• The Washburn Ichabods return to Lee Arena for the final two games of the 2020 calendar as they will play host to Central Missouri on Thursday and Lincoln on Saturday.
• The Ichabods, who are ranked No. 10 in the latest NABC Coaches Poll, topped Rogers State on Dec. 12 81-74 in Claremore, Okla., last time out.
• The Mules are 1-4 this season and lost both games last week falling at Northwest Missouri 74-67 and at Missouri Western 100-81 last time out. Their lone win was an 88-80 win over Pittsburg State in Warrenbsurg on Nov. 28.
• The all-time series with the Mules is tied 52-52 after the Ichabods picking up a 76-74 win in the last meeting on Feb. 20.
• The 2020-21 season marks the 116th season of Ichabod basketball.
  • Tyler Geiman leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg), assists (7.0 apg - which leads the MIAA and is fourth the NCAA), rebounds (6.4 rpg) and steals (2.2 spg).
• Jalen Lewis is averaging 13.2 ppg hitting 15 of 26 3-point attempts this season (57.7 percent) coming off a career-high 25 points against Rogers State.
• Drew Maschoff is averaging 12.5 ppg adding 5.3 rpg and 3.8 apg.
• Jonny Clausing is scoring 10.6 ppg with 4.8 rpg and a team-high 1.6 bkpg.
• The 2020-21 Washburn Ichabod basketball season will be one for the record books as the 22-game schedule will consist of only games against MIAA opponents as regional crossovers and non-conference matchups have been scrapped thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• From a 16-13 team last season, Washburn returns four starters and 91 percent of its scoring, 86 percent of its rebounding, 94 percent of assists and 89 percent of minutes played a year ago while adding a returner from the 2018-19 season who returns from an injury.
• Ichabod head coach will be going for career coaching win No. 100 against Rogers State. He is 67-31 at Washburn and went 33-30 at Baker. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
• is 67-31 in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 100-61 overall in his seventh year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to two NCAA postseason appearances in both seasons at Washburn.
• 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 3-2 against Central Missouri.
 
CENTRAL MISSOURI HEAD COACH DOUG KARLESKINT
• is 105-75 in his seventh season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 194-111 overall in his 11th season as a head coach.
• spent five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach.
• he compiled a 90-34 (.726) record with the Wonder Boys with four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA-II National Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.
• is 4-5 against Washburn.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
WASHBURN 81 (5-0)
ROGERS STATE 74 (1-4)
CLAREMORE, Okla. – The No. 17-ranked Washburn Ichabods moved to 5-0 on the season with an 81-74 win over Rogers State on Saturday afternoon on the road.
After a bucket by the Hillcats with 3:19 to go trimming the Ichabod lead to two at 70-68, Jace Williams was fouled and hit a free throw to push Washburn up 71-68 with 2:53 to go. The Hillcats came up empty on their next two trips up the court and again Williams was fouled and hit two more charity stripes stretching the led to five at 73-68 with 2:28 remaining.
A dunk by Joey Saracco sliced the margin back to three with 2:12 to go, but a dunk and a block by Williams and a pair of free throws by Jalen Lewis sent the Ichabods home with the seven-point win.
Lewis led the Ichabods with a career-high 25 points hitting five 3-pointers. Williams scored a season-high 11 points off the bench hitting all four shots adding six rebounds. Tyler Geiman finished with a game-high seven rebounds adding four assists and seven points.
Saracco led the Hillcats (1-4) with 26 points going 12 of 15 from the field.
Washburn led at the break 38-36 after shooting 52 percent from the field while Rogers State hit 13 of 26 shots. Washburn limited the Hillcats to 2 of 18 from 3-point range while Washburn was 8 of 20 from deep. The Ichabods were also 21 of 29 from the free throw line and RSU was 22 of 32.
The Ichabod bench accounted for 39 of their 81 points led by Williams' 11 points, Tyler Nelson's eight points and Rathen Carter's seven.
  • The Mules are 1-4 this season going 0-3 in road games.
• UCM lost 100-81 to Missouri Western last time out.
• Hunter Cameron leads the team in points (19.8 ppg), rebounds (5.0 rpg), assists (4.2 apg), steals (2.4 spg) and minutes (35.2 mpg).
• Also averaging double figures is Jalen Blaize at 11.4 ppg.
• The Mules are scoring 74.8 ppg while allowing 81.4 ppg. • Thursday's meeting will be the 105th between these two teams
• The series is tied 52-52 after the Ichabods won the last meeting 76-74 on Feb. 20.
• Washburn is 22-9 against UCM in Lee Arena and 27-22 in all-time MIAA games.
• In road MIAA games played in Warrensburg, the Ichabods are 10-16.
• The Ichabods have won 10 of the last 16 meetings.
• The last time the teams met in the conference tournament was during the 2010 season when the Ichabods as the No. 8 seed topped the No. 1-seeded Mules 79-60.
• The Ichabods are 5-1 all-time against Central Missouri in the MIAA Tournament.
  Feb. 20, 2020 -- TOPEKA, Kan. – After being tied at the break and trailing by as many as 10 in the second half and one with 1:52 to go in the game, the Washburn Ichabods finished off the comeback hitting 4 of 5 free throws down the stretch and their only field goal attempt in a 76-74 win over Central Missouri on Thursday night in Lee Arena.
With the Mules holding a 71-70 lead with 1:52 to play after a pair of free throws, Jace Williams used a traditional 3-point play with 1:35 to go putting Washburn up 73-71. After the teams traded turnovers, a UCM missed a layup with 19 seconds to play, Washburn recovered a jump ball with 17 seconds left and Jalen Lewis was fouled where he hit the first and missed the second.
The Mules (10-16, 5-12 MIAA) hit a layup with 10 seconds to play and Keven Biggs hit both free throws with three seconds left putting Washburn up 76-73. The Mules were fouled before attempting a 3-pointer and hit the first free throw cutting the lead to 76-74 and intentionally missed the second which was grabbed by Tyler Nelson sealing the win for Washburn, who improved to 15-10 and 10-6 in the MIAA.
The game was tied at 32 at the break after a hot-shooting Mules team connected on 57 percent of their shots while Washburn was 12 of 27 for a 44 percent clip. The Mules continued their torrid shooting in the second half hitting 60 percent from the field to finish at 58 percent for the game hitting 28 of 48 shots and 12 of 21 from deep.
Tyler Geiman recorded his sixth career double double and fourth of the season with a team-high 17 points and 10 assists adding six rebounds. Tyler Nelson recorded a career-high 16 points off the bench hitting four 3-pointers in the game.  Jonny Clausing had 12 points adding five rebounds.
Matt Wilkinson led the Mules with 31 points in 30 minutes of play hitting 10 of 14 3-pointers in the game.
Washburn was outrebounded 27 to 24 in the game. Washburn was 17 of 23 from the free throw line including 14 of 17 in the second half while the Mules were 6 of 9. Washburn also forced 19 Mule turnovers leading to 14 points.
Washburn's bench was huge in the game outscoring the Mule reserves 42 to 6.
  •  The Ichabods are 1607-1090-2 all-time in the 116th 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 625-287 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.
  •  The Ichabods are 457-94 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•  The 2020-21 season marks the 37th season of play in Lee Arena.
•  The Ichabods are 36-1 all-time in home openers.
•  The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • Washburn will wrap up the 2020 calendar hosting Lincoln on Dec. 19. Washburn will return to action after the break on Jan. 2 in Tahlequah, Okla., facing Northeastern State.