TIP-OFF• The 15th-ranked Central Missouri Mules return home for their final two home games of 2015. UCM hosts Fort Hays State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi before welcoming Nebraska-Kearney to Warrensburg on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off.
• Thursday night is Toys for Tots night with any fan who brings a new, unwrapped toy or donates at least $10 receiving free admission to the game and also receiving a coupon for a free box of popcorn courtesy of UCM Concessions by Sodexo.
• The Mules are 8-1 overall on the season and 2-1 in MIAA play after their 73-72 win at Emporia State on Saturday night.
• Fort Hays State enters the contest at 7-2 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play after an 84-75 win over Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday in Hays.
• Nebraska-Kearney is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in league play after the loss at FHSU. They have lost back-to-back games after beating Washburn 82-76 back on Dec. 5.
• 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 1,648 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• The Mules are averaging 77.0 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. They are limiting opponents to 66.9 points per game on 40 percent shooting.
• The Mules are shooting 39.4 percent (69-of-175) from three-point range compared to 30.2 percent (55-of-182) for the opposition.
• UCM has attempted seven less free throws than the opponents. The Mules are averaging 20.5 free throw attempts per game. Last year, they attempted 23.5 free throws per outing.
• The Mules are ninth in the MIAA in scoring offense (77 ppg) and second in scoring defense (66.9 ppg). They are eighth in the league in field goal percentage (46.7), but first in field goal percentage defense (40.0) and three-point field goal percentage defense (30.2).
• Ten different players have scored in double figures for the Mules and six different players have led the team in scoring.
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Marquiez Lawrence (14 points, 10 rebounds) recorded the first double-double of the season for Central Missouri in the win over MidAmerica Nazarene. He picked up his second of the year with 11 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in the loss to Northwest Missouri.
SERIES HISTORY VS. FORT HAYS STATE• This will be the 21st all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Fort Hays State. The Mules lead the series 12-8 after an 80-71 win last year in Hays. UCM has now won back-to-back games in the series.
• The Mules lead the series 6-1 in games played in Warrensburg and have won three straight at the Multi.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NEBRASKA-KEARNEY• This will be the eighth all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney with the Mules holding a 4-3 series lead.
• The Lopers beat UCM 65-64 last year in Kearney to snap a two-game skid in the series.
• The Mules lead the series 2-1 in games played in Warrensburg.
LAST MEETING WITH FORT HAYS STATE• The Mules ended the game on a 13-4 run and beat Fort Hays State 80-71 last year in Hays. It was the only meeting between the two last season.
• The win snapped a three-game losing streak at Gross Memorial Coliseum and was the first win in Hays for UCM since the 2009-10 season.
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TJ White led all scorers with a career-high 20 points and 6 assists off the bench. He also had four rebounds and a blocked shot.
• Three other Mules finished in double figures;
Dillon Deck had 17 points off the bench,
Rakeem Dickerson finished with 14 points and six assists and
Preston Brunz had 11 points and four assists.
• The Mules outscored the Tigers 38-16 in the paint, 8-0 in fast break points and 44-22 in bench scoring.
• UCM shot a season-high 65 percent from the field and 75 percent at the foul line.
LAST MEETING WITH NEBRASKA-KEARNEY• The Mules were outscored 42-32 in the second half and couldn't hold a 12-point second half lead as they fell at Nebraska-Kearney 65-64 in the only meeting between the two last season.
• UNK made two free throws with 14.9 seconds to get the win.
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Dillon Deck led the Mules with 16 points off the bench.
Kyle Wolf had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and
Brennen Hughes finished with 14 points.
• The Mules forced 14 Loper turnovers and turned those in to 14 points.
• The UCM bench outscored the UNK bench 24-9.
• Three Lopers finished in double figures, including Ethan Brozek with a game-high 18 points. The Lopers blocked seven UCM shots
SCOUTING THE TIGERS• Fort Hays State enters the game at 7-2 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play after an 84-75 win over Nebraska-Kearney in Hays on Saturday.
• The Tigers are led by 15th-year head coach Mark Johnson, who has a 291-129 record leading Fort Hays State.
• They've won back-to-back games after dropping two straight.
• The Tigers average 80.8 ppg on over 50 percent shooting from the field. They also shoot 43 percent from three-point range and have attempted 23 more free throws than their opponents.
• Dom Samac leads the team in scoring at 18.0 ppg and also pulls down a team-high 7.0 boards per game. Rob Davis (15.3 ppg) and Jake Stoppel (10.3 ppg) are also averaging in double figures.
• Opponents are averaging 73 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the field against FHSU. They are shooting nearly 36 percent from the three-point line.
• The Tigers force nearly 15 turnovers per game and out-rebound their opponents by over five boards per game.
SCOUTING THE LOPERS• Nebraska-Kearney is 4-5 overall and 1-3 in league play after falling to Fort Hays State 84-75 on Saturday. The Lopers have dropped two straight games and four of their last five.
• UNK is led by head coach Kevin Lofton, who is in his 11th season overall and first with the Co-Head Coach title that he shared for 10 years. His record at UNK is 160-130.
• The Lopers average 77.8 ppg on 46.4 percent shooting. They shoot 33.2 percent from three-point range as well.
• They allow 75 ppg defensively on 45.4 percent shooting and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. Opponents have shot 31 more free throws than the Lopers.
• Connor Beranek leads UNK in scoring at 24.1 points per game, second in the MIAA. He also leads the team in rebounding at 8.3 boards per outing.
• Ethan Brozek scores 15.0 points per contest, although he hasn't played in the last two games. Trey Lansman (14.8 ppg) also averages in double figures.
• The Lopers have attempted 205 three-pointers this season, second most in the league.
• They get out-rebounded by nearly four boards per contest.
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 73, EMPORIA STATE 72• 12/12/15EMPORIA, Kan. – The 21st-ranked Mules got big nights from
Kyle Wolf and
D'Marnier Cunningham to hold off Emporia State 73-72 at White Auditorium on Saturday night. Wolf finished with a game-high 24 points and Cunningham had 23.
    The Hornets (4-3, 2-0 MIAA) jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but the Mules (7-1, 1-1 MIAA) regained the lead 6-5 on back-to-back layups from
D'Marnier Cunningham. UCM pushed the lead to five at 16-11 thanks in part to a long three-pointer from
Tony Cochran.
    The UCM lead grew to as many as seven at 20-13 with 11:07 to play in the half on a Cunningham layup. The Hornets answered with five straight points to pull back within two points at 20-18.
    The Mules were able to push the lead back to five at 25-20, but a 7-2 spurt by the Hornets tied the game at 27-all with 5:00 to play in the half. UCM scored six of the final nine points of the half and led 33-30 at halftime.
    The Mules led 39-38 early in the second half when
Kyle Wolf drained back-to-back threes to push the lead to 45-38. It ignited a 15-4 run that ended with another Wolf three and UCM led 54-42 with 10:56 to play.
    The Hornets again answered with a 17-5 run of their own that made it a one-point game, 60-59, with 4:11 to play.
    Wolf drained his fifth three of the game to push the UCM lead to four at 63-59. After a pair of Terrence Moore free throws cut the lead to two, Cunningham drove to the bucket for two and Wolf buried another triple to give the Mules a 68-61 lead with 2:33 on the clock.
    A 7-1 spurt by the Hornets made it just a two point game, 69-67, with 1:03 to play. ESU had a chance to take the lead on a three with :23 to play, but Wolf got the rebound and promptly sank two free throws to give the Mules a four-point advantage.
    Following a Moore layup, Cunningham sank two free throws to push the lead back to four at 73-69 with :07 left. Jay Temaat hit a three with 1.2 to play to make it a one point game, but following a timeout the Mules threw a long inbounds pass and were able to run out the final second for the win.
   Wolf finished the game 7-for-9 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range while Cunningham was 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 at the foul line. The Mules were 26-of-51 for the game, shooting 51 percent. They made 7-of-12 three-pointers for 58 percent and 14-of-19 at the free throw line for 73 percent.
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Spencer Reaves also finished in double figures for UCM with 11 points.
   Emporia State was led by Moore's 14 points. Joshua Oswald and Charles McKinney each finished with 11. The Hornets were 30-of-66 from the floor for 45 percent, but just 6-of-22 from three-point range for 27 percent. ESU made 6-of-12 at the charity stripe.
THE MULES AT HOME• The Mules are 6-1 at home this year after the loss to Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• Central Missouri went 14-2 at home last season.
• Over the last 11 years, UCM is 157-14 at home, including 64-1 against non-conference opponents and 93-13 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 485-91 in their 40th season playing home games at the Multipurpose Building.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 2-0 on the road this season after the 73-72 win at Emporia State on Saturday.
• 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 are 2-1 this season after their one-point victory at Emporia State
• UCM finished the 2014-15 regular season 14-5 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint and second in the final league standings.
• Central Missouri is 174-72 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 6-0 in non-conference action after the wins over SE Oklahoma State and MidAmerica Nazarene.
• The Mules were 11-0 in regular season non-con games last season and are 132-31 over the last 13 seasons.
• Central Missouri is 64-1 in the last 65 non-conference home games at the Multipurpose Building.
A UCM WIN WOULD...• A win of Thursday would give the Mules a 9-1 overall record and 3-1 in MIAA play.
• Give the Mules three straight wins over Fort Hays State for the first time since the 2007-08 and 08-09 seasons.
• A win on Saturday would give the Mules a 5-3 lead in the series with UNK and three straight home wins against the Lopers.
• A sweep would give UCM a 10-1 overall mark, including 4-1 in league play heading into second semester.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• A loss on Thursday would drop the Mules to 8-2 overall and 2-2 in MIAA play and give the Tigers their first win in Warrensburg since the 2009-10 season.
• It would give the Mules back-to-back home losses for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
• A loss on Saturday would give UNK back-to-back wins in the series for the first time ever and their first win in Warrensburg since the 1973-74 season.
• Two losses would drop UCM to 8-3 overall and 2-3 in MIAA play and give the Mules back-to-back losses for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
UCM DURING THE KARLESKINT ERA•
Doug Karleskint has a record of 33-8 (.805) in his second season as head coach at Central Missouri and a 123-42 (.745) 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 moved up six spots in this week's NABC Poll to No. 15. UCM has been ranked in 156 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules dropped 12 spots in to a tie for No. 16 in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA released on Dec. 8. The poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information Directors.
• The Mules stayed put at No. 3 in the latest USBWA Central Region 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 1,648-932 (.639) record in 2,580 total games.
• The Mules are the third winningest program by victories in NCAA-II history.
• Central Missouri is one of just four 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.
• The
Doug Karleskint Show, presented by Bob Showers of Ameritas Investment Svc Corp., live from Traditions Restaurant airs on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. The Show is hosted by Greg Hassler and is broadcast live from Traditions Restaurant at Mules National Golf Club.
UPCOMING• The Mules are off until after the first of the year. UCM returns to action on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 hosting Southwest Baptist at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi.
• The Mules will then hit the road for two stright games at Pittsburg State (Jan. 7) and at Missouri Southern (Jan. 9).
