OPENING TIP
• The No. 3 Washburn Ichabods will open MIAA play on Thursday night in Kearney, Neb. as they will face the Lopers at 7:30 p.m.
• The Ichabods moved to 7-0 on the season after defeating Peru State 82-56 on Nov. 30 in Topeka.
• The Ichabods were ranked No. 3 in the NABC top 25 coaches poll and fourth in the latest D2CIDA poll released on Dec. 3.
• The ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 ranking on Dec. 18, 2012. The last time the Ichabods were ranked No. 3 in the nation was on Nov. 30, 2004.
• The Lopers are off to a 1-5 start this season after falling on the road to Chadron State 87-71 on Nov. 30.
• The Ichabods are 21-23 all-time in their MIAA openers dating back to 1991 when Washburn became a full member of the league.
• Washburn has never faced the Lopers in an MIAA opener.
• The Ichabods will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak in their MIAA opener … Washburn's last win in its first MIAA game of the season came on Nov. 19, 2020 at Fort Hays State in an 80-78 win.
• First-year assistant coach Ty Danielson was a four-year member of the Lopers' basketball team. During his time at Nebraska-Kearney, Danielson played in 119 games and made 95 starts. He was named Honorable Mention All-MIAA in both his junior and senior seasons. Danielson was also a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll member during his time at Nebraska-Kearney and left as one of the most accomplished shooters in school history. His 196 made three-pointers ranks him third all-time at UNK. Danielson's career free-throw percentage of 82.7 percent ranks fourth in Loper Basketball history and he currently ranks 23rd in career points with 1,301.
• 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.
 
BLUES CLUES
• Andrew Orr needs nine points to become the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club.
• Michael Keegan has 837 career points in 103 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 84.
• The Ichabods are eighth in the nation in rebound margin at +11.7 and 10th in scoring margin at 21.3.
• Jacob Hanna is 17th in the nation in free throws made with 37 and 15th in attempts with 50.
• Andrew Orr is 24th in the nation in field goal percentage at 65.6.
• Michael Keegan is 14th in the nation and leading the nation in steals with 20  and he is 24th in the nation in assist to turnover ration at 3.67 to 1.
• Jacob Hanna is closing in on 1,000 points in his collegiate career between Washburn and Illinois-Springfield - between both schools he has scored 844 career points.

COACHES
WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 144-75 in his eighth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 177-105 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 8-1 against Nebraska-Kearney.
 
NEBRASKA-KEARNEY HEAD COACH MARTY LEVINSON ...
• is the 22nd head men's basketball coach in Nebraska-Kearney history (117 years) and began his duties in April 2024.
• is 1-5 in his first season.
• The Grand Island native is a Bellevue West High School and UNK graduate, played high school, college, and professional basketball in the state, and held coaching positions at Grand Island Central Catholic, UNK, Central C.C.-Columbus, and assisted with Everything to Gain (ETG), one of the top AAU programs in Nebraska.
• having worked at the collegiate level for the past 17 years, Levinson has been a successful head coach at Central C.C. (2012-14), Southern Arkansas University Tech (2018-23) and Trinity Valley, Texas (2023-24). He was the first-ever coach in SAU Tech history, building the program up from the ground floor.
• has amassed a career record of 191-94 (.670 winning pct.) at the junior college level having been named District Coach of the Year five times and Region C.O.Y on four occasions. Finally, he saw five of his teams qualify for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament, finishing as high as third.
• is 0-0 against the Ichabods.
 
ABOUT NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• The Lopers are 1-5 this season with their lone win coming in a 92-49 win over York on Nov. 26.
• UNK is coming off a 87-71 loss at Chadron State last time out on Nov. 30.
• Chase Thompson leads three Lopers averaging double figures at 16.0 ppg adding 4.8 rpg while shooting 42 percent from deep hitting 14 of 33 shots.
• Ja'Bryant Hill is scoring 15.8 ppg and Allen Taylor is scoring 15.5 ppg.
• The Lopers are averaging 78.2 ppg and allowing 75.2 ppg.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
• Thursday's meeting will be the 50th in the series and the Lopers lead 25-24.
• The Ichabods won the last meeting 89-68 on Jan. 27, 2024 in Kearney winning their second in a row on the road.
• All-time in games in Kearney, the Ichabods are 8-17.
• Washburn leads 15-7 in games played in Topeka.
• The Ichabods have won seven of the last eight overall meetings.
• The two teams have only played twice in the MIAA Tournament with the teams splitting a pair of games.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS AGAINST NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
(Jan. 27, 2024) KEARNEY, Neb. – The Washburn Ichabods led for all but 67 seconds at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday sending five players in double figures in an 89-68 win over the Lopers. 
After the Lopers (5-13, 2-11 MIAA) led at 3-2, Washburn came back with seven-straight points taking a 9-3 before Nebraska-Kearney tied the score at 10-10 with 13:11 left in the opening half. The Ichabods responded with a 10-0 run including eight in a row by Brayden Shorter with a pair of 3-pointers pushing the lead to 11 at 23-12. UNK would hang around with an 11-point deficit, the Ichabods rolled off 11-straight points to close the half taking a 45-27 lead into the break.
Starting the second half, the Ichabods (13-6, 9-4 MIAA) kept the run going with five more in the first 57 seconds of the second half building a lead of 25 points at 52-27 for their largest lead of the game and UNK would not get closer than 17 the rest of the game.
Andrew Orr led the Ichabods with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting adding six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Shorter finished with a career-high 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting hitting 4 of 5 3-pointers. Brady Christiansen recorded his second double double of his career with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Also in double figures were Jake Schadegg with 10 off the bench and Jack Bachelor had 10 points, seven assists and six steals.
D'Aundre Samuels led the Lopers with 16 points.
Overall the Ichabods shot 49 percent for the game hitting 34 of 69 shots going 10 of 24 from 3-point range. Washburn held the Lopers to 35 percent shooting in the first half and 41 percent in the game as UNK finished 26 of 62 from the field. Washburn also forced 18 Loper turnovers leading to 26 points.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE ICHABODS
(Nov. 30, 2024) TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 3-ranked Washburn Ichabods used a 31-7 run over the first 10 minutes of the second half en route to an 82-56 win over the Peru State Bobcats on Saturday afternoon in Lee Arena. The Ichabods will now be on the road for the entire month of December as they begin MIAA play on Thursday, Dec. 5 at Nebraska-Kearney.
During the second half run, eight different Ichabods scored and the Washburn defense held the Bobcats (7-3) to 1 of 13 shooting as they added to the eight-point halftime lead.
Washburn, who improved to 7-0 on the season, never trailed in the game as they jumped out to a 14-point lead after a fastbreak bucket by Jacob Hanna with 9:35 to play capping a 10-0 run. However, the Bobcats answered with a 10-run of their own cutting the Ichabod lead back to four at 34-30 with 4:47 to play in the opening half. Washburn closed the half doubling up the Bobcats down the stretch taking a 43-34 lead into the break.
The Ichabods scored the first 12 points of the second half, kickstarting the second-half onslaught. Washburn would go on to lead by as many as 35 at 80-45 with 5:59 to play, cruising to the 26-point win.
For the second time in the last three games, all five Ichabod starters reached double figures paced by Andrew Orr's 14 points moving him to 991 career points as an Ichabod. Brayden Shorter scored 12 with eight rebounds while Hanna had 11 points and nine boards. Michael Keegan finished with 11 points and seven boards and Jack Bachelor had 10 points and nine assists. Overall, nine different Ichabods scored.
Donzell Johnson scored 16 points to lead Peru State.
Washburn shot 49 percent for the game going 33 of 67 overall while holding the Bobcats to 35 percent shooting including 7 of 29 from the field in the second half. The Ichabods also held a 44 to 34 advantage on the glass and outscored the Bobcats to 25 to 5 in fast break points and 56 to 22 in the paint.
 
ICHABOD BASKETBALL HISTORY
• The Ichabods are 1,694-1,133-2 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 693-325 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 502-104 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2024-25 season marks the 40th season of play in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods are 39-1 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 will wrap up the week at Fort Hays State on Dec. 7. The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the MIAA preseason coaches poll behind the Ichabods.