•The (17/NABC)/(No. 17/D2SIDA) Washburn Ichabods will face No.3/No. 4 ranked Northwest Missouri in the NCAA Central Regional  Semifinals in Aberdeen, South Dakota on Sunday, March 14 at 7:45 p.m. on the campus of Northern State.
•Washburn (20-6) is the No. 3 in the regional and will face the 23-2 Bearcats for the second time in eight days after defeating Missouri Western 72-46 in the NCAA Regional semifinals on March 13.
•The Ichabods won their sixth MIAA Postseason Tournament in a 69-68 win over No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri on March 6 in Maryville in their last meeting and the last action for the Bearcats.
•The Bearcats as the No. 2 seed had a bye in the opening round of the regional tournament.
•The Ichabods and the Bearcats split the two regular season meetings with each winning on the other teams home court with Washburn winning 84-82 in overtime in Maryville on Jan. 7 while the Bearcats won 88-85 on Feb. 20 in Topeka.
•In the three games the Ichabods and the Bearcats have played this season, the total point tally is the same with each team scoring 238 total points.
•Washburn has been outscored 127 to 116 in the second half while the Ichabods have outscored the Bearcats 99 to 87 in the first half of the three games this season.
•The Bearcats have outscored the Ichabods 70 to 39 from the free throw line and have 44 more attempts than the Ichabods.
•Washburn has been whislted for 77 fouls compared to 51 for the Bearcats.
•The Ichabods lead the all-time series 62-49.
•The Ichabods are the No. 3 scoring offense in the MIAA at 81.7 ppg while the Bearcats are the No. 1 scoring defense allowing 66.0 ppg.
•Northwest Missouri is second in the league in scoring offense at 82.2 ppg and Washburn is third in the league in scoring defense allowing 71.7 ppg.
•The Ichabods are ranked first in the league in opponents field goal percentage at 43.0 percent while the Bearcats are the league-leaders in shooting percentage at 53 percent per game ahead of the Ichabods who tied for second in the conference in shooting percentage at 49 percent.
•The Ichabods and Bearcats ranks first and second in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage with Northwest hitting 43 percent (273 of 629) while the Ichabods are second at 41 percent (286 of 703).
•The 2020-21 season marks the 116th season of Ichabod basketball.
•The Ichabods are 15-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
  •After facing the Griffons for the fourth time in the regional opener, the Ichabods have played the same team four times in a single season now three times as members of the NCAA since the 1989-90 season - with two times against Northwest Missouri.
        • Northwest Missouri 2003-04 – WU goes 2-2 winning regular both regular season meetings and losing in both the MIAA Tournament Championship game and the second round of the NCAA Regional.
        • Northwest Missouri 2000-01 – WU goes 3-1 with each team winning on the other's home court during the regular season and the Ichabods winning in both the MIAA Tournament Championship game and the regional final both played in Topeka. •Tyler Geiman leads the team in scoring (20.8 ppg - 3rd in the MIAA), assists (6.2 apg - 1st in the MIAA and is 3rd in the NCAA), rebounds (6.5 rpg - 10th in the MIAA), second in steals (1.6 spg - 6th in the MIAA) and minutes (36.0 mpg - 2nd in the MIAA and 2nd in the NCAA) … he also ranks 11th in the MIAA in field goal percentage (.518).
•Jalen Lewis is averaging 13.6 ppg (17th in the MIAA) hitting 69 of 141 3-point attempts this season (49 percent) … he is second in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage he is third in the MIAA in 3-pointers per game at 2.7 … he scored a career-high 29 points against Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament semifinals and went over the 1,000-point mark against Missouri Western in the regional quarterfinals.
•Tyler Nelson is scoring 11.2 ppg … he is tied for sixth in the MIAA in steals at 1.6 per game … he has reached double figures in 10 of the last 12 games averaging 15.2.
•Jonny Clausing returned to action at Central Missouri after missing the previous seven games with an injury …he is scoring 10.0 ppg with 4.6 rpg and 1.0 bkpg … he also leads the MIAA in field goal percentage at 61 percent … against Missouri Western he recorded his sixth career double double and it was his third career double double against Missouri Western.
•Levi Braun is averaging 6.8 ppg this season … 54 of his 57 field goals this season have been from 3 and he has attempted 10 shots inside the 3-point line … Braun's 54 3-pointers is third on the Ichabod freshman chart and his 109 attempts are fourth … the Ichabod freshman 3-point record is 58 set by Jalen Lewis during the 2018-19 season.
•Jace Williams is averaging 5.3 ppg with 4.0 rpg recording 24 blocks tallying his first career double double at Washburn with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Rogers State and played in his 100th game against Northwest Missouri in the MIAA Tournament Championship game.
•Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 5.6 ppg with 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
•Rathen Carter is scoring 4.4 ppg with 2.4 rpg.
•Will McKee is scoring 3.5 ppg with 4.2 rpg.
•Tyler Geiman became the 26th member of Washburn's 1,000-point club at Missouri Western … his career total is 1,387 in 114 career games, which is ninth all-time on the Ichabod chart … next on the chart is Dan Buie who scored 1,484 in two seasons from 1995-97.
•Jalen Lewis is currently 27th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart with 1008 career points in 87 career games.
•Tyler Geiman became the first Ichabod to have at least 1,000 points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 100 steals going over that mark against Missouri Western during the regular season … he became 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 … if that's not enough he recorded the first triple double in Washburn history with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Northeastern State on Feb. 23.
•Washburn is 81 of 120 from the free throw line in the last five minutes of games (68 percent) compared to its opponents connecting on 120 of 158 attempts (76 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 82-37 in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 115-67 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 2-8 against Northwest Missouri.
 
NORTHWEST MISSOURI HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
•is 294-78 in his 12th 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 17-8 against the Ichabods.
 
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
WASHBURN 72 (20-6)
MISSOURI WESTERN 46 (14-11)
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Washburn Ichabods moved onto the NCAA Central Regional Tournament semifinals after holding Missouri Western to 28 percent shooting in the game en route to a 72-46 win over the Griffons in their second meeting in six days. Washburn moves on to take on Northwest Missouri in the semifinals in its second meeting in seven days on Sunday night at 7:45 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.
The Ichabods trailed only twice in the game – at seven seconds in at 2-0 and for 28 seconds at 21-20. The Ichabods, who topped the Griffons 101-72 in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals in Maryville, Mo., on March 5, held the Griffons to 25 percent shooting in the opening half taking a 27-21 advantage into the locker room at the break despite going 6:22 without a point in the frame.
After the Griffons took the 21-20 lead with 4:13 to play in the first half, the Ichabods used an 11-0 run bridging the halftime break stretching out to a 31-21 advantage with 18:57 to go. Washburn would increase the lead to as many as 26 after a dunk by Jace Williams with 4:59 to play and not look back as the Ichabods picked up their first NCAA Tournament win since March 10, 2012 in a 69-60 win over Northwest Missouri in the regional quarterfinals at Midwestern State (Texas).
Jonny Clausing led the Ichabods with 14 points and 12 rebounds adding four blocks. The tally was his sixth career double double and his third against Missouri Western. The four blocks was also an Ichabod NCAA single game record. Tyler Geiman and Tyler Nelson each had 13 points and Jalen Lewis had nine. With his first points of the game, Lewis became the 27th member of the Washburn 1,000-point club.
Tyrell Carroll led the Griffons with 21 points as the only Western player to reach double figures.
Washburn, who reached the 20-win plateau for the 29th time in program history, improved to 20-6 on the season and shot 28 of 66 from the field for a 42 percent average hitting eight free throws in 13 attempts and finished 8 of 25 from deep.
Missouri Western, who finished the season 14-11, was limited to 2 of 15 from deep after missing its first 14 3-point attempts of the game. They were 12 of 20 from the free throw line.
Washburn outrebounded the Griffons 44 to 36 and outscored Missouri Western in the paint 32 to 26 and turned nine offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points.
  •The Bearcats are 23-2 this season and had their 18-game winning streak snappe by the Ichabods in the MIAA Tournament Championship game.
•Ryan Hawkins leads the team in scoring at 22.0 ppg with 8.5 rpg and 2.0 spg.
•Trevor Hudgins is scoring 20.0 ppg with 4.6 apg and Diego Bernard is scoring 12.3 ppg with 6.3 rpg and 3.8 apg.
•The Bearcats are scoring 82.2 ppg while allowing 66.0 ppg.
•Northwest has won 18 consecutive road games, which ranks as the longest active streak among all NCAA divisions.
•Northwest has won 34 of its last 35 road games. Northwest has gone 48-5 over the last four-plus seasons on the road in the MIAA.
  •Sunday's meeting will be the 112th between the two schools and Washburn holds a 62-49 lead in the series.
•The Bearcats have won 14 of the last 17 meetings while the Ichabods have won the last two.
•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 21-14 against the Bearcats in Lee Arena.
•Washburn is 25-24 in Maryville and the Ichabods are 32-25 in MIAA contests.
•In the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 4-7 against Northwest after falling in the 2018 and 2019 MIAA Championship games.
•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. MARYVILLE, Mo. – In a game that saw 10 lead changes and seven ties including three lead changes in the final 46 seconds, Tyler Geiman connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer from 10-feet on the Northwest Missouri side of half court as the Ichabods won their sixth MIAA Tournament Championship in a thrilling 69-68 win over the No. 1 Bearcats for their first MIAA Tournament title since 2012.
After Diego Bernard hit a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left after an Ichabod foul after a Washburn miss, Jace Williams inbounded the ball to Geiman who launched the ball after a pair of dribbles from what is the volleyball 10-foot line on the court hitting nothing but net sending the Ichabods to the title and the MIAA's Automatic Qualifier for the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament.
Northwest Missouri (23-2) led by four with 5:31 to go on a 3-pointer by MIAA MVP Trevor Hudgins giving him 18 points as the Bearcats went up 56-52. A 3-pointer by Connor Deffebaugh pulled the Ichabods within one with 5:01 to play. MIAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jalen Lewis hit two free throws putting the Ichabods back in front and then would hit a 3-pointer with 3:52 to play giving the Ichabods a 60-57 lead.
A Bernard layup and two more free throws by Deffebaugh with 2:31 to play, Washburn led 62-59. Two free throws by Hawkins cut the lead back to one at 64-63 and then two more free throws with 1:14 to play put the Bearcats back in front at 65-64. A Geiman layup with 46 seconds to play set the scene for the final 46 seconds and the win for Washburn.
The Ichabods led 30-19 at the break on the strength of 52 percent shooting from the field paced by Jalen Lewis' 6 of 8 from the field hitting 3 of 5 3-point attempts. With the score tied at 10 with 11:13 to play in the frame, Lewis scored seven-straight points for Washburn pushing the lead to 17-10. After a pair of Bearcat free throws, Washburn kicked off a 10-3 run on another bucket by Lewis followed by a layup and another 3-pointer from Lewis and a deep 3-pointer from Geiman stretched the lead to 27-15 under four minutes to play. Washburn scored four-straight points before a 3-pointer by Tyler Nelson before the buzzer increased the lead to 11 after a 3-pointer attempt by the Bearcats rimmed out.
Behind Lewis' 26 points, Geiman finished with 23 points and was named to the all-MIAA Tournament team. Washburn was 24 of 44 from the field and 10 of 21 overall from deep. The Bearcats were led by Hawkins and his 23 points. Washburn was 11 of 12 from the free throw line and the Bearcats were 26 of 31. •The Ichabods are 2-1 against the Bearcats in the MIAA Tournament.
•The Ichabods are 15-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
•Washburn advanced to the 2001 NCAA Championship game falling 72-63 to Kentucky Wesleyan.
•Washburn is 9-9 in neutral site NCAA tournament games.
•The Ichabods are 1-2 in NCAA tournament away games.
•Washburn is 5-3 in NCAA tournament home games.
•The Ichabods are 9-6 in NCAA tournament first round games.
•Washburn is 3-5 in second round NCAA tournament games.
•The Ichabods are 1-3 in NCAA regional tournament games played in Missouri going 0-2 in Maryville and going 1-1 in two games played in Joplin at the 2000 NCAA Central Regional.
•In NCAA tournament games vs this season's regional field, the Ichabods are : 0-1 vs No. 1 seed Northern State, 2-1 against No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri and they have never faced No. 5 seeded Minnesota State-Moorhead … overall Northern State is the only school from the Northern Sun Conference the Ichabods have played in the NCAA Tournament falling 91-75 on March 15, 2018 in Maryville.
  •The Ichabods are 1621-1096-2 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 639-293 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
•The Ichabods have recorded 29 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 15 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  •The Ichabods are 465-95 (.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 winner of the Washburn/Northwest Missouri game will face the winner of the Northern State/Minnesota State-Moorhead game in the regional final on Tuesday night for the opportunity to move on to Evansville, Ind. for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight March 24-27.