TIP-OFF• The Mules welcome Missouri S&T to the UCM Multipurpose Building on Tuesday night, Nov. 18 for the 2014-15 home opener. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
• The Mules are coming off a 2-0 start to the season last weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at the Sanford Pentagon Showcase, including a 67-66 win over No. 7 Minnesota State.
• The Mules enter the season as the top pick in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Mules were 30-5 a season ago, the third 30-win season in program history, the seventh 20-win season in the last 12 years and the 23rd in school history.
• Last season was the 11th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, the longest active streak in the MIAA and tied for the longest streak in conference history with Northwest Missouri, who accomplished the feat from 1997-2008.
• Central Missouri finished 16-3 in MIAA play and captured a share of the MIAA regular season championship for the third straight season. It was the sixth conference crown in the last 12 years and 24th in school history.
QUICK HITS• This is the 110th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,617 wins.
• The Mules are averaging 67 points per game through their first two games of the season and shooting 50 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 56.5 points per game and shooting 36 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.
• In the Mules' 30 wins last season they are averaged 81.5 points per game and shot 50.6 percent from the field. They limited opponents to 40 percent shooting and 66.2 points per game.
• In the Mules' five losses they averaged 75.2 points per game and shot 42 percent from the field.
• The Mules lost nearly 54 percent of their scoring and 49 percent of the rebounding from last year's national championship team.
MORE QUICK HITS• UCM returns one all-MIAA performer from a season ago.
Dillon Deck was a First Team All-MIAA pick last season after averaging 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was a second team All-District selection by the NABC and was named to the Cenral Region and Elite Eight All-Tournament Teams.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 147th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Missouri S&T.
• The Mules hold a 113-33 lead in the series.
• The teams have not met since the 2004-05 season when both were members of the MIAA. The Mules won 78-55 in Warrensburg on Jan. 19, 2005 and 70-46 in Rolla on Feb. 9, 2005.
SCOUTING THE MINERS• Missouri S&T enters the game at 1-0 after a 102-70 season-opening win over Missouri Baptist last Saturday.
• The Miners had four players score in double figures in that game, led by Michael Nesbitt's 16 points.
• B.J. McLaughlin scored 14 points in his debut for Missouri S&T. Desmond Buerge had 13 points and Zach Ellis had 12.
• The Miners shot 52 percent in the second half of that game and outscored Missouri Baptist 58-33 in the second half.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 67, SIOUX FALLS 47 • 11/15/14SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Mules used a 14-4 run to close the first half to pull away from Sioux Falls in a 67-47 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon. The Mules complete their season-opening trip at 2-0 with a pair of wins over Northern Sun Conference opponents.
   The Cougars (0-1) jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first six minutes of the game, but the Mules (2-0) used an 11-0 run to regain the lead.
Rakeem Dickerson started the run with a layup and
Tony Cochran ended it with a three-pointer at the 10:10 mark of the first half. UCM pushed the lead to six at 19-13 on another Dickerson layup.
   The lead was four with 5:50 to play in the first half, but the Mules closed the frame on a 13-4 run, higlighted by back-to-back layups from
TJ White to close out the half as the Mules led 33-19 at the intermission.
   Central Missouri extended the lead to 18 in the first 3:12 of the second half, A three-pointer by
Kyle Wolf and a
Brad Woodson layup gave the Mules a 43-25 lead at the 16:48 mark. An 8-0 by the Mules pushed the lead to 24 at 51-27 and following a Mack Johnson dunk
Donte Adams hit a three and and the Mules had their largest lead of the game at 54-29 with 11:02 to play.
   The Cougars were able to crawl back to within 16 at the 2:55 mark, but UCM scored five of the final six points of the game en route to the 20-point victory.
   Wolf led UCM with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Brennen Hughes had nine points and four rebounds. Five different players scored six points each and Dickerson added five assists as well.
   The Mules shot 48 percent from the floor, 26-of-54, and 45 percent from three-point range, 9-of-20. UCM was 6-of-11 at the foul line for 54 percent.
   Charles Ward led Sioux Falls with 13 points, but was just 4-of-15 from the field. Cutler Finneman added 10 points off the bench to go along with a game-high six boards.
   The Cougars were 13-of-49 from the floor for 26 percent. They made 4-of-14 from beyond the arc for 28 percent and 17-of-20 at the charity stripe for 85 percent.
   SF out-rebounded UCM 35-31 and had 19 second chance point to eight for the Mules. UCM held a 32-16 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Cougars 26-16 from the bench.
THE MULES AT HOME• Central Missouri is 154-21 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 12 years.
• The Mules were 13-0 at home each of the last two seasons and have won 27 straight games at the Multi dating back to the 2011-12 season.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 137-11 at home, including 53-1 against non-conference opponents and 84-10 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 465-88 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.
THE MULES IN HOME OPENERS• Central Missouri has won 12 straight home openers.
• UCM beat Tabor 87-51 in last year's home opener.
• The Mules are 36-2 in home openers at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules a 3-0 record for the third time in the last four years.
• Give the Mules 28 straight wins at the Multi.
• Give the Mules a 3-0 start under
Doug Karleskint, the third straight head coach to begin his UCM career 3-0.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Give the Mules an 2-1 record for the second time in three seasons.
• Snap UCM's 27-game home court winning streak.
• Give the Mules just their second home loss to a non-conference opponent in the last 55 games.
• Give the Mules their first loss in a home opener since 1982.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION• The Mules are 2-0 in non-conference games this season and 117-29 over the last 13 seasons after starting the season with a pair of non-con wins over Minnesota State and Sioux Falls.
• The Mules went 14-2 in non-MIAA games last year.
• Central Missouri is 53-1 in the last 54 non-conference games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES• UCM is 52-20 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after opening the season with a pair of wins at the Sanford Pentagon Showcase in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.
BLOCK PARTY• Senior
Dillon Deck now has 34 blocked shots in his UCM career and is one block shy of cracking UCM's career Top 10 list.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
NEW ADDITIONS• Central Missouri welcomes seven newcomers to the roster in 2014-15 along with redshirt freshman
Brad Woodson (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney HS). Newcomers include
Donte Adams (Bronx, N.Y./Cecil CC),
Tony Cochran (St. Louis, Mo/Harding),
Rakeem Dickerson (Little Rock, Ark./Arkansas State),
Taylor Johnson (Flower Mound, Texas/Central Arkansas),
Michael Luscombe (Boonville, Mo./Moberly CC),
Jared Pearson (Osceola, Mo./Wentworth Military Academy), and
Rico Richardson (Topeka, Kan./Howard College).
KARLESKINT ERA BEGINS•
Doug Karleskint is 2-0 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 92-34 (.730) overall in his fifth season as a head coach.
• He spent the previous five seasons at Arkansas Tech, including the last four as head coach. He compiled a 90-34 (.726) record with the Wonder Boys with four conference championships and four trips to the NCAA-II National Tournament, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2012.
MULES IN THE POLLS• Despite returning two starters and eight letterwinners from last season's national championship team, the Mules are not ranked in any of the Division II preseason polls.
• The Mules have been ranked in 139 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY• In the 110th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,617-924 (.636) record in 2,541 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just three NCAA-II programs with 1,600 all-time wins.
• The Mules have won 20 or more games 23 times in the history of the program.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times, including last year.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.
THE NEXT LEVEL• In the past 12 years, 21 former UCM players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster;
Charles Hammork (Kosovo, Ylli Therande), Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Germany, Brose Basket).
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS• Central Missouri has won a combined 200 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured seven MIAA regular season titles, the most of any school in league history and the second time Central Missouri accomplished the feat.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 146 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won six national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003 and men's basketball in 2014) and eight national championships overall.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM• Central Missouri had 220 student-athletes named to the 2013-14 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 41 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Scholar Athletes with at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned all-MIAA honors in their respective sport.
• 17 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had 12 student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with seven of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on the 44,000-watt 98.5 "The Bar, 1450 KOKO and online at warrensburgradio.com. All games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 "The Bar" Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations,
Mike Knipper.
• The
Doug Karleskint Show, Live from Traditions Restaurant presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. will air on Monday nights at 6 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as warrensburgradio.com. The first show of the season will air on Monday, Dec. 1.
• The Central Missouri Sportspage is your weekly 30-minute look at UCM athletics each Thursday night at 7 p.m. on KMOS-TV and re-airs on Saturdays at 5 p.m.
LIVE VIDEO STREAMING• Live video coverage for all Central Missouri home and away MIAA games will be available through Stretch Internet on a pay-per-view basis. The cost is $9.95 for a day pass or $89.95 for an all-season pass for UCM basketball. With a day pass, fans can access any MIAA game being broadcast that day. Fans can access webcasts through the GameCentral by Stretch Internet link on the UCM Athletics homepage or through the "Video" links on the Mules Basketball schedule page. Fans can also go directly to
portal.stretchinternet.com/ucmo/
UPCOMING• The Mules host Westminster College on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. at the Multipurpose Building.
• UCM will play Quincy next Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
