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TIP-OFF
• The 20th-ranked Central Missouri Mules open NCAA-II Central Region play on Saturday, March 14 against Northern State from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Tip-off at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is set for noon.
• The Mules are 24-6 overall after falling to Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals last Saturday.
• Northern State enters the NCAA Tournament at 23-8 overall. They finished fourth in the NSIC regular season standings with a 15-7 conference mark. The Wolves were eliminated from the NSIC Tournament by the region's top seed Augustana (67-65).
• UCM's win over Southwest Baptist on Feb. 5 gave the Mules their 18th win of the season. It marked the 12th straight season of at least 18 wins for UCM and set a new MIAA record. The old streak of 11 straight seasons of 18 or more wins was held by Northwest Missouri (1997-2008).
• 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.
• 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 1,639 wins.
• The win at Lincoln on February 11 gave the Mules their third straight 20-win season and the 24th in program history.
• The Mules are averaging 73.6 points per game and shooting 50.3 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 66.9 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.
• In their 24 wins, the Mules are averaging 74.8 points per game and shooting 52 percent from the field, while holding opponents to 64.1 points per game and 41.5 percent shooting.
• In the six losses, UCM scores 69.0 points per contest and shoots 45 percent from the field, while opponents are averaging 77.8 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 FEED
• TJ White has recorded his first four 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 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.
• Preston Brunz, Rakeem Dickerson and TJ White are second, fifth and 13th, respectively, in the MIAA in assist-to-turnover ratio. Brunz is also third in three-point field goal percentage, Dickerson is third in the league in assists, and White is fifth in steals.
• Brennen Hughes (65.1) leads the MIAA in field goal percentage, while TJ White (55.6) is fifth.
• The Mules are 12th in the nation in field goal percentage.

MIAA POSTSEASON HONORS
• The Mules had five players earn All-MIAA honors as voted on by the league's coaches. Brennen Hughes was a First Team All-MIAA selection, Rakeem Dickerson was named to the Second Team and Dillon Deck earned Honorable Mention honors. Preston Brunz and TJ White were both named to the MIAA's All-Defensive Team.
• This is the second straight All-MIAA honor for Deck and the first for the other four players.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be just the second all-time meeting between Central Missouri and Northern State. The Mules lead the series 1-0.
• The Mules beat the Wolves 66-65 to open last season at the Sanford Pentagon Basketball Showcase in Sioux Falls.
• This will be the first meeting with Northern State for Mules head coach Doug Karleskint.

LAST MEETING WITH NORTHERN STATE
• Preston Brunz hit the game-winning jump shot with :36 to play as the Mules rallied for a 66-65 win over Northern State to open the 2013-14 season at the Sanford Pentagon Basketball Showcase in Sioux Falls. Brunz scored 12 points in the game.
• The Mules trailed by four with 2:51 to play, but outscored the Wolves 7-2 down the stretch for the win.
• Brennen Hughes led the Mules with 16 points and had four blocks, including one on NSU's final possession to preserve the win for UCM.
• The Mules shot 44 percent from the field, but just 29 percent from three-point range. Northern State shot 44 percent from the floor and 20 percent (2-of-10) from beyond the arc.
• The game had nine ties and 19 lead changes.
• Seth Bachand led NSU with 16 points and Trent Zomer chipped in 13 points and a team-high seven assists.

SCOUTING THE WOLVES
• Northern State enters the NCAA-II Central Regional at 23-8 overall and winners of four of their last five games. Their only defeat in that time is a 67-65 overtime loss to top-seeded Augustana in the NSIC Tournament.
• The Wolves and the Mules have played four common opponents this year (Minnesota State, Missouri Southern, Pittsburg State, Sioux Falls - twice). The Wolves were 5-0 against those teams, beating MSSU and PSU at the season-opening Sanford Pentagon Showcase, beating Minnesota State at home and sweeping the season series with Sioux Falls. The Mules were 5-1 against those teams.
• The Wolves come in averaging 75.8 points per game offensively and shooting 48 percent from the field. They shoot 38 percent from three-point range, and make 7.5 threes per game, and shoot 71 percent at the free throw line.
• They give up 70.1 points per contest, 44 percent shooting from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Wolves have attempted 74 more free throws than their opponents.
• They out-rebound opponents by almost 3.5 boards per game and pull down 34.1 rebounds per outing. They do the ball over nearly 11.5 times per game, but also force nearly 12 turnovers per game.
• Seth Bachand leads three players averaging in double figures at 13.5 points per contest. Tydan Storrusten chips in 12.3 points per outing and Skye Warwick averages 11.0 per game.
• Bachand also leads the team in rebounding at 7.8 boards per contest.

LAST TIME OUT • MISSOURI SOUTHERN 81, CENTRAL MISSOURI 74 • 3/7/15
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri Southern shot 53 percent from the field and held the Mules to just 21 percent from three-point range as the Lions beat the 18th-ranked Mules 81-74 in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium.
    Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the game and it was a slow start offensively with the game tied 3-3 almost three and a half minutes in the game. The Mules (24-6) took their first lead of the game at 8-7 on a three-pointer from Rakeem Dickerson. The Lions (20-10) went back in front on a Greg Renfroe three-point play and extend the lead to four at the 12:59 mark.
    The Mules came back to tie the game at 15-all on a Kyle Wolf triple with 9:12 to play. The game was tied again at 17-17, but a 15-5 run gave the Tigers a 32-22 lead with 4:43 to play in the half.
    The Mules closed the half on a 10-4 run and trailed 36-32 at the intermission. It could have been closer, but Wolf's three-pointer at the buzzer rattled in then out.
    The Lions quickly pushed the lead back to nine at the start of the second half and it was an uphill battle for the Mules the rest of the way. UCM cut the lead to four on a layup from Brennen Hughes and a three from Preston Brunz, but the Lions answered right back with four straight points to lead by eight with 14:45 to play. The lead was still eight when Dillon Deck made one of two free throws and TJ White scored on a layup and it was 51-46 MSSU with 13:22 to play, but that's as close as the Mules would get.
    A 9-2 run by Southern gave the Lions a 12-point lead with 10:37 to play. The lead stayed around the eight to 10 point range for the majority of the second half before a late run by the Mules. Brunz made two free throws and Wolf scored on a putback to pull UCM with seven at 75-68 with 1:41 to play. Missouri Southern was solid at the free throw line, however, and sealed the game at the line.
    Hughes led four Mules in double figures with 18 points and nine rebounds. Brunz had 16 points and five boards, while Wolf added 12 points and eight boards and Dickerson chipped in 11. The Mules were 26-of-56 from the field for 46 percent, but made just 4-of-19 three-point attempts. UCM was 18-of-24 at the free throw line.
    Missouri Southern had five players in double figures and were led by Taevaunn Prince's 22 points. Cameron Cornelius had 14, while Austin Wright and Renfroe had 12 each and Lane Barlow added 10.
    UCM turned the ball over 13 times, leading to 20 MSSU points.

MULES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Central Missouri has a 37-21 record in 22 NCAA Tournament appearances. UCM played in five regional consolation games between 1965 and 1985 after losing in the first round.
• The Mules went 6-0 last year en route to their second NCAA-II National Championship and their fourth men's basketball title overall.
• The Mules are 20-9 in NCAA Tournament games played on a neutral court, which will be the case for their first round matchup with Northern State.
• UCM is 13-9 in regional first round games, including 5-2 in their last seven.
• The Mules are making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and eighth in the last 13 years.

THE MULES AT HOME
• Central Missouri is 168-23 at the Multipurpose Building over the last 13 years and 14-2 under Doug Karleskint after the win over Missouri Western on Wednesday.
• Over the last nine years, UCM is 151-13 at home, including 59-1 against non-conference opponents and 92-12 in MIAA play.
• The Mules are 479-90 in their 39th season playing home games at the Multi.

MULES ON THE ROAD
• The Mules are 6-3 on the road this season after the 83-73 setback at Northwest Missouri on Saturday. The loss snapped a three-game road winning streak for the Mules.
• The Mules are one of only three teams with a winning record on the road during MIAA play.
• UCM was 8-4 on the road last season, including 7-3 in MIAA play.

MULES IN NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
• UCM is 4-1 this year and 54-21 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after the 81-74 loss to Missouri Southern in the MIAA Tournament semifinals last Saturday.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME?
• The Mules are 4-0 playing in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon, including 1-0 against their first round opponent, Northern State.
• UCM has gone 2-0 to start each of the last two seasons at the Sanford Pentagon Basketball Showcase. UCM beat Northern State (66-65) and Augustana (75-63) last year and they beat Minnesota State (67-66) and Sioux Falls (67-47) this year.

MULES IN MIAA PLAY
• The Mules finished the 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 10-1 in non-conference games this season and 125-30 over the last 13 seasons after the MIAA Tournament loss to Missouri Southern.
• 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
• The Mules are 5-0 this season in the games immediately following a loss after their 67-66 victory over Central Oklahoma last Thursday that followed the loss to Northwest Missouri in the regular season finale.
• The Mules have not lost back-to-back games since dropping three straight since the 2012-13 season (Feb. 2, 7, 9, 2013).

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 25-6 overall record and advance UCM to the Central Region semifinals on Sunday at 5 p.m. against either Minnesota State-Moorhead or Pittsburg State.
• Give UCM a 2-0 lead in the series with Northern State.
• Give the Mules a 5-0 record at the Sanford Pentagon.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• End the Mules' season at 24-7 overall.
• Give UCM back-to-back losses for the first time all season.
• Snap the Mules' six-game NCAA Tournament win streak.

BLOCK PARTY
• Senior Dillon Deck has 69 blocked shots in his UCM career, fourth most on UCM's career blocks list, while Brennen Hughes has 47 in his career, the ninth most.
• Deck is seven blocks shy of tying Kelvin Richardson (1995-96) for third place on UCM's career list, while Hughes is two away from Darryl Somerset (2005-07) and Matt Webb (2011-13) for seventh on the list.
• Deck blocked 32 shots last season, the eighth most in a single season in Central Missouri history. His 37 blocks this season the seventh most in a single season.
• Hughes has 31 blocked shots this season the 10th most on the single-season blocks list.

KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START
• Doug Karleskint is 24-6 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 114-40 (.740) 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.
• His 23 wins are 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.
• 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 dropped two spots to No. 20 in the latest NABC/Division II Rankings released on Tuesday afternoon.
• The Mules have been ranked in 152 polls in the history of the program, the seventh most in NCAA-II history.
• The Mules dropped six spots in to a tie at No. 20 in last week's Division II Media Poll sponsored by D2SIDA. The D2SIDA poll is in its first year of existence and is voted on by a panel of Division II Sports Information Directors.

MULES BASKETBALL HISTORY
• In the 110th season of UCM basketball, the Mules have compiled a 1,639-930 (.638) record in 2,569 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 this season.
• 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.

UPCOMING
• If the Mules beat Northern State they will advance to the NCAA-II Central Region Semifinals against either second-seeded Minnesota State-Moorhead or No. 7 seed Pittsburg State on Sunday at 5 p.m.