Opening Tip
• The Washburn Ichabods will step out of MIAA play as they will face No. 13-ranked West Texas A&M on Dec. 17 and Indianapolis on Dec. 18, who received votes in the latest NABC Top 25 coaches poll.
• The Ichabods are 7-1 this season and 2-0 in the MIAA after topping Central Missouri 70-50 in their last action on Dec. 8.
• West Texas A&M is 10-2 and had its seven-game winning streak snapped in the Buffs last game on Dec. 6 in a 68-65 loss to Lubbock Christian.
• Indianapolis is 6-2 after falling to Olivet Nazarene on Dec. 4 in its last game.
• Both the Buffs and the Greyhounds will take on Pittsburg State in the Las Vegas Hoopla event.
• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 18.5 ppg which is eighth in the MIAA rankings.
• David Salach is averaging 10.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg … his rebounding total is tenth in the MIAA.
• Tyas Martin is scoring 8.6 ppg while Jalen Lewis is averaging 9.3 ppg off the bench and Tyler Geiman is scoring 8.9 ppg as well as dishing out 5.3 assists per game, which is fourth in the MIAA.
• Javion Blake has scored 1,347 career points placing him eighth all-time at Washburn … against Central Missouri, he passed Ron Berkholtz for eighth on the all-time scoring chart … next on the chart is Dan Buie in seventh who scored 1,484 points in two seasons at Washburn after averaging 24.7 ppg in 60 career games … Blake's 156 career 3-point field goals is eighth on the all-time chart … his next free throw will be his 300th of his career which ranks eighth all-time at Washburn.
• David Salach has 92 career blocks which is fifth all-time at Washburn after a career-high six rejections against Rockhurst … he needs two more to pass Bobby Chipman for fourth on the all-time chart … Salach leads the MIAA in blocks at 2.1 per contest.
• Will McKee is averaging 8.6 ppg with 7.3 rpg coming off his first career double double against Saint Mary earlier this season.
 
 Coaches
Washburn Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard …
• is 28-11 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 61-41 overall in his third year as a head coach.
• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2017 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 33-30 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 coached against West Texas A&M or Indianapolis.
 
West Texas A&M head coach Tom Brown …
• Is 106-37 in his fifth season as the head coach at West Texas A&M.
• Fifth-year head coach Tom Brown won his 100th game at the helm of WT basketball in November 10th's 112-87 win over Adams State in Alamosa, Colo.
• It took him 136 to reach the plateau making him the fastest coach to eclipse the 100
win mark.
• The 2017-18 Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year has the fifth-best winning percentage in program history at 74.3%.
• has never coached against Washburn.
 
Indianapolis head coach Stan Gouard …
• Stan Gouard is 191-103 in his 11th season as the head coach of the Greyhounds.
• He has led the Greyhounds to six NCAA/NAIA National Tournament appearances.
• has never coached against Washburn. 
 
 About West Texas A&M
• The Buffs are 10-2 and 2-0 in the Lone  Star Conference.
• Ryan Quaid leads four Buffs in double figures scoring 15.8 ppg … Gach Gach is averaging 12.7 ppg while Joel Murray is scoring 11.2 ppg and Qua Grant is scoring 10.8 ppg.
• Former Emporia State Hornet Brandon Hall has started all 12 games for WT and is scoring 6.8 ppg … last season he scored 22 points against the Ichabods on Jan. 6, 2018 in Topeka and 10 points in the meeting in Emporia on Feb. 13, 2018 including a halfcourt buzzer beat entering the half.
 
 Series history with West Texas A&M
• The Ichabods and the Buffs have met twice with Washburn winning both meetings.
• Both meetings came during the NCAA South Central Regional Tournaments.
• Washburn won the last meeting on March 14, 2003, 75-73 in Stephenville, Texas and March 9, 2001 in Topeka in an 86-61 win.
 
 Series history with Indianapolis
• The Ichabods and the Buffs have met twice with Washburn winning both meetings.
• Both meetings came during the NCAA South Central Regional Tournaments.
• Washburn won the last meeting on March 14, 2003, 75-73 in Stephenville, Texas and March 9, 2001 in Topeka in an 86-61 win.
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
Washburn 70, Central Missouri 50 -- Dec. 8, 2018
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods moved to 2-0 in the MIAA and 7-1 overall with a 70-50 win over Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Lee Arena. 
With Central Missouri (5-4, 0-2 MIAA) leading 18-16 with 8:04 to play in the opening half, Washburn would outscore the Mules 23 to 4 the remainder of the frame taking a 39-22 lead into the locker room. Washburn held the Mules to 9 of 25 shooting for the first half and 1 of 9 shooting during the closing run.
The Mules scored the seven of the first nine points of the second half leading to an Ichabod timeout and then responded by hitting six of their next nine shots and a pair of free throws pushing their lead back to 21 leading by as many as 26 in the game snapping a two-game winning streak by the Mules in the series.
Washburn was led in a balanced scoring attack with Javion Blake scoring 12 points while David Salach scored 11 along with Tyler Geiman and Sevon Witt scored 10 off the bench. Geimna had six assists and Will McKee led the Ichabods with 11 rebounds adding three blocks, four assists and four points.
UCM was led by Brandon Emmert who had 11 points as the only Mule to reach double figures.
Washburn outshot the Mules 41 percent to 36 percent and held a 41 to 33 advantage on the glass outscoring UCM 34 to 20 in the paint and the Ichabod bench held a 30 to 22 margin in points. Washburn finished 10 of 26 from 3-point range after going 8 of 14 in the first half. UCM was 14 of 25 from the free throw line while the Ichabods hit on 6 of 7 attempts..
 
 Ichabod basketball history
• The Ichabods are 1,569-1,069-2 all-time in the 115th year in the program's history.
• Washburn is the 10th-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 590-274 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 27 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 438-87 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2018-19 season marks the 34th 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 wrap up the fist semester with Avila on Dec. 30 and then return to MIAA play on Jan. 5 at Emporia State.