Opening Tip
•     The Washburn Ichabod basketball team wraps up a three-game road trip with Central Oklahoma on Saturday at Hamilton Fieldhouse with tip scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
•     Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman will be going for win No. 800 in his 38th season as Washburn's head coach.
•     Washburn is 11-4 and 3-3 in the MIAA after winning 67-55 at Northeastern State on Thursday night in Tahlequah.
•     Central Oklahoma is 10-5 this season and 5-2 in the MIAA after defeating Emporia State last time out on Jan. 12 in Edmond in a 90-64 win.
•     The Ichabods as a team lead the nation in blocks at 6.2 per game and total blocks at 87 and Brady Skeens is third in the nation with 3.6 blocks per game.
•     This season will be Bob Chipman's last season on the bench at Washburn … Chipman announced prior to the start of the season this year would be his last … Chipman has recorded a career-record of 799-347 at Washburn needing only two wins to reach 800 for his career becoming only the 16th coach to reach that milestone.
•     The Ichabods trail the all-time series with Central Oklahoma 15-10 and have gone 3-5 in games played in Edmond.
•     The Ichabods have lost the last two in the series after UCO swept the two games last season winning 98-92 in overtime in Edmond and 71-60 in Topeka.
•     Brady Skeens leads the Ichabods and is ranked 14th in the MIAA in scoring at 13.7 ppg, Cameron Wiggins is 15th at 13.3 ppg and Javion Blake is 27th at 12.0 ppg while David Salach is ranked 35th at 10.3 ppg.
•     Wiggins' 3-point field goal percentage of 47 percent (40 of 88) is fifth in the MIAA and his 2.9 made 3-pointers per game is second in the MIAA.
•     Brady Skeens leads the league in rebounding at 10.8 rpg, field goal percentage at 69.0 percent (87 of 126) and blocks at 3.6 per game … he is also ranked seventh in assists with 3.7 per game and 13th in minutes at 31.5 per game … Skeens is ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage at 69.0.
•     Randall Smith's 3.5 assists per game is eighth in the MIAA tied with Javion Blake.
•     Brady Skeens' 127 career blocks are the most in school after passing Ewan Auguste (100) on the all-time chart against Newman … he had a school-record 61 last season in 28 games … this season he has 53 in 14 games.
 
  Ichabods on Radio
Washburn games will be broadcast on KTPK 106.9 FM radio with Jake Lebahn and Dan Lucero 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 38th and final season at the helm of the Ichabods.
•     a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.
•     is 799-347 overall.
•     has 560 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 560.
•     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 467-93 going 416-82 in Lee Arena.
•     is third in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.
•     his 799 coaching wins is 17th 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.
 
Central Oklahoma head coach Tom Hankins
•     is 26-19 in his second year at Central Oklahoma
•     is 2-0 against Washburn.
•     took over the reigns last May, coming to UCO after spending the previous 18 seasons in the Division I ranks.
•     is a native of Tulsa and was an assistant coach for 15 years at Oral Roberts before serving the last three seasons as associate head coach at Southern Illinois-Carbondale.
•     helped ORU capture five Summit League championships and made three NCAA Division I national tournament appearances during Hankins' tenure there.
•     went to SIU in 2012 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, spending three seasons there before coming to UCO.
 
Last Time Out For The Ichabods
Washburn 67, Northeastern State 55 -- Jan. 12, 2017
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- The Washburn Ichabods snapped a two-game losing streak and won for the first time in school history in Tahlequah in a 67-55 win over Northeastern State on Thursday night as Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman picked up career win No. 799.
With the RiverHawks holding a 6-5 lead, the Ichabods scored 10 straight points to go up 15-6 and stretched the lead to as many as 13 in the first half as Washburn took a 28-15 lead into the break after holding the RiverHawks to 5 of 32 shooting in the first half and 2 of 11 from 3-point range. Washburn was 5 of 11 from deep and 9 of 22 overall and held a 27 to 18 advantage on the glass.
Cooper Holmes recorded seven rebounds in the first half with four coming on the offensive side. Isaac Clark scored nine to lead Washburn and Javion Blake added seven in the opening half.
An 8-0 midway through the second half by the RiverHawks cut the Ichabod lead to nine at 41-32, but back to back layups by Brady Skeens and Salach along with a jumper by Salach pushed the margin back to 15 with 11:15 to play.
From that point on, the RiverHawks would not get closer than 12 points, but a 3-pointer from Blake from the corner stretched the lead back to 13 with 5:30 to go in the game. Another three from Blake as the shot clock was expiring stretched the lead back to 15 with 3:50 to go.
The RiverHawks would not get closer than 12 the rest of the way as the Ichabods won the first time in Tahlequah snapping a four-game losing streak.
Blake led the Ichabods with 20 points going 5 of 9 from 3-point range adding three rebounds. Salach scored 12 points with seven rebounds. Skeens recorded his 17th double double and seventh of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds picking up five blocks in the process.
Washburn finished 21 of 48 from the field hitting 9 of 19 shots from deep. Washburn also outrebounded the RiverHawks 45 to 31. Washburn held the RiverHawks to 30 percent shooting from field as they finished 17 of 57 overall.

About Central Oklahoma
•     Central Oklahoma is 9-5 on the season and 4-2 in the MIAA. The Bronchos are 6-3 at home this year.
•     Josh Holliday is averaging a team best 14.6 points per game. Corbin Byford is averaging 11.2 points and a team best 7.0 rebounds per game.
•     UCO is 6-3 in home games.
 
Series History with Central Oklahoma
•     Saturday's meeting will be the 26th in the series history.
•     The Bronchos lead the series 15-10 after UCO swept the Ichabods last season.
•     The Ichabods lost the first match ups as MIAA schools on Jan. 5, 2013 67-72 in Edmond and in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals on March 3, 2013 99-88 in Kansas City.
•     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 9-11 coaching against UCO.  
 
Last Meeting with Central Oklahoma
(Feb. 20, 2016) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods men's basketball team used a 9-0 run late trimming the Central Oklahoma Broncho lead to eight, but it wasn't enough in a 71-60 loss on Saturday night. The Ichabods return to action on Wednesday at Missouri Western.
The Ichabods led at 2-0 as Christian Ulsaker started the scoring for the Washburn (14-11, 10-10 MIAA) but a 20-8 run over the next 5:48 would put the Bronchos (13-13, 9-11 MIAA) up 20-10. Washburn cut the lead back to two at 22-20 on a lay up by Randall Smith with 8:43 to play, but another big run by the Bronchos pushed the lead out to 14 points at 34-20 as UCO would go on to lead 40-29 at the break.
In the second half, UCO kept the Ichabods at arms length until the Ichabods trimmed a 61-44 deficit down to a 63-55 disadvantage using a 11-2 run, but UCO scored eight of the final 13 points leading to the win.
Blake led the Ichabods with 12 points as the only Ichabod reaching double figures. Ulsaker had eight points with seven rebounds adding three assists and Tyas Martin scored eight points.
Seth Heckart scored 19 points hitting 5 of 10 3-pointers.
Washburn finished 20 of 46 from the field and was outrebounded by the Bronchos 35 to 28. UCO took advantage of 20 turnovers by the Ichabods leading to 22 points.
UCO connected on 7 of 13 shots from 3-point range in the first half as they would go on to hit 10 of 26 overall. Washburn finished 4 of 15 from 3-point range.
 
Last Time Out For The Bronchos
Central Oklhaoma 90, Emporia State 64 -- Jan. 12, 2017
EDMOND, Okla. – Jake Hammond scored eight of his season-high 23 points in the first four minutes to stake Central Oklahoma to an early lead and the Bronchos went on to a 90-64 shellacking of Emporia State Thursday night at Hamilton Field House.
It was the second straight dominating performance for Hammond, who had 20 points in UCO's close loss to Lindenwood last Saturday.  The 6-foot-8 junior forward was 9-of-13 from the field -- hitting an assortment of turnaround jumpers, baby hooks and layups in addition to nailing his 3-pointer of the season – while adding five rebounds and three blocked shots.
It was the third win in four outings for the Bronchos, who improved to 10-5 on the season and 5-2 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.  The Hornets fell to 7-8 and 3-3 in having a three-game winning streak stopped.
All nine players who saw action scored for the Bronchos, including five in double figures.  UCO shot 53.6 percent (30-of-56) from the field with just seven turnovers while holding ESU to just 34.5-percent shooting.
Josh Holliday made three treys, went 6-of-6 from the line and had a fine overall outing with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Corey Alpough added 13 points off the bench, with Marquis Johnson chipping in 12 points and seven rebounds and Corbin Byford 10 points and three blocks.
The Bronchos trailed only once, at 2-0 in the opening seconds.  Hammond's short jumper quickly tied it, Byford put UCO on top to stay with a fast-break layup off a Jordan London feed and Hammond scored from close range again to make it 6-2 just two minutes into the game.
Hammond added two more buckets and Holliday drilled a long 3-pointer to push the lead to 15-7 at the 15:14 mark and the margin reached double digits at 21-11 on an Alpough free throw with 11:14 left in the half.
Two Holliday foul shots at 4:28 had the Bronchos up by 17 (42-25), with Emporia hitting a last-second shot to get within 13 (50-37) by intermission.
UCO's lead never dipped under 10 in the second half and the Bronchos ended the game with a 19-7 surge to put an exclamation point on the rout.
 
 Ichabod basketball history
•     The Ichabods are 1,531-1,053-2 (.592) all-time in the 112th year in the program's history.
•     Washburn is the fifth-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 558-264 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 416-82 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•     The 2016-17 season marks the 32nd 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
•     Washburn will return to Lee Arena when they will play host to Missouri Southern on Jan. 19 and Pittsburg State on Jan. 21.