TIP-OFF• The 19th-ranked Central Missouri Mules head back out on the road for the first of their final two road games of the 2014-15 regular season on Wednesday night. UCM will take on Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. on February 11 at Jason Gym in Jefferson City.
• The Mules are 19-4 on the season and 10-4 in MIAA play after a thrilling 71-69 win over Missouri Southern on Saturday. UCM comes in on a three-game winning streak.
• The Blue Tigers are 4-19 overall and 1-13 in conference play after a 77-67 loss at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
• 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.
• UCM's win over Southwest Baptist last Thursday gave the Mules their 18th win of the season, marking the 12th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM setting a new MIAA record. The old streak of 11 straight seasons of 18 or more wins was held by the Mules and Northwest Missouri (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 1,634 wins.
• The Mules are averaging 75.4 points per game and shooting 50.5 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 68.1 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
• In their 19 wins, the Mules are averaging 77.3 points per game and shooting 52.6 percent from the field, while holding opponents to 66.5 points per game and 41.4 percent shooting.
• In the four losses, UCM scores 66.8 points per contest and shoots 42 percent from the field, while opponents are averaging 75.8 points per outing and 51 percent shooting.
• 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.
•
Brennen Hughes recorded his first double-double of the season last Thursday at Southwest Baptist. Hughes scored a team-high 17 points and pulled in 10 rebounds.
• Five Mules have recorded double-doubles this season (Deck, Dickerson, Hughes, White and Wolf).
• Ten different Mules have scored in double figures this season ... nine different Mules have led the team in scoring.
•
Rakeem Dickerson,
Preston Brunz and
TJ White are second and tied for third, respectively, in the MIAA in assist-to-turnover ratio.
•
Brennen Hughes (63.5) and
Dillon Deck (60.8) are first and second in the conference in field goal percentage.
SERIES HISTORY• This will be the 88th all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Lincoln. The Mules hold a 55-32 lead in the series.
• The Mules won the earlier meeting this season, 71-62 in Warrensburg back on January 21. UCM has won 15 straight games in the series.
• The Mules lead the series 24-15 in games played in Jefferson City and have won nine straight games in Jason Gym.
LAST MEETING WITH LINCOLN• The Mules used a 15-5 run to break a 50-all tie and pull away for a 71-62 win over Lincoln back on January 21.
• UCM outscored Lincoln 38-14 in the paint and 41-4 from the bench
•
Tony Cochran and
Dillon Deck led UCM w/ 14 points apiece off the bench.
Rakeem Dickerson had 13 points and
TJ White added 12 to go along with eight rebounds and six assists
•
Donte Adams had seven points and seven rebounds off the bench
• Malcolm McDonald led Lincoln with 18 points and Blake Ralling added 16, while shooting 5-for-5 from three-point range
• The teams tied in rebounding at 32, but the Mules pulled down 10 offensive rebounds compared to eight for the Blue Tigers
• UCM forced 13 Lincoln turnovers and committed just nine of their own
SCOUTING THE BLUE TIGERS• Lincoln enters the game at 4-19 overall and 1-13 in MIAA play under first year head coach John Moseley. The Blue Tigers have lost 13 straight games.
• Lincoln is averaging 63.7 points per game and shooting 44 percent from the field. The Blue Tigers shoot 37 percent from three-point range and 70 percent at the free throw line.
• Defensively, the Blue Tigers give up 75.2 points per game and nearly 48 percent shooting. Opponents are shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc and have attempted 75 more free throws than LU.
• Joshua Buie leads the Blue Tigers in scoring at 17.2 points per game, he's joined in double figures by Mike Smith at 13.2 points per contest and Victor Scott at 10.4 per outing. Smith leads the team in rebounding at 4.4 boards per game.
• Lincoln has seven players averaging at least 5.4 points per contest.
• The Blue Tigers average nearly 29 rebounds per game and are being out-rebounded by almost four boards per game.
• Lincoln forces nearly 12 turnovers per game, but commit over 15 per game as a team.
• The Blue Tigers are being outscored by an average of almost 10 points per game in first halves this year (36.0-26.8).
LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 71, MISSOURI SOUTHERN 69 • 2/7/15WARRENSBURG, Mo. - For the fourth consecutive season, the No. 25 Mules basketball team reached the 19-win mark following a dramatic, 71-69 win over visiting Missouri Southern on Saturday at the Multipurpose Building.
Rakeem Dickerson's go-ahead jumper just in front of the free throw line with five seconds left gave the Mules their fourth-straight win over the Lions in the all-time series.
The Mules (19-4, 10-4 MIAA) were led by senior
TJ White's 19 points, with fellow seniors
Brennen Hughes and
Preston Brunz adding 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The game saw 11 lead changes and six ties. The Mules fell behind early, 9-5, but went on an 8-5 run to take a 13-10 lead courtesy of back-to-back treys from
Brad Woodson and
Jordan Epps.
The Lions went back on top, 14-13 at the 13:45 mark, but the Mules responded with seven straight points to take a 20-14 lead. The scoring run was capped off by Epps' second three-pointer. Missouri Southern's 15-5 run over the next 4:40 gave them a 29-25 lead with just over 6:04 left in the first half. Trailing 34-27 with just over three minutes left,
Dillon Deck and Dickerson closed the gap to 34-30 to keep the game close going into halftime.
The Mules tied the game at 35-35 following a three-pointer by Brunz at the 18:16 mark of the second half. They took a five-point lead just 55 seconds later after another trey from Brunz and a layup by Hughes.
   After Missouri Southern closed to within 44-43, Deck's three-point play bumped the lead back to four points with just over 15 minutes to play.
   The Lions made three straight free throws to take a 49-48 lead with 11:55 to go in the game. They built their lead to seven at the 9:34 mark, but the Mules worked their way back over the next 3:14 to take a 59-58 lead. Hughes and Brunz combined for the last seven points of that stretch to give UCM its first lead since the 13:24 mark of the second half.
   With 1:18 to go and trailing, 67-64, Missouri Southern made three free throw tosses to tie the game at 67-67. On the ensuing possession, Hughes drew a foul and made both of his free throws to put the Mules ahead, 69-67 with 14 seconds on the clock. The Lions came back to tie the game on a layup by Randy Clark with nine seconds to play.
   Dickerson took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court and spotted up at the free throw line, knocking down the go-ahead shot with five seconds to go,
   Missouri Southern's last three-point opportunity came up short as the Mules ran their win streak to three games.
   Central Missouri shot 53.2% (25-of-47) from the floor, including 60.9% (14-of-23) in the second half. The Mules outscored Missouri Southern, 30-16 in the paint and scored 13 points off turnovers.
THE MULES AT HOME• Central Missouri is 165-23 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 11-2 under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Missouri Southern on Saturday.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 148-13 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 89-12 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 476-90 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.
MULES ON THE ROAD• The Mules are 5-2 on the road this season after the 67-64 overtime win at Southwest Baptist last Thursday 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 10-4 in conference action under
Doug Karleskint after the win over Missouri Southern on Saturday. UCM sits in a three-way tie atop the conference standings.
• Central Missouri is 169-70 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 20-4 record overall and 11-4 in MIAA play and keep UCM in first place in the league standings.
• Give UCM 16 straight wins over Lincoln, including 10 straight in Jefferson City.
• Give the Mules their third straight 20-win season and the 24th in program history.
A UCM LOSS WOULD...• Drop the Mules to 19-5 overall and give UCM a 10-5 record in MIAA play and potentially drop them out of first place in the league standings.
• Snap UCM's current three-game winning streak.
• Snap the Mules' 15-game winning streak against Lincoln and their nine-game winning streak in Jefferson City.
BLOCK PARTY• Senior
Dillon Deck has 59 blocked shots in his UCM career, moving him past Mike Moultrie and in to fourth place on UCM's career blocks list. He is 17 blocks shy of tying Kelvin Richardson (1995-96) for third place on UCM's career list.
• He blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history.
MULES SECURE SPOT IN MIAA TOURNAMENT• With the win over Missouri Southern on February 7, the Mules clinched a spot in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. The Mules have made the MIAA Tournament every year since it's inception, the only school to do so.
• This year's tournament will begin on Monday, March 2 with seeds Nos. 5-12 playing play-in games at the higher seeded school. The winners of those four games will advance to play at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium March 5-8 along with the top four teams in the league, who all receive byes to Kansas City. Men's quarterfinal action will tip-off on Thursday, March 5.
KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START•
Doug Karleskint is 19-4 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 109-38 (.741) 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 six spots to No. 19 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday.
• The Mules have been ranked in 149 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules were unranked in the Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA for the second straight week. 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 1,634-928 (.638) record in 2,562 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 98.5 The Bar, 1450 KOKO 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, 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 returns home to start a three-game homestand on Saturday, February 14 against Lindenwood. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Multipurpose Building.
