OPENING TIP
• The No. 10-ranked Washburn Ichabods return to the greater Kansas City area for the third time this season when they will have their first true road game of the season at Rockhurst on Friday night in Mason-Halpin Arena.
• The Ichabods are 3-0 this season coming off a 97-57 win over Ottawa on Nov. 12 in their home opener. The win gave the Ichabods their 500th all-time win in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods were ranked No. 9 in the latest D2CIDA poll released on Nov. 12.
• The Hawks are 2-0 this season with wins over Davenport (64-54) and Purdue University Northwest (80-75) … Rockhurst fell in an exhibition game to Saint Louis 86-65 … the game with the Ichabods will be the home opener for the Hawks.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 33-31 with Rockhurst and will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak to the Hawks in Kansas City … Washburn's last win against the Hawks on Rockhurst's home court came on Dec. 4, 2003 in a 69-54 win.
 • Washburn associate athletic director Matt Hutchinson served as the Assistant to the Athletic Director / Assistant Men's Basketball coach at Rockhurst prior to coming to Washburn. He played basketball for the Hawks from 2012-2015, earning both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the university.
• The Ichabods finished the 2023-24 season with a 19-11 record advancing to the MIAA Tournament semifinals.
• The Ichabods have recorded 30, 20-win seasons and four under Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard in his seven seasons receiving  four NCAA postseason berths.
• The 2024-25 season marks the 120th season of Ichabod basketball.

COACHES
WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 140-75 in his eighth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 173-105 overall in his 10th year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to four NCAA postseason appearances in seven 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 2-3 against Rockhurst.
 
ROCKHURST HEAD COACH KYLE BLACKBOURN … 
•  was named as the new head coach for the Rockhurst men's basketball program on April 16, 2024.
•  served eight years on the University of Wisconsin men's basketball staff from 2016-24. He spent his last four years as the director of recruiting and scouting for the Badgers, while also assisting Greg Gard and the coaching staff. He was Wisconsin's assistant director of basketball operations in his first four years in Madison.
•  Prior to going to Wisconsin, Blackbourn was an assistant coach at Rockhurst under head coach Drew Diener in 2015-16. The Hawks ranked third in the GLVC in scoring defense that season.
•  During Blackbourn's time at Wisconsin, the Badgers won two Big Ten regular season championships and played in five NCAA Tournaments. Wisconsin made an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2017 and advanced to the NIT Final Four in 2023.
• has never faced the Ichabods.
 
ABOUT ROCKHURST
• The Hawks are 2-0 this season with wins over Davenport (64-54) and Purdue University Northwest (80-75) … Rockhurst fell in an exhibition game to Saint Louis 86-65 … the game with the Ichabods will be the home opener for the Hawks.
• Jaylen Wesley leads the team in scoring at 14.5 ppg adding 8.0 rpg … also averaging double figures is Nick Arensberg at 12.0 ppg, Jesse White at 11.5 ppg and Brian Hawthorne at 11.0 ppg.
• Jayden Hibbitt is scoring 15.6 ppg with 6.8 rpg and Deondre Buggage is averaging 15.4 ppg.
• As a team, the Ichabods are averaging 72.0 ppg and allowing 64.5 ppg and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range hitting 19 of 48 attempts.
 
SERIES HISTORY ROCKHURST
• Friday's meeting will be the 65th in the all-time series.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 33-31.
• Washburn won the last meeting played in Topeka last season 82-66 on Nov. 18, 2023.
• The Ichabods are 21-9 in meetings in Topeka and have gone 10-21 in games played in Kansas City against the Hawks.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS AGAINST ROCKHURST
(Nov. 18, 2023) TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team improved to 39-1 all-time in season home openers winning its 33rd in a row leading from start to finish with an 82-66 win over Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon in Lee Arena. 
Washburn led from start to finish using a 12 to 1 spurt midway through the first half building a 23-11 lead off a 3-pointer by Jack Bachelor – who scored eight points during the Ichabod run. Rockhurst (1-2) cut the lead down to five at 32-27 with 3:21 to go in the opening frame, but Washburn closed the half with a 12 to 5 run taking a 44-32 lead into intermission.
Washburn shot 59 percent in the first half on 17 of 29 shooting while holding Rockhurst to 34 percent on 9 of 26 shooting.
A Hawks' 3pointer by Brian Hawthorne pulled Rockhurst within 10 at 59-49 with 13:13 to play, but a 10-0 Ichabod run pushed the lead to 20 and Rockhurst did not get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Sam Ungashick led the Ichabods with 21 points adding eight rebounds and five assists. He finished 8 of 13 from the field. He paced four other Ichabods in double figures with Andrew Orr scoring 12, Brady Christiansen scoring 11 and Jack Bachelor scoring 10 with five assists.
Hawthorne led the Hawks with 15 points.
Washburn finished 31 of 59 from the field shooting 53 percent and the Hawks were 21 of 60 for 35 percent shooting. Washburn also held a 42 to 31 advantage on the glass. The Ichabods outscored Rockhurst 42 to 14 in the paint and 30 to 17 in fastbreak points.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Nov. 12, 2024) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 10 ranked Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team began its home schedule inside Lee Arena with a 97-57 win over Ottawa on Tuesday night in Lee Arena. The Ichabods won their 500th game in program history improving to 500-103 (.829) in 40 seasons of action.
Andrew Orr had the first two buckets of the game for Washburn with the score knotted at four two minutes into the game. The Ichabods (3-0) scored the next seven points with the last five coming from Brayden Shorter to go up 11-4. A free throw from Michael Keegan with 11:38 to play in the half pushed the lead to double figures at 21-11.
The free throw was the first of a 9-0 run, which was capped off by another free throw from Keegan at the 9:36 mark. Back-to-back triples from Shorter pushed the lead up to 25 points with 2:57 left in the half. Washburn led by as many as 28 in the first half before going into the break up by 25 at 51-26 over the Braves (4-1).
A 20-4 run midway through the first half pushed the Ichabod lead to a game-high 45 points at 85-40 with 7:09 remaining in the game.
Shorter finished with a career-high 26 points pacing five Ichabods in double figures on 10 of 19 shooting including 4 of 9 from deep. The reigning MIAA player of the week, Andrew Orr had 14 points adding four steals while Jacob Hanna had 13 points followed by Michael Keegan's 12 points and five steals and Jake Schadegg's 12 points. Jack Bachelor had a career-high 11 assists adding six points. Keegan finished with a game-high nine rebounds.
P.J. Twa led the Braves with 11 points.
Washburn shot 49 percent in the game (35 of 72) holding the Braves to 22 of 55 shooting (40 percent). Washburn also held a 49 to 28 advantage of glass as the Ichabods outscored the Braves 48 to 28 in the pain while turning Ottawa over 22 times leading to 33 points.
 
ICHABOD BASKETBALL HISTORY
• The Ichabods are 1,691-1,133-2 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 692-325 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.
                                                                                      
HOME SWEET HOME
• The Ichabods are 500-103 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2024-25 season marks the 39th 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.
 
UP NEXT
• The Ichabods are back in action on Nov. 19 hosting Pittsburg State in a non-conference game beginning a three-game homestand continuing with William Jewell on Nov .23 and Peru State on Nov. 30 before opening MIAA play at Nebraska-Kearney on Dec. 5 and at Fort Hays State on Dec. 7.