Opening Tip
• The Washburn Ichabods will wrap up their road regular season schedule against Lincoln on Saturday before finishing off the regular season with home games against No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri on Feb. 28 and Missouri Western on March 2.
• Washburn is 20-5 and 13-3 in the MIAA sitting in second place in the conference standings and lead Missouri Southern by one game in the conference race.
• Lincoln is 16-9 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA and have dropped its last four games falling last time out to Lindenwood 86-82 on Feb. 19. The Blue Tigers also had losses to Northwest Missouri (75-57), at Nebraska-Kearney (75-67), at Fort Hays State (72-63).
• The Blue Tigers won the first meeting in Topeka in a 75-73 win on Jan. 31 earlier this season leading from start to finish.
• The Ichabods secured their first back-to-back-to-back 20-win seasons since the 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 seasons this year … the Ichabods were 20-10 in 2016-17 and 22-10 in the 2017-18 season in Brett Ballard's first season on the Washburn bench.
• In program history the Ichabods have had 28, 20-win seasons including this year.
• The Ichabod coaching record for the most wins in their first two seasons is now held by Brett Ballard with 42 wins … Bob Chipman had 41 during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 20.0 ppg which is fifth in the MIAA rankings … in MIAA games Blake is averaging 20.9 ppg … he needs two points to move past Will McNeill for third on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart … McNeill had 1,701 points from 2008-13.
• David Salach is averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg after scoring a career-high 24 points against Fort Hays State earlier this season … Salach is tied for fourth in the MIAA in blocks at 1.2 per game.
• Jalen Lewis is averaging 8.7 ppg off the bench and he is tied for 14th in the MIAA in 3-point field goals made per game with 1.9 … he scored a career-high 20 point against Missouri Southern … he has hit 34 of 78 3-point attempts in MIAA games and his 47 3-pointers made this season is second on team and is third on the Ichabod freshman chart trailing Javion Blake's 52 and Shannon Kruger's 54 … his 218 points scored this season is just outside the top 10 as Kruger scored 228 during the 1998-99 season.
• Tyler Geiman is scoring 8.5 ppg as well as dishing out 5.4 assists per game, which is second in the MIAA behind Northwest Missouri's Trevor Hudgins who has 5.9 per game … Geiman has 93 assists and 20 turnovers in MIAA play and he scored a career-high 19 points against Missouri Southern … he is ranked 12th in the nation in assist to turnover ratio … he also recorded his first double double at Washburn against Lindenwood with 15 points, a career-high 10 rebounds while adding seven assists.
• Tyas Martin is scoring 8.2 ppg and Sevon Witt is scoring 7.7 ppg with 3.3 rpg overall but in MIAA play he is averaging 8.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg.
• Devyn Wilson is averaging 8.0 ppg off the bench scoring a career high 19 against Central Missouri with 3.0 rebounds and Will McKee is averaging 6.8 ppg while pulling down a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.
• Javion Blake has scored 1,700 career points placing fourth all-time at Washburn after passing Harold Brown who scored 1,651 points from 1970 to 1974 and Ryan Murphy who scored 1,654 points from 1999-2003 … currently sitting in third on the all-time scoring chart is Will McNeill with 1,701 points … Blake's 196 career 3-point field goals is fifth on the all-time chart … he has played 3,476 career minutes which is third at Washburn … Blake also became the sixth Ichabod to score at least 1,000 points and have at least 100 steals (101) … Blake's 366 career free throw makes is sixth all-time at Washburn needing three more to move into fifth all-time … Blake has also moved into fifth on the all-time assist chart as an Ichabod with 302 … Blake became the first Ichabod since Will McNeill to score at least 500 points in a season since McNeill scored 541 during the 2012-13 season … the next game Blake reaches double figures it will be his 100th career game scoring at least 10 points.
• David Salach has 103 career blocks which is second all-time at Washburn.
 
 MIAA Bod numbers
• 84.6 WU is third in the MIAA in scoring offense
• 72.6 WU is fifth in the MIAA in scoring defense
• 17.72 WU is leading the MIAA in assists
• 12.0 WU is second in the MIAA in scoring margin
• .483 WU is second in the MIAA in field goal percentage
• .427 WU is first in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage
• +5.9 WU is first in the MIAA in rebounding margin
• 3.32 WU is third in the MIAA in blocks
• 5.4 Tyler Geiman is second in the MIAA in assists and fourth in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio
 
 Single season record stat watch
• 84.8 Points per game this season for the Ichabods is fourth
• 225 3-pointers made this season for the Ichabods is sixth
• 581 3-pointers attempted this season for the Ichabods is 13th
• .387 3-pointer percentage this season for the Ichabods is 10th
• 17.8 Assists per game average this season which is 11th all-time at Washburn
• 136 Assists by Tyler Geiman which is eighth on the single season chart … the Ichabod single season record is 266 by Jordan Canfield set during the 1996-97 season
• 5.4 Assists per game by Tyler Geiman which is fourth on the single season chart behind Jordan Canfield who had 8.1 apg in 1994-95 and 1996-97 and 5.5 in 1993-94
 
 Coaches
Washburn Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard …
• is 42-15 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 75-45 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 Lincoln.
 
Lincoln head coach Jason Moseley …
• is 68-74 in his fifth year at Lincoln.
• joined LU after helping North Carolina Central reach the second round of the NCAA Division I tournament in 2013-14 as the associate head coach.
• is 1-4 against Washburn.
 
 About Lincoln
• The Blue Tigers are 16-9 and 9-7 in the MIAA looking to snap a four-game losing streak with their 86-82 loss to Lindenwood last time out on Feb. 19.
• Lincoln is 7-4 at home this season going 6-4 in road games and 3-1 in neutral site games.
• Terrance Smith leads five Blue Tigers in double figures at 16.7 ppg with a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
• Amariontez Ivory is scoring 13.2 ppg while Jonell Burton is averaging 13.1 ppg. Ni'Sean Rigmaiden is scoring 11.4 ppg and Grant Olsson is scoring 10.4 ppg.
• The Blue Tigers are second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage hitting 40 percent (231 of 574) and lead the MIAA in 3-point field goal defense at .303.
• Lincoln averages 9.2 3-pointers per game which is fifth in the conference rankings.
 
 Series history with Lincoln
• Saturday's meeting will be the 33rd in the series history and Washburn leads 28-4.
• Washburn had won the last 28 meetings in the series which began on Dec. 18, 1957 with the Blue Tigers winning 93-80 until the Ichabods' 75-73 loss to the Blue Tigers on Jan. 31, 2019.
• Overall the Ichabods are 12-1 against Lincoln in Jefferson City all-time having won their last 12 games with the lone loss coming in 1957 in the first meeting in the series.
• In Topeka, the Ichabods are 14-2 .
• In neutral site games Washburn is 2-1.
• The teams have never met in the MIAA Tournament.
 
 Last Meeting with Lincoln
Lincoln 75, Washburn 73 -- Jan. 31, 2019
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods missed their first eight shots of the game but had a chance to win it at the buzzer as a 3-point shot rimmed out as the Ichabods fell for the first time since 1968 to the Lincoln Blue Tigers in a 75-73 loss snapping a 28-game winning streak by the Ichabods.
The Blue Tigers led the entire game building a lead as many as 13 with 12:11 to go in the first half at 20-7. Washburn (14-5, 7-3 MIAA) would then use a 20 to 9 run over the next 8:44 to trim the Lincoln (14-5, 7-3 MIAA) lead to two at 29-27 before pushing the lead back to seven at the break leading 36-29.
Washburn came out in the second half on a 12-3 run and tied the score at 41 with 16:54 remaining but again Lincoln stretched the lead out to 12 at 59-47. After an Ichabod timeout, Washburn ripped off an 11-0 run cutting the lead back to one, but Lincoln pushed the margin back to eight with 5:40 to play.
Washburn trimmed the deficit back to three with 1:22 to go on a pair of Javion Blake free throws however the Blue Tigers hit four of their final five in the final 23 seconds to hold a two-point lead at 75-73. After a missed attempt by Terrance Smith with five seconds to go, Tyler Geiman's 3-point attempt from about 25 feet hit the back of the rim as time expired.
Blake led the Ichabods with a game-high 26 points adding eight rebounds, three steals and three assists. David Salach scored 14 with six rebounds and Will McKee scored 11. Geiman had five points and seven rebounds.
Amariontez Ivory had 21 points to lead the Blue Tigers who won in Topeka for the first time since Dec. 28, 1967 and for the first time ever in Lee Arena (1-15).
Washburn finished 40 percent from the game from the field hitting 25 of 62 shots while the Blue Tigers were 27 of 55 overall at 49 percent. Washburn was 14 of 20 from the free throw line while the Blue Tigers were 11 of 17 overall. The Ichabods held a 38 to 35 advantage on the glass and committed nine turnovers to the Blue Tigers' 15. 
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
Washburn 80, Lindenwood 61 -- Feb. 21, 2019
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Ichabods led from start to finish in an 81-60 win over Lindenwood. The Ichabods (20-5, 13-3 MIAA) led 39-24 at the break after shooting 50 percent from the field while leading the entire 20 minutes. Tyler Geiman led the Ichabods in the first half with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists in the first half. Lindenwood was limited to 8 of 25 shooting including 3 of 12 from deep while forcing nine Lion turnovers.
Washburn jumped out to an 18-8 lead midway through the opening frame and after the Lions cut the lead back to five at 23-18, the Ichabods used a 10-0 lead to push the margin to 15 with 4:12 to go before the half ended with the Lions getting no closer than 11 the rest of the half.
To start the second half Washburn kept the run going scoring the first 10 points of the second half pushing the lead to 49-24 with 17:05 to go. Washburn would go on to lead by as many as 25 in the second half with 10:54 to go, but the Lions used an 8-0 run over a 2:44 stretch to cut the lead to 15 with 4:11 remaining.
Javion Blake led the Ichabods with 24 points recording his 1,700th career point as an Ichabod to move within one point of third on the all-time scoring chart at Washburn trailing Will McNeill who scored 1,701. Geiman recorded his first double double as as Ichabod with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds adding seven assists with only one turnover. David Salach scored 12 points and Sevon Witt had 10 points. Will McKee also had 10 rebounds.
Brad Newman led the Lions with 17 points dropping to 14-15 overall and 7-10 in the MIAA.
Washburn shot 49 percent in the game hitting 31 of 63 shots overall and went 10 of 13 from the free throw line while holding the Lions to 38 percent shooting hitting 20 of 53. Washburn also outrebounded the Lions 43 to 26.
With the win, the Ichabods secured their first back-to-back-to-back 20-win seasons since the 2002-03, 2003- 04, 2004-05 seasons. The Ichabods were 20-10 in 2016-17 and 22-10 in the 2017-18 season in Brett Ballard's first season on the Washburn bench. In program history the Ichabods have had 28, 20-win seasons.
Brett Ballard also recorded the most wins by an Ichabod head coach in after two seasons recording his 42nd against the Lions. The Ichabod coaching record for the most wins in their first two seasons was held by Bob Chipman with 41 during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
 
 NCAA Regional Rankings - as of Feb. 20
      School                              DII Record     In-Region Record           
1        Northwest Missouri State                        22-0                           21-0            
2        Washbur• 17-5                                        16-5                             
3        Northern State                                        20-6                           19-6            
4        St. Cloud State                                         18-7                           16-7            
5        Missouri Southern State                           18-5                           17-5            
6        Southern Nazarene                                  22-4                           21-4            
7        Minnesota State Mankato                        16-9                           15-8            
8        Lincoln (Missouri)                                    14-8                           14-8            
9        Wayne State (Nebraska)                          15-8                           15-8            
10      Southern Arkansas                                   16-6                           16-6
                                                                                              
 Ichabod basketball history
• The Ichabods are 1,582-1,073-2 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 603-278 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 28 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 445-88 (.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
• The Ichabods return home to face Northwest Missouri on Feb. 28 before wrapping up the regular season against Missouri Western on Senior Day on March 2. The MIAA Tournament will start on March 5 in Kansas City as now the top 10 teams in the final standings will go straight to Kansas City with the top two teams in the final standings will receive first-round byes.