•The No. 15 (NABC)/No. 13 (D2SIDA) Washburn Ichabods return home to face Missouri Western on Thursday night in Lee Arena starting a three-game homestand.
•Washburn will also face Northwest Missouri on Feb. 20 and Northeastern State on Feb. 23 and then wrap up the last weekend of action at Missouri Southern before finishing the regular season with Emporia State on Feb. 27.
•The Ichabods (14-3, 14-3 MIAA) have won their last three games including a 70-68 win over Central Missouri last time out on Feb. 13 in Warrensburg.
•The Griffons (10-8, 10-8 MIAA) snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 82-81 win over Pittsburg State on Feb. 13 and have now won back-to-back games after topping Newman on Feb. 16 in an 86-75 win.
•The Griffons won the first meeting with Washburn on Jan. 9 in St. Joseph when Missouri Western topped a then-No. 5-ranked Ichabod squad 74-67.
•The Ichabods lead the all-time series with Missouri Western 55-41 and will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Griffons … the longest losing streak to Missouri Western has been four games from Jan. 2, 2002 to Jan. 29, 2003 and Feb. 8, 1995 to Feb. 10, 1996.
•Washburn is 32-14 all-time against the Ichabods in Topeka.
•The Ichabods at 82.4 ppg lead the MIAA in scoring and the Griffons are averaging 80.2 ppg.
•The Ichabods are ranked third in the MIAA in scoring defense allowing 71.6 ppg while the Griffons are 12th in the league in scoring offense at 78.9 ppg.
•The Ichabods are ranked first in the league in opponents field goal percentage at 42.8 percent while the Griffons are 12th in the league in shooting percentage at 43.0 percent.
•Missouri Western is first in the league in 3-point field goal defense at 31.7 percent while the Ichabods are second in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.2 percent.
•The 2020-21 season marks the 116th season of Ichabod basketball.
  •Tyler Geiman leads the team in scoring (20.9 ppg - 3rd in the MIAA), assists (6.2 apg - 1st in the MIAA and is 3rd in the NCAA), rebounds (6.6 rpg - 10th in the MIAA), steals (1.8 spg - 4th in the MIAA) and minutes (36.5 mpg - 2nd in the MIAA) … he also ranks seventh in the MIAA in field goal percentage (.532).
•Jalen Lewis is averaging 11.9 ppg hitting 39 of 77 3-point attempts this season (50.6 percent) … he is sixth in the MIAA in 3-pointers per game at 2.5.
•Jonny Clausing returned to action at Central Missouri after missing the previous seven games with an injury …he is scoring 9.8 ppg with 3.9 rpg and 1.2 bkpg.
•Levi Braun is averaging 9.3 ppg this season … 49 of his 50 field goals this season have been from 3 and he has attempted only four shots inside the 3-point line … he is third in MIAA in 3-pointers per game at 2.9 and second in 3-point field goal percentage hitting 49 of 90 attempts (.544) … Braun's 49 3-pointers is fourth on the Ichabod freshman chart and his 90 attempts are fifth … the Ichabod freshman 3-point record is 58 set by Jalen Lewis during the 2018-19 season.
•Tyler Nelson is scoring 9.5 ppg averaging 11.3 points a game in the last eight since moving into a starting role reaching double figures in three-straight games.
•Jace Williams is averaging 6.2 ppg with 4.5 rpg recording 16 blocks tallying his first career double double at Washburn with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Rogers State.
•Rathen Carter is scoring 5.8 ppg with 3.1 rpg.
•Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 5.1 ppg with 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
•Will McKee is scoring 3.1 ppg with 4.3 rpg.
•Tyler Geiman became the 26th member of Washburn's 1,000-point club at Missouri Western … his career total is 1,200 in 105 career games, which is 15th all-time on the Ichabod chart … next on the scoring chart is Jemi Johnson who scored 1,215 points sitting 14th.
•Jalen Lewis is currently 38th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart with 860 points.
•Tyler Geiman needs five rebounds (495) to become the first Ichabod to have at least 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 100 steals … with five more rebounds he will become the 12th Ichabod to reach at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds … he was the seventh Ichabod to reach at least 1,000 points and 100 steals … he was also the 10th Ichabod to reach at least 1,000 points and 200 assists and now the first Ichabod to reach at least 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career.
•Washburn is 58 of 86 from the free throw line in the last five minutes of games (67 percent) compared to its opponents connecting on 79 of 111 attempts (71 percent).
•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. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
•is 76-34 in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 109-64 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 4-3 against Missouri Western.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH WILL MARTIN
•is 10-8 in his first season as the Griffons head coach after serving two seasons as an assistant coach.
•Martin, a Franklin, Tennessee native, also had three stops at NCAA Division I institutions before his arrival to St. Joseph.
•Most recently, Martin served assistant men's basketball coach and the director of athletic admissions at Martin Methodist College (NAIA).
•Prior to his tenure at Martin Methodist, Martin served as the director of basketball operations at the University of San Francisco under head coach Rex Walters.
•As a graduate student, Martin served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for men's basketball at the University of Tulsa from 2013-2015.
•As an undergraduate, Martin served as a men's basketball manager at the University of Kentucky under head coach John Calipari. During Martin's tenure with the Wildcats, the team reached the Elite 8 on three occasions, the Final Four on two occasions and Martin served as the head manager of the 2012 National Championship team.
•Martin received his bachelors from the University of Kentucky in 2012 and obtained his Master's in Education from the University of Tulsa in 2015.
•is 1-0 against the Ichabods.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
WASHBURN 70 (14-3, 14-3 MIAA)
CENTRAL MISsoURI 68 (6-12, 6-12 MIAA)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 16 ranked Washburn Ichabods rallied back from a 11-point deficit at the half to defeat the Central Missouri Mules, 70-68, on Saturday afternoon.
The Mules (6-12) opened the game on a 7-0 run in the first two and half minutes. The Ichabods (14-3) answered as they went on a 6-0 run in the next minute to cut their deficit to only one. Washburn battled through the half, getting as close as a one-point deficit on two separate occasions, but Central Missouri held on to its lead to end the first half up 39-28.
The Ichabods gained their first lead of the game in the midst of a 9-0 run as Tyler Nelson hit a three-pointer with 8:20 left on the clock to put Washburn up 53-52. This play ensued a back-and-forth battle that included three lead changes and three tied scores that would go on until the last few seconds of the game. The Ichabods' largest lead stretched to five points with 5:32 left on the clock after two made free throws by Tyler Geiman.
Down by two with 41 seconds left on the clock, Geiman made a layup to tie the score at 68. The Mules attempted to regain the lead but missed the three-point attempt, giving the ball back to the Ichabods. With only two seconds left on the clock, Jace Williams sank the game-winning layup to lead Washburn to the 70-68 victory over Central Missouri.
Tyler Geiman led the Ichabods with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Two more Ichabods scored double digits in points – Jalen Lewis (16) and Levi Braun (13). Williams recorded five rebounds, including three on the offensive side.
Cameron Hunter led the Mules with 21 points, while also notching four rebounds. Koray Gilbert had a team-high nine rebounds. The team shot 81 percent from the free-throw line.
The Ichabods scored 18 points off the Mules turnovers, while Central Missouri countered with 10 points off Washburn turnovers. Washburn outscored Central Missouri in the second half by 42-29. The Ichabods had 14 bench points on the night while the Mules countered with 12 points from the bench. 
  •The Griffons are 10-8 after topping Newman 86-75 on Feb. 16 last time out in St. Joseph.
•Tyrell Carroll is seventh in the MIAA in scoring, averaging 17.9 per game and he is sixth in assists at 4.4 per game.
•Will Eames is fourth in the MIAA in rebounds at 8.9 per game and is averaging 12.1 ppg.
•Offensively, the Griffons have five players averaging double figures in points. In addition to Carroll and Eames; Reese Glover (12.0), Caleb Bennett (11.7) and Q Mays (11.1) are in double figures. •Saturday's meeting will be the 97th between the two schools with Washburn leading the series 55-41 after the Griffons winning the last three meetings.
•The Ichabods are 49-34 against MWSU in MIAA games and 32-14 in games played in Topeka overall.
•The Ichabods are 22-25 in games played in St. Joseph against the Griffons.
•In the MIAA Tournament the Ichabods are 3-6 against the Griffons.
•The Ichabods lead 6-4 in overtime games including the 95-94 win on Jan. 9, 2019.
  Jan. 9, 2021 -- ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The No. 5 Washburn Ichabods shot a season-low 29 percent from the field as they fell at the No. 22 Missouri Western 74-67 going nearly 10 minutes in the second half without a field goal. 
The Ichabods entered the game shooting 42 percent from 3-point range averaging 10 3-pointers a game, but was limited to 6 of 31 shooting from deep for a 19 percent average.
After the Ichabods took a 51-49 lead after four-straight points by Tyler Geiman, who became the 26th Ichabod to go over the 1,000-point mark in his career, the Griffons went on a 16-1 run going 6 of 8 from the field during the spurt while the Ichabods went cold going 0-6 from the field and 0-3 from deep as the Griffons (8-1, 8-1 MIAA) pushed the lead to 65-52 with 3:40 to play.
Washburn came back with an 8-0 run after a pair of Griffon technical to trim the lead back to five at 65-50. The Griffons would go 9 of 10 from the free throw line the rest of the way to secure the win.
Geiman led the Ichabods with 20 points taking game-high honors recording his first double double of the season and the seventh of his career adding 12 rebounds. Jalen Lewis and Tyler Nelson each had 12 points. Will McKee had eight off the bench with 10 rebounds and Drew Maschoff had nine rebounds. Washburn's second leading scorer Jonny Clausing played only 41 seconds after going down with an injury to start the game.
Q. Mays led the Griffons with 17 points off the bench.
Washburn finished 19 of 64 from the field for a 29 percent average and went 8 of 33 in the second half. From the free throw line the Ichabods were 23 of 29 going 16 of 20 in the second half. Missouri Western was 20 of 59 from the field and 7 of 22 from deep hitting 27 of 35 free throws in a game that had 47 fouls called including two technical on the Griffons. Washburn also outrebounded the Griffons 52 to 42 in the game. The Griffons turned 15 Ichabod turnovers into 16 points.
  •The Ichabods are 1615-1093-2 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 634-290 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 462-93 (.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.
  •The Ichabods will host No. 3-ranked Northwest Missouri on Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. After facing the Bearcats, Washburn will face Northeastern State on Feb. 23 in a make up game from Feb. 6 starting at 6 p.m.