STORY LINES
• The 20th-ranked Central Missouri Mules make their second appearance in the NCAA-II National Championship Game when they take on 7th-ranked West Liberty on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
• Central Missouri's last appearance in the NCAA-II National Championship Game was 1984, when they beat St. Augustine's for the national title.
• The Mules beat Southern Connecticut State 98-88 in the Elite Eight on Wednesday afternoon and No. 1 Metro State 71-69 in the Final Four on Thursday night. UCM is now 3-0 in Elite Eight games and 1-2 in Final Fours under head coach Kim Anderson.
• West Liberty advanced to the national title game with an 86-83 win over South Carolina Aiken on Thursday night. The Hilltoppers beat defending national champion Drury 85-75 in the Elite Eight on Wednesday.
• The Mules won a share of their third straight MIAA Regular Season Championship this season. It was the sixth conference title under head coach Kim Anderson, the 24th in school history and the first three-peat in school history.

QUICK HITS
• This is the 109th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,614 wins.
• The 29 wins this season are tied for the third most in a single-season in school history and are the third best win total for Central Missouri during the Kim Anderson era.
• In the Mules' 29 wins this season they are averaging 81.4 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field. They are limiting opponents to 40 percent shooting and 65.8 points per game.
• In the Mules' five losses they are averaging 75.2 points per game and shooting 42 percent from the field.
• The win over Southwest Baptist on Feb. 6 gave UCM 18 wins on the season. It marks the 11th straight season of at least 18 wins for the Mules, which ties the MIAA record for the longest streak in conference history. The Mules tied Northwest Missouri, which accomplished the feat from 1997-2008.
• The Mules 29 wins this season mark the seventh 20-win season under Kim Anderson and the 23rd in school history.
• Three of the top nine single-season scoring leaders in UCM history have come during the 11-year tenure of head coach Kim Anderson.

MIAA POSTSEASON HONORS
• The Mules had three players named to the All-MIAA Team as voted on by the league coaches. Junior forward Dillon Deck was a first team selection, senior guard Daylen Robinson earned third team honors and senior guard Charles Hammork earned honorable mention accolades.
• This is the second straight All-MIAA honor for Hammork and the first for both Deck and Robinson. This is Deck's second straight first team all-conference award, however, as he was a first team All-GLVC pick last season at William Jewell.

DECK NAMED NABC ALL-DISTRICT
• Junior forward Dillon Deck was named to the NABC All-District Second Team as announced last week. The first team All-MIAA selection leads the Mules in scoring and is second in rebounding.

SERIES HISTORY VS WEST LIBERTY
• This will be the first ever meeting between Central Missouri and West Liberty. This will be UCM's first game ever against a school from West Virginia.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• West Liberty enters the national championship game at 31-3 overall after beating South Carolina Aiken 86-83 in the national semifinals on Thursday night. The Hilltoppers are the champions of the Atlantic Region.
• WLU is led by head coach Jim Crutchfield. In his 10th season, he has led the Hilltoppers to a 272-48 record. This is their fourth straight trip to the Elite Eight and their first appearance in the national title game.
• West Liberty has the nation's No. 1 offense at 100.6 points per game. The Hilltoppers shoot 49 percent from the field. Opponents shoot 45 percent against them and are averaging 81.8 points per contest.
• WLU also shoots 40 percent from three-point range and 75 percent as a team at the free throw line. Opponents are shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc, but have attempted 44 more free throws than the Hilltoppers.
• Cedric Harris leads seven players averaging in double figures at 17.8 points per game. Shawn Dyer is scoring 14.8 per contest and CJ Hester chips in 14.3 per game. Devin Hoehn (12.0), Keene Cockburn (11.6), Kelvin Goodwin (10.8) and Seger Bonifant (10.4) also score in double figures.
• Hester also leads the team in rebounding at 8.3 boards per outing, while Cockburn pulls down 7.0 rebounds per contest.
• Bonifant is shooting 56 percent from three point range (74-133), while Hoehn is shooting 40 percent, making 84 of 210 three-point attempts.
• The Hilltoppers have attempted 1,033 three-point attempts compared to 590 for the Mules.
• West Liberty out-rebounds the opposition by 2.4 boards per game and forces 16.5 turnovers per game. 

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 71, METRO STATE 68 • 3/27/14
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- TJ White made a layup with one second left and Metro State's last second three was off the mark as 20th-ranked Central Missouri beat No. 1 Metro State 71-69 in the national semifinals on Thursday night. With the win, UCM advances to the second national championship game in school history on Saturday at 2 p.m.
    White scored the layup on an assist from Daylen Robinson, who drove to the bucket with under five seconds to play and passed the ball around a double team for the point blank shot. The top-ranke Roadrunners (32-2) had rallied from 11 points down in the second half to tie the game as the teams battled back and forth down the stretch.
    Central Missouri (29-5) led by eight, 58-50, with 8:57 to play in the game, but Metro State rallied to tie the game at 62-all with 3:41 to play in regulation. The game was tied three times from that point on, but the Mules never got behind and White's layup gave them their first national title game appearance since 1984.
    The Mules jumped out to an early four point lead as they were hot from the field to start. Brennen Hughes layup at the 13:07 mark gave UCM a 15-11 lead, but a 7-0 run by the Roadrunners put Metro State in front 18-15. Charles Hammork scored a three-point play to tie the game at 18 and Dillon Deck's layup gave UCM a two-point advantage.
    The teams traded buckets through much of the first half before a 9-2 spurt gave Central Missouri a 35-26 lead with 3:26 to play in the half. Metro State cut the deficit to five, but a three from Jordan Epps gave UCM a 42-34 halftime lead.
    The Roadrunners cut the Mule lead back to five right out of the intermission, but a three-point play from Hammork and a jumper from Daylen Robinson gave UCM a 48-37 lead with 17:41 to play. A quick 4-0 spurt by Metro State cut the lead back to single digits as they began to whittle away at the lead.
    White scored back to back buckets near the 14:00 mark to push UCM back in front by 11, but the Roadrunners answered right back with four straight points of their own.
    The lead was nine at 58-49 with 9:54 to play in the game, but a 6-0 run for Metro State cut the lead to three and a bigger 13-4 run tied the game at 62-62.
    Hammork led the way for Central Missouri with a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson had 13 points and Deck finished with 12. White added 11 off the bench to go along with seven rebounds.
    UCM shot 47 percent for the game, 23 of 49, and made 6 of 17 three-point attempts for 35 percent. The Mules struggled at the foul line going 19 of 33 for 58 percent. After shooting a perfect 9 for 9 in the first half, UCM went just 10 of 24 in the second half.
    The Mules turned the ball over 11 times leading to 18 Metro State points.
    The Roadrunners were led in scoring by Brandon Jefferson's 21 points. The National Player of the Year was 4 of 17 from the field, but tied an Elite Eight record going 12 of 12 at the free throw line.
    Nicholas Kay had 17 points on 6 of 20 shooting and Mitch McCarron finished with 13 points. MSU was 19 of 59 from the field for 32 percent. They were just 2 of 14 from three-point range for 14 percent, but made 29 of 32 at the charity stripe for 91 percent.
    Metro State held a 30-22 advantage in points in the paint, 18-6 in points off turnovers,but the UCM bench outscored MSU's 25-7.
    The win is the first in the Final Four for Mules head coach Kim Anderson and advances the Mules to their first national championship game in 30 years.

MULES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Central Missouri has a 36-21 record in 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. UCM played in five regional consolation games between 1965 and 1985 after losing in the first round.
• Central Missouri is 16-6 overall in seven NCAA Tournament appearances under Kim Anderson. This is the third Elite Eight trip for UCM during his tenure and the first trip to the national championship game.
• The Mules are 3-0 in Elite Eight games under Anderson after the 98-88 win over Southern Connecticut State on Wednesday.
• The Mules are 19-9 in NCAA Tournament games played on a neutral court, which will be the case for Saturday's championship game against West Liberty.
• The Mules are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh overall under Anderson.

MULES IN THE FINAL FOUR
• Central Missouri is 2-2 in four Final Four appearances, including an 1-2 mark under Kim Anderson after beating Metro State on Thursday night.

MULES IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
• Central Missouri is 1-0 in the only previous NCAA Championship Game. The Mules beat St. Augustine's 81-77 to win the 1984 national championship.
• UCM won two NAIB National Championships in 1936-37 and 1937-38.

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT HONORS
• Senior guard/forward Charles Hammork was named the Central Regional's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 15.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over the three games of the tournament.
• He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammate Dillon Deck.

30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MULES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
• This season marks the 30th anniversary of Central Missouri's last basketball national championship. The 1983-84 Mules beat St. Augustine's 81-77 to claim the national title in Springfield, Mass.
• That season marked the first time in NCAA history that the same school won the men's and women's national titles in the same year. The Mules won their title and immediately following that game, the Jennies claimed a national championship on the same court.

THE MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• Central Missouri was 16-3 in MIAA play this season, capturing a share of their third straight conference crown. The Mules are 159-66 in conference play during the Kim Anderson era.
• The Mules were 13-5 in conference play last year and won a share of the MIAA regular season title for the second straight season.
• The Mules' best MIAA record under Anderson was an 18-2 mark during the 2009-10 season.
• The Mules captured their sixth MIAA regular season championship this season and have four MIAA tournament titles under Kim Anderson.

MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
• The Mules are 114-29 in non-conference games during the Kim Anderson era, including an 13-2 mark this season after beating Metro State on Thursday night.

MULES IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• Central Missouri dropped five spots in the latest NABC/Division II Coaches' Poll to No. 20 after their first round exit from the MIAA Tournament.
• The Mules have been ranked in 139 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• This is Central Missouri's fifth week in the rankings this season.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 154-21 at the Multipurpose Building under Kim Anderson after beating Northwest Missouri on March 1 to close out the regular season.
• The Mules were 13-0 at home last season 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 38th season playing home games at the Multi.

THE MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 8-4 on the road this season, including 7-3 in MIAA play, after the win at Missouri Western on February 26.
• The Mules were one of just four MIAA teams to have a winning road record during conference play.
• UCM is 71-56 on the road during the Kim Anderson era. The Mules were 4-5 on the road last season.

MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• UCM is 49-20 overall in neutral site games during the Kim Anderson era and 8-1 this season after the 71-68 win over Metro State on Thursday night.

DISHING IT OUT
• Senior guard Daylen Robinson moved into third place on UCM's single-season assist list when he dished out six assists in the regional win over Missouri Southern. Following the win over Metro State he now has 180 assists on the season and is three assists shy of second place on the single season list.
• He was fourth in the MIAA in assists per game this season at 5.5.

SWATTING HIS WAY
• Junior forward Dillon Deck has registered 32 blocks this year, he moved into eighth place on UCM's single-season list with two blocks in the Elite Eight win over Southern Connecticut State.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules the fourth men's basketball national championship in school history and a 30-5 overall record.
• Give the Mules their third 30-win season under Kim Anderson and the third in school history.
• Give UCM their second NCAA men's basketball national championship 30 years after the first.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• End the Mules season at 29-6 overall.
• Deny the Mules their second NCAA-II Men's Basketball National Championship.

ANDERSON LEADING THE WAY
• Now in his 12th season leading the Mules, Central Missouri head coach Kim Anderson has compiled a career record of 273-95 (.742).
• His .731 winning percentage entering the 2013-14 season ranks seventh among all active NCAA Division II coaches.
• He has led UCM to six MIAA regular season titles, more than any other coach in school history, four MIAA tournament championships, three regional championships and three Final Four appearances.
• Anderson recorded career win No. 200 with a 65-61 win against Washburn on February 9, 2011.
• Anderson is one of only five coaches in Central Missouri history to record 100 or more career wins - Anderson (273), Tad. C. Reid (178), Earl Keth (159), Jim Wooldridge (131) and Lynn Nance (114).
• Three of the top nine single-season scoring leaders in Central Missouri history have come during the tenure of head coach Kim Anderson.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 109th season of UCM basketball the Mules have compiled a 1,614-924 (.636) record in 2,538 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, including this season.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season twice, both during the Kim Anderson era.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA tournament titles.

THE NEXT LEVEL
• In the Kim Anderson era, 23 former players have gone on to play professional basketball.
• Four players are either currently playing professionally or on a professional roster; Michael Hicks (Poland, Polpharma-Pakmet), Reggie Stallings (Rochester Razor Sharks), Sanijay Watts (Germany, Dorsten) and Zack Wright (Greece, Panathinaikos Athens).

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
• Following the 2013-14 winter seasons, Central Missouri has won a combined 198 MIAA regular-season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• This season, UCM has captured five MIAA Regular Season Championships.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 144 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003) and seven national championships overall.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
• The 550 Central Missouri student-athletes received 375 Academic Awards from the MIAA office for the 2012-13 academic year.
• 305 UCM student-athletes were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
• 37 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.
• 33 UCM student-athletes were named MIAA Academic Excellence Award winners with a 4.0 GPA.
• UCM had eight student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors in their respective sports, including Brent Vogel being named the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Men's Track & Field.

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.
• The Kim Anderson Show presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Corp. airs on Monday nights at 7 p.m. on 98.5 The Bar and 1450 KOKO as well as warrensburgradio.com through the season.