Opening Tip
•     Washburn will travel to No. 1-ranked and undefeated Northwest Missouri on Saturday in Bearcat Arena in its final regular season road game of the season. After the contest with the Bearcats, Washburn will wrap up the regular season with four games starting with Emporia State on Valentine's Day in Lee Arena.
•     Washburn is 15-8 and 7-7 in the MIAA after snapping a three-game losing streak with a 74-64 win over Missouri Western on Wednesday night in St. Joseph.
•     The Bearcats are 22-0 overall and 14-0 in MIAA play and have gone undefeated in MIAA games dating back to a Jan. 13 loss at Emporia State last season.
•     Northwest has won 26 straight regular-season conference games dating back to the loss to ESU, breaking the previous MIAA win streak of 19 set by Northwest in 1931.
•     Washburn is the last team to beat the Bearcats in Bearcat Arena … the win came on Jan. 10, 2015 in a 70-64 win … overall the Bearcats have won the last 31 games in a row at home.
•     The Ichabods are fourth in the nation in blocks at 5.6 per game and fourth in total blocks at 124 and Brady Skeens is fourth in the nation with 3.18 blocks per game and fourth in total blocks with 70.
•     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 a career-record of 803-351 at Washburn and became only the 17th coach to reach that milestone in the win against Central Oklahoma … next on the coaching win list is Eddie Sutton with 806.
•     Bob Chipman has gone 14-11 in games played in Bearcat Arena and Saturday will be his 26th and final appearance in Maryville.
•   Saturday's meeting will be the 100th between Washburn and Northwest and the Ichabods lead the all-time series 60-39.
•     In Washburn's 15 wins this season, the Ichabods are shooting 52 percent from the field and holding opponents to 38 percent … in the eight losses Washburn is shooting 45 percent while opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field … only allowing 63.7 ppg with no one scoring more than Newman who reached 74 on Dec. 3.
•     In the eight losses opponents are averaging 10.6 made 3-pointers per game and Washburn is hitting 6.6 3-pointers per game.
•     In the eight losses, opponents have attempts 37 more free throws (206 to 169) and have made 51 more free throws (165 to 114).
•     Brady Skeens leads the Ichabods in scoring and is ranked 15th in the MIAA in scoring at 13.3 ppg and Cameron Wiggins is 18th at 12.6 ppg.
•     Brady Skeens leads the league in rebounding at 10.8 rpg, field goal percentage at 66.0 percent (130 of 197) and blocks at 3.2 per game … he is also ranked tied for sixth in assists with 3.5 per game and 13th in minutes at 32.2 per game … Skeens is ranked fourth in the nation in field goal percentage, fourth in blocked shots and fourth in total blocks.
•     Cameron Wiggins is third in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage at .457 (59 of 129) and fourth in made 3-pointers per game at 2.6.
•     Randall Smith's 3.6 assists per game is tied or sixth in the MIAA and Javion Blake is ranked 11th at 3.1 per game.
•     Brady Skeens' 143 career blocks are the most in school after passing Ewan Auguste (100) on the all-time chart against Newman … he has broke his own school record of 61 set last season as a sophomore … this season he has 70 so far in 22 games.
 
Single Season Washburn Record Watch
Name                 Record                               Current Stats                         Record Name/Stats
Brady Skeens       FG Percentage                     .660 (130-197)                     Tom Meier (.670 - 276-412)
Brady Skeens        Blocks                                 74 total                                  Old record - Skeens (61)
Brady Skeens       Block Average                      3.2                                       Skeens (2.2)
 
Single Season Washburn Record Watch By Class
Name                 Record (Class)                      Current Stats                         Record Name/Stats
Brady Skeens        Blocks (Jr.)                            74 total                                  Old record - Dan Buie (50)
Brady Skeens       FG Percentage (Jr.)                .660 (130-197)                     Tom Meier (.670 - 276-412)
Brady Skeens       Total Rebounds (Jr.)               248                                      Dan Buie (304)
Brady Skeens        Rebound Average (Jr.)           10.8                                     Gregg Gibb (11.5)
Cameron Wiggins 3-point FG% (Jr.)                  .457 (59-129)                       Eric Carter (.488 - 62-127)
 
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 803-351 overall.
•      has 564 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 564.
•      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 468-96 going 417-85 in Lee Arena.
•      is third in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.
•      his 803 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.
 
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.
 
Last Time Out For The Ichabods
Washburn 74, Missouri Western 64 -- Feb. 8, 2017
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a 72-63 win over Missouri Western on Wednesday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
After trailing by five 6:02 into the game at 13:58 after back to back 3-pointers by Missouri Western, Washburn (15-8, 7-7 MIAA) stayed within striking distance. The Griffons wouldn't give up the lead until a jumper by Cameron Wiggins with 7:00 to play in the first half jump-started a 27-8 run over the next 9:55 of the game sending the Ichabods to a 48-32 lead with 17:22 to play in the game.
The Griffons (7-16, 3-11 MIAA), losers of four straight games, ripped off an 11-2 run to cut the Ichabod lead to seven with 13:50 to play but Washburn pushed the lead back to 12 at 55-43 with 12:16 to play on another 3-pointer by Wiggins.
Again the Griffons rallied and used a 13-5 run including a 10-0 spurt trimming the lead back to four at 60-56 with 5:40 to play, but the Ichabods scored the final 14 of 22 points of the game as Washburn hit 3 of 4 shots down the stretch and 7 of 9 free throws as Blake scored seven including a three-point play with 3:55 to play leading to the 10-point win.
Wiggins led the Ichabods with 21 points and tied a career-high with seven rebounds. Blake scored 15 adding five rebounds and four assists and Brady Skeens recorded his ninth double double of the season and 19th double double of his career with 13 points and 12 rebounds adding four blocks and two assists. Cooper Holmes scored five points with a career-high 10 rebounds with four offensive boards.
Washburn shot 46 percent in the game hitting 26 of 57 shots and hit 12 of 25 3-pointers. The Ichabods also were 10 of 13 from the free throw line including 9 of 11 in the second half. Missouri Western was 23 of 53 from the field and hit 10 of 18 shots from deep.
The Ichabods outrebounded the Griffons 40 to 26 and had 12 offensive rebounds leading to 12 second chance points. Washburn had 16 assists on 26 baskets.

About Northwest Missouri
•     The Bearcats are 22-0 this season and 14-0 in MIAA play while being ranked No. 1 in both the NABC and D2SIDA Top 25 polls.
•     NWMSU is led by reigning MIAA MVP Justin Pitts who is scoring 19.6 ppg with 120 assists and only 37 turnovers while hitting 79 of 90 free throws …he is 152 of 286 (.531) from the field and 49 of 115 (.426) from 3-point range.
•     Chris-Ebou Ndow is scoring 12.5 ppg with a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game and Zach Schneider is scoring 10.6 ppg … he leads the league in 3-pointers made (3.3 per) and is second in percentage hitting 72 of 151 for a 48 percent clip.
•     As a team, the Bearcats are No. 1 in 3-point field goal percentage (.439) and No. 1 in 3-point field goal defense at .319 (130 of 408).
•     The Bearcats are No. 1 in scoring margin at +20.3 - Central Missouri is second in the league at +8.2 and Washburn is third at +7.9.
•     The Bearcats are second in the MIAA in scoring offense at 81.1 ppg and first in scoring defense at 60.8.
 
Series History with Northwest Missouri
•     Saturday's meeting will be the 100th between the two schools and Washburn holds a 60-39 lead in the series.
•     Washburn has won nine of the last 17 in the series.
•     The Bearcats have won four of the last five 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 21-20 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
Northwest Missouri 62, Washburn 56 -- Jan. 16, 2016
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods rallied from 19 down cutting the Northwest Missouri lead to two in the second half but could not get over the hump in a 62-56 loss to the Bearcats.
After the Ichabods scored the first two points of the game on a jumper by Jeremy Lickteig, the Bearcats (11-5, 8-3 MIAA) would go on a 26-5 run over the next 10:55 of the first half taking a 26-7 lead with 8:23 to play in the first half. From that point on, Washburn (10-6, 6-5 MIAA) regrouped with a 14-5 run of its own capped by a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Randall Smith cutting the Bearcat lead to 10 at 31-21 at the break.  In the first half, the Bearcats shot 50 percent from the field hitting 13 of 26 shots while Washburn was limited to 8 of 25 shooting.
Washburn chipped into the Bearcat lead in the second half cutting the Northwest lead down to four on a 3-pointer by Javion Blake with 13:53 to play in the game and then down to two at 41-39 with 9:31 to go in the game with a 3-pointer by Smith. But the Bearcats came back with a 15-3 run over the next 6:18 hitting 6 of 9 shots compared to 1 of 7 shooting for the Ichabods pushing the lead back to 14 at 56-42 with 3:13 to play.
Smith scored the next four points on a pair of free throws and a jumper trimming the margin back to 10 with 1:57 to play. The Bearcats hit only 6 of 17 free throws the final 1:54 of the game and after layups by Smith and Andy Wilson followed by a Wilson 3-pointer with 28 seconds left the Ichabods cut the lead to seven with 28 seconds to play. After another Bearcat free throw, Cameron Wiggins hit a 3-pointer cutting the margin to five with 17 seconds to play, but would not get any closer as the Bearcats closed out the win.
Smith led the Ichabods with 22 points hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers in the game and Blake finished with 10. Brady Skeens finished with 13 rebounds and two blocks scoring three points. Anthony Woods led the Bearcats with 16 points and Conner Crooker scored 15.
Washburn finished 21 of 60 from the field while Northwest was 23 of 49 for a 47 percent average. The Ichabods attempted only nine free throws hitting nine compared to 12 of 28 attempts for the Bearcats from the free throw line. The Ichabods were also outrebounded 41 to 31 in the game as 10 offensive rebounds led to 12 second chance points for the Bearcats.
 
Last Time Out For Northwest Missouri
Northwest Missouri 65, Emporia State 43 -- Feb. 8, 2017
MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri Bearcats held Emporia State to 17 second half points in a 65-43 win over the Hornets on Feb. 8.
The Hornets hit only 6 of 23 attempts in the second half while the Bearcats were 12 of 24 in the frame leading to the 22-point win.
Justin Pitts led the Bearcats with 16 points adding six rebounds. D'Vante Mosby scored 12 and Chris-Ebou Ndow scored 11.
Northwest led 35-26 at the break and would lead by as many as 24 late in the game.
 
 Ichabod basketball history
•      The Ichabods are 1,535-1,057-2 (.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 564-266 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 417-85 (.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 home to finish the regular season with four games against Emporia State on Feb. 14, Southwest Baptist on Feb. 18, Central Oklahoma on Feb. 23 and against Northeastern State on Feb. 25 in what will be the final regular season home game for Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman.