Opening Tip
•     The Washburn Ichabods will look to snap a two-game slide as they will play host to Fort Hays State under the big lights of ESPN3 and the WatchESPN Ap on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Lee Arena.
•     Washburn is 14-7 and 6-6 in the MIAA after falling to Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday in Lee Arena as the Lopers swept the regular season series winning their seventh in a row over the Ichabods.
•     The Tigers are 12-8 overall and 6-6 in the MIAA after beating Emporia State last time out 76-71.
•     The Tigers and the Ichabods are in a three-way tie for sixth in the MIAA standings trailing Northwest Missouri who leads the league at 12-0 and Nebraska-Kearney is in a three-way tie for second with Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma at 8-4. Missouri Southern is in fifth by itself at 7-5.
•     The Ichabods are fourth in the nation in blocks at 5.7 per game and fourth in total blocks at 119 and Brady Skeens is fifth in the nation with 3.2 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 a career-record of 802-350 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.
•     The Ichabods lead the all-time series with Fort Hays State 92-69 after falling in the first meeting earlier this season on Dec. 7 89-82.
•     In Washburn's 14 wins this season, the Ichabods are shooting 52 percent from the field and holding opponents to 38 percent … in the seven losses Washburn is shooting 47 percent while opponents are shooting 47 percent from the field.
•     In the seven losses opponents are averaging 11 made 3-pointers per game and Washburn is hitting 7.0 3-pointers per game.
•     In the seven losses, opponents have attempts 41 more free throws (183 to 142) and have made 51 more free throws (149 to 98).
•     Brady Skeens leads the Ichabods in scoring and is ranked 15th in the MIAA in scoring at 13.5 ppg and Cameron Wiggins is 20th at 12.2 ppg.
•     Wiggins' 3-point field goals made per game of 2.5 made is seventh in the MIAA.
•     Brady Skeens leads the league in rebounding at 10.7 rpg, field goal percentage at 67.6 percent (121 of 179) and blocks at 3.2 per game … he is also ranked seventh in assists with 3.6 per game and 13th in minutes at 32.1 per game … Skeens is ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage, fifth in blocked shots and fourth in total blocks.
•     Randall Smith's 3.7 assists per game is fifth in the MIAA and Javion Blake is ranked 12th at 3.1 per game.
•     Brady Skeens' 140 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 with 67 so far this season in 21 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 802-350 overall.
•      has 563 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 563.
•      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 468-95 going 417-84 in Lee Arena.
•      is third in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.
•      his 802 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.
 
Fort Hays State head coach Mark Johnson
•     is 315-146 in his career, now in his 16th season at Fort Hays State.
•     he is the all-time coaching wins leader in FHSU history with a career record of 304-138 in 15 seasons, ranking among the top 20 active NCAA Division II men's basketball coaches in winning percentage (.688).
•     has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his time at FHSU.
•     became the all-time wins leader in Fort Hays State history on January 11, 2014 in a victory at home over Lincoln University, recording his 258th win.
•     he reached his 300th career win on February 13, 2016 in a victory at Missouri Southern.
•     has coached three All-Americans, 46 all-conference selections, a conference player of the year, a conference freshman of the year, and three conference defensive players of the year in his time at FHSU.
•     is 13-11 against the Ichabods.
 
Last Time Out For The Ichabods
Nebraska-Kearney 88, Washburn 73 -- Feb. 2, 2017
TOPEKA, Kan. –Nebraska-Kearney outscored the Washburn Ichabods 26-10 down the stretch during the final 6:10 turning a one-point Ichabod lead into a 15-point loss in an 88-73 loss  on Thursday night in Lee Arena.
The loss to the Lopers, was the seventh-straight in the series as UNK improved to 15-6 overall and 8-4 in the MIAA. Washburn dips to 14-7 overall and 6-5 in conference play.
Washburn led by eight at the break at 39-31 as the Ichabods shot 47 percent from the field and 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of the game. UNK shot 48 percent in the first half and then would improve to 66 percent in the second half hitting 19 of 29 enroute to a 57.7 percent as the Lopers finished 30 of 52 from the field and 11 of 22 from 3-point range. The Lopers shot an opponent season-high against the Ichabods of 59.6 percent in the loss on Dec. 10 in Kearney as the Lopers connected on 12 3-pointers in that game.
The Ichabods led by 11 just 24 seconds into the second half after a 3-pointer by Randall Smith at 42-31, but the Lopers would chip away at the score tying it at 53 with 13:23 to play.
The teams traded the lead over the next eight possessions, but would take it for good on a layup by AJ Jackson with 6:26 to play starting the 26-10 run to finish the game as the Lopers would go 7 of 9 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line to wrap up the win. Washburn was 4 of 9 down the stretch in the loss.
Brady Skeens recorded his ninth double double of the season and the 19th of his career with a team-high 16 points and 14 rebounds adding three blocks and three assists. Javion Blake scored 12 points and Isaac Clark and Cameron Wiggins each scored 10.
Carter Burns scored 19 to lead all scorers for the Lopers pacing four total UNK players in double figures.
Washburn outrebounded the Lopers 36 to 25 adding 17 offensive rebounds. Washburn committed 16 turnovers leading to 21 points for the Lopers.

About Fort Hays State
•     The Tigers are 12-8 this season and 6-6 in MIAA after winning at Emporia State last time out 76-71 on Feb. 1 in Emporia behind a career-high 42 points from Rob Davis going 7 of 12 from 3 against ESU last time out.
•     Rob Davis leads the team scoring 23.7 ppg …he is 93 of 104 from the free throw line and has hit 62 of 122 3-pointers for a 51 percent average.
•     Hadley Gillum is also averaging double figures with 12.3 ppg.
•     JaQuan Smith leads the team with 6.5 rebounds per game adding 22 blocks.
•     The Tigers are shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range and have shot 11 fewer throws than their opponents making 19 less than their opponents.
 
Series History with Fort Hays State
•     Washburn leads the all-time series 92-69 and Saturday's meeting will be the 162nd between the two schools.
•     The Ichabods have won nine of the last 12 in the series.
•     The series is the third-most played for Washburn behind Emporia State (210) and Pittsburg State (179).
•     Washburn is 20-5 against the Tigers in Lee Arena.
•     Fort Hays State is 5-2 against WU in overtime games.
•     The teams have met twice in the MIAA tournament with the Ichabods winning both games. The first was the Ichabods winning 67-54 in the MIAA Tournament semifinals on March 3, 2012 in Kansas City and last season's first round win in Topeka 66-57.
•     The Tigers' last win in Topeka was on Dec. 8, 2010 in a 70-58 win - a losing streak of six games.
•     The Ichabods lost the last meeting in Hays by a score of 89-82 in on Dec, 7 earlier this season.
•     The Ichabods have lost three of the last four games played in Hays and have not won in Gross Memorial Coliseum after winning 86-82 on Dec. 2, 2015.
 
Last Meeting with Fort Hays State
Fort Hays State 89, Washburn 82 -- Dec. 7, 2016
HAYS, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods jumped out to a 16-0 lead 4:19 into the game, but Fort Hays State responded with a run of its own later in the half and would hold off the Ichabods down the stretch rallying for an 89-82 win.
The Washburn Ichabods (8-1, 0-1 MIAA) hit their first three 3-pointers jumping out to a 9-0 lead and stretched the lead out to 27-9 with 9:09 to play in the first half as the Ichabods hit 11 of their first 16 shots from the field including 5 of their first seven from 3-point range.
The Tigers (6-3, 2-1 MIAA) chipped away cutting the lead to 11 at 29-18 with 7:32 to play after back-to-back 3-pointers of their own. After trading 3-pointers, the Tigers hit another one from deep and after a turnover cut the lead to nine at 32-23 with 5:40 to play in the half. Another 3-pointer by the Tigers cut the lead to six at 32-26 with 4:59 to play in the frame.
The 21-5 run which brought the Tigers back saw them hit 7 of 10 shots from the field including all four 3-point attempts while the Ichabods were 2 of 9 from the field with three turnovers.
Overall from the runs from the two teams included a 27-9 run by the Tigers the final 10:07 of the game and a 21-2 run the first six minutes of the game.
Washburn took a 36-34 lead into the break after the Tigers tied the score at 34 with 21 seconds, but a jumper off the glass by Isaac Clark put the Ichabods up two as Washburn hit 14 of 31 shots for a 45 percent average and the Tigers were 11 of 26 for a 42 percent average.
The Tigers jumped out to a 49-45 lead with 14:53 to play in the game however Washburn came back to take the lead at 56-55 with 12:06 to play before the Tigers retaking the lead back at 57-56 leading to Washburn going back in front 58-57 after a lay up by Emeka Ogbonna.
With the score tied at 67, the Ichabods came up empty on their next possession and Rob Davis converted a 3-point play to put the Tigers up 70-67 with 4:40 to go in the game.
FHSU went up four with four minutes to play, before a bucket by Brady Skeens cut the lead in half at 72-70 with 3:45 to play.
Following an Ichabod timeout, the Tigers hit a pair of free throws going up four with 3:15 left. Washburn hit one of two free throws and a long jumper by the Tigers stretched the lead to five with 2:36 to play. Washburn came up empty on its next trip down the court. The Tigers were fouled on their next possession but missed the front end of a one and one.
Cameron Wiggins hit a lay up with 1:42 left to cut the lead to three, but the Tigers hit both free throws going back up five with 1:40 to go.
Skeens hit one free throw with 1:33 left to cut the lead to three, but a lane violation on the Ichabods pushed the lead back to four. The Tigers then would hit a 3-pointer from the corner to back up seven with 1:11 to play.
A 3-pointer by Wiggins on Skeens' career-high eighth assist pulled the Ichabods back within four at 81-77.
A pair of free throws by the Tigers again pushed FHSU up six with 47 seconds to play. Washburn cut the lead back to four at 83-79 after a lay up by Randall Smith.
Washburn fouled and the Tigers hit both free throws going up six and Washburn would miss its next attempt and the Tigers ran out the clock for the six-point win.
Washburn had five players in double figures led by Wiggins' 21 points followed by Skeens' fifth double double of his season and 15th of his career with 19 points and 12 rebounds adding a career-high eight assists and five blocks. Ogbonna, making his first start of the season, scored 11 points as did Smith. Javion Blake scored 10 points.
Washburn shot 50 percent in the second half and finished 48 percent for the game going 30 of 63 from the field. Washburn was 13 of 20 from the free throw line in the game.
The Tigers were led by Aaron Nicholson's 22 points and Hadley Gillum's 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Tigers were 26 of 58 in the game and hit 25 of 26 free throws shooting six more and hitting 12 more in the game than the Ichabods.
 
Last Time Out For Fort Hays State
FOrt Hays State 76, Emporia State 71 -- Feb. 1, 2017
EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State ran its win streak in Emporia against Emporia State to five games with the help of a career-high 42-point performance from Rob Davis. The Tigers scored the final six points of the game and won 76-71 to split the regular-season series with the Hornets. FHSU is now 12-8 overall, 6-6 in the MIAA, while Emporia State lost its third straight game, falling to 10-11 overall, also 6-6 in the MIAA.
Coming off a season-low seven points against Lindenwood, Davis had a great start in the first half and maintained his scoring pace throughout the night. He had 19 points by halftime, helping the Tigers to a 39-36 advantage. At that point, he was 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line. The Tigers never trailed in the first half, though the Hornets tied the game twice early.
With a quick four point burst to open the second half, Emporia State grabbed its first lead of the game with 18:11 remaining. The lead would change hands 14 times in the second half. The Tigers used a 6-0 run, all points by Davis, to take a six-point lead with 5:27 remaining. In that burst, Davis tied his career-high with a layup, broke it with his seventh 3-point field goal of the game, and then added a free-throw to reach the 40-point mark. He became the first Tiger in 22 years to score at least 40 in a game, Dennis Edwards being the last in 1995.
Emporia State countered Fort Hays State's 6-0 run with a 7-0 run to claim the lead back with 3:08 to play. But Davis answered again with a layup to push FHSU back in front by one. A Tyler Jordan dunk was Emporia State's last basket of the game at the 2:20 mark as the Tigers buckled down to score the final six and claim a fifth-straight win in White Auditorium. Hadley Gillum converted a pair of free-throws with 50 seconds remaining to put the Tigers back on top, then Davis pulled down a big defensive rebound and got it ahead to Brady Werth for a breakaway dunk. Emporia State missed a 3-point attempt in an effort to tie and Kyler Kinnamon secured his team-best sixth rebound of the game. Kinnamon secured the win for FHSU by burying a pair of free throws.
Davis shot a jaw-dropping 70 percent from the field, going 14-of-20 overall. He was 7-of-12 beyond the 3-point line and added a 7-of-9 effort at the free-throw line. Gillum finished with 14 points and Kinnamon added a team-high six assists. The Tigers shot a blistering 56.5 percent from the field for the game, while Emporia State was also good at 50 percent overall. The Tigers were rock-solid from the free-throw line, where they went 15-of-17 (88.2 percent).
The Hornets had five players finish in double figures, led by Jevon Taylor with 17. He went 4-of-7 beyond the 3-point line, despite the remainder of the team going 4-of-18.
 
 Ichabod basketball history
•      The Ichabods are 1,534-1,056-2 (.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 563-266 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 417-84 (.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 hit the road one more time with a pair of games at Missouri Western on Feb. 8 and then a trip to face No. 1-ranked and undefeated Northwest Missouri on Feb. 11 before returning 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 Northeatsern State on Feb. 25 in what will be the final regular season home game for Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman.