Opening Tip
• Washburn returns to MIAA play this Saturday on the road as the Ichabods travel to face Emporia State at 7:30 p.m. in White Auditorium.
• The Ichabods are 9-2 this season and 2-0 in the MIAA wrapping up the non-conference slate with a 96-64 win over Avila on Dec. 30.
• Emporia State enters the game with a 6-5 record going 1-1 in MIAA play after falling in overtime to Northwestern Oklahoma on Dec. 30 in a 94-90 loss.
• The Hornets won 60-56 at Nebraska-Kearney and lost at Fort Hays State 86-78 in their two MIAA contests.
• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 18.5 ppg which is seventh in the MIAA rankings.
• David Salach is averaging 11.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg … his rebounding total is 17th in the MIAA.
• Will McKee is averaging 9.3 ppg while pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game which is fifth in the MIAA.
• Jalen Lewis is averaging 9.1 ppg off the bench and his 19th in the MIAA in 3-point field goals made per game.
• Tyas Martin is scoring 8.6 ppg while Tyler Geiman is scoring 8.5 ppg as well as dishing out 5.3 assists per game, which is second in the MIAA.
• Javion Blake has scored 1,403 career points placing him eighth all-time at Washburn … … 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 162 career 3-point field goals is seventh on the all-time chart … he has played 3,018 career minutes which is fifth at Washburn.
• David Salach has 95 career blocks which is fourth all-time at Washburn … he needs two more to pass Dan Buie for third and six more to pass Ewan Auguste for second … Salach leads the MIAA in blocks at 1.7 per contest.
 
 Coaches
Washburn Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard …
• is 31-12 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 64-42 overall in his fourth 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.
• is 1-1 against Emporia State.
 
Emporia State head coach Craig Doty …
• is 6-5 in his first season at Emporia State.
• is in his seventh season as a head coach at the D2, NAIA, and NJCAA level he is 168-54 with
three national championships.
• in two seasons at Graceland, Doty went 49-22 and won the NAIA Division I National Championship in the school's first trip to the national tournament.
• Prior to Graceland, Doty spent four years as the head coach at Rock Valley College.
• His Golden Eagles won two national championships and appeared in three straight NJCAA Division III title games to finish with a 113-28 record.
• has never faced Washburn.
 
 About Emporia State
• The Hornets are 6-5 this season and 1-1 in the MIAA after falling in overtime to Northwestern Oklahoma on the road on Dec. 30.
• Malik Hluchoweckyj, a transfer from Bowling Green, leads the Hornets in scoring at 14.6 ppg and assists at 4.8 per game.
• The Hornets are 4-0 at home this season going 2-4 away from White Auditorium.
• Justin Washington leads the team on the glass at 6.3 rebounds per game.
• The Hornets are averaging 85.7 ppg (5th in the MIAA) while allowing 79.3 ppg (14th in the MIAA).
 
 Series history with Emporia State
• The meeting on Saturday will be the 214th meeting between the two schools and the Ichabods lead at 110-103. This is the most-played series for Washburn. Emporia State lists the all-time record at 107-104 in favor of the Ichabods.
• The Ichabods have won 10 of the last 15 meetings in the series and five of the last seven overall.
• The two teams started the series in 1905-06, Washburn's first recorded year of basketball, and they have met every year since the 1945-46 season.
• This will be the 75th-straight year they have played each other at least once.
• The Ichabods are 26-8 against the Hornets in Lee Arena.
• Washburn is 33-18 against ESU in MIAA games.
• Washburn is 4-1 against ESU in MIAA Postseason tournament games.
 
 Last Meeting with Emporia State
Emporia State 68, Washburn 66 -- Feb. 13, 2018
EMPORIA, Kan. – This time it was not an end of the game buzzer beater, but a first half buzzer beater which proved to be the difference in a 68-66 loss to Emporia State on Tuesday night in an Ichabod loss to Emporia State.
The Ichabods led by four at 55-51 with 7:15 to go in the game after a Brady Skeens layup, but the Hornets came back with an 8-0 run to take a 59-55 lead with 4:35 to go. After a pair of free throws by Tyas Martin cut the lead to two, the Hornets scored the next five to go back up seven with 3:25 to play in the game.
However a four-point play by Cameron Wiggins with 3:11 to go cut the ESU lead to three. Wiggins hit another 3-pointer  and Randall Smith hit a pair of free throws tying the score with 34 seconds to play. After an ESU timeout, they missed a jumper but Hornet rebound and was fouled on the follow putting ESU up 68-66.
The Ichabods (18-7, 12-4 MIAA) inbounded the ball, but a guarded 17 footer missed off the glass as the Hornets held on for the win.
The Ichabods trailed at the half 29-27 after twice building leads of as many as 11 points twice in the frame. Up two at 10-8, the Ichabods used a 9-0 run to go up 19-8 capped by a layup by Brady Skeens, but the Hornets came back with a 6-0 run of their own cutting the lead to five at 19-14 with 8:33 to go.
After a mini 6-0 run by the Ichabods to go back in front at 27-16, the Hornets finished the half on a 13-0 run including a 3-pointer from 30-feet out to go up 29-27. During the Hornet run, the Ichabods were 0-4 from the field with three turnovers while the Hornets were 5 of 7 holding Washburn without a field goal the final 4:28 of the half.
Wiggins led the Ichabods with 16 points and Smith scored 12 as did Martin. Skeens recorded his third straight double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds adding three blocks.
Washburn committed 17 turnovers leading to 18 points for the Hornets and the Ichabods were also 10 of 17 from the free throw line while outrebounding the Hornets 37 to 25.
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
Washburn 96, Avila 64 -- Dec. 30, 2018
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team wrapped up the 2018 calendar year and its non-conference basketball schedule with a 96-64 win over Avila improving to 9-2 on the season.
The Ichabods led from start to finish over Avila who lost to Central Missouri 86-71 on Dec. 29. Washburn jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the first 3:29 of the game and would go on to a 54-33 lead at the halftime break. Washburn shot 51 percent from the field hitting 6 of 14 3-pointers in the opening stanza while holding Avila to 39 percent shooting.
In the second half, the Ichabods increased its lead to 33 points in the contest with 4:13 to go at 92-59 cruising to the win.
Sevon Witt scored a career-high 19 points pacing six Ichabods in double figures. Witt was six of six from the field hitting 7 of 11 from the free throw line as the Ichabods were 19 of 25 from the stripe overall. David Salach had 16 while Tyas Martin had 15 with a career-high nine rebounds. Will McKee and Javion Blake each scored 11 and Devyn Wilson scored 10. The game marked Blake's 100th career start (in 100 games) at Washburn.
Brandon Phillips led Avila (1-10) with 16 points.
Washburn held a 49 to 25 advantage on the glass turning 15 offensive rebounds into 20 points and Washburn's bench outscored the Eagles 40 to 13. Washburn also had an 18 to 2 margin in fast break points and 46 to 30 in points in the paint.
Washburn finished the game 52 percent from the field hitting 34 of 65 shots while holding the Eagles to 25 of 61 overall at 41 percent.
 
 Ichabod basketball history
• The Ichabods are 1,571-1,070-2 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 592-275 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 439-87 (.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 continue its three-game road trip heading to Missouri Western on Jan. 9 and Northwest Missouri on Jan. 12 before returning home to face Nebraska-Kearney Jan. 16 and Fort Hays State on Jan.19.