• The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods are back in action on Saturday afternoon hosting Northwest Missouri at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods improved to 14-0 and 5-0 in the MIAA after rolling over Missouri Western 92-74 on Jan. 8 in Lee Arena.
• The Bearcats are 4-10 this season and 2-3 in the MIAA after a 63-62 win at Central Missouri on Thursday night in Warrensburg hitting a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds to play snapping a three-game losing streak.
• The Ichabods and Bearcats will play again on Jan. 22 in Maryville later this month.
• The Ichabods were ranked No. 2 in the latest NABC top 25 coaches poll and third in the latest D2CSC poll released on Dec. 31.
• The No. 1 team, Nova Southeastern, lost its first game of the season on Jan. 8 to Palm Beach Atlantic 89-66 on the road.
• The ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 ranking on Dec. 18, 2012.
• The top-10 rankings places the Ichabods in the top five for six straight weeks for the first time in program history.
• The Ichabods are off to their best start to begin the season at 14-0 since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular season championship.
• The Ichabods are now one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks joining No. 4 Minot State (17-0), and No. 3 Daemen (12-0). Minot State is also in the Central Regional as a member of the NSIC.
• 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.
  • Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club with a free throw at Fort Hays State earlier this season … he now has 1,079 career points moving into 20th all time passing Travis Robbins who scored 1,051 points in two seasons … next on the scoring chart Alex North who scored 1,082 points from 2010-15.
• Michael Keegan has 885 career points in 110 career games as an Ichabod and he has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 91 … he also moved into the top 10 on the all-time steal chart with 126 sitting seventh.
• The Ichabods are seventh in the nation in rebound margin at +10.1 and 11th in scoring defense at 63.7 ppg and fifth in scoring margin at +21.1 … in five MIAA games, the Ichabods are +22.6 in scoring margin leading the MIAA … the next closest team is Central Oklahoma at +6.3 ppg.
• Jacob Hanna is 24th in the nation in free throws made with 78 and 14th in attempts with 104.
• Andrew Orr is 15th in the nation in field goal percentage at 64.2.
• Michael Keegan is 23rd in the nation and leading the MIAA in steals with 33 and he is ranked 28th in steals per game at 2.36 per game.
• Brayden Shorter is sixth in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 3.71 and he's ranked sixth in total 3-pointers made at 52.
• Jacob Hanna is closing in on 1,000 points in his collegiate career between Washburn and Illinois-Springfield - between both schools he has scored 949 career points.
• The Ichabods have 1,690 all-time program wins in. The Ichabods would be the seventh NCAA D2 program to reach the 1,700 win mark.
• The Bearcats are coached by former Ichabod assistant coach Matt Keeley, who was an assistant for Bob Chipman the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons … his father Mike is in the Washburn athletic hall of fame and his sister Cindy was a member of the 2005 Lady Blues Basketball National Championship team. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 151-75 in his eighth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 184-108 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.
• is 3-18 against Northwest Missouri.
 
NORTHWEST MISSOURI HEAD COACH MATT KEELEY ...
• was named the 21st head men's basketball coach in Northwest history.
• is 4-10 in his first season in Maryville and 117-99 overall in eight seasons.
• served as the head coach at Ottawa University Arizona for seven seasons going 113-89.
• As a student-athlete at MNU, he was the starting point guard for Lamar from 2000-04 as the Pioneers qualified for the national tournament in each of his four years, making two runs to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship and another to national runner-up in 2001. He earned All-American honors his junior and senior years, leading the NAIA in assists
as a senior. He was named the HAAC Player of the Year in 2004, a Champion of Character Award winner, and was an Academic All-American. He was elected to the MNU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
• spent two seasons as an assistant for Bob Chipman for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons … his father Mike is in the Washburn athletic hall of fame and his sister Cindy was a member of the 2005 Lady Blues Basketball National Championship team.
• he is 0-0 against the Ichabods.
   • The Bearcats are 4-10 this season and 2-3 in the MIAA after a 63-62 win at Central Missouri on Thursday night in Warrensburg hitting a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds to play snapping a three-game losing streak.
• Emorie Knox leads the team in scoring with 14.5 ppg and Spencer Schomers is scoring 10.1 ppg. Luke Moustakas is scoring 9.0 ppg with a team-high 24 3-pointers including the game-winner at Central Missouri on Thursday.
• The Bearcats are averaging 63.1 ppg while allowing 67.9 ppg.
 
 SERIES HISTORY WITH NORTHWEST MISSOURI• Saturday's meeting will be the 122nd between the two schools and Washburn holds a 63-58 lead in the series … the Bearcats have won the last seven in the series.
• The Ichabods will be looking to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Bearcats in Lee Arena … Washburn's last win over Northwest in the friendly confines was on Feb. 9, 2013 in an 80-67 win.
• 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 21-17 against the Bearcats in Lee Arena.
• Washburn is 26-26 in Maryville.
• In the MIAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 4-9 against Northwest after falling in the 2018, 2019 and 2022 MIAA Championship games before winning the 2021 Tournament in Maryville.
• In the NCAA Tournament, the Ichabods are 2-3 against the Bearcats.
• The Ichabods won a NCAA Central Regional final contest against the Bearcats in Topeka on March 10, 2001 advancing to the Elite Eight in Bakersfield, California after a 67-61 win.
  (Jan. 8, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 2 Washburn Ichabods scored 19 of the first 21 points of the game over the first seven minutes of the game picking up a 92-74 win over Missouri Western on Wednesday in Lee Arena in their first home game in 39 days.
In the opening salvos of the game, Washburn started out 6 of 8 from the field hitting all six free throw attempts while holding the Griffons to 1 of 5 shooting forcing four turnovers jumping out the big lead. With Washburn holding a 39-24 lead with 3:22 left in the opening half, Western closed the half on a 10-4 run to cut the Ichabod lead to nine at 43-34 heading into halftime.
Missouri Western (10-5, 2-3 MIAA) trimmed the Ichabod lead to 45-39 with 18:06 left in the game before a 13-5 spurt by the Ichabods pushed the lead back to 14 and the Griffons would not get any closer than 12 the rest of the way as the Ichabods improved to 14-0 and 5-0 in the MIAA.
Jacob Hanna led six Ichabods in double figures with a game-high 21 points adding seven rebounds. Jack Bachelor scored all 15 of his points in the second half on 5 of 8 shooting adding five assists. Andrew Orr scored 12 points and Brayden Shorter and Brady Christiansen each had 11. Michael Keegan scored 10 with seven boards and two steals.
Zane Nelson led the Griffons with 16 points.
Washburn shot 55 percent for the game (31 of 56) after hitting 59 percent (16 of 27) of their shots in the second half. Washburn was also 24 of 28 from the free throw line.
The Ichabods had a 33 of 28 advantage on the glass including 10 offensive rebounds (with five by Keegan) scoring 13 second-chance points. Overall 48 of Washburn's 92 points came in the paint.
  • The Ichabods are 1,690-1,133-2 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 698-325 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.
  • The Ichabods are 503-104 (.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.
  • The Ichabods will continue with a rematch of the Jan. 4 game at Emporia State hosting the Hornets on Jan. 15 in Lee Arena before finishing off the four-game set in Lee Arena with Newman on Jan. 18.