•    The Washburn Ichabods will be looking for their third-straight win as they open the new year hosting No. 5-ranked Central Oklahoma on Jan. 4 in Lee Arena.
•    Washburn (7-4, 3-2 MIAA) crushed Northeastern State in its last game 17 days ago on Dec. 19 in an 84-48 win over the RiverHawks in Lee Arena.
•    The Bronchos are 12-2, 4-2 in the MIAA after topping Nebraska-Kearney on Dec. 29 in a 99-61 win before falling on New Year's Eve as the lost at home to Fort Hays State 67-60.
•    The Ichabods received votes in the latest NABC Top 25 Coaches Poll and UCO was ranked No. 12.
•    Thursday's meeting with the Bronchos will be the 39th in the all-time series with the history being all squared at 19 wins each.
•    WU is 11-3 in games against UCO in Topeka winning the last seven games in Lee Arena … UCO's last win in Topeka came on Feb. 20, 2016 in a 71-60 victory.
•    The Ichabods have recorded 30, 20-win seasons and four under Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard in his six seasons receiving four NCAA postseason berths.
•    The 2023-24 season marks the 119th season of Ichabod basketball. •    Sam Ungashick leads the Ichabods in scoring averaging 16.2 ppg averaging 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game … he has reached double figures in each of the last nine games while averaging 17.2 ppg in MIAA contests including a career-high 26 against Missouri Western.
•    Andrew Orr is scoring 13.3 ppg this season going 32 of 35 from the free throw line  which ranks fourth in the nation in percentage at 91.1 … he is shooting 55 percent from the field hitting 57 of 103 attempts.
•    Jack Bachelor is scoring 11.0 ppg this season and he's tied for the team-lead with 34 assists … he scored a career-high 24 points against Northeastern State on Dec. 19 … he's 13 of 25 from the field in the last two games since moving into a starting role averaging 17.0 ppg.
•    Brady Christiansen is averaging 8.1 ppg with a team-high 8.1 rpg … he's averaged 10.0 rpg in the last three contests.
•    Jarmell Johnson is averaging 7.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
•    Jake Schadegg is averaging 7.1 ppg averaging 8.5 ppg in his last two contests.
•    Michael Keegan is scoring 6.5 ppg with 5.2 rpg and 1.0 bkpg.
•    Emmanuel Byrd is scoring 5.6 ppg with 4.2 rpg and scored a career-high 10 points last time out against the RiverHawks.
•    Brayden Shorter is averaging 4.4 ppg.
•    Zaid Dajani is scoring 1.8 ppg … Kevin Eman is averaging 1.0 ppg.
•    Recently graduated Levi Braun, is moving to the coaching staff on the Ichabod bench as a volunteer assistant after picking up his diploma in December … Braun is Washburn's all-time leader in 3-point field goal percentage at .450 hitting 148 of 329 career attempts finishing 13th in all-time makes and 14th in all-time attempts scoring 550 points in 87 career games with 25 starts … he scored a career-high 21 points in three different games.
•    The Ichabods are third nation in 3-point shooting at 42.2 percent hitting 98 of 233 attempts.
•    The Ichabods are first in the MIAA in scoring averaging 81.8 ppg and ranked eighth in scoring defense allowing 70.1 ppg.
•    Washburn's 49.1 field goal percentage is second in the MIAA and 37th in the nation.
•    Washburn is +9.0 in rebounding margin this season leading the MIAA and ranked 14th nationally … also leading the MIAA in total rebounds at 39.3 per game.
•    In the last two games the Ichabods have committed only 13 turnovers with four against Missouri Western and nine against Northeastern State.
•    This season overall, Ichabod opponents have shot 48 more free throws than the Washburn has … Washburn is 144 of 194 at the charity stripe this season while opponents are 172 of 242.
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
•    is 125-68 in his seventh season as the Ichabods' head coach and 158-98 overall in his ninth year as a head coach.
•    has led the Ichabods to four NCAA postseason appearances in six full 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 and Tulsa basketball programs after working under head coach Danny Manning 2012-17 seasons.
•    he helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season following the 2016-17 season.
•    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.
•    he is 7-5 against Central Oklahoma.
 
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH BOB HOFFMAN ...
•    is 86-45 in his fifth season as the Bronchos' head coach and 605-365 in his 30th year overall as a head coach.
•    came to UCO from Mercer, where he led the Bears of Macon, Ga. to 209 wins in his 11-year stint there.
•    Hoffman won 209 games at Mercer from 2008-19, including 119 conference games. He led the Bears to its first ever NCAA Tournament win in 2014 – a major upset of Duke in the opening round of March Madness. And he also became the first coach in NCAA history to win a tournament game in all four Division I postseason tournaments in a four-year span.
•    is 3-4 against Washburn.
  •    Central Oklahoma is 12-2 and 4-2 in the MIAA coming off a 67-60 home loss to Fort Hays State on Dec. 31 snapping a 16-game homecourt winning streak.
•    Jaden Wells leads three Bronchos in double-figure scoring at 17.1 ppg and Danquez Dawsey is scoring 13.5 ppg and Luke Hassl is scoring 10.2 ppg with a team-high 5.8 rpg and 1.9 blocks per game …Wells is fourth in the MIAA in scoring average.
•    UCO is second in the MIAA in scoring behind the Ichabods at 79.6 pp and the Bronchos are third in scoring defense at 60.8 ppg leading the MIAA in scoring margin at 18.9 ppg.
  •    Thursday's meeting will be the 39th in the series history which is tied 19-19.
•    Washburn has won nine of the last 13 meetings.
•    The Ichabods lost the first match up as MIAA schools on Jan. 5, 2013 in a 72-67 loss in Edmond and in the MIAA tournament quarterfinals on March 3, 2013 in a 99-88 defeat in Kansas City.
•    Washburn's two highest-scoring combined games in school history came against UCO. In 1992 the two teams scored 246 points (132-114, UCO) and in 1998 they scored 218 points (111-107, UCO).
•    In the Jan. 13, 2018 meeting, the 49 points was the fewest by the Ichabods in a win in the shot clock era and the 96 combined points were the second fewest scored by Washburn and its opponent in the shot clock era.
•    In 38 all-time meetings, the Ichabods have averaged 76.6 points per game with the Bronchos.
•    WU is 11-3 in games against UCO in Topeka winning the last seven games in Lee Arena … UCO's last win in Topeka came on Feb. 20, 2016 in a 71-60 victory.
  (Feb. 11, 2023) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods (12-11, 9-8) held No. 6 Central Oklahoma (21-3, 15-3) to 22 first half points and 36.7% shooting in the game to knock off the Bronchos 75-55 in Lee Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 7-2 lead on two layups and a 3-pointer and did not trail in the game until the 7:22 mark of the first half. Jarmell Johnson scored five straight points off the bench, the last three coming on a corner 3-pointer to give Washburn a 19-17 lead. It was the first and only lead change of the day. 
The Ichabods' first half lead grew to as high as eight points on the final possession of the half with a layup from Andrew Orr making it 30-22 at the break. 
At 17:46 in the second half Jaden Monday knocked down a jumper to push the lead to double digits. Brady Christiansen continued Washburn's hot shooting day by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Ichabods a 13-point advantage. 
The Bronchos made it a single digit game with 13:40 to play and it was the last time the deficit was that close. Washburn responded with a 9-0 run with eight of the points coming from Johnson and Christiansen. 
Washburn's lead grew to a game-high 24 points at the 3:19 mark of the second half after Levi Braun knocked down his sixth 3-pointer of the game. In the final three minutes the Ichabods put the finishing touches on a 20-point win to move above .500 for the first time in 2022-23 and notch Washburn's second ranked win of the season. 
Braun's six 3-pointers accounted for 18 of his game-high 20 points for the Ichabods on 7-10 shooting. Christiansen added 16 points off the bench on only 5-7 shooting and pulled down six rebounds. Andrew Orr scored 13 points and dished out a career-high six assists and Jaden Monday had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds. 
Cam Givens led the Bronchos with 17 points on a 7-12 shooting effort, Jaden Wells added 12 points for UCO. 
As a team Washburn shot 50.9% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range while holding the Bronchos to a 4-21 effort from deep. Central Oklahoma was limited to just six assists in the game compared to 18 for the Ichabods. 
Washburn had a slight turnover advantage, 14-12, but scored 21 points on the opportunities while surrendering only four. They also had a 25-13 advantage in scoring off the bench.     
  (Dec. 19, 2023) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabods put a bow on the 2023 calendar leading from start to finish in an 84-48 win over Northeastern State on Tuesday afternoon in Lee Arena. With the win, the Ichabods move to 7-4 on the season and 3-2 in the MIAA.
Washburn never trailed in the game scoring the first seven points of the game and jumped out to a 15-8 lead less than five minutes in with Jack Bachelor pacing the Ichabods scoring 11 points out of the gate en route to a career-high 24 points making his second start in a row. The RiverHawks cut the lead to five at 17-12, but that ignited a 24 to 5 run by the Ichabods over the next 9:06 of the half pushing their lead to 41-17 with 4:36 to play.
The Ichabods were 7 of 13 from the field and hit all nine free throw attempts while holding the RiverHawks to 2 of 13 shooting forcing six turnovers. Bachelor wrapped up the scoring in the opening half on his 16th and 17th points of the game sending Washburn to the break with a 43-23 lead.
To start the second half, Washburn scored nine of the first 11 points of the half and led by no fewer than 20 points the rest of the way eventually stretching its lead to as many as 38 in the 36-point win.
Bachelor's 24 led the Ichabods after going 8 of 15 from the field and 4 of 7 from deep. Andrew Orr finished with 14 on 7 of 9 shooting and Emmanuel Byrd scored a career-high 10 points adding four boards and two assists. Brady Christiansen and Michael Keegan each had 10 rebounds. Jake Schadegg came off the bench to scoring nine points adding five assists.
The Ichabods finished with 24 assists on 32 made baskets shooting 32 of 65 for the game for a 49 percent average. The RiverHawks were limited to 17 of 55 shooting overall for a 31 percent clip. Washburn also forced 18 turnovers in the game. The Ichabods outrebounded the RiverHawks (4-6, 0-5 MIAA) 44 to 33 and the Ichabod bench outscored the NSU bench 31 to 14.        •    The Ichabods are 1,675-1,127-2 all-time in the 118th year in the program's history.
•    Washburn is the 10th-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
•    Washburn is 681-319 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
•    The Ichabods have recorded 30 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 16 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  •    The Ichabods are 492-102 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•    The 2023-24 season marks the 38th season of play in Lee Arena.
•    The Ichabods are 38-1 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 its three-game homestand with Newman on Jan. 6 at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena. The Ichabods will then head out on a two-game trip through Missouri playing at Central Missouri on Jan. 10 and Lincoln on Jan. 13 before hosting Missouri Southern on Jan. 17 and Pittsburg State on Jan. 20.