• The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods will continue MIAA play on Saturday hosting Fort Hays State at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Washburn basketball t-shirt.
• Washburn improved to 9-0 (1-0 MIAA) after turning a two-point deficit into a 28-point win over Nebraska-Kearney last time out on Dec. 4.
• The Tigers, who received votes in the last NABC poll is 5-2 (0-1 MIAA) after falling at Central Missouri 64-50 last time out.
• Washburn leads the all-time series 101-72 and Saturday's meeting will be the 174th between the two schools.
• The series with the Tigers is the third-most played series in Ichabod history trailing Emporia State (223) and Pittsburg State (189).
• The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA and the Tigers have the No. 1 scoring defense in the MIAA allowing 58.4 ppg.
• The Ichabods are coming off one of the best seasons in program history with an NCAA Final Four appearance, an NCAA Central Regional Championship and an MIAA regular season title with a 30-4 overall record after going 17-2 in MIAA play.
• The Ichabods have recorded 31, 20-win seasons in program history and five under Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard in his eight seasons receiving four NCAA postseason berths coaching the 2024-25 squad to only the program's second 30-win season in school history.
• The 2025-26 season marks the 121st season of Ichabod basketball.
•  The Washburn Ichabods were picked atop the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media polls released Oct. 6 by the league office. In the MIAA Coaches Poll, Washburn received 13 of 14 first-place votes, tallying 169 points, finishing ahead of Rogers State which had one first-place vote and 141 total points. In the MIAA media poll, the Ichabods received 23 of 25 first-place votes from the media for 346 total points. Fort Hays State had one first-place vote and 297 points, and Rogers State had a first-place vote and 286 total points.
  • The Ichabods lead the nation in scoring margin in the NCAA D2 ranks at +36.7 ppg and third in field goal percentage at 54.2 percent - also leading the MIAA …Washburn is also fourth in assists per game (20.8), fourth in assist/turnover ration (1.934) and ninth in effective field goal percentage (.603) and fourth in rebound margin (+14.6) … Washburn is also third in scoring defense (58.9 ppg), third in fastbreak points (23.9 ppg), second in defensive field goal percentage (.349) and fourth in turnover margin (+8.3)
• Washburn has not been outrebounded in a game this season or outshot by an opponent.
• Jack Bachelor is seventh in the nation in 3-pointers made with 26 and Dillon Claussen is also eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at 72.6 leading the MIAA … Jeremiah Jones is third the nation in total steals with 26 and is ranked 16th in steals per game at 2.89 per contest.
• Jack Bachelor and Dillon Claussen have scored in double figures in all nine games this season.
  • The Ichabods improved to 23-13 all-time in MIAA openers winning Thursday over the Lopers.
• Washburn has won seven in a row over the Lopers after the win on Dec. 4.
• Tyson Ruud has scored a career-high 13 points in four of the last five games recording his first double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney… Marcus Glock scored a Washburn-high 15 points against the Lopers last time out.
• The Ichabods have won 20 home games in a row – the third-longest streak in the nation and the sixth-longest streak in Washburn program history.
  WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 176-79 in his ninth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 209-109 overall in his 11th year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to five NCAA postseason appearances in eight seasons at Washburn as well as the 2021 MIAA Tournament Championship and the 2025 MIAA Regular season title.
• 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 9-2 against Fort Hays State.
   
FORT HAYS STATE HEAD COACH MARK JOHNSON ...
• is the all-time coaching wins leader in FHSU history with a career record of 478-232 in his 25th season at FHSU.
• has led the Tigers to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in his time at FHSU.
• became the all-time wins leader in Fort Hays State history on January 11, 2014 in a victory at home over Lincoln University, recording his 258th win.
• has coached four All-Americans, 69 all-conference selections, a conference player of the year, two conference freshmen of the year, and four conference defensive players of the year in his time at FHSU.
• is 16-20 against the Ichabods.
  • The Tigers are 5-2 (0-1 MIAA) after falling in the MIAA opener at Central Missouri 64-50 on Dec. 4.
• Dan Mukuna leads the team in scoring at 19.6 ppg adding a team-high 7.7 rpg … Kyle Grill is scoring 13.0 ppg.
• The Tigers are receiving votes in the latest NABC Top 25 poll.
• The Tigers are averaging 70.7 ppg while allowing 58.4 ppg.
  • Washburn leads the all-time series 101-72 and Saturday's meeting will be the 174th between the two schools.
• The Ichabods have won 18 of the last 24 in the series.
• In Lee Arena, the Ichabods are 24-8 all-time against Fort Hays State going 11-13 in road games since joining the MIAA.
• Fort Hays State is 5-2 against WU in overtime games.
• The Ichabods are 3-0 against Fort Hays State in the MIAA Tournament including a 77-53 semifinal win in the 2018 event in Kansas City.
• The series with the Tigers is the third-most played series in Ichabod history trailing Emporia State (223) and Pittsburg State (189).
  (Jan. 30, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods set a school record for the most consecutive wins to start a season improving to 20-0 and 11-0 in the MIAA with a 74-65 win over Fort Hays State on Thursday in Lee Arena.
The Ichabods scored the first pair of points on a layup by Michael Keegan pushing Washburn to an early 2-0 lead, but the Tigers (13-6, 6-4 MIAA) took the lead back scoring 7 of the next 9 of the game and would go on to build a lead of as many as seven in the opening half at 11:26 to play at 17-10.
With the Ichabods down 20-15 with 7:47 to play in the half, Washburn ripped off a 21-4 run to close the half with Jack Bachelor scoring the final nine points of the frame for the Ichabods as Washburn took a 36-24 lead into the break. Washburn was 7 of 9 during the final 7:20 of the first half while the Ichabod defense held the Tigers to 1 of 8 shooting.
In the second half, the Ichabods were holding a 17-point lead at 53-36 with 11:50 to go, but the Tigers used a 10-0 run trimming the Washburn lead to seven with 10:04 left. The Tigers would go on to cut the lead to six with 5:55 to play and for the final time with 5:16 to play before Brayden Shorter hit a 3-pointer followed by a Dillon Claussen pushed Washburn's lead back to 10 at 64-54. The Tigers would not get any closer than eight the rest of the way as Washburn hit 8 of 9 free throws in the final 3:19 securing its 20th-straight win in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 in Lee Arena.
Bachelor led the Ichabods with 20 points adding five assists. Jacob Hanna scored 15 adding seven boards. Brady Christiansen recorded a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Orr finished with 10. Kyle Grill led the Tigers with 25 points.
Washburn shot 47 percent from the field hitting 22 of 47 overall and held the Tigers to 44 percent shooting at 24 of 55. The Ichabods hit 25 of 33 free throws and held a 36 to 24 advantage on the glass.
Washburn committed 14 turnovers leading to 22 points for the Tigers and the Washburn bench outscored the Tiger bench 18 to 6.
  (Dec. 4, 2025) TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 2 ranked Washburn Ichabods turned a tight first half into a dominant victory, defeating Nebraska-Kearney 92-64 in its MIAA opener at Lee Arena. The Ichabods improved to 9-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play after erasing a 41-39 halftime deficit with a commanding second half that saw them outscore the Lopers 53-23.
Nebraska-Kearney (4-4, 0-1 MIAA) controlled much of the first half, building its largest lead of seven points at the 14:59 mark. Washburn responded with a 9-0 run midway through the period, highlighted by Marcus Glock's 3-pointer and Bryson Smith's transition basket, to briefly take the lead. The Lopers regained momentum late in the half behind Clayton Moore and Kendrick Gilbert, who combined for 17 first-half points, and went into the break ahead by two.
The second half was all Washburn. The Ichabods opened with a 7-0 spurt to reclaim the lead and then delivered the knockout blow with an 11-0 run starting at 6:03, fueled by defensive stops and fast-break finishes. Washburn's relentless pace produced 26 fast-break points and 54 points in the paint for the game. The Ichabods also dominated the glass, grabbing 40 rebounds to UNK's 33, and converted nine offensive boards into 16 second-chance points.
Marcus Glock led Washburn with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including three triples, adding two assists and two steals. Bryson Smith matched him with 15 points and five rebounds, while Dillon Claussen contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Tyson Ruud recorded his first a double-double with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Jack Bachelor chipped in 12 points and five assists, and Amalachi Wilkins provided a spark off the bench with eight points on perfect shooting and four rebounds.
Washburn finished the night shooting 50 percent from the field, 31 percent from three-point range, and 76 percent at the line. The Ichabods forced 18 turnovers, turning them into 23 points, and held UNK to just 20 percent shooting in the second half after the Lopers hit 48.5 percent before halftime.
The win extended Washburn's homecourt winning streak to 19 dating back to last season.
  • The Ichabods are 1,717-1,137-2 all-time in the 121st year in the program's history.
• Washburn is the seventh-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
• Washburn is 718-328 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 31 20-win seasons and they have two 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season and after the 2024-25 season's 30-4 record.
• Washburn has won 22 conference championships including 11 MIAA titles.
• Washburn has received 16 NCAA Tournament bids going to four Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  • The Ichabods are 519-104 (.831) all-time in Lee Arena.
• The 2025-26 season marks the 41st season of play in Lee Arena.
• The Ichabods are 40-1 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 MIAA  play on Dec. 13 facing Central Missouri in Lee Arena before traveling to San Antonio, Texas for the annual Holiday Classic facing No. 5 ranked Lubbock Christian on Dec. 16 and wrapping up the 2025 calendar year with No. 15 ranked West Texas A&M the following day. Washburn then returns to MIAA play hosting Emporia State on Jan. 3 opening the 2026 calendar.