TIP-OFF• The Central Missouri Mules return to action on Saturday night, Nov. 21 as they travel to Rolla to take on Missouri S&T in the first road game of the season. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
• The Mules are 3-0 on the season after a 77-71 home win over Rockhurst on Wednesday night at the Multi.
• The Mules enter the season picked No. 2 in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Mules were 25-7 a season ago and advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. It was the eighth 20-win season in the last 11 years and the 24th in school history.
• Central Missouri finished 14-5 in MIAA play last year and finished as the regular season runner-up.
QUICK HITS• This is the 111th season of Central Missouri Mules basketball.
• Central Missouri is third all-time in NCAA Division II men's basketball with 1,643 wins.
• Last season was the 12th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM, an MIAA record.
• Last season was the third straight 20-win season for UCM and the 24th in program history.
• UCM lost 77 percent of its scoring from last year's team and 76 percent of the rebounding.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).
MULE FEED• Through three games this season, the Mules are averaging 77.3 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. They are limiting opponents to 61.0 points per game on 38.9 percent shooting.
• Five Mules recorded double-doubles last season (
Dillon Deck,
Rakeem Dickerson,
Brennen Hughes,
TJ White and
Kyle Wolf). Only Wolf returns this season.
• Ten different Mules scored in double figures last season and nine different Mules led the team in scoring. Through three games this season, six different players have scored in double figures and three players have led the team in scoring.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 154th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Missouri S&T.
• The Mules hold a 119-34 lead in the series after a 93-70 win in Warrensburg last season.
• Last year's meeting was the first since 2004-05 when both schools were members of the MIAA.
• UCM won the last meeting in Rolla, 70-46, back on Feb. 9, 2005.
LAST MEETING WITH MISSOURI S&T• The Mules shot a blistering 61 percent from the field and 55 percent from beyond the arc en route to a 93-70 win over Missouri S&T on Nov. 18, 2014 at the Multi.
•
Rakeem Dickerson and
TJ White each had double-doubles with 17 points, 10 assists and 17 points and 12 rebounds, respectively.
• UCM trailed 26-21, but closed the first half on a 26-5 run to break the game open.
• The Mules held the Miners to 37 percent shooting from the floor, including just 18 percent, 3-of-16, from three-point range.
• The Mules had 20 assists on 32 made baskets (32-of-52), but committed 16 turnovers.
• Zach Ellis led Missouri S&T with a game-high 19 points. Desmond Buerge had 16 points and Marcus Walden added 15 points and nine-rebounds.
SCOUTING THE MINERS• Missouri S&T enters Saturday night's game at 1-2 overall after a 76-73 win over Missouri Baptist. The Miners are led by seventh-year head coach Jim Glash. He has compiled a 50-110 record during his tenure in Rolla.
• The Miners were picked to finish seventh in the GLVC West in the preseason coaches' poll.
• They are averaging 79.3 points per game offensively on 39 percent shooting, including 28 percent from beyond the arc.
• Defensively, S&T gives up 85.0 points per contest on 50 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from three-point range.
• The Miners' opponents have gotten to the free throw line 18 more times in three games.
• Missouri S&T is out-rebounding opponents by four boards per game and they've brought down 51 offensive rebounds through the first three contests.
• B.J. McGlaughlin leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per outing, he also pulls down a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game.
• Desmond Buerge averages 13.0 points per game, while Zach Ellis chips in 13.0 and Rokas Paulauskas scores 10.7 per contest. Paulauskus also pulls down eight boards an outing.
• The Miners have dished out 33 assists in three games, but are also averaging 15 turnovers per game.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 77, ROCKHURST 71 • 11/18/15WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Central Missouri Mules built a 15-point second half lead then withstood a late rally to beat Rockhurst 77-71 on Wednesday night at the UCM Multipurpose Building. With the win, the Mules improve to 3-0 in the early season.
   Rockhurst (1-1) scored the first five points of the game, but an 11-2 run by the Mules gave them a four-point advantage about five minutes in. The Hawks went back in front by one on a layup from Malachi Nix, but a three-pointer from
Kyle Wolf and another from
Brad Woodson gave UCM a 19-14 lead at the 11:15 mark of the first half. A nix jumper was answered by another three from Woodson and UCM led by six at the midway point of the opening period.
   Rockhurst whittled the lead back to one, but
Jakob Lowrance hit a three,
Spencer Reaves a jumper and
D'Marnier Cunningham threw down a dunk on successive possessions and UCM led 31-23 at the 6:07 mark. The lead see-sawed between three and six points for the next few minutes before Reaves made four free throws in the final minute of the half to give UCM a 42-33 lead at the intermission.
   Rockhurst opened the second half on a 9-2 run to cut the UCM lead to a pair, but
Tereke Eckwood sunk two free throws and
Roosevelt Scott drained a three and the lead was quickly back to seven with 16:17 to play. After an RU jumper cut the lead to five, UCM scored 10 straight points to build a 59-44 lead with 12:05 to play in regulation.
   The Hawks kept fighting back, however, using a 13-4 run to pull within six at 63-57 with 7:59 to play in the game. The Mules pushed the lead back to nine at 67-58, but a 10-3 run cut the UCM lead to 70-68 with just 2:56 to play. Woodson answered with five straight points to push the UCM lead to 75-68 at the 2:20 mark.
   Rockhurst could get no closer than four points the rest of the way as the Mules held off the charge to move to 3-0 for the third straight season and give UCM its fifth straight win over the Hawks.
   Reaves led three Mules in double figures with 16, incuding 12-of-13 at the free throw line. Woodson finished with 14 points, while
Marquiez Lawrence had nine points and 10 rebounds. UCM shot 41 percent from the floor, 22-of-54, and made 7-of-18 three-point attempts for 39 percent. UCM was 26-of-30 at the foul line for 87 percent.
   The Mules out-rebounded Rockhurst 37-29 and had 16 second chance points.
   Rockhurst shot 51 percent from the floor, 26-of-51, but made just 6-of-19 from beyond the arc for 32 percent. The Hawks were 13-of-19 at the free throw line for 68 percent. Nix led three Hawks in double figures with 15 points to go along with eight assists. Austin LeVan had 11 points and Adam Fatkin chipped in 10.
THE MULES AT HOME• The Mules are 3-0 at home after the win over Rockhurst. They are 171-23 at the Multi over the last 14 years.
• Central Missouri went 14-2 at home last season.
• Over the last 11 years, UCM is 154-13 at home, including 62-1 against non-conference opponents and 92-12 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 482-90 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules were 6-3 on the road last season and were one of only three teams with a winning record on the road during MIAA play.
MULES IN MIAA PLAY• The Mules finished the 2014-15 regular season 14-5 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint and second in the final league standings.
• Central Missouri is 172-71 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 3-0 in non-conference action after the opening weekend of play.
• The Mules were 11-0 in regular season non-con games last season and are 129-31 over the last 13 seasons.
• Give UCM four straight wins in the series.
• Central Missouri is 62-1 in the last 63 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
NEW FACES LEADING SO FAR• Through the first three games of the season, newcomers have accounted for 72 percent of the team's scoring and 76 percent of the rebounding.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• Give the Mules a 4-0 start for the third straight season and the fourth time in the last five years.
• Give UCM a 120-34 lead in the all-time series with Missouri S&T and two straight wins under
Doug Karleskint.
• Give the Mules a 13-0 mark under Karleskint in regular season non-conference games.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 4-1 overall for the third time in five years and give UCM an 12-1 record in regular season non-conference games under
Doug Karleskint.
• Give Missouri S&T their first win in the series since a 65-58 victory in Warrensburg back on Feb. 11, 2004.
• Give the Miners their first win in Rolla since a 70-69 win on Feb. 12, 2003.
KARLESKINT LEADING THE WAY•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 28-7 in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 118-41 (.742) overall mark in his sixth season as a head coach.
• He became the first Mules' head coach to start his first season at UCM 7-0.
• His 25 wins last year were the most by a first-year head coach in Central Missouri history.
• Karleskint became the fourth Mules' head coach to win at least 20 games in his first season.
• Before coming to UCM, 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 NATIONAL POLLS• The Mules are receiving votes in the NABC Preseason Poll. UCM has been ranked in 152 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules moved up to No. 10 in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA. The poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors.
• The Mules moved up two spots to No. 2 in the latest USBWA Central Region Poll. The Mules received one of five first place votes and totaled 45 points to trail only Minnesota State-Moorehead in the poll. The United State Basketball Writers' Association poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors from the Central Region.
MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY• In the 111th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,643-931 (.638) record in 2,574 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 24 times in the history of the program, including each of the last three seasons.
• Central Missouri has won 30 or more games in a season three times (2006-07, 2008-09, and 2013-14).
• 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• Entering the 2015-16 academic year, Central Missouri had won a combined 205 MIAA regular season conference championships in 14 league sports to lead all schools.
• Last season, UCM captured five MIAA regular season titles, and three MIAA Tournament crowns.
• Since 1983, the tenure of Athletic Director
Jerry Hughes, UCM has won or shared 151 MIAA championships, more than any other league school.
• Central Missouri has won eight national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, women's bowling in 2003, men's basketball in 2014, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015) and 10 national championships overall.
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM• Central Missouri had 218 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 MIAA Academic Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher.
• 29 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 six student-athletes earn Academic All-Region awards in their respective sports with three of those earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
• Since the year 2000, UCM is tied for sixth in NCAA-II with 49 Academic All-Americans.
MULES BASKETBALL ON THE AIR• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, and online at warrensburgradio.com. Games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 The Bar Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations,
Mike Knipper.
UPCOMING• The Mules are off until after Thanksgiving when they host a pair of games. Southeastern Oklahoma State comes to the Multi on Friday, Nov. 27 for a 6 p.m. game with MidAmerica Nazarene visiting on Saturday, Nov. 28 also at 6 p.m.
