TIP-OFF• The eighth-ranked Central Missouri Mules look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Topeka, Kansas on Monday night to take on Washburn. Tipoff at Lee Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
• The Mules are 11-2 on the season and 2-2 in MIAA play after a heartbreaking 65-64 loss at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday night.
• The Ichabods enter the contest at 8-8 overall and 3-2 in conference action after an 85-60 win over Missouri Western on Saturday night.
• This game will pit the league's longest-tenured coach in Washburn head man Bob Chipman (36th season) and UCM's first year head coach Doug Karleksint.
• 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 1,626 wins.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
• The Mules are averaging 79.4 points per game and shooting nearly 52 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 68.8 points per game and shooting almost 42 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
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.
•
Jordan Epps set career-highs with six made three-point field goals and 20 points in the nationall-televised victory over Northeastern State.
•
Kyle Wolf recorded the second double-double of his career with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Nebraska-Kearney.
•
Preston Brunz leads the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage at 57.9 percent ... he is also second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.8 (34 assists/9 turnovers).
• Ten different Mules have scored in double figures this season ... seven different Mules have led the team in scoring.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 95th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Washburn with the Mules holding a 48-46 advantage.
• The Mules beat the Ichabods 77-63 on January 6, 2014 in Warrensburg last season. The win snapped a three-game losing streak in the series for UCM.
• The Ichabods lead the series 28-18 in games played in Topeka and have won three straight games at Lee Arena.
• This will be the first game against Washburn for
Doug Karleskint both at UCM and in his head coaching career.
LAST MEETING WITH WASHBURN• The Mules got scoring from all nine players that saw the floor, including four in double figures in a 77-63 win over Washburn on January 6, 2014 in Warrensburg.
• UCM opened the game on an 8-0 run and never trailed.
•
TJ White led the Mules with 12 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds.
Charles Hammork had 11 points, while
Jon Gilliam and
Daylen Robinson each finished with 10.
• The Mules shot 49 percent from the field in the win, but just 31 percent from beyond the arc and they struggled at the foul line going 10-of-27 for 37 percent.
• UCM forced 14 Washburn turnovers and turned those in to 19 points. The Mules also out-rebounded the Ichabods 40-37.
• WU shot 36 percent from the floor and just 21 percent from three-point range. The Bods were 22-of-29 at the foul line for 76 percent.
• Alex North led the Ichabods with 16 points and Kyle Wiggins chipped in 10 as the only WU players in double figures.
SCOUTING THE ICHABODS• Washburn enters the Monday night matchup at 8-8 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play after an 85-60 win over Missouri Western on Saturday night in Topeka. The Ichabods have won two straight and four of their last five games.
• The Bods are scoring 72.6 points per game and giving up 68.1. They shoot 45 percent from the field, 32 percent from beyond the arc and 66 percent at the free throw line. Opponents are shooting 42 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three-point range against WU. Opponents have attempted one more free throw (334-333) than the Ichabods.
• Opponents are averaging nearly eight threes per contest against the Ichabods.
• Alex North leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 12.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Kyle Wiggins is the only other Ichabod averaging in double figures at 12.6 points per contest.
• Washburn is out-rebounding opponents by three boards per game and they pull down 36.1 rebounds per outing.
• The Ichabods are forcing 15 turnovers per game, while committing just 12.3 per contest. They average eight steals per outing.
LAST TIME OUT • NEBRASKA-KEARNEY 65, CENTRAL MISSOURI 64 • 1/3/15KEARNEY, Neb. -- Nebraska-Kearney made two free throws with 14 seconds left and withstood three UCM shots in the final possession to upset the eighth-ranked Mules 65-64 on Saturday night. The loss drops UCM to 11-2 on the season, including 2-2 in MIAA play.
   The Mules came out of the gates firing as they jumped out to an early 8-4 lead. UCM extended the lead to 10 at 19-9 at the 12:21 mark of the first half. The Lopers (8-3, 4-1 MIAA) used a quick 5-0 spurt to pull within 19-14, but
Kyle Wolf's layup gave the Mules a seven point lead with 7:52 left in the half.
   An 8-3 run pulled the Lopers to within four at 22-18 with 5:28 left in the opening stanza. The Mules answered with a jumper from
Dillon Deck and a layup from
TJ Whiteto lead 26-18 at the 4:44 mark. A three from Ty Danielson cut the UCM lead to five, but a layup from Deck, and back-to-back buckets from
Brennen Hughes gave the Mules a 32-21 lead with :23 left. Davion Pearson hit a pair of free throws for UNK and the Mules led 32-23 at halftime.
   The Mules quickly pushed the lead to 12 out of the intermission on a dunk and free throw from Hughes. The Mules led 38-26 at the 18:31 mark, but Nebraska-Kearney began to chip away at the lead.
   An 8-0 run cut the lead to four at 38-34 with 16:15 left in regulation. The Mules pushed the lead back to seven two different times, including 45-38 with 14:02 to play. The Lopers used an 8-0 run to grab their first lead since 2-0. UCM went back in front on a pair of
Preston Brunz free throws, but an 8-3 spurt gave the Lopers a 54-50 lead with 7:01 to play.
   The Mules tied the game at 56-all on two
Rakeem Dickerson free throws with 5:21 to play and took a 60-58 lead on consecutive buckets by Dickerson and Hughes. UCM led 62-59 with 1:39 to play and 64-61 with 1:04 left, but UNK rallied.
   Two Isaiah McKay free throws cut the lead to 64-63 with :48 to play and following a missed UCM jumper the Mules were whistled for a foul. Connor Beranek made both foul shots to put UNK in front 65-64. The Mules had four shots in the final :14, but couldn't get anything to fall and they dropped their second conference game of the season.
   The Mules shot 40 percent from the field, going 24-of-60, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc for 33 percent. UCM was just 13-of-22 at the foul line for 59 percent.
   Deck led UCM with 16 points off the bench. Hughes finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while
Kyle Wolf recorded his second double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 boards.
   Ethan Brozek led UNK with 18 points, while Beranak had 17 points and 16 boards and Danielson finished with 12. The Lopers were 22-of-49 from the field for 45 percent, including 6-of-16 from three-point range for 37 percent. UNK was 15-of-23 at the foul line for 65 percent.
THE MULES AT HOME• Central Missouri is 161-22 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 7-1 under
Doug Karleskint after the 81-62 win over Northeastern State.
• The Mules were 13-0 at home each of the last two seasons.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 144-12 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 85-11 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 472-89 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 1-1 on the road this season after the 65-64 loss at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday night. It snapped UCM's six-game road winning streak.
• 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 2-2 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint after the loss at UNK on Saturday night.
• Central Missouri is 161-68 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.
FOLLOWING A LOSS• Central Missouri is 1-0 this season in the games immediately following a loss.
• The Mules have not lost back-to-back games since dropping three straight from Feb. 2-9, 2013.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules an 12-2 record overall and 3-2 in MIAA play.
• Give the Mules back-to-back wins against Washburn for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 11-3 overall and give UCM a 2-3 record in MIAA play for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
• Give the Mules back-to-back losses for the first time since losing three straight games from Feb. 2-9, 2013.
BLOCK PARTY• With his two blocks at Nebraska-Kearneyon Saturday night, senior
Dillon Deck now has 49 blocked shots in his UCM career, tying him with Darryl Somerset and Matt Webb for sixh place on the career list.
• 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 11-2 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 101-36 (.737) 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 dropped five spots to No. 8 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released last Tuesday. UCM was unranked to start the season.
• The Mules have been ranked in 144 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules were ranked third and receiving two first place votes in the latest Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA, which came out on December 9. 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 1,626-926 (.637) record in 2,552 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 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.
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 return home for two straight home games on Thursday, January 8 against Pittsburg State and Saturday, January 10 against Emporia State. Tip-off on Thursday night against Pitt State is set for 7:30 p.m.
