Opening Tip
• The Washburn Ichabods return to action on Tuesday night in historic Municipal Auditorium as they will play the third of three games in the MIAA Men's Basketball Challenge in Kansas City as they will take on the No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in a non-conference tilt scheduled for 8 p.m.
• The Ichabods and the Bearcats will follow two other games on the 21st beginning with Central Missouri and East Central at 4 p.m. followed by Newman and Pittsburg State at 6 p.m.
• Washburn is coming off a 89-87 overtime loss to Rockhurst in Kansas City last time out on Saturday.
• Javion Blake has led the Ichabods in scoring in each of the last three games averaging 17.0 points per game going 16 of 34 from the field including 8 of 18 from 3-point range.
• Brady Skeens leads the team with 10.8 rebounds and is averaging a double double this season with 11.0 points per game shooting 68 percent from the field hitting 17 of 25 attempts with 3.0 blocks per game.
• Washburn and Northwest Missouri will play their MIAA game on Feb. 10 in Topeka for the Ichabods' senior day game as the Ichabods will have their final four regular season games on the road.
• Northwest Missouri is 4-0 this season after a 90-70 win over former MIAA foe Truman State on Saturday.
• The Bearcats have not lost since a Feb. 18, 2017 game against Missouri Southern as they won their last 11 games of the season en route to the NCAA Division II Championship.
• The Ichabods have not faced the Bearcats in Municipal Auditorium since a 2015 MIAA quarterfinal tournament game which the Bearcats won 71-61.
• Overall, the Ichabods are 0-3 against Northwest Missouri in Municipal Auditorium, all coming in the MIAA Tournament.
• Northwest has won the last three in the series and seven of the last 10 with all of the seven Ichabod losses coming under 10 points and each of the last 10 games have had a winning margin of 7.2 points.
• Washburn leads the MIAA in blocked shots averaging 4.5 per game and second in assists averaging 15.0 per contest.
• Northwest Missouri's Justin Pitts is second in the MIAA in scoring at 23.0 ppg and Javion Blake is 12th at 16.0 ppg.
• Brady Skeens is second in the MIAA in rebounds at 10.8 per game and leads the MIAA in blocks with 3.0 per game and sixth in steals per game with 1.8.
 
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.

Coaches
Washburn Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard …
• is 2-2 in his first season as the Ichabods' head coach and 35-32 overall in his third year as a head coach.
• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2016 after spending the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Wake Forest basketball program after working under head coach Danny Manning 2014-17 seasons and at the University of Tulsa during the 2012-14 seasons.
• he helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season following the 2016-17 season. 
• while at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane played in the postseason both years, including earning a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Tulsa also participated in the 2013 CBI, finishing that season with a winning record of 17-16 overall.
• before joining Manning at Tulsa, Ballard spent two seasons as the head basketball coach at Baker University going 35-32 overall, including a 21-12 mark in his final season at the helm in 2011-12. 
• prior to taking over the head coaching position at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at Kansas, his alma mater. 
• he played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College in his hometown of Hutchinson, Kan. In his two seasons as a Jayhawk, the team reached the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and appeared in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
• he earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003 earning an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior for his efforts in the classroom.
• has never faced Northwest Missouri.
 
Northwest Missouri head coach Ben McCollum…
• is 161-70 in his seventh season as the Bearcats' head coach.
• he is a 2003 graduate of Northwest Missouri.
• named the 20th head coach in Bearcat history.
•  played for Northwest going 51-12 in two seasons including a 29-3 mark during a run to the NCAA Elite Eight during the 2001-02 season.  
• is 8-6 against the Ichabods.
 
Last Time Out For the Ichabods
Rockhurst 89, Washburn 87 (ot) -- Nov. 18, 2017
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod basketball team ended up on the wrong end of a buzzer beater as Rockhurst rallied from a 18-point second half deficit to force in a 89-87 loss on Saturday.
In the extra frame, the Hawks pushed out to a five point lead with 3:18 to go at 79-74 and again at five at 80-75 with 2:13 to go. But the Ichabods (2-2) battled back cutting the lead to 84-83 with 17 seconds to play on a 3-pointer by Tyler Geiman. After a pair of free throws by the Hawks with 13 seconds to play, Javion Blake hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key and was fouled with four seconds to go. He would hit the go-ahead free throw, but Rockhurst's Eddie Muench connected on a 3-pointer for the winner as time expired.
Washburn was outscored 39-26 in the second half as they cooled off to 11 of 26 from the field and the Hawks shot 52 percent in the half to force the overtime. Washburn was also 1 of 6 from the free throw line in the second half and was outrebounded 19 to 17.
Washburn led 46-33 at the break using a closing run of 17-6 over the final 6:07 turning a 1-point deficit into a 13-point lead as the Ichabods shot a blistering 63 percent hitting 17 of 27 shots including 4 of 8 3-pointers. Washburn was also 8 of 14 from the free throw line in the frame as Brady Skeens and Javion Blake each scored 10 to pace the Ichabods.
Blake led the Ichabods with 23 points tying for game high honors and Brady Skeens recorded his 27th double double of his Washburn career with 14 points, 14 rebounds adding six blocks and four assists. Tyas Martin scored 11 off the bench.
Washburn finished 32 of 61 from the field for a 53 percent average and the Hawks were 33 of 66. Washburn was 9 of 22 from 3-point range while Rockhurst (2-1) was 8 of 21. Both teams struggled from the free throw line as Washburn was 14 of 28 while the Hawks were 15 of 28. Both teams finished with 39 rebounds.
 
About The Opponents
Northwest Missouri
• Northwest Missouri is 4-0 this season after a 90-70 win over former MIAA foe Truman State on Saturday.
• Reigning two-time MIAA MVP Justin Pitts leads the Bearcats in scoring and assists with 23.0 ppg and 4.3 apg. He is shooting 56 percent from the field and has hit all 18 of his free throw attempts this season. He has scored no less than 20 points in a game this season and had a season-high 30 points in the season opening win over Upper Iowa. 
• Chris-Ebou Ndow is averaging 15.8 ppg with 5.3 rebounds and Brett Dougherty is scoring 11.0 ppg with 5.3 rpg.
 
Series History with Northwest Missouri 
• Tuesday's meeting will be the 101st between the two schools and Washburn holds a 60-40 lead in the series.
• Washburn has won nine of the last 18 in the series.
• The Bearcats have won five of the last six meetings.
• The series dates back to the 1940-41 season and they have played each other every year since WU joined the MIAA in 1989-90.
• The Ichabods are 21-10 against the Bearcats in Lee Arena and have won five of the last eight at home.
• Since the 1956-57 season, Washburn is 21-21 in Maryville and since joining the MIAA during the 1990-91 season, the Ichabods are 12-10 on the road.
• In the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 3-5 against Northwest after the 2015 quarterfinal match up.
• In the NCAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 2-1 against the Bearcats after winning in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2012 in Wichita Falls.
• The Ichabods won a regional final contest against the Bearcats in Topeka on March 10, 2001 advancing to the Elite Eight in Bakersfield, Calif., after a 67-61 win. 
 
Last Meeting with Northwest Missouri
(Feb. 21, 2016) MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The Washburn Ichabods were tied at the half with undefeated and No. 1-ranked and fought down the stretch but came up short in a 74-68 loss in Bearcat Arena on Saturday afternoon. 
After the score was tied at the half at 31, in 20 minutes of neither team leading the other by more than four points. Cameron Wiggins scored 11 in the first half to lead the Ichabods as Washburn outrebounded the Bearcats 20 to 17.
In the second half, Washburn held a two-point lead at 45-43 after a 3-pointer by David Salach with 14:03 to play, but the Bearcats scored 9 of the next 11 points to take a five-point lead at 52-47.
Washburn cut the lead back to one at 52-51 after a dunk by Brady Skeens with 10:32 to play. Northwest would go on a 13-7 run over the next 5:52 to go up seven at 65-58 with 4:40 to play in the game.
After another dunk by Skeens pulling Washburn within five at 3:43, the Bearcats outscored the Ichabods 9-8 down the stretch going 5 of 8 from the free throw line.
Javion Blake led the Ichabods with 18 points and Wiggins finished with 17 followed by Skeens' 16 points and Salach's 14 points. Skeens led the Ichabods with nine rebounds adding four blocks.
Washburn outrebounded the Bearcats 37 to 35 in the game and outshot the Bearcats 44 percent to 42 percent. Washburn was 24 of 55 from the field, 5 of 20 from 3-point range and 15 of 23 from the free throw line. The Bearcats were 25 of 59 from the field, 7 of 20 from 3 and 17 of 22 from the free throw line.
 
Last time out for Northwest MIssouri
(Nov. 18, 2017) -- The Bearcats defeated Truman 90-70 in Bearcat Arena improving to 4-0 this year scoring a season-high 90 against the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs led by seven twice in the first half before the Bearcats would go on a 39-16 run the final 14:31 of the half to put the game away as Truman would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
Pitts led the Bearcats with 20 points pacing four in double figures as Northwest shot 57 percent from the field. Truman finished the game shooting 55 percent from the field, but was outshot at the free throw line 13 to 3 in attempts by the Bearcats. Northwest also outrebounded the Bulldogs 29 to 18 in the game.
 
Washburn Ichabod Basketball HIstory
•    The Ichabods are 1,542-1,061-2 (.592) all-time in the 114th 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 569-268 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
•    The Ichabods have recorded 26 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 423-85 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•    The 2017-18 season marks the 33rd 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 return to action on Nov. 25 when they will host Ottawa at 6 p.m. in Lee Arena and then Washburn returns to the road to take on Newman at 7:30 p.m. in Wichita. Washburn will face Manhattan Christian on Nov. 30 before opening MIAA play against Fort Hays State in Lee Arena on Dec. 6.