Pregame

The Washburn Ichabods will face Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium. The Ichabods (19-7, 12-6 MIAA) are looking to become the first men's team to repeat as the tournament champions since the event moved to Kansas City for the 2003 season. The Ichabods are the No. 3 seed and the Bronchos (14-13, 11-7) are the No. 6 seed and played their way to Kansas City after beating Southwest Baptist on Monday in Edmond. Central Oklahoma topped the Ichabods earlier this season on Jan. 5 in their only meeting of the season winning 72-67.   

'Bod Quick notes

• The Ichabods have won 499 games since moving to the NCAA Division II ranks prior to the start of the 1989-90 season.

• The Ichabods are looking for their 26th 20-win season in their 107th season of basketball.

• The Ichabods have won three straight games played in Kansas City during the MIAA tournament and they are 12-7 in tourney games in Municipal Auditorium.

• In first round MIAA Tournament games the Ichabods are 17-3.

• Washburn has never won an MIAA Tournament game as a No. 3 seed. They are 0-1.

• The Ichabods have lost five of the last six meetings with the Bronchos.

• Will McNeill has broken the Washburn senior class record for steals of 63 held by Jordy Canfield as he has raised his single-season total to 80 against Central Missouri breaking his own Ichabod single-season record which was 76.

• Washburn is sixth in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio and fifth in turnovers per game.

• Will McNeill is sixth in the nation in steals per game at 3.08 per game.

• Will McNeill is third on the NCAA Division II active steals chart with 245. Alex Falk of West Liberty leads all active players with 282.

• Will McNeill is sixth in active player free throws made with 498 in Division II.

• Coming off a season-low 55 points in the loss at Emporia State the Ichabods scored a season-high 95 points in the win over Central Missouri last time out.

• The 40 points scored by Will McNeill in the win over the Mules was a career-high and the highest point output by anyone in the MIAA this season.

• The three steals by Bobby Chipman against the Mules tied a career high.

• The two assists by Leon Flowers tied a career high.

• The eight free throw attempts by Zack Riggins against Central Missouri tied a career high.

• The five field goals by Christian Ulsaker was a career high against the Mules.

• The Ichabods went over the 90-point for the first time since Dec. 6, 2012 when they scored 91 against Southwest Baptist. 

• Will McNeill became the first Ichabod to score at least 40 points in a game since Travis Robbins scored 40 against Central Oklahoma on Nov. 20, 2004.

Ichabods on radio

Washburn games will be broadcast on 106.9 FM KTPK with Mark Elliott and Jake Lebahn. The game will also be streamed live on the wusports.com website by following the listen live links on the men's basketball schedule page.

The coaches

Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman 

• is in his 34th season at the helm of the Ichabods.

• a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.

• is 740-303 overall.

• has 499 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA, the most of any conference school since the 1989-90 season.

• has led the Ichabods to 12 MIAA regular season titles and a MIAA-coaching tops of five postseason tournament championships.

• has led the Ichabods to 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances.

• in home games, he is 428-79 going 375-68 in Lee Arena.

• is second in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.

• his 740 coaching wins is 22nd in all-time NCAA coaches at all levels.

• led the Ichabods to the 1987 NAIA National Championship and a 2001 NCAA National game, which was later vacated by Kentucky Wesleyan. 

• Chipman played for legendary coach Jack Hartman earning two letters.

• Chipman is 6-7 against Central Oklahoma.

Central Oklahoma head coach Terry Evans . . .

• Now in his 11th year at the helm of the Central Oklahoma men's program is Terry Evans, a former college standout who has built the Bronchos into a perennial NCAA Division II power.

• Evans is 222-103 in 11 years at UCO and has directed the Bronchos to seven national tournament appearances, including one Elite Eight and one Sweet 16.  He also led the team to six Lone Star Conference North Division titles and two overall league crowns during Central's association with that league.

• Evans has had six 20-win seasons in the past eight years -- including a school-record 30-win campaign in 2010-11 -- and coached 14 All-LSC North Division players while earning LSC North Division Coach of the Year honors five times and South Central Regional Coach of the Year accolades once.

• Played his college ball at Oklahoma, where he was a four-year starter for Bill Tubbs and later assisted Tubbs at Texas Christian.

• He is 5-4 against Washburn.

Last time out for the Ichabods • Washburn 95, Central Missouri 78 •  3/2/13

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods scored a season-high 95 points locking up the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City after a 95-78 win over Central Missouri on senior night on Schendel Court at Lee Arena. 

Washburn (19-7, 12-6 MIAA) took a 46-33 lead into the halftime break as Will McNeill ended the half with a 3-pointer from the top of the key giving him 23 points in the frame on 9 of 14 shooting while going 2 of 3 from 3-point range. McNeill would go on to score 40 points tying the most points by an Ichabod in Lee Arena. Dan Buie had 40 vs Emporia State on Feb. 14, 1996. The largest led the Ichabods had in the opening half was 13 points twice while the Mules' largest lead was two five different times.

In the second half, the Ichabods kept the Mules (19-7, 13-5 MIAA) at least a 13-point cushion in the game building a lead of as many as 20 points in the half. 

McNeill  career-high of 40 points in the win over the Mules moving into third place on the all-time Washburn scoring chart passing Ewan Auguste, Harold Brown and Ryan Murphy giving him 1,667 points in his career. Only Tom Meier with 2,082 and Gary Carrier with 2,626 have scored more points in an Ichabod uniform. He became the eighth Ichabod to score at least 40 points in a game. McNeill's previous high was 35, set against Central Missouri set on Feb. 8, 2012. McNeill also added four steals and four rebounds.

Bobby Chipman scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds recording his seventh double double of his career and the fifth of the season. Martin Mitchell had 10 points with five assists and Christian Ulsaker scored 10 points with five rebounds.

Widgett Washington had 21 to lead the Mules.

Washburn shot an even 50 percent from the field hitting 34 of 68 shots after going 19 of 32 from the field in the first half. The Mules were limited to 24 of 64 shooting from the field and 18 of 24 from the free throw line. The Ichabods were 21 of 25 from the free throw line. Washburn turned 10 Mule turnovers into 14 points while committing only five for the game.

Series history with Central Oklahoma

• The next meeting on Thursday will be the 19th meeting in the series history. 

• The Bronchos lead the series 11-7.

• Washburn has lost four of the last six.

• The Ichabods lost the first match ups as MIAA schools on Jan. 5, 2013 67-72 in Edmond.

• Washburn's last win over the Bronchos came on Dec. 4, 2007 in Topeka in a 71-68 overtime win.

• Washburn's two highest scoring combined games in school history came against UCO. In 1992 the two teams scored 246 points (132-114, UCO) and in 1998 they scored 218 points (111-107, UCO).

• WU has scored at least 100 points against UCO three times and the Bronchos have done so twice.

• Bob Chipman is 6-7 coaching against UCO.

Last meeting with Central Oklahoma

(Jan. 5, 2012) EDMOND, Okla. -- The No. 8 Washburn made a furious comeback in the second half to put itself in a position to win but came up short in a 72-67 loss at Central Oklahoma. 

After trailing by as many as 22 in the first half, the Ichabods used a 30-15 from the 17-minute mark of the game down to the 7:20 mark turning a 43-26 deficit into a three-point deficit at 58-55 after a Kyle Wiggins' layup.

Wiggins would score on another lay up cutting the to 61-58 on a traditional three-point play with 6:04 left. UCO responded putting the lead back to seven twice before a Martin Mitchell lay up cut the lead back to five at 67-62 with 3:20 to play. Mitchell hit another jumper to cut the margin back to four at 68-64 with 2:07 left and after a UCO pair of free throws with 1:46 to play Will McNeill hit a pair of his own cutting it back to a four-point deficit but they would get no closer as UCO held on for the win. The Ichabods outscored the Bronchos 45 to 30 in the second half after being outscored 42 to 22 in the opening half.

In the first half, the Ichabods trailed by 20 at 42-22 as the Ichabods were 5 of 25 from the field including a 1 of 10 performance from behind the arch. Washburn was limited to three field goals in the final nine-plus minutes of the first half. UCO led by as many as 22 in the opening half as the Bronchos were 16 of 26 from the field including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. UCO also held a 19 to 14 advantage on the glass forcing seven Ichabod turnovers leading to 12 UCO points. Washburn was 11 of 15 from the free throw line compared to 6 of 12 for UCO.

Mitchell scored 21 coming off a 23-point performance against Emporia State last time out. Wiggins scored a career-high 17 in the game and McNeill finished with 14 going 12 of 14 from the free throw line. Washburn was outrebounded 45-35 in the game and outscored 30 to 10 in the paint by UCO.

Josh Gibbs led UCO with 16 points adding 10 rebounds.

Washburn finished 17 of 60 from the field for the game including 6 of 26 from 3-point range while going 27 of 36 from the free throw line. UCO finished 23 of 50 from the field and 20 of 36 from the free throw line. 

About Central Oklahoma

• The Bronchos are 14-13 and 11-7 in the MIAA this season.

• UCO went 8-6 at home this season and 5-5 on the road.

• Josh Gibbs leads the team in scoring with 17.5 ppg averaging 6.3 rpg as well. He is also hitting 49 of 132 3-point attempts. He is averaging 19.2 ppg in MIAA play.

• Spencer Smith is scoring 13.4 ppg with 6.1 rpg and Jamell Cormier is scoring 11.0 ppg.

• UCO is averaging 77.8 ppg while allowing 78.6 ppg.

• As a team UCO is 238 of 652 from 3-point range for a 37 percent average.

• UCO is shooting 67 percent from the free throw line connecting on 466 of 696 attempts - six more attempts than its opponents.

Last time out for Central Oklahoma

March 4, 2013 -- EDMOND (March 4) – Seth Heckart spearheaded a record-setting 3-point shooting display that carried Central Oklahoma to a 103-89 thrashing of Southwest Baptist in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Post-season Tournament Monday night at Hamilton Field House.

 The Bronchos shot a single-game school-record 65.4 percent from long range, connecting on an amazing 17-of-26 shots from beyond the arc.  Heckart led the way, hitting 5-of-6 long-range attempts as one of six players who made at least one 3-pointer.

It was UCO's highest-scoring game since midway through the 2010-11 season and advanced the sixth-seeded Bronchos to Thursday's quarterfinals against No. 3-seed Washburn in Kansas City, Mo.

The Bronchos improved to 14-13 with their seventh win in nine outings while winning their sixth straight at home.

UCO had five players in double figures, with Josh Gibbs and Spencer Smith scoring 18 apiece to lead the way.  Gibbs was 2-of-2 from 3-point range and Smith 3-of-4, while Heckart had 17 points on his 5-of-6 effort from long range.

Jamell Cormier made 4-of-6 treys in adding 14 points and six assists, while Christian Huffman chipped in 12 points.  Cal Andrews (2-of-4) and June Carter (1-of-1) also had 3-pointers for the Bronchos.

UCO trailed 14-12 before Gibbs scored seven points in an 18-0 scoring spree that gave the Bronchos a 30-14 lead.  It grew to a 20-point cushion at 38-18 on an Andrews trey at the 8:51 mark and the lead peaked at 27 (52-25) on Smith's 3-pointer with 5:25 left.

Heckart drained a 25-footer at the halftime buzzer to give UCO a commanding 65-40 lead at the break and the Bronchos coasted in from there.

Bod bits

• Will McNeill was named a preseason All-American by the Basketball Times. He is the first Ichabod to receive preseason All-American honors since Travis Robbins prior to the 2004-05 season.

• Will McNeill has been named the MIAA Player of the Week twice on Nov. 26 and on Dec. 3. 

• The Ichabods are +9.8 in scoring margin this season.

• The three freshman on the Ichabod roster (Khai Hutchinson, Evan Robinson and Colton Anderson) are all redshirting this season.

• Bryce Simons has missed the entire season with a knee injury.

• Alex North suffered a knee injury against Central Oklahoma and missed the last nine games and is likely heading for a medical redshirt as he's played in only five games this season after suffering a concussion against Bethany on Nov. 19.

• McNeill also became only the second Ichabod to score at least 1,667 points and 218 assists joining Tom Meier (2,082/242).

• With three more rebounds, McNeill would become the ninth Ichabod to have at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

• With three more rebounds, McNeill would become the first Ichabod to have at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 steals. 

• McNeill enters the UCO game with 1,667 points, 497 rebounds, 245 steals and 218 assists.

Ichabods in the MIAA Tournament

• The Ichabods are 32-15 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.

• The Ichabods are 17-3 in the first round, 10-7 in the semifinals and 5-5 in championship games. 

• In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 12-7. 

• In first round games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 7-1. In semifinal games played in Municipal the Ichabods are 4-3 and in championship games in Kansas City the Ichabods are 1-3.

• The Ichabods are 0-1 all-time in the MIAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

• As the No. 1 seed, the Ichabods are 21-3, at No. 2 they are 4-3, at No. 3 they are 0-1, at No. 4 they are 2-3, at No. 6 the Ichabods are 3-3, at No. 7 they are 0-1 and as the No. 8 seed they are 2-1.

• Washburn has never been the No. 5 seed.

• Head coach Bob Chipman has won more MIAA Tournament games than any other coach. He has won 32 games going 32-15 recording a .681 winning percentage. • This season he is making his 21st appearance on the Ichabod bench in the tournament, which is one more than Missouri Western's Tom Smith who has 20 MIAA Tournament appearances.

• Bob Chipman's five tournament titles is the most by any coach. Tom Smith (MWSU), Steve Tappmeyer (NWMSU) and Ron Shumate (Southeast Missouri) each have four titles. Kim Anderson (UCM) has won three titles and Robert Corn (MSSU) and Lynn Nance (UCM/SBU) have each won two.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the Ichabods

• Will McNeill sits in third-place on the all-time scoring chart with his 1,667 career points. #OneOfTheBest

• Against Central Missouri, McNeill jumped from sixth to third all-time passing Ewan Auguste (1,636), Harold Brown 1,651 and Ryan Murphy (1,654).  

• Will McNeill's 553 field goals is sixth all-time at Washburn #Scorer

• Bobby Chipman's 216 3-point attempts is 19th in school history #FromWayDowntown

• Bobby Chipman's 91 career blocks is third all-time at Washburn and can move into the top two with five more #RejectionCity

• Bobby Chipman's 562 rebounds is ninth all-time at Washburn #boards

• Will McNeill's 498 free throw made is second at Washburn trailing Gary Carrier's 534 for first all-time at WU #GetToTheLine

• Will McNeill's 627 free throw attempts is third at Washburn #LineTime

• Will McNeill's .794 free throw percentage is eighth all-time at WU #Automatic

• Will McNeill moved into 16th on the Washburn all-time rebounding chart with 497 #HeIsAGuard

• Will McNeill's 218 assists is 17th all-time at Washburn. #PassingTheRock

• Martin Mitchell's career assist average of 3.5 per game is tied for ninth all-time at Washburn #Dimes

• Martin Mitchell's 208 career assists is 20th on the all-time chart at Washburn #NoLook

• Martin Mitchell's 81 3-pointers is 18th on the all-time Washburn chart.

• Joseph Smith's 46 career blocks is 12th all-time at Washburn #NoNos

• Zack Riggins' 29 career blocks is 21st all-time at Washburn #GetItOut

• Will McNeill's 245 career steals is first at Washburn #NoBodyInFrontOfHim

• The MIAA record for career steals is 383 by Eddin Santiago #FastHands

• In scoring 40 points against Central Missouri, Will McNeill kept his double-figure scoring streak alive at 59 games with all 33 games in the 2011-12 season and the first 26 of this season. #DoNotTalkAboutTheStreak

Ichabod Basketball History

• Washburn is 1,450-976-2 all-time in 2,428 games played

• The 2012-13 season is Washburn's 107th of basketball.

• Washburn is the ninth-winningest program in NCAA Division II history.

• The Ichabods are 499-217 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most wins by any program in the MIAA since the 1989-90 season.

• Washburn has won ten MIAA regular season championships and 21 conference championships in school history.

• The Ichabods previously won the MIAA regular season championship in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2012.

Ichabod Postseason MIAA honors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washburn senior forward Will McNeill has became the fifth-different Ichabod to be voted as the MIAA's Most Valuable Player as the league's all-conference teams were announced on Monday. Overall the Ichabods have been awarded the MIAA's MVP seven times since joining the MIAA as two Ichabods won the award twice. McNeill joins Travis Robbins (2004-05), Ewan Auguste (1999-2000 and 2000-01), Dan Buie (1995-96 and 1996-97) and Malcom Daniels (1992-93) as the MIAA's Most Valuable Player. 

McNeill was the only unanimous first team all-MIAA selection after finishing second in the MIAA in scoring at 19.5 ppg. Also honored from Washburn was Martin Mitchell as a third team all-MIAA pick. McNeill was also named to the MIAA's All-Defensive team for the third time in his Washburn career and Bobby Chipman was named to the defensive squad for the second time as well as to the all-MIAA honorable mention team for the second straight season. 

McNeill was a unanimous first team all-MIAA pick as a junior as well. McNeill was also 14th in the MIAA in rebounding at 6.2 per game while leading the league with 3.1 steals per game. McNeill's 3.3 assists per game were tied for 11th in the conference. His 178 free throws made were second in the MIAA as were his 219 attempts giving him a .813 free throw percentage, which was 11th overall in the MIAA. McNeill ranked fifth in the MIAA in offensive rebounds at 2.5 per game and tied for fourth at 33.9 minutes per game played. Overall McNeill was ranked in eight different MIAA statistical rankings. He had the highest-scoring game in the MIAA this season with his career-high 40 points against Central Missouri last time out and tied for the MIAA's highwater mark with seven steals. McNeill became the 15th Ichabod to receive first team all-MIAA honors and only the third to accomplish it in two different seasons. Against Central Missouri last time out McNeill moved into third-place on the Washburn all-time scoring chart while breaking his own single-season steals record with 80 snapping last season's total of 76.

Mitchell was second on the Ichabods this season with 13.5 ppg adding 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game en route to third team all-MIAA honors. He was an honorable mention all-MIAA selection last season as a junior. Mitchell scored a career-high 32 points earlier this season against Missouri Western hitting seven 3-pointers against the Griffons. He finished 19th in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in the league in assists while finishing 11th in 3-pointers made at 2.0 per game. He also was seventh in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio at 1.7.

Chipman was named for the second-straight season to the MIAA's All-Defensive team as well as honorable mention all-MIAA for the second straight season. He averaged 9.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game.  Chipman finished third in the MIAA in rebounds per game and was sixth in blocked shots at 1.3 per game. He was 10th in the MIAA in offensive rebounds per game at 2.2 and his 5.6 defensive rebounds per game were second in the league statistics. Chipman finished sixth in the MIAA in blocked shots at 1.3 per contest.

Ichabods in the national rankings

The Ichabods did not receive any votes in the latest NABC Top 25 coaches poll which was released on March 5. The Ichabods have been in the top 25 a total of 98 times since joining the NCAA ranks and they have been voted in the top 10 a total of 51 times since the 1989-90 season. 

Home sweet home

• The Ichabods are 375-68 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.

• The 2012-13 season marks the 28th season of play in Lee Arena.

• The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.

Up Next

Should Washburn beat Central Oklahoma, the Ichabods will face the winner of the Central Missouri/Pittsburg State game on March 9 at 2:15 p.m. in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. The NCAA Central Region pairing are scheduled to be released on Sunday night.