• The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods are back home in Lee Arena for the first time in 39 days as they will host Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
• The Ichabods improved to 13-0 and 4-0 in the MIAA after picking up a 105-77 win over Emporia State on Jan. 4 in Emporia in the most points scored in the 222-game series.
• The Griffons are 10-4 this season and 2-2 in the MIAA after topping Fort Hays State 47-44 on Jan. 4 in St. Joseph. They received one vote in this week's NABC Coaches Poll and eight in the D2CSC poll.
• The Ichabods and Griffons will play again on Jan. 25 in St. Joseph 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 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.
• Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard picked up his 150th win at Washburn in the victory over Emporia State last time out. He is 150-75 in his eighth season as the Ichabods' head coach.
• The Ichabods are off to their best start to begin the season at 13-0 since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular season championship.
• The Ichabods are one of four undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks joining Minot State (17-0), Nova Southeastern (13-0) and Daemen (12-0).
• 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 last time out … he now has 1,067 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 875 career points in 109 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 122 sitting eighth.
• The Ichabods are seventh in the nation in rebound margin at +10.5 and ninth in scoring defense at 62.9 ppg and fourth in scoring margin at +21.4 … in four MIAA games, the Ichabods are +23.7 in scoring margin.
• Jacob Hanna is 30th in the nation in free throws made with 70 and 24th in attempts with 94.
• Andrew Orr is 18th in the nation in field goal percentage at 64.0.
• Michael Keegan is 26th in the nation and leading the MIAA in steals with 29 and he is ranked 22nd in steals per game at 2.42 per game.
• Brayden Shorter is fourth in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 3.77 and he's ranked seventh in total 3-pointers made at 49.
• Jacob Hanna is closing in on 1,000 points in his collegiate career between Washburn and Illinois-Springfield - between both schools he has scored 928 career points.
• Against Emporia State, the Ichabods recorded 26 assists - their highest assist total since recording 26 against Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 24, 2018.
• The Ichabods have 1,689 all-time program wins in. The Ichabods would be the seventh NCAA D2 program to reach the 1,700 win mark. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 150-75 in his eighth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 183-108 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 12-6 against Missouri Western.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH WILL MARTIN ...
•  is 69-61 in his fifth season as the Griffons head coach after serving two seasons as an assistant coach.
• Martin, a Franklin, Tennessee native, also had three stops at NCAA Division I institutions before his arrival to St. Joseph.
• Most recently, Martin served assistant men's basketball coach and the director of athletic admissions at Martin Methodist College (NAIA).
• As a graduate student, Martin served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for men's basketball at the University of Tulsa from 2013-2015.
• As an undergraduate, Martin served as a men's basketball manager at the University of Kentucky under head coach John Calipari. During Martin's tenure with the Wildcats, the team reached the Elite 8 on three occasions, the Final Four on two occasions and Martin served as the head manager of the 2012 National Championship team.
• He 4-7 against the Ichabods.
   • The Griffons are 10-4 this season and 2-2 in the MIAA after topping Fort Hays State 47-44 on Jan. 4 in St. Joseph.
• Zane Nelson leads three Griffons in scoring averaging 15.9 ppg adding 62 assists … Zion Swader is averaging 11.1 ppg and 4.8 rpg and Julius Dixon is scoring 10.5 ppg hitting a team-high 24 3-pointers adding 6.0 rebounds per game.
• The Griffons are 19th in the nation in scoring defense allowing 65.3 ppg while scoring 70.5 ppg.
   • Wednesday's meeting will be the 107th between the two schools with Washburn leading the series 62-44.
• Washburn has won the last two in the series and seven of the last 10.
• The Ichabods are 54-36 against MWSU in MIAA games and 35-15 in games played in Topeka overall.
• The Ichabods are 24-26 in games played in St. Joseph against the Griffons.
• In the MIAA Tournament the Ichabods are 4-8 against the Griffons.
• The Ichabods lead 6-5 in overtime games including the 95-94 win on Jan. 9, 2019.
  (Jan. 4, 2025) EMPORIA, Kan. –Washburn's men's basketball team rolled in the 2025 calendar in style as the No. 2-ranked Ichabods led for 39:33 and by as many as 33 points cruising to a 105-77 win over Emporia State on Saturday in White Auditorium. Washburn improves to 13-0 and 4-0 in MIAA play and will return to Lee Arena for the first time since Nov. 30 as they will host Missouri Western on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Washburn jumped out to a 13-3 lead 3:49 into the game behind Jack Bachelor's 11 points, including three-straight 3-pointers. The Hornets (4-8, 1-3 MIAA) trimmed the lead back to five at 17-12, but the Ichabods used another 13 to 3 run doubling up Emporia State with 9:13 to play in the half. ESU cut the lead to 11 but that margin was the closest the Hornets would get the rest of the game as the Ichabods finished the frame 9 of 11 from the field the final 7:01 of the half taking a 56-39 lead into the break.
Washburn shot 61 percent in the opening half paced by 17 points from Bachelor and Jacob Hanna had 10 points and eight assists as the Ichabods reached at least 50 points in a half since scoring 52 against William Jewell on Nov. 23, 2024 in Lee Arena.
A 12-1 run over a three-minute stretch followed by a 16-7 Ichabod run stretched the Ichabod lead to a game-high 33 with 9:28 to play as Washburn snapped a four-game slide to the Hornets.
Bachelor finished with a game-high 19 points adding eight assists leading six Ichabods in double figures. The birthday boy Andrew Orr had 16 points as did Hanna who also had eight assists and six rebounds. Dillon Claussen had a career-high 15 points on 7 of 7 shooting. Brayden Shorter hit three 3-pointers en route to 11 points with six boards and Brady Christiansen had 11 points as well. Michael Keegan had a game with three blocks.
Malik Edwards scored 13 points leading the Hornets.
After shooting 61 percent in the first half, the Ichabods improved to 67 percent in the second half hitting 20 of 30 shots overall closing the game at a season-high 63 percent on 43 of 68 shooting.
Washburn outrebounded the Hornets 34 to 25 in the game and tallied 26 assists on 43 baskets in the game. Washburn also outscored the Hornets 58 to 22 in the paint and forced 22 turnovers leading to 27 points for the Ichabods.
The 105 points scored by the Ichabods was the second-time Washburn reached the century mark in the 222 previous meetings topping the old record of 103 set against ESU on Jan. 7, 2004 in Topeka. The Ichabods just missed setting the largest margin of victory in the series as the Hornets hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left avoiding the record mark of 31 in a 73-42 Ichabod win on Jan. 16, 2010.
  • The Ichabods are 1,689-1,133-2 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 697-325 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 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.
  • The Ichabods will continue their homestand on Saturday against Northwest Missouri followed by another game with the Hornets on Jan. 15 and wrapping up the before finishing off the four-game set in Lee Arena with Newman on Jan. 18.