Opening Tip
•     The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team will look for its fourth-straight win and second-straight to open MIAA play on Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney with tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
•    Washburn (5-1, 1-0 MIAA) is coming off an 86-82 come from behind win over Fort Hays State on Dec. 2 in Hays.
•    The Lopers (3-3, 0-1 MIAA) is coming off a 79-68 loss at home to  Emporia State on Dec. 3.
•    The Ichabods improved to 16-10 in MIAA openers since joining the MIAA and improved to 1-0 in conference lidlifters against the Tigers.

 Ichabod Notes
•    Overall the Ichabods have a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging at least 8.2 points per game.
•    The Ichabods are +8.3 in rebound margin this season.
•    Cameron Wiggins scored a career-high 21 points against the Tigers last time out hitting 5 3-pointers going 8 of 11 from the field overall.
•    Javion Blake tied a career high with nine free throw attempts scoring 12 against the Tigers.
•     David Salach scored a career-high 15 points against the Tigers hitting all three field goal attempts and also set career-highs with nine free throws made and 10 free throw attempts.
•    Randall Smith tied a career-high with six assists and hit both 3-point attempts including one with 14 seconds left against the Tigers putting Washburn up 85-82.
    
 Ichabods on Radio
Washburn games will be broadcast on KTPK radio with Jake Lebahn and Pat Strathman calling the action. 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 37th season at the helm of the Ichabods.
•     a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.
•     is 778-331 overall.
•     has 536 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA, the most of any conference school since the 1989-90 season.
•    is the MIAA's all-time winningest coach by victories with 536.
•     has led the Ichabods to 12 MIAA regular season titles and a MIAA-coaching tops of five postseason MIAA tournament championships.
•     has led the Ichabods to 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances.
•     in home games, he is 455-86 going 404-75 in Lee Arena.
•     is second in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.
•     his 778 coaching wins is 23rd 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.

Nebraska-Kearney head coach Kevin Lofton . . .
•    is in his 11th year as head coach at Nebraska-Kearney after being promoted from co-head coach prior to the start of the season. 
•    has recorded a 159-128 (.555) mark at UNK. 
•    is 4-2 against Washburn.

  Last Time Out For The Ichabods
Washburn 86, Fort Hays State 82 -- Dec. 2, 2015
HAYS, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods rallied from an 11-point second half deficit to open the MIAA season with a 86-82 win over Fort Hays State on Wednesday in Hays. The Ichabods return to action on Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney.
After the Tigers took a 60-49 lead with 14:06 to play, Washburn ripped off a 7-0 run over a 2:01 stretch cutting the lead to 60-56 with 12:05 to play in the game. The Tigers pushed the lead back to seven at 63-56 before the Ichabods pulled a 10-4 run cutting the lead to one with 7:24 to play after a jumper by Brady Skeens. 
After tying the score at 69 with 6:31 to play after a 3-pointer by Randall Smith and back to back buckets by Andy Wilson and Robert Christopher, Washburn pushed out to a four-point lead at 73-69 with 5:06 left. The Tigers came back with five straight points taking the lead back at 74-73. A pair of free throws by David Salach and then two by the Tigers as the teams traded lead with three minutes to play.
Washburn and the Tigers traded the lead three times in the final 1:21 but took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Smith from the top of the key with 14 seconds left putting Washburn up 85-82. The Tigers tossed an airball on their next possession and Smith hit a free throw after being fouled putting Washburn up 86-82 with two seconds to play wrapping up the win.
The Ichabods (5-1, 1-0 MIAA) trailed 47-40 at the half after jumping out to a 7-0 lead starting the game. However a 12-0 run over a 2:41 stretch turned an 11-8 Ichabod advantage into a 20-11 lead for the Tigers (5-1, 0-1 MIAA). Washburn shot 52 percent in the first half hitting 13 of 25 shots and was 4 of 9 from 3-point range while the Tigers were 14 of 25 for a 56 percent average. Washburn was also held without a field goal for the final 3:09 of the first half.
Cameron Wiggins scored 16 of his career-high 21 points in the first half to lead the Ichabods hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers going 8 of 11 from the field. Smith scored 16 points going 4 of 5 from the field. Salach had 15 points going 9 of 10 from the free throw line and Javion Blake had 12 points.
Rob Davis had 24 points to lead the Tigers and Kyler Kinnamon had 18 off the bench.
The Ichabods shot 64 percent in the second half to finish 57 percent from the field overall hitting 27 of 47 shots and 9 of 19 shots from behind the arch. The Tigers finished 49 percent hitting 24 of 49 shots. The Ichabods were also 23 of 34 from the free throw line compared to 23 of 30 for the Tigers.
Washburn committed nine turnovers and the Ichabod bench outscored the Tiger bench 42 to 23.  

 About Nebraska-Kearney
•    The Lopers were picked third in the MIAA preseason coach poll and enters the game with the Ichabods with a 3-3 record and 0-1 in conference play after losing at home 79-68 to Emporia State on Dec. 3.
•    The 2014-15 MIAA MVP senior Conor Beranek leads the team with 25.4 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
•    Ethan Brozek is scoring 15.4 ppg while Trey Lansman is scoring 11.4 and Isaiah McKay is scoring 11.0 ppg.
•    The Lopers are -4.0 in rebounding margin and averaging 83.0 ppg while scoring 73.2 ppg.
 
 Series History with Nebraska-Kearney
•    Saturday's meeting will be the 37th in the series and the Lopers lead 19-17 and have won the last five games.
•    The Ichabods have won 11 of the last 16 meetings.
•    All-time in games in Kearney, the Ichabods are 5-14.
•    Washburn has lost the last two meetings in Kearney.
•    Washburn leads 11-5 in games played in Topeka.

 Last meeting with Nebraska-Kearney
(Feb. 7, 2015) KEARNEY, Neb. -- A hot-shooting Lopers squad and a slow start was too much to overcome as the Ichabods fell 85-78 at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. 
After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half the Ichabods battled back to cut the lead to 10 at 39-29 at the break after falling behind 12-2 and 17-7 to start the game. Washburn shot 42 percent from the field while the Lopers shot 62 percent hitting 13 of 21 shots including 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range.
Washburn opened the second half with a pair of buckets cutting the lead to five, but a 3-pointer by the Lopers pushed it right back to eight with under 19 minutes to play in the game.
A 3-pointer by Korey Fisher trimmed the lead back to five at 51-46 with 14:46, but a traditional 3-point play by the Lopers pushed it back to eight with 14:26 to go in the game.
The Lopers would go on an 11-3 run after the Ichabods trimmed the margin to five pushed in back to 13 at 65-52 with 10:43 to play in the game.
With under eight minutes to play, Washburn cut the lead to seven four times and to five twice and to four twice but could not get any closer as the Lopers held on for the win. 
Key led four Ichabods in doubles figures with a career-high 25 points. Kyle Wiggins had 18, Fisher had 15 and Alex North had 12. Washburn's bench scored three points in the game.
Connor Beranek led the Lopers with 32 points.  

 Last time out for Nebraska-Kearney
(Dec, 3, 2015) Kearney, Neb. - The Emporia State Hornets shot 54 percent from the field and got 38 bench points to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 79-68, Thursday night at the Buckle Court.
 This was the MIAA opener for these 3-3 teams. 
 Shooting 59% (16 of 27) in the second half, Emporia led for the final 32 minutes. With nine different players in the scoring column, the Hornets led 37-27 at the break and held at least six-point cushion over the final 20 minutes.
 UNK struggled from the field, shooting 33% (9 of 27) in the first half and 44% (24 of 55) for the game. The Lopers got 18 first half points from Connor Beranek to hang around but ESU closed the game on a 15-10 run to secure the victory.
  Joshua Oswald and Brandon Hall scored 19 points apiece to pace Emporia with senior guard Terrance Moore adding 11.
 Hall also had seven assists and no turnovers in 30 minutes with Oswald having five defensive rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Finally, Jay Temaat had two of ESU's seven threes to score nine.
 UNK did out rebound ESU, 34-31, but committed three more turnovers, 11-8. The Lopers also missed six free throws, 15 of 21, and were 5 of 19 from behind the arc. 
 Beranek finished with a team-best 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting. Playing all 40 minutes, Ethan Brozek had a double double (14 points & 14 rebounds) with York sophomore guard having 15 points and six boards. The pair combined for 24 second half points.
 Sophomore post Trey Lansman had 10 points and two rebounds. 
 
 Ichabod basketball history
•     The Ichabods are 1,510-1,037-2 (.592) all-time in the 111th year in the program's history.
•     Washburn is the eighth-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
•     Washburn is the winningest MIAA program since the 1989-90 season with an overall record of 536-250 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
•    The Ichabods have recorded 25 20-win seasons and they have one 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season.
•    Washburn has won 21 conference championships including 10 MIAA titles.
•    Washburn has received 12 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.

 Home sweet home
•     The Ichabods are 404-75 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•     The 2015-16 season marks the 31st 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
•    The Ichabods will have their first MIAA home game on Dec. 12 against Southwest Baptist before returning to the road again on Dec. 16 at Pittsburg State and Dec. 19 at Missouri Southern wrapping up action until Jan. 2 when the Ichabods will host Lindenwood in Lee Arena.