TIP-OFF
• The Central Missouri Mules return home after the Thanksgiving holiday to host a pair of non-conference games. The Mules host in-region foe Southeastern Oklahoma State on Friday at 6 p.m. before hosting MidAmerica Nazarene on Saturday at 6 p.m.
• The Mules are 4-0 on the season after a 92-73 win at Missouri S&T last Saturday.
• Southeastern Oklahoma State enters the contest at 4-1 after a 100-75 win over Dallas Christian College on Monday night.
• MidAmerica Nazarene sits at 5-2 and will play a game on Tuesday night before coming to Warrensburg on Saturday.
• 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 1,644 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.
• The Mules have won two NCAA Men's National Championships (1984 & 2014) and four National Championships overall (1937 & 1938 NAIB).

MULE FEED
• Through four games this season, the Mules are averaging 81.0 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. They are limiting opponents to 64.0 points per game on 38.8 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 four games this season, nine different players have scored in double figures and four players have led the team in scoring.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the third all-time meeting between the Mules and Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Mules have won the previous two meetings.
• UCM beat the Savage Storm 75-66 on Nov. 30, 2013 in at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio.
• The Mules won the first meeting, 67-54, in the 2007 South Central Regional Final in Warrensburg.
• This will be the first ever meeting between the Mules and MidAmerica Nazarene.

LAST MEETING WITH SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
• The Mules rallied from a 20-point first half deficit to beat Southeastern Oklahoma State 75-66 on Nov. 30, 2013 at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio.
• The Savage Storm led 28-8 with 7:36 to play in the first half before the Mules started their rally. UCM closed the first half on a 19-3 run and trailed 31-27 at halftime.
• The Mules grabbed their first lead of the game thanks to a 14-6 run to open the second half. The Mules pushed the lead to as many as nine in the second half, before icing the game at the foul line.
• Jon Gilliam led UCM with a career-high 18 points, while Dillon Deck added 17 points and Ryan Magdziarz chipped in 15.
• The Mules shot 49 percent from the field, while SOSU shot 48 percent.
• Urald King led the Savage Storm with a game-high 20 points. Quinton Threadgill scored 18 and Taylor Smaller added 15.

SCOUTING THE SAVAGE STORM
• Southeastern Oklahoma State enters the game at 4-1 overall after a 100-75 win over Dallas Christian College on Monday night.
• The Savage Storm are led by fifth-year head coach Kelly Green. He has compiled a 55-62 record during his tenure in Durant.
• SEOSU is averaging 84.6 points per game offensively while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from three-point range.
• They give up 75.8 points per contest and opponents are shooting 40.5 percent from the field and just 27.7 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Savage Storm have attempted 44 more free throws than their opponents and are averaging 30 free throw attempts per game.
• Sami Bzai leads the team scoring 21.4 points per contest. Anton Cook is averaging 14.4 per outing and Nathan Jackson chips in 11.4 per game and also leads the team in rebounding at 8.2 boards per game.
• They out-rebound opponents by over six boards per contest and are averaging 44.6 rebounds per game.
• They are averaging 17.8 assists per game, but they also average 17.6 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
• MidAmerica Nazarene is 5-2 on the season heading in to this week. The Pioneers play at Park University in Parkville on Tuesday night before heading to Warrensburg on Saturday.
• MNU is led by 30th-year head coach Rocky Lamar.
• The Pioneers are averaging 99.9 points per game offensively and shooting 52.5 percent from the floor.
• They lead NAIA averaging 26.4 assists per game.
• Opponents are averaging 77.1 points per outing, but are shooting just 35.3 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from three-point range.
• Jordan Whelan leads the team averaging 16.9 points per game. He's shooting 57 percent from the field this season and has made 46-of-56 free throws through seven games.
• Four other players are averaging in double figures; Nick Syrie is averaging 13.6 per contest, Gabriel Jordan chips in 12.9 per outing, Justin Randall is averaging 12.6 per contest and Hudson Welty chips in 10.4 per game.
• Aleksandar Zivkovic leads the team in rebounding at 7.5 boards per contest, while Randall pulls down 6.1 per game.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 92, MISSOURI S&T 73 • 11/21/15
ROLLA, Mo. -- Central Missouri outscored Missouri S&T 46-33 in the second half to break open a close game en route to a 92-73 win on Saturday night. With the win, UCM improves to 4-0 on the season.
    The Mules jumped out to a 10-0 lead out of the gates, but the Miners (1-3) battled their way back in to the game. They cut the lead to four at 17-13, only to see the Mules push the lead back to seven, once on a three-pointer by Tony Cochran and later on a pair of Tereke Eckwood free throws.
    MST cut the UCM lead to one at 26-25 with 7:49 left in the first half on a B.J. McLaughlin jumper, but Roosevelt Scott made a pair of fre throws and Marquiez Lawrence had a big dunk to push the Mule lead back to five.
    Brad Woodson hit back-to-back three-pointers and the UCM lead was nine at 36-27, but a 12-2 run gave the Miners their first, and only, lead of the ball game at 39-38. Isiah Sykes drained a three-pointer to regain the lead and the Mules closed the half with five straight points to lead 46-40 at halftime.
    The Mules opened the second half on a 5-0 run to lead by 11 and following a Miner three-point play they went on a 10-2 run to open a 61-45 lead with 11:55 to play. A 13-7 spurt later in the half gave the Mules a 20-point cushion and the rout was on. The lead ballooned to as much as 24 as the Mules cruised in the latter stages of the second half. The 92 points scored were the most for UCM since scoring 111 in a 111-106 triple overtime win over Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 29 of last year.
    Sykes led all scorers with 16 points. Eckwood, Lawrence and Woodson all finished with 13 points apiece. Eckwood also dished out seven assists and Lawrence pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
    The Mules shot 52 percent from the field, going 30-of-57, including 9-of-18 from three-point range. UCM was 23-of-33 at the foul line for 69 percent. UCM had 16 assists and seven steals.
    The Miners were led by Quinn Poythress' 11 points. Allen Billinger and Telloy Simon finished with 10 each as Missouri S&T shot 38 percent from the floor, 24-of-62, and 43 percent from beyond the arc, 10-of-23. The Miners were 15-of-24 at the foul line for 62 percent and out-rebounded the Mules 42-32.

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 are 1-0 on the road this season after the win at Missouri S&T on Nov. 21.
• UCM was 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 4-0 in non-conference action after the win at Missouri S&T.
• The Mules were 11-0 in regular season non-con games last season and are 130-31 over the last 13 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 62-1 in the last 63 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• A win on Friday would give the Mules a 5-0 start for the third straight year. A weekend sweep would make the Mules 6-0 for the second straight year.
• A win on Friday would give the Mules a 14-0 mark under Karleskint in regular season non-conference games. A weekend sweep would make the Mules 15-0 in regular season non-cons under Karleskint.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• A loss on Friday would drop the Mules to 4-1 overall and give Southeastern Oklahoma State their first win against UCM.
• It would also be the first loss in a regular season non-conference game for UCM under Doug Karleskint.
• Give the Mules just their second home non-conference loss in the last 64 games.

KARLESKINT LEADING THE WAY
• Doug Karleskint has a record of 29-7 in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 119-41 (.744) 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 when he accomplished the mark last season.
• 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 stayed put at No. 2 in the latest USBWA Central Region Poll. The Mules 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 1,644-931 (.638) record in 2,575 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 open MIAA play on Wednesday night hosting Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi.
• UCM welcomes defending MIAA champion Northwest Missouri to the Multi on Saturday, Dec. 5 for 3:30 p.m. showdown.