• The No. 3 nationally ranked and 2026 MIAA Regular Season Champion Washburn Ichabods will continue their run in the MIAA Tournament in the semifinals on Saturday at 6 p.m. when they will face Missouri Western in Municipal Auditorium.
• The Ichabods (29-1, 18-1 MIAA) clinched their 12th outright MIAA title and their second in a row earlier this season.
• The Ichabods are in the MIAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season.
• The Ichabods are 22-4 as the MIAA's No. 1 seed at the tournament and they are making their 19th consecutive tournament appearance - the longest active streak in the MIAA.
• The Ichabods are coming off a 91-52 win over Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals on March 7.
• Missouri Western needed a bucket with 0.6 to play by William Kiburis to top Arkansas-Fort Smith 73-72 on Friday night to earn a berth in the semifinals.
• The Ichabods swept the regular season series with the Griffons - both by 12 points - winning 87-75 on Jan. 7 in St. Joseph and 90-78 on Jan. 23 in Topeka.
• The Ichabods are looking for their first MIAA Tournament Championship since 2021 and their first one in Kansas City since March 4, 2012 when Washburn topped Pittsburg State 67-63 in the championship game.
• The Ichabods are looking to secure their third 30-win season and the second consecutive after last season's 30-4 record.
• Washburn recorded its 29th consecutive home win breaking the previous 28-game streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995.
• The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA putting up 87.0 ppg ahead  of Missouri Southern's 83.9 ppg.
• Defensively, the Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring defense allowing 61.8 ppg ahead of Fort Hays State's 63.1 ppg.
• The Griffons are allowing 77.4 ppg which is ninth in the MIAA rankings and their 82.4 ppg is fourth.
• 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 32, 20-win seasons in program history and six under Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard in his nine 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 recorded their 32nd, 20-win season in program history and their sixth under head coach Brett Ballard in his ninth season on the Ichabod bench with the win over Missouri Western earlier this season … with one more win the Ichabods will record their second-consecutive 30-win season.
• The Ichabods are first in the nation in scoring margin in the NCAA D2 ranks at +24.7 ppg and are ranked fifth in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent - leading the MIAA … Washburn is seventh in assists per game (18.7), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.52), seventh in effective field goal percentage (.578) and second in rebound margin (+10.6) … Washburn is fourth in scoring defense (62.1 ppg), 11th in fastbreak points (17.9 ppg), eighth in defensive field goal percentage (.396), seventh in turnover margin (+5.7) and ninth in turnovers forced per game (+18.0).
• Dillon Claussen is 12th in the nation in field goal percentage at 61.5 … Jeremiah Jones is first the nation in total steals with 87 and is ranked third in steals per game at 3.00 per contest.
• Jack Bachelor is 58th in the nation in total assists with 127 and 17th in assist to turnover ratio at 2.76 to 1 … Bachelor is third on the active NCAA D2 chart in assist to turnover ratio and ranked ninth out of all NCAA levels at 2.74.
• Brady Christiansen is ninth on the NCAA active D2 chart with 745 career rebounds … he also moved into the top 50 all-time at Washburn in scoring with 868 career points.
• Jeremiah Jones is ranked fourth in career steals on the active NCAA D2 chart and No. 32 out of all NCAA levels.
• Sam Ungashick has scored 969 collegiate points with 610 coming at Washburn with 359 being scored in his lone season at Benedictine as a freshman before joining the Ichabods.
• Washburn's 29-game homecourt winning streak is second in the nation behind Nova Southeastern's 100-game winning streak.
• The Ichabods' 29-game homecourt winning streak is the longest in program history.
  • Washburn improved to 22-4 in the MIAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
• The last two games against UCO, the Ichabods have won by 24, earlier this season in Edmond and 39 points tonight – the two largest margin of victory in the series 45 games.
• Washburn is now 45-27 all-time in the MIAA Tournament.
• The Ichabods improved to 23-8 in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals.
• Washburn is now 20-17 all-time in MIAA Tournament games in Kansas City.
• The Ichabods evened their record with UCO in the MIAA Tournament at 2-2 all-time.
• Jack Bachelor tied a career-high with nine made field goals and set a career-high with 17 field goal attempts (11 from 3).
• Dillon Claussen tied a career high with 11 free throw attempts.
• The Ichabods have never faced Arkansas-Fort Smith in the MIAA Tournament and they have faced Missouri Western 10 times going 4-6 overall. The most-played opponent in the MIAA Tournament for the Ichabods with Northwest Missouri at 12. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD ...
• is 196-80 in his ninth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 229-110 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 16-6 against Missouri Western.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN HEAD COACH BRUCE MCKOWEN ...
• is 21-10 in his first season on the Griffon bench.
• he is 230-158 overall
• spent 10 seasons at Upper Iowa as the head coach and is a a 2007 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa.
• was a four-year letter winner at point guard, ranking second all-time in assists and fourth all time in minutes played. 
• is 0-2 against Washburn.
  • The Griffons are 21-10 finishing fourth in the MIAA standings with a 12-7 record.
• The Griffons have won their last four in a row advancing to the semifinals with the 73-72 win over the No. 5-seeded Arkansas Fort Smith Lions.
• Noah King leads the team in scoring at 16.0 ppg ranking ninth on the MIAA scoring chart … Ty Henry is scoring 14.0 ppg while Marko Pavlovic is scoring 12.3 ppg and William Kiburis is scoring 11.0 ppg … Pavlovic leads the team with 7.3 rpg.
• King, Hershberger and Kiburis all played for McKowen at Upper Iowa last season.
• Topeka native Ty Henry played his prep ball at Seaman transferring to Missouri Western from Baker.
• As a team the Griffons are averaging 82.4 ppg while allowing 77.4 ppg.
  • Saturday's meeting will be the 111th between the two schools with Washburn leading the series 66-44.
• Washburn has won the last six in the series and 11 of the last 14.
• The Ichabods are 58-36 against MWSU in MIAA games and 37-15 in games played in Topeka overall.
• The Ichabods are 26-26 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.
• In last year's 85-52 win over the Griffons in St. Joseph, the victory marked the largest margin of victory by the Ichabods in the series history.
  MWSU leads 7-4
3-6-92 _____ Topeka, Kan. ___________CH ____ W, 77-62
3-3-94 _____ Topeka, Kan. ____________SF ___ W, 105-99
3-3-95 _____ St. Joseph, Mo. _________CH _____ L, 58-66
2-26-98 ____ St. Joseph, Mo. __________SF _____ L, 56-66
2-28-02 ____ St. Joseph, Mo. __________SF _____ L, 60-75
3-9-03 _____ Kansas City, Mo. ________CH _____ L, 65-75
3-6-10 _____ Kansas City, Mo. _________SF ____ W, 56-43
3-1-16 _____ Topeka, Kan. ____________FR _____ L, 54-70
3-6-20 _____ Kansas City, Mo. ________ QF _____ L, 70-72
3-5-21 _____ Maryville, Mo. ___________SF ____ W, 101-72
3-6-22 _____ Kansas City, Mo. _________FR _____ L, 63-69
  (Jan. 23, 2026) TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 1-ranked Washburn Ichabods stayed unbeaten and in control Friday night, rolling past Missouri Western 90–78 at Lee Arena behind efficient shooting, balanced scoring and several timely runs that kept the Griffons at arm's length. The Ichabods will be back in action on Thursday at Fort Hays State, beginning a three-game road trip.
The Ichabods (20-0, 10-0 MIAA) weathered an early back-and-forth stretch that featured six ties and one lead change in the opening minutes before exploding offensively. After Missouri Western briefly led 3–0, Washburn responded with a surge fueled by transition baskets and inside touches, eventually stretching the margin to as many as 22 points late in the first half turning an Ichabod 42-30 lead with 5:34 to go in the frame, to a 22-point lead with 2:44 to play in the half on a 12-2 run going up 54-32.
However, Missouri Western closed the half on a 10-2 run, trimming the Washburn advantage back to 14 at 56-42. The Ichabods shot a scorching 81.5 percent from the field and 75 percent from deep in the opening period, building the lead.
Missouri Western (13-8, 5-5 MIAA) made multiple pushes in the second half, trimming the deficit into single digits midway through the period, but every run was answered. A sequence of interior buckets and fast-break finishes helped Washburn stabilize the lead, and a late push pushed the margin back into double figures down the stretch. The Ichabods finished with 25 fast-break points and 48 points in the paint, consistently beating the Griffons down the floor and attacking the rim.
Washburn placed eight players in the scoring column with several delivering standout performances. Dillon Claussen led the way with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting while adding six rebounds and four assists. Sam Ungashick provided a major spark off the bench, knocking down shots in transition and finishing with 17 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the field. Tyson Ruud chipped in 15 points and five rebounds, while Bryson Smith contributed eight points and a game-high six assists. Marcus Glock added seven points and Jeremiah Jones finished with nine points, five rebounds and three steals.
As a team, Washburn shot 63.2 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three, turning 20 Missouri Western turnovers into 20 points. The Ichabods also dominated bench production, outscoring the Griffons' reserves 39 to 9.
Missouri Western was led by Ty Henry and William Kiburis with 19 points apiece, while Noah King added 13.
Notes:
• With the win, Washburn cemented its 32nd, 20-win season in program history and the sixth under head coach Brett Ballard in his ninth season on the Ichabod bench.
• The now 25-game homecourt winning streak is tied for second for the longest in program history, trailing only the 28-game streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995.
• Bryson Smith tied a Washburn-high with six assists.
• The Ichabods have now won six in a row against the Griffons overall moving to 8-2 in the last 10 games and have won the last five matchups in Topeka.
  (March 5, 2026) KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 3-nationally-ranked and the top-seeded Washburn Ichabods opened up the MIAA Tournament Thursday night in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium, rolling past the Central Oklahoma Bronchos 91–52 in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament turning a 10-point halftime lead into a 39-point win.
Washburn set the tone early as Jack Bachelor opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and the Ichabods quickly pushed the lead to 16-6 five minutes into the game. Midway through the first half, Washburn used an 8-2 burst to stretch the margin to double digits.
Central Oklahoma briefly cut the deficit to 27-21 with 3:02 left in the half, but the Ichabods responded immediately. Washburn closed the half with a 9-5 run, including six straight points from Bachelor in the final 1:16 of the frame taking a 36-26 lead into halftime.
Washburn improved to 29-1 on the season and controlled the game from the opening possession, never trailing and leading for 39:38 of the 40 minutes. The Ichabods built a 10-point halftime advantage before erupting offensively in the second half to turn the game into a rout.
The second half belonged entirely to Washburn. The Ichabods opened the half on a 17-1 run in the first 4:32 of the half including a 15-0 run to start the half. Washburn over the first 8:18 of the second half, a 29-8 run pushed the Ichabod lead to 65-34 to play as Washburn was 10 of 12 from the field and 6 of 8 from deep.
Washburn caught fire from beyond the arc in the half, going 10-for-15 from 3-point range, while shooting a blistering 70 percent overall (21-of-30). The Ichabods shot 58.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range, while holding Central Oklahoma to 31.3 percent shooting and just 10 percent from deep (2-for-20). Washburn also forced 16 Broncho turnovers, converting them into 28 points, and dominated the paint with 44 points inside.
Washburn's largest lead reached 42 points with 4:26 remaining as the Ichabods cruised into the tournament semifinals.
Bachelor led the Ichabods with 24 points, hitting 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-11 from three-point range, while also adding seven assists and three rebounds with no turnovers. Dillon Claussen delivered a perfect shooting night, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range adding five free throws.
Brady Christiansen contributed 11 points and five rebounds, while Bryson Smith filled the stat sheet with five points, five assists and three steals. Tyson Ruud led the Ichabods with six boards off the bench. Jeremiah Jones added five points, four steals and two assists, helping fuel Washburn's defensive pressure throughout the night.
Central Oklahoma was led by Trey Tuck with 13 points.
Washburn finished with 19 assists on 34 made field goals, 12 steals, and 20 fast-break points while outrebounding the Bronchos 34-33.
  • The Ichabods are 45-27 all-time in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
• The 45 wins are the second-most in MIAA Tournament history behind Northwest Missouri's 57 wins.
• Washburn's six tournament titles are tied for second behind Northwest Missouri's 12 and tied with Central Missouri.
• Washburn's MIAA Tournament titles have come in 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2012 and 2021 … the 2012 title was the only one coming in Kansas City.
• The Ichabods now have the longest active streak of consecutive tourney appearances with 19 … the next closest are UCO, MWSU and RSU with seven each … UCM owns the men's all-time record for most consecutive appearances with 38.
• The Ichabods are 2-3 in first round games (since expanding to 12 teams) … 23-8 in the quarterfinals, 14-8 in the semifinals and 6-8 in championship games.
• In games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 20-17.
• In quarterfinal games played in Kansas City, the Ichabods are 12-6. In semifinal games played in Municipal the Ichabods are 6-4 and in championship games in Kansas City the Ichabods are 1-6.
• As the No. 1 seed, the Ichabods are 22-4, at No. 2 they are 9-4, at No. 3 they are 2-1, at No. 4 they are 5-3, as the No. 5 seed they are 0-1, at No. 6 the Ichabods are 4-5, at No. 7 they are 0-1 and as the No. 8 seed they are 3-3.
• Overall, here's how the Ichabods have fared against MIAA opponents in the conference tournament by round and in Kansas City.
• First Round games were added for the MIAA Tournament starting in 2013 as the league expanded to 15 teams. The top four teams in the final standings received an automatic bye to Kansas City for the quarterfinals.
Team        1st Rnd  Qrts.           Semis       Finals       In KC        Total
UCM        —               4-0            1-1             —              3-1            5-1
ESU          —               5-1             —               —              4-1            5-1
FHSU       1-0            —               2-0            —              2-0            3-0
MSSU      —               1-0             2-1            0-1            1-1             3-2
MWSU    0-2            0-1             3-2            1-2            1-2            4-7
NSU         0-1            —               —               —               —               0-1
NU            —              —              —              —              —              0-0
NWMSU   —            2-2            0-2            3-3            0-5            4-8
PSU          —               1-0             3-0            2-0            3-0            6-0
RSU          —              2-0            —              —              1-0            2-0           
UCO         —               1-2             1-0             —              2-2            2-2
UNK         —              1-1             —              —              1-1             1-1
--- vs former members
LU             —              —              —              —              —              0-0
MS&T      —               1-1             —               —              1-0            1-1
UMSL       —               1-0             —               —               —               1-0
SEMO      —               —               —               —               —               —
SBU          1-0            2-0            1-1             1-0             —               5-1
TSU           —               2-0            1-0             —             —               3-0
UNO        —               —               —               0-1            0-1            0-1
Totals       2-3            23-7         14-8          6-8            20-16       45-27
  • The Ichabods are 1,737-1,138-2 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 737-329 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 32 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 23 conference championships including 12 MIAA titles.
• Washburn has received 17 NCAA Tournament bids going to four Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  • The Ichabods are 528-104 (.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 have a current 29-game homecourt winning streak from the start of the 2024-25 season to their last win over Missouri Southern breaking the previous school-record 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • With a win over Missouri Western in the semifinals, the Ichabods will advance to their first MIAA Championship game since the 2021 season in Maryville and their first in Kansas City since 2022 - both games against Northwest Missouri.