Opening Tip
• The Washburn Ichabods will face Pittsburg State in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals in Kansas City's historic Municipal Auditorium on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. with the winner advancing to Sunday's title game at 1 p.m. against the winner of the No. 1 seeded Northwest Missouri and No. 9 Lincoln.
• Washburn is 23-6 this season and finished 15-4 in the MIAA securing the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
• The Gorillas are after topping Missouri Southern, the No. 3 seed in the tournament on Friday in a 89-80 win.
• The Ichabods won the only meeting between the two teams in Pittsburg on Jan. 26 in a 92-82 win.
• Washburn is 5-0 all-time against the Gorillas in the MIAA Tournament and 2-0 against the Gorillas in Kansas City in the tourney.
• The teams' last meeting in the conference postseason was on March 4, 2012 when the Ichabods won 67-63 in the MIAA Tournament Championship game.
• The Ichabods are 37-21 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
• The Ichabods are 2-2 in first round games (since expanding to 12 teams) … 19-6 in the quarterfinals, 11-7 in the semifinals and 5-6 in championship games.
• In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 15-11.
• The Bearcats are 12-19 all-time in the MIAA Tournament recording their first win in the event since March 5, 2006 en route to the tournament title snapping a losing streak of 11 games.
• 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 45 wins … Bob Chipman had 41 during the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
• As of the March 4 report, the Ichabods are playing the fourth-toughest schedule in the NCAA Division II ranks with an opponent winning percentage of .601 … from the MIAA Lindenwood had the second-toughest schedule this season and Nebraska-Kearney had the sixth while Fort Hays State was No. 8 and Southwest Baptist was No. 10.
• Javion Blake leads the Ichabods in scoring at 19.1 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 sits at 1,754 points … McNeill had 1,701 points from 2008-13.
• David Salach is averaging 12.3 ppg and 5.5 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 1.0 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 … Geiman has 158 assists and 47 turnovers this season … he scored a career-high 19 points against Missouri Southern … he is ranked sixth 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 8.8 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 56 of 134 3-point attempts this season and his 56 3-pointers made this season is an Ichabod freshman chart passing Shannon Kruger's 54 … his 255 points scored this season is 10th on the Ichabod freshman scoring chart.
• Tyas Martin is scoring 8.2 ppg starting all 29 games this season.
• Devyn Wilson is averaging 7.9 ppg off the bench scoring a career-high 19 against Central Missouri with 2.9 rebounds and in MIAA play he averaged 8.1 ppg with 3.1 rpg.
• Sevon Witt is scoring 7.5 ppg overall scoring 7.9 ppg in MIAA play and Will McKee is averaging 6.5 ppg while pulling down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Javion Blake has scored 1,754 career points placing third all-time at Washburn after passing Will McNeill with 1,708 points … Blake's 202 career 3-point field goals is fourth on the all-time chart … he has played 3,605  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 (103) … Blake's 378 career free throw makes is fifth all-time at Washburn … Blake has also moved into fifth on the all-time assist chart as an Ichabod with 312 … 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 … Blake reached double figures in his 100th career game against Missouri Western in the regular season finale having played 119 career games overall.
• David Salach has 104 career blocks which is second all-time at Washburn.
 
 MIAA Bod numbers
• 83.3 WU is third in the MIAA in scoring offense
• 73.1 WU is sixth in the MIAA in scoring defense
• 17.29 WU is leading the MIAA in assists
• 10.4 WU is second in the MIAA in scoring margin
• .474 WU is fifth in the MIAA in field goal percentage
• .429 WU is first in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage
• +4.5 WU is first in the MIAA in rebounding margin
• 3.36 WU is third in the MIAA in blocks
• 6.36 WU is third in the MIAA in steals
• 5.4 / 3.4 to 1 Tyler Geiman is first in the MIAA in assists and fourth in the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio
 
 Single season record stat watch
• 83.1 Points per game this season for the Ichabods is seventh (89.5 - 1994-95)
• 266 3-pointers made this season for the Ichabods is second (271 - 1996-97)
• 690 3-pointers attempted this season for the Ichabods is second (703 - 1996-97)
• .386 3-pointer percentage this season for the Ichabods is 13th (.472 - 1987-88)
• 17.2 Assists per game average this season which is 14th all-time at Washburn (19.8 - 1994-95)
• 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
• 555 total points by Javion Blake which is 13th on the Ichabod single-season chart
• 158 assists by Tyler Geiman which is fourth 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 45-16 in his second season as the Ichabods' head coach and 78-46 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 Pittsburg State.
 
Pittsburg State head coach Kim Anderson …
• is in his second season leading the Gorillas. He has a 34-25 record.
• Anderson (Missouri, '79) became the Gorillas' 15th all-time head coach on Apr. 10, 2017, after coaching three seasons at his alma mater – the University of Missouri.
• has a 335-187 (.648) record in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship as head coach at the University of Central Missouri as well as two more Division II Final Four appearances (2007, 2009) while compiling a 274-95 (.743) record at the school.
• led UCM to seven trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and seven 20-win seasons.  In his final season with the Mules he guided the squad to a 30-5 overall record and the D2 national title.
• his Mules' teams captured six MIAA regular season titles (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and four MIAA Tournament titles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2013).
• was selected the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2010, and the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2014..
• is 16-12 against Washburn going 1-1 at Pittsburg State and 15-11 at Central Missouri.
 
 About Pittsburg State
• The Gorillas are 17-12 and finished 9-10 in the MIAA.
• Grant Lozoya leads the team in points (22.3 ppg), rebounds (6.4 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg).
• Donovan Franklin is second on the team in scoring at 21.0 ppg.
 
 Series history with Pittsburg State
• Saturday's meeting will be the 182nd between these two schools in a series that dates back to the first meeting on Feb. 19, 1920.
• The two games on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 of 1920 were both played in Topeka inside an empty Thomas Gymnasium because of a flu outbreak in Topeka.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 103-78.
• The Ichabods have won the last 16 of the last 20 meetings including nine of the last 12.
• The Ichabods are 31-3 in Lee Arena against PSU and 34-16 against the Gorillas in MIAA play. The home team is 33-11 in the last 44 regular season meetings, dating back to 1996-97.
• The series goes back to 1919-20 and it has been played at least once a year since 1941-42.
• Since the 1956-57 season, the Ichabods are 27-31 in Pittsburg while going 11-12 in Pittsburg since becoming a member of the MIAA.  
• In Topeka, Washburn leads 69-22 all-time.
 
 Last Meeting with Pittsburg State
Washburn 92, Pittsburg State 82 -- Jan. 26, 2019
PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods returned to the win column with a 92-82 win at Pittsburg State over the Gorillas hitting 11 3-pointers while tying a school-record 37 attempts on Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena.
After the Gorillas cut the lead to four at 84-80 after a 9-0 run over a 2:12 span, David Salach scored six of the Ichabods final eight points sealing the win after hitting a jumper with 61 seconds to play then hittnig all four free throw attempts. The first two came at 41 seconds to play and the second pair was at 20 seconds to go. After a layup by PSU's Grant Lozoya, Javion Blake hit two free throws with 12 seconds to go to wrap up the win as the Ichabods improved to 14-4 overall and 7-2 in the MIAA while the Gorillas drop to 14-5 overall and 7-3 in the MIAA.
Washburn led 43-37 at the break after shooting 43 percent from the field, but the Gorillas shot 50 percent hitting 16 of 32 shots. In the second half, the Ichabods held the Gorillas to 41 percent shooting as the Gorillas connected on 15 of 19 free throws in the second half.
Blake led the Ichabods with 21 points adding six rebounds. Salach scored 19 with six rebounds. Tyas Martin scored 12 points with a team-high seven rebounds. Sevon Witt scored 11 points off the bench.
Donovan Franklin led the Ichabods with 28 pionts and Lozoya finished with 26.
Washburn's 37 3-point attempts tied the school record set against Central Oklahoma  on March 14, 1992.
The Ichabods outrebounded the Gorillas 46 to 34 and outscored them 27 to 14 in the paint.. 
 
 Last time out for the Ichabods
Washburn 77, Southwest Baptist 58 -- March 8, 2019
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods rode a hot-shooting second half breaking a halftime tie en route to a 77-58 win over Southwest Baptist in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals in Municipal Auditorium. The Ichabods will be back in action on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. where they will face the winner of Friday's Missouri Southern/Pittsburg State game.
The Ichabods (23-6) jumped out to a double digit lead in the first 10 minutes of the game stretching the lead to as many as 12 with 9:23 to play after one of Jalen Lewis' four 3-pointers on the afternoon capping an 11-0 run over 1:20 of the game. However Southwest Baptist finished the half over the final 8:37 on a 16 to 4 run knotting the score at 26 entering the break.
To start the second half, the Ichabods scored the first six points of the frame going to a 10 to 2 run stretching the lead at to eight at 36-28 with 16:46 remaining. Washburn would go on to lead by as many as 22 with 64 seconds to play leading to the win improving to 37-21 all-time in the MIAA Tournament and 18-6 overall in the quarterfinals.
Lewis and Will McKee led the Ichabods with 14 points while Tyler Geiman recorded 10 points adding seven assists and six rebounds. Karim Mouliom led the Bearcats with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Washburn shot 54 percent in the second half after hitting 11 of 35 shot in the first half going 3 of 10 from deep. The Ichabods finished 6 of 12 from 3-point range in the second half. The Ichabods also held the Bearcats to 37 percent shooting in the second half and 39 percent in the game overall.
With the win, it also marked the final game between the Ichabods and Bearcats as MIAA opponents with SBU leaving the league for the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Washburn improved to 5-1 all-time in MIAA Tournament games against Southwest Baptist.
 
 Ichabods in the MIAA Tournament
• The Ichabods are 37-21 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
• The Ichabods are 2-2 in first round games (since expanding to 12 teams) … 19-6 in the quarterfinals, 11-7 in the semifinals and 5-6 in championship games.
• In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 15-11.
• In quarterfinal games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 9-4. In semifinal games played in Municipal the Ichabods are 5-3 and in championship games in Kansas City the Ichabods are 1-4.
• As the No. 1 seed, the Ichabods are 21-3, at No. 2 they are 5-3, at No. 3 they are 2-3, at No. 4 they are 2-3, at No. 6 the Ichabods are 4-5, at No. 7 they are 0-1 and as the No. 8 seed they are 3-3.
• Washburn has never been the No. 5 seed.
• Former head coach Bob Chipman has won more MIAA Tournament games than any other coach. He has won 34 games going 34-19 recording a .653 winning percentage.
• Chipman's five tournament titles is the most by any coach. Tom Smith (MWSU), Steve Tappmeyer (NWMSU) and Ron Shumate (Southeast Missouri) and Kim Anderson (UCM/PSU) each have four titles.
• Overall, here's how the Ichabods have fared against MIAA opponents in the conference tournament by round and in Kansas City.
• First Round games were added for the MIAA Tournament starting in 2013 as the league expanded to 15 teams. The top four teams in the final standings received an automatic bye to Kansas City for the quarterfinals.
Team         1st Rnd       Qrts.          Semis         Finals          In KC             Total
UCM                —             4-0             1-1              —               3-1                5-1
ESU                 —             4-1              —               —               3-1                4-1
FHSU              1-0              —             2-0              —               2-0                3-0
MSSU              —             1-0             2-1             0-1              1-1                3-2
MWSU            0-1              —             2-2             1-2              1-1                3-4
NSU                0-1              —              —               —               —                0-1
NWMSU          —             2-2             0-2             1-1              0-3                3-5
PSU                 —             1-0             2-0             2-0             2-0                5-0
SBU               1-0             2-0             1-1             1-0              —                5-1
UCO                —             0-1              —               —               0-1                0-1
UNK                 —              1-1               —               —               1-1                1-1
--- vs former members
MS&T              —             1-1              —               —               1-0                1-1
UMSL              —             1-0              —               —               —                1-0
SEMO              —              —              —               —               —                 —
TSU                 —             2-0             1-0               —               —                3-0
UNO                —              —              —              0-1              0-1                0-1
Totals            2-2           19-6          11-7            5-6           15-10          37-21
 
 MIAA Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, March 6 - Opening Round
No. 8 Emporia State vs No. 9 Northeastern State - Noon
No. 7 Lindenwood vs No. 10 Southwest Baptist - 2:15 p.m.
 
Thursday, March 7 - Quarterfinals Day One
No. 1 Northwest Missouri vs No. 8/9 Winner - Noon
No. 2 Washburn vs No. 7/10 Winner- 2:15 p.m.
 
Friday, March 8 - Quarterfinals Day Two
No. 4 Fort Hays State vs No. 5 Lincoln - Noon
No. 3 Missouri Southern vs No. 6 - 2:15 p.m.
 
Saturday, March 9 - Semifinals
Semifinal One (Men's Game 7) - Noon
Semifinal Two (Men's Game 8) - 2:15 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 10 - Championship
Men's Championship Game - 1 p.m.
 
 NCAA Regional Rankings - as of  March 6
          School                                      DII Record          In-Region Record    
1       Northwest Missouri State            26-0                           25-0                
2       Northern State                               24-6                           23-6                
3       Washbur• 20-6                              19-6                              
4       St. Cloud State                              21-8                           19-8                
5       Missouri Southern State              20-6                           20-6                
6       Southern Nazarene                        25-5                           24-5                
7        Wayne State (Nebraska)               18-9                           18-9                
8       Minnesota State Mankato           17-11                         16-10              
9       Southeastern Oklahoma State    18-6                           18-6                
10     Sioux Falls                                     18-11                         18-11
                                                                                              
 Ichabod basketball history
• The Ichabods are 1,585-1,074-2 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 604-279 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 446-89  (.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 NCAA Postseason Tournament bids will be announced March 10th in an evening selection show. The NCAA Centra Regional Tournament will start Marcy 16 and run through March 19 at the highest-ranked team in the region.