blue Tigers expanded that advantage as the first half wore on, taking a 16-point lead at the 14:11 mark on an Edmond three-pointer that made the score 22-6, capping a 14-0 run for Lincoln. After a layup from Truman State, Terrell Williams brought the Lincoln lead back to 16 with a layup of his own with 12:53 remaining in the half.
From that point, however, it was all Truman State. The Bulldogs went on a 30-12 scoring run to end the first half, taking a 38-36 lead into halftime. Truman State remained in control in the second period, scoring the half's first first five points. Lincoln cut the deficit to three twice, but never got any closer, as the Bulldogs ultimately built a 19-point lead before winning by 17.
Edmond led Lincoln with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting while grabbing 10 rebounds. Cedric Ridle, Jr. also had a double-double, tallying 13 points and 10 boards to go with three steals. Clifton Fleming ended the game with 12 points and a pair of assists.
Williams scored nine and added a team-high six assists. He also had four rebounds and a steal. Jimmy Payton had six rebounds and five points while dishing out three assists and contributing a block and three steals.
Lincoln falls to 4-21 on the season with the loss and 4-15 in the MIAA. With the Blue Tigers having lost both of their season games against Emporia State, putting the Hornets two games ahead of LU, Lincoln is officially eliminated from MIAA tournament contention. Truman State, now 8-19 overall and 5-14 in the MIAA, still has a slim chance of making the field.  

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the ichabods
• In Washburn's wins the Ichabods are -109 in turnovers, the losses they are +1 compared to their opponents #GoodHandsTeam
• Washburn is 20-0 when outscoring its opponent #UselessNote
• The Ichabods are 31 of 125 (.248) from 3-point range in their seven losses #Ouch
• Washburn is shooting 109 of 307 (.355) from 3-point range in the wins #MuchBetter
• Opponents are 49 of 135 (.363) from 3-point range in Washburn's losses #DefendTheLongBall
• Opponents have attempted 72 more free throws (230) than the Ichabods (158) making 50 more (169 to 119) in Washburn losses #FTDisparity
• Will McNeill (19.6 ppg) is the only Ichabod averaging double figures in the WU losses #NeedScoringHelp
• Will McNeill's 189 free throw attempts this season is fifth on the junior class record chart #GettingToTheLine
• Will McNeill's 154 free throw makes this season is fourth on the junior class record chart #GettingToTheLine
• Dan Buie (1996-97) owns both the junior class free throw makes (249) and attempts (371) #ReallyGettingToTheLine

Three . . . Dot . . . Thoughts . . .
Will McNeill leads the MIAA in free throw makes (144) and attempts (178) and no one has more than 100 makes and 117 attempts (DeShaun Cooper from NWMSU) … Will McNeill currently sits at 1,030 points in his junior season … against Emporia State, McNeill passed Jeff Markay (1,002- 20th), Charles Brehm (1,004 - 19th), Dave Hull (1,011 - 18th), Leonard Conkleton (1,011 - 17th) and Shannon Kruger (1,014 - 16th) on the all-time scoring chart … next on the scoring chart is Travis Robbins (1,050 - 15th) … Washburn's win game them its 20th of the season and the 25th in school history … it is head coach Bob Chipman's 23rd 20-win season … the Ichabods have lost five-straight overtime games … Washburn's last overtime win was on Dec. 4, 2007 in a 71-68 win over Central Oklahoma in Lee Arena … Will McNeill needs one steals to tie and two to set a Washburn record for a career entering the ESU game with 155 swipes while Jordan Canfield (1992-97) owns school record with 156 … Will McNeill also needs only seven steals to set the Washburn single-season record of 73 set by Bobby Sumler during the 1986-87 season as he enters the Lincoln game with 66 … Bobby Chipman's 52 career blocks is 11th on the all-time chart needing one more to move into the top 10 all-time …  Will McNeill's 536 points is sixth on the Washburn junior class chart … the junior class scoring record is 833 set by Gary Carrier during the 1983-84 season after averaging 25.2 points per game in 33 appearances … Jeff Reid's 30 3-pointers this season is eighth on the WU sophomore chart as are his 80 3-point attempts.

Ichabod Player Notes
#4  • Jared Henry  • G • 6-1 • 170 • So. • Scored three points in the first meeting with Lincoln
#5  • Jeff Reid  • G • 6-6 • 190 • So. • Averaging 13.2 ppg in last six games (29 of 52 from the field - 56%)
#10  • Will McNeill  • G • 6-1 • 190 • Jr. • Needs 2 steals for single season record - 8 to set career steals record
#11  • Kyle Wiggins  • G • 6-2 • 165 • Fr. • Tied career high with 13 points against Lincoln in first meeting
#12  • Martin Mitchell  • G • 6-0 • 185 • Jr. • 18 assists and 5 turnovers in the last three games
#14  • Christian Ulsaker  • F • 6-5 • 190 • Fr. • Scored six points in 19 minutes against Lincoln with 4 rbs.
#15  • Mitch Allen  • G • 5-9 • 165 • Jr. • Has hit 30 career 3-pointers (30 of 88 attempts)
#20  • Bobby Chipman  • F • 6-8 • 210 • Jr. • Has hit 11 of last 12 free throw attempts
#21  • Joseph Smith  • F • 6-9 • 235 • Jr. • Tied career-high with two assists vs MSSU
#22  • Alex North  • F • 6-6 • 210 • So. • Averaging 6.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the last four games
#24  • Zack Riggins  • F • 6-6 • 230 • RS-Jr. • Has 44 offensive rebounds this season and 95 total boards

Ichabod Basketball HIstory
Washburn is 1,424-981 (.590 in 2,405 games) in its 106th season of intercollegiate action. The Ichabods are the 10th-winningest team in NCAA Division II history and the 26th winningest team this decade. The Ichabods are 475-211 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most since the 1989-90 season in the MIAA. The Ichabods have won  nine MIAA championships and 20 overall in school history. The Ichabods won MIAA titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004 and their last title came in 2005.

Home sweet home . . . the Ichabods in Lee Arena
The Ichabods are 363-66 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena - the 28th season of play. The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.

Up Next
The MIAA Tournament will start on Friday, March 2 in Kansas City. Game time and seeding information will be released on Saturday night as soon as they become available.