TIP-OFF• The 22nd-ranked Central Missouri Mules welcome the Lincoln Blue Tigers to the UCM Multipurpose Building on Wednesday night, January 21 for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
• Wednesday night's game is commemorative ring night as the first 2,500 fans through the doors beginning at 4:30 p.m. will receive a voucher redeemable for a replica Mules' national championship ring, limit one voucher and one ring per person.
• The Mules are 15-3 on the season and 6-3 in MIAA play after a
66-61 win over Northwest Missouri on Saturday afternoon at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
• The Blue Tigers are 4-13 overall and 1-7 in conference play after an 82-74 loss to Missouri Southern on Saturday afternoon at home.
• The Mules were 30-5 a season ago when they captured the NCAA-II National Championship. It was the third 30-win season in program history, the seventh 20-win season in the last 12 years and the 23rd in school history.
• The 2013-14 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 last year 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 1,630 wins.
• The Mules are averaging 76.1 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 67.3 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
MULE TIDBITS•
TJ White has recorded his first three career double-doubles this season to lead all Mules.
•
Dillon Deck has one double-double this season and seven during his two-year UCM career.
•
Kyle Wolf recorded the second double-double of his career with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney.
• Four Mules have recorded double-doubles this season (Deck, Dickerson, White, Wolf).
•
Preston Brunz leads the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage at 56.9 percent ... he is also third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3 (42 assists/18 turnovers).
• Ten different Mules have scored in double figures this season ... eight different Mules have led the team in scoring.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 87th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Lincoln. The Mules hold a 54-32 lead in the series.
• The Mules won both meetings last season, 89-61 in Jefferson City and 92-50 in Warrensburg.
• UCM has won 14 straight games in the series and nine straight at the Multipurpose Building.
• The Mules lead the series 28-14 in games played in Warrensburg.
•
Doug Karleskint is 1-0 against the Blue Tigers, having beaten them while head coach at Arkansas Tech.
LAST MEETING WITH LINCOLN• The Mules shot 57 percent from the field and dished out 22 assists on 35 made baskets in a 92-50 win over the Blue Tigers on February 12, 2014 in Warrensburg.
•
Charles Hammork led four Mules in double figures with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
TJ White and
Kyle Wolf each had 11 points off the bench for UCM and
Ryan Donald chipped in 10.
•
Daylen Robinson finished with six points, but dished out a career-high 10 assists in the win.
• The Mules held Lincoln to 35 percent shooting, including 29 percent from three-point range. The Blue Tigers were 18-of-51 from the field and 5-of-17 from beyond the arc.
• UCM out-rebounded LU 40-29 and forced 23 turnovers in the win.
• Mike Smith led Lincoln with 18 points and Joshua Buie added 10 points and eight rebounds.
• The Mules were 8-of-19 from three-point range for 42 percent, but just 14-of-23 at the foul line for 61 percent.
SCOUTING THE BLUE TIGERS• Lincoln enters the week at 4-13 overall and 1-7 in MIAA play under first-year head coach John Moseley. The Blue Tigers have lost seven straight games entering Wednesday's contest.
• They are averaging 63.9 points per game offensively, shooting 44 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range. They allow 75.5 points per outing, 46 percent shooting and 39 percent from beyond the arc. They are fifth in the MIAA in free throw shooting at 72 percent.
• Joshua Buie leads three Blue Tigers in double figures at 17.4 points per contest. Mike Smith averages 13.2 points per game and Victor Scott chips in 11.1 per game. Smith also pulls down 4.4 rebounds per game, second best on the team.
• Aaron Spudich leads the team in rebounding at 4.7 boards per game and chips in 4.2 points per contest.
• The Blue Tigers have been out-rebounded by nearly five boards per game and they commit almost 16 turnovers per outing compared to 11.6 for the opposition.
• They are being out-scored by nearly 10 points per game in the first half this season.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 66, NORTHWEST MISSOURI 61 • 1/17/15WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The 25th-ranked Mules outscored Northwest Missouri State 16-8 over the final 4:12 to erase a three-point deficit and beat the Bearcats 66-61 in front of 5,500 fans at the UCM Multipurpose Building on
Saturday afternoon. The back and forth battle had nine ties and 12 lead changes.
   The Mules (15-3, 6-3 MIAA) raced out to an early 9-4 advantage hitting their first four shots. The Bearcats (13-4, 6-3 MIAA) came right back with a 9-0 run of their own, capped by a Connor Crooker three-pointer at the 14:52 mark to take a 13-9 lead.
   NWMSU led 15-11 when the Mules scored five straight points to regain the lead at 16-15. The Bearcats went right back in front on a Crooker jumper and the back and forth battle was on. A pair of foul shots by Justin Pitts extended the Bearcat lead to three, but a
Dillon Deck layup and
Preston Brunz jumper put UCM back in front by a point. Northwest Missouri went back in front on a Pitts three-pointer and they would extend their lead to five at 33-28 on another Crooker three-pointer with 3:26 to play in the half.
   A layup from
Brennen Hughes and a three from
Tony Cochran tied the game at 33, but Zach Schneider was fouled while shooting a three and made all three foul shots to put NWMSU back in front 36-33. Hughes scored at the 1:14 mark to make it 36-35 and that's how the teams would go into halftime.
   The Mules scored the first four points out of the intermission to regain the lead, 39-36, and force a Bearcat timeout. UCM led by three at 43-40 with 12:54 to play in the game, but a Brett Dougherty layup and two foul shots from Crooker put the Bearcats back into the lead with 11:52 to play. Grant Cozad's layup pushed the lead to three, but Hughes answered with a three-point play to tie the game.
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Rakeem Dickerson's layup at the 6:02 mark gave UCM a 50-48 lead, but Schneider hit a three to put NWMSU in front and Matt Wallace nailed a jumper to make it a three-point game with 4:38 to play. The Mules got back to within a point on two free throws from Brunz and Hughes' dunk gave the Mules a 54-53 lead with 3:10 to play. Cozad hit a pair of free throws to give the Bearcats a 55-54 lead, but Dickerson's layup gave the Mules their final lead of the game.
TJ White scored on a layup at the 1:53 mark and UCM led 58-55.
   Dickerson scored a layup and then made two free throws after a Bearcat bucket to give the Mules a 62-57 lead with :41 to play. Following a Lyle Harris layup, White made 1-of-2 at the foul line and UCM led by five, 64-59. Crooker made a pair of free throws to pull the Bearcats within three, but Dickerson made two free throws with :16 left to ice the game.
   Dickerson led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also pulled down five rebounds. Hughes finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 8-of-10 from the field, and White had 12 points and six boards.
   The Mules shot 56 percent for the game, 25-of-45, but were just 1-of-8 from three-point range. UCM was 15-of-22 at the foul line for 68 percent. The Mules out-rebounded the Bearcats 29-23 and out-scored them 48-28 in the paint and 11-5 in second chance opportunities.
   Crooker and Pitts led three Bearcats in double figures with 16 points each, while Schneider finished with 11. NWMSU was 21-of-49 from the floor for 43 percent, but just 9-of-24 in the second half for 38 percent. The Bearcats were 6-of-20 from beyond the arc for 30 percent and 13-of-15 at the charity stripe for 87 percent.
THE MULES AT HOME• Central Missouri is 163-23 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 9-2 under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 146-13 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 87-12 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 474-90 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 3-1 on the road this season after the 64-58 win at Missouri Western on Wednesday night.
• UCM was 8-4 on the road last season, including 7-3 in MIAA play.
MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES• UCM is 3-0 this year and 53-20 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after the 90-84 overtime win over Quincy on Nov. 25 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY• The Mules are 6-3 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Northwest Missouri. The Mules are a half game behind Lindenwood and Pittsburg State for first place in the league standings.
• Central Missouri is 165-69 in MIAA play over the last 13 seasons.
• UCM has won or shared 24 MIAA regular season championships and five MIAA Tournament titles.
MULES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION• The Mules are 9-0 in non-conference games this season and 124-29 over the last 13 seasons after the win over Culver-Stockton on December 15.
• The Mules went 14-2 in non-MIAA games last year.
• Central Missouri is 58-1 in the last 59 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules an 16-3 record overall and 7-3 in MIAA play and keep them within a half game of first place in the league standings.
• Give the Mules 15 straight wins over Lincoln and 10 straight wins at the Multi.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 15-4 overall and give UCM a 6-4 record in MIAA play.
• Snap the Mules' 14-game winning streak against Lincoln and their nine-game winning streak over LU at the Multipurpose Building.
• Give UCM three home losses for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
BLOCK PARTY• Senior
Dillon Deck now has 54 blocked shots in his UCM career, moving him past Doug Flowers and into sole possession of fifth place on the career list. He is two blocks shy of tying Mike Moultrie for fourth place.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START•
Doug Karleskint is 15-3 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 105-37 (.739) overall in his fifth season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0.
• 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• The Mules moved up three spots to No. 22 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday.
• The Mules have been ranked in 147 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules re-entered the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA at No. 23 this week after dropping out of last week's poll. The poll is in its first year of existence and is voted on by Division II Sports Information Directors.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY• In the 110th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,630-927 (.637) record in 2,557 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• Following the fall sports seasons, Central Missouri has won a combined 202 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 one season in league history, and the second time Central Missouri has 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.
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 head out on the road for three straight games beginning Saturday at Lindenwood. Game time on January 24 in St. Charles is set for 3 p.m.
