Opening Tip
• The Washburn Ichabods will host Northwest Missouri in a battle of the top two ranked teams in the NCAA Central Regional poll as the No. 1-overall-ranked Bearcats come to town on Thursday.
• Washburn is 21-5 and 14-3 in the MIAA sitting in second place in the conference standings and lead Missouri Southern by one game in the conference race.
• Northwest Missouri is ranked No. 1 in the NABC and the D2SIDA top 25 polls and enter the game with a 28-0 record and 18-0 conference mark after defeating Missouri Western on Tuesday 70-68.
• The Bearcats won the first meeting of the season on Jan. 12 in Maryville in an 83-75 win.
• The Ichabods have 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 43 wins … Bob Chipman had 41 during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
• As of the Feb. 25 report, the Ichabods are playing the fifth-toughest schedule in the NCAA Division II ranks with an opponent winning percentage of .600.
• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 19.6 ppg which is fifth in the MIAA rankings … in MIAA games Blake is averaging 20.1 ppg … he passed Will McNeill for third on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart now sitting at 1,708 points … 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.
• Tyler Geiman is scoring 8.7 ppg as well as dishing out 5.4 assists per game, which is first in the MIAA behind Northwest Missouri's Trevor Hudgins who has 5.3 per game … Geiman has 94 assists and 25 turnovers in MIAA play and he scored a career-high 19 points against Missouri Southern … he is ranked 11th 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.
• Jalen Lewis is averaging 8.6 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 36 of 80 3-point attempts in MIAA games and his 49 3-pointers made this season is third on team and is third on the Ichabod freshman chart trailing Javion Blake's 52 and Shannon Kruger's 54 … his 224 points scored this season is just outside the top 10 as Kruger scored 228 during the 1998-99 season.
• Devyn Wilson is averaging 8.4 ppg off the bench scoring a career high 19 against Central Missouri with 3.0 rebounds and Will McKee is averaging 6.7 ppg while pulling down a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game.
• Tyas Martin is scoring 8.2 ppg and Sevon Witt is scoring 7.4 ppg with 3.2 rpg overall but in MIAA play he is averaging 7.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg.
• Javion Blake has scored 1,708 career points placing third all-time at Washburn after passing Will McNeill with 1,708 points … Blake's 198 career 3-point field goals is tied for fourth on the all-time chart … he has played 3,505 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 368 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 304 … 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
• 84.3 WU is third in the MIAA in scoring offense
• 72.5 WU is fifth in the MIAA in scoring defense
• 17.58 WU is leading the MIAA in assists
• 11.7 WU is second in the MIAA in scoring margin
• .389 WU is second in the MIAA in field goal percentage
• .428 WU is first in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage
• +5.2 WU is first in the MIAA in rebounding margin
• 3.31 WU is third in the MIAA in blocks
• 6.42 WU is third in the MIAA in steals
• 5.4 Tyler Geiman is first 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
• 509 total points by Javion Blake which is 20th on the Ichabod single-season chart
• 141 assists by Tyler Geiman which is seventh on the Ichabod single-season chart
• 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 43-15 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 76-45 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 0-4 against Northwest Missouri.
 
Northwest Missouri head coach Ben McCollum …
• is 230-75 in his tenth 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.
• is 12-6 against the Ichabods.
 
 About Northwest Missouri
• The Bearcats are ranked No. 2 in both the NABC and the D2SIDA polls with a perfect 28-0 mark while going 18-0 in the MIAA and 14-0 in home games and 9-0 on the road.
• Joey Witthus leads four Bearcats in double figures at 20.6 ppg … Trevor Hudgins is scoring 18.7 ppg and Ryan Hawkins is averaging 14.2 ppg and a team-high 9.1 rpg … Bernard Diego is scoring 12.0 ppg.
• The Bearcats are averaging 84.6 ppg (2nd in the MIAA) while allowing 62.2 ppg (1st in the MIAA).
• The Bearcats also lead the MIAA in scoring margin (22.4), field goal percentage (.519), 3-point field goal percentage (.415), 3-pointers made (11.3 per game), rebound defense (28.9 per game), turnover margin (+5.68) and assist to turnover ratio (+1.88).
• Northwest is the first MIAA school to ever start the league season 17-0. The 1929-30 Northwest squad finished its MIAA slate at 16-0. Only eight times in the MIAA's history have teams completed a perfect mark in league play. The last perfect regular season record in MIAA play came when Missouri State went 10-0 in 1966-67.
 
 Series history with Northwest Missouri
• Thursday's meeting will be the 105th between the two schools and Washburn holds a 60-44 lead in the series.
• The Bearcats have won nine of the last 10 meetings and the last seven in the series with the last Ichabod win coming in Bearcat Arena on Jan. 10, 2015 in a 70-64 win over Northwest.
• 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 21-11 against the Bearcats in Lee Arena and have won five of the last nine at home.
• Since the 1956-57 season, Washburn is 21-22 in Maryville and since joining the MIAA during the 1990-91 season, the Ichabods are 12-11 on the road.
• In the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 3-6 against Northwest after falling in the 2018 MIAA Championship game.
• 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
No. 2 Northwest Missouri 83, Washburn 75 -- Jan. 12, 2019
MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods, ranked No. 16 in the D2SIDA poll fell to No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri 83-75 suffering their first setback of MIAA play falling to 11-3 and 4-1 in league play. Washburn returns to action back at home in Lee Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. when they will play host to Nebraska-Kearney.
Washburn trailed at the half 35-29 after Joey Witthus hit a halfcourt buzzer beater sending Northwest to the locker room with a six-point lead, its largest of the first half. The Ichabods were 12 of 32 in the opening frame from the field hitting 12 of 32 shots while the Bearcats were 14 of 31. Washburn also committed seven turnovers in the half leading to six points for the Bearcats.
In the second half, a 12-2 run over a 2:34 span pushed the Bearcats to a 48-35 lead and the Ichabods would not get closer than seven at 78-71 with 43 seconds to play but could not cut in to the final margin as the Bearcats improved to 16-0 and 6-0 overall in the MIAA.
Devyn Wilson led the Ichabods with a career-high 18 points off the bench while Javion Blake score 15 points and David Salach recorded a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Northwest was led by Witthus who had 26 points and Trevor Hudgins who had 24.
Washburn finished 26 of 59 overall and 44 percent from the field and Northwest was 28 of 59 for a 48 percent clip. Washburn outrebounded the Bearcats 38 to 31 and in bench points 32 to 6. 
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
Washburn 75, Lincoln 70 -- Feb. 23, 2019
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods shook off a slow start and rallied late to pick up a 75-70 win over Lincoln to remain in second place in the MIAA standings.
The Ichabods (21-5, 14-3 MIAA) trailed 67-63 with 3:26 to go in the game and the Ichabods cut it to one at 67-66 on a 3-pointer by Javion Blake with 3:09 to play. After a Lincoln free throw pushed the lead to two at 68-66, David Salach connected on a 3-pointer off a Blake assist to take the lead at 69-68 with 1:19 seconds to play.
Devyn Wilson hit two free throws after a Lincoln miss to put Washburn up 71-68 and then Tyler Geiman hit 1 of 2 free throws with 32 seconds as Washburn was up 72-68.  A Will McKee steal sent Geiman back to the line again with 19 seconds to play again and hit 1 of 2 as Washburn was up 73-68. A missed 3-pointer by Lincoln was returned with two free throw misses by the Ichabods.
A layup by the Blue Tigers (16-10, 9-8 MIAA) with seven seconds left cut the lead to 73-70 and was followed by a turnover by the Ichabods. After a Blue Tiger timeout, Lincoln missed a 3-pointer and Geiman hit both free throws after grabbing the rebound and was fouled and hit both free throws with three seconds to go sealing the 75-70 win.
To start the game, the Ichabods fell behind 15-3 to start the game as the Blue Tigers led by 12 with 15:45 to play in the opening half as the Ichabods were 1 of 7 from the field. The lone bucket for Washburn was a 3-pointer by Javion Blake which game him 1,702 points moving him past Will McNeill for third all-time on the Washburn scoring chart.
The Blue Tigers led 33-27 with 3:40 to go in the first half and a 10-0 run by the Ichabods put Washburn in front 37-33 with 1:11 to go as the Blue Tigers hit their fifth 3-pointer of the frame to cut the Ichabod lead to one at 37-36 entering the locker rooms.
Wilson led the Ichabods with 18 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-ponters and six of 10 overall from the field. Salach and Geiman finished with 13 while Geiman added nine rebounds and five assists.
Amariontez Ivory led the Blue Tigers with a game-high 21 points.
Washburn was ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA Central Regional Poll and Lincoln was ranked No. 8. Northwest Missouri, Washburn's next opponent in Lee Arena on Thursday, is ranked No. 1.
Washburn finished 25 of 62 from the field hitting 40 percent from the field. The Blue Tigers were 27 of 60 for a 45 percent average. Washburn was outrebounded 40 to 29 in the game, but forced 17 Blue Tiger turnovers leading to 20 Ichabod points. Washburn also had 28 points off the bench compared to zero for the Blue Tigers.
 
 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 1,583-1,073-2 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 604-278 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 will wrap 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. The brackets will be released on Saturday evening at the conclusion of the MIAA regular season schedule.