•The (RV/NABC)/(No. 25/D2SIDA) Washburn Ichabods will play in their 13th MIAA Tournament Championships on Saturday night in Bearcat Arena when the Ichabods will take on No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri at 6 p.m.
•Washburn (18-6, 16-6 MIAA) reached the championship game after blasting Missouri Western 101-72 in the semifinals on March 5 in Bearcat Arena breaking their MIAA Tournament record hitting 14 3-pointers after hitting 13 in the quarterfinals against Rogers State.
•Northwest Missouri, the regular season MIAA champions, are in search of its sixth-straight MIAA Tournament championship, topped Central Oklahoma 104-72. It was the second game in as many games the Bearcats reached the century mark after topping Emporia State on March 3 in the quarterfinals 100-61.
•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.
•The Ichabods are 40-23 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
•The Ichabods are 2-2 in first round games (when the tournament was 12 teams) … 20-7 in the quarterfinals, 13-7 in the semifinals and 5-7 in championship games.
•In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 16-13.
•In MIAA Tournament games played in Lee Arena, the Ichabods are 22-5.
•As the No. 2 seed, the Ichabods are 8-4 overall in the tournament.
•The Ichabods are now 1-0 in MIAA Tournament games played in Maryville.
•The Ichabods are 3-7 against Northwest Missouri in the conference tournament and have met in MIAA championship game in 2019, 2018, 2004 and 2001 with the Ichabods winning the 2001 title in a game played in Topeka. The other three losses came in Kansas City.
•The Ichabods lead the all-time series 61-49.
•The Ichabods are the No. 1 scoring offense in the MIAA at 83.4 ppg while the Bearcats are the No. 1 scoring defense allowing 65.8 ppg.
•Northwest Missouri is second in the league in scoring offense at 82.8 ppg and Washburn is fourth in the league in scoring defense allowing 72.9 ppg.
•The Ichabods are ranked tied for first in the league in opponents field goal percentage at 43.9 percent while the Bearcats are the league-leaders in shooting percentage at 54 percent per game ahead of the Ichabods who are 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 44 percent (267 of 604) while the Ichabods are second at 41 percent (268 of 657).
•The 2020-21 season marks the 116th season of Ichabod basketball. •Tyler Geiman leads the team in scoring (21.1 ppg - 3rd in the MIAA), assists (6.5 apg - 1st in the MIAA and is 3rd in the NCAA), rebounds (6.5 rpg - 10th in the MIAA), steals (1.7 spg - 6th in the MIAA) and minutes (35.9 mpg - 2nd in the MIAA) … he also ranks 11th in the MIAA in field goal percentage (.532).
•Jalen Lewis is averaging 13.3 ppg hitting 64 of 126 3-point attempts this season (51 percent) … he is tied for fourth in the MIAA in 3-pointers per game at 2.5 and second in 3-point field goal percentage scoring a career-high 29 points against Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament semifinals.
•Tyler Nelson is scoring 11.3 ppg averaging recording back to back career-high last week scoring 24 points against Northeastern State and then 25 against Missouri Southern … he has reached double figures in nine of the last 10 games averaging 15.3.
•Jonny Clausing returned to action at Central Missouri after missing the previous seven games with an injury …he is scoring 10.0 ppg with 4.3 rpg and 1.0 bkpg … he also leads the MIAA in field goal percentage at 62 percent.
•Levi Braun is averaging 7.3 ppg this season … 53 of his 56 field goals this season have been from 3 and he has attempted 10 shots inside the 3-point line … Braun's 53 3-pointers is third on the Ichabod freshman chart and his 108 attempts are fifth … the Ichabod freshman 3-point record is 58 set by Jalen Lewis during the 2018-19 season.
•Jace Williams is averaging 5.5 ppg with 4.1 rpg recording 23 blocks tallying his first career double double at Washburn with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Rogers State.
•Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 5.5 ppg with 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
•Rathen Carter is scoring 4.6 ppg with 2.4 rpg.
•Will McKee is scoring 3.6 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 1,351 in 112 career games, which is ninth all-time on the Ichabod chart … he passed Ron Berkholtz, who scored 1,342 points from 1965-69 … next on the chart is Dan Buie who scored 1,484 in two seasons from 1995-97.
•Jalen Lewis is currently 28th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart with 973 career points.
•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 … 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 80-37 in his fourth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 113-67 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 1-8 against Northwest Missouri.
 
NORTHWEST MISSOURI HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
•is 294-77 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 17-7 against the Ichabods.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
WASHBURN 101 (18-6)
ROGERS STATE 72 (14-10)
MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabods will make their 13th MIAA Postseason Championship Tournament after dismantling Missouri Western in a 101-72 win. The Ichabods will face No. 1 Northwest Missouri at 6 p.m.
After the score was tied at 4-4, the Ichabods ripped off a 12-2 run taking 16-6 lead seven minutes into the game. With the Ichabods holding a 23-15 lead, the Ichabods rolled off an 18-0 taking control of the game moving out to a 41-15 lead cruising to a 57-29 halftime lead after shooting a blistering 63 percent from the field connecting on 9 of 14 3-pointers holding the Griffons to 36 percent.
In the second half, the Ichabods (18-6) put up 44 points again shooting 60 percent in the frame leading to the 29-point win. The 101 points was the 11th-highest point total in MIAA Tournament history and it was the third time the Ichabods went over the century mark and the second time against Missouri Western (105-99 – March 3, 1994 semifinals).
Behind a career-high 29 points from Jalen Lewis (on 11 of 15 shooting and 6 of 9 from 3-point range) and Tyler Geiman's double double with 21 points and 12 assists. Jonny Clausing had 16 points off the bench going 7 of 9 from the field.
The win snapped a four-game winning streak by the Griffons over the Ichabods and the 29-point win was one shy of the series largest win over Missouri Western.
Caleb Bennett scored 19 leading four Griffons in double figures.
Washburn finished 62 percent from the field hitting 38 of 62 shots overall and 14 3-pointers breaking the Ichabod record for 3-pointers in an MIAA Tournament game for the second-straight outing.
Washburn is 5-7 all-time in conference championships.
  •The Bearcats are 23-1 this season and have won their last 18 games in a row after suffering their only loss of the year to Washburn in an 84-82 overtime win on Jan. 7 in Maryville.
•Ryan Hawkins leads the team in scoring at 21.9 ppg with 8.6 rpg and 2.0 spg.
•Trevor Hudgins is scoring 20.1 ppg with 4.8 apg and Diego Bernard is scoring 12.3 ppg with 6.2 rpg and 4.0 apg.
•The Bearcats are scoring 82.8 ppg while allowing 65.8 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 48-4 over the last four-plus seasons on the road in the MIAA.
  •Saturday's meeting will be the 111th between the two schools and Washburn holds a 61-49 lead in the series.
•The Bearcats have won 14 of the last 16 meetings.
•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 24-24 in Maryville and the Ichabods are 32-25 in MIAA contests.
•In the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 3-7 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. Feb. 20, 2021 - TOPEKA, Kan. – For the second time in two meetings the No. 15 Ichabods and the No. 3 Northwest Missouri Bearcats needed an extra frame to decide a winner in a top-15 match up as Northwest Missouri topped the Ichabods 88-85 to split the regular season series.
In a game that saw 17 lead changes and 15 ties, the Bearcats hit 9 of 10 free throws in the extra period to seal the win. In the extra frame, Jalen Lewis matched a pair of free throws by Northwest tying the score at 74. Two more charity tosses by the Bearcats were then matched by a jumper by Tyler Geiman knotting the score at 76. Northwest hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 to go up 79-76 and after a free throw by Jace Williams, two more Bearcat free throws pushed the lead to four at 81-77 before Geiman hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 to go pulling the Ichabods back within one at 81-80.
The Bearcats hit back to back jumpers to go back in front five and a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left by Geiman cut the lead back to two. The Bearcats hit one of two free throws and Tyler Nelson connected on two to cut the lead to 86-85 with nine seconds to play and then after a pair of free throws by Northwest a 3-point attempt by the Ichabods from the corner rimmed out as the Bearcats held on for the win.
The Bearcats led 39-38 going into the halftime break after shooting 64 percent from the field while the Ichabods held serve hitting 63 percent of their shots. The score was tied at 72 going into the overtime as the Ichabods outscored the Bearcats 34-33 in the second half.
Geiman led the Ichabods with 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting hitting three 3-pointers with four assists. Nelson scored 18 points with three steals as did Jalen Lewis and Jonny Clausing scored 14 points off the bench hitting all seven field goal attempts.
Trevor Hudgins scored a game-high 28 points with six assists leading four Bearcats in double figures with Diego Bernard and Luke Waters each scoring 17 and Ryan Hawkings adding 16.
Both teams shot 57 percent for the game as the Ichabods were 31 of 54 and Northwest was 28 of 49. The Bearcats hit 22 of 29 free throw attempts while the Ichabods were 15 of 18. Washburn held a 25 to 23 advantage on the glass. Neither team led by more than six during the game and the scores were separated by no more than four in the second half.
  •The Ichabods are 40-23 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
• The Ichabods are 2-2 in first round games (since expanding to 12 teams) … 20-7 in the quarterfinals, 13-7 in the semifinals and 5-7 in championship games.
•In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 16-13.
•In quarterfinal games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 9-5. In semifinal games played in Municipal the Ichabods are 5-3 and in championship games in Kansas City the Ichabods are 1-5.
•As the No. 1 seed, the Ichabods are 21-3, at No. 2 they are 8-4, at No. 3 they are 2-3, at No. 4 they are 2-3, as the No. 5 seed they are 0-1, 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.
•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 and NWMSU's Ben McCollum are the only MIAA coaches to win five tournament titles. Tom Smith (MWSU) and Steve Tappmeyer (NWMSU), 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           0-1          3-2           1-2            1-2           4-7
NSU           0-1           —            —             —             —             0-1
NWMSU    —             2-2           0-2           1-2            0-4           3-7
PSU          —             1-0           3-0           2-0           3-0           6-0
RSU                             —              1-0            —              —              —              1-0           
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        —             —            —             —             —             —
SBU          1-0           2-0           1-1           1-0           —             5-1
TSU           —             2-0           1-0            —             —             3-0
UNO          —             —            —             0-1            0-1           0-1
Totals       2-2           19-7         12-7         5-7            16-13       40-23
   •The Ichabods are 1619-1096-2 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 637-293 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 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 Ichabods will discover their NCAA postseason fate on Sunday night during the NCAA selection show. Check back to WUSports.com for the latest details.