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TIP-OFF
• The 20th-ranked Central Missouri Mules will take on fourth-ranked Minnesota State-Moorhead in the NCAA-II Central Region Semifinals on Sunday night at 5 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• The Mules are 25-6 overall after the 82-72 win over Northern State in the opening round on Saturday afternoon.
• Minnesota State-Moorhead comes in at 33-3 overall after beating Pittsburg State 80-68 in their Central Region opener on Saturday afternoon.
• 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 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 73.9 points per game and shooting 50.5 percent from the field. The opposition is averaging 67.0 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc.
• In their 25 wins, the Mules are averaging 75.1 points per game and shooting 52 percent from the field, while holding opponents to 64.4 points per game and 41.6 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 the first ever meeting between Central Missouri and the Dragons of Minnesota State-Moorhead.

LAST MEETING WITH MINNESOTA STATE-MOORHEAD
• This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
• Minnesota State-Moorhead enters the regional semifinals at 33-3 overall and ranked No. 4 in the nation. The Dragons come in having won eight of their last nine games. They lost to top-seeded Augustana in the NSIC Tournament Championship.
• The Dragons are averaging 84.2 points per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range. They shoot 76 percent from the free throw line and have taken almost 200 more free throws than their opponents.
• Four Dragons are averaging in double figures led by Jordan Riewer's 16.6 points per game. He also leads the team with 4.8 rebounds per outing. Isaac Sevlie scores 12.8 points per game, while Aaron Lien and Tyler Vaughan average 12.5 and 10.9 points per contest, respectively.
• MSUM holds opponents to 67.0 points per outing and 42 percent shooting from the field. Opponents are shooting just 36 percent from three-point range against the Dragons.
• The Dragons average nearly 36 rebounds per contest and out-rebound their opponents by over four boards per outing.
• MSUM averages over 16 assists per game and they turn the ball over just 8.5 times per contest. On the flip side, they force nearly 11 turnovers per game by opponents.
• The Dragons average 10 made three-point field goals per game and have attempted 857 threes during the season, nearly 24 attempts per game. The Mules in contrast, have attempted 493 triples for an average of nearly 16 per game.

LAST TIME OUT • CENTRAL MISSOURI 82, NORTHERN STATE 72 • 3/14/15
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The 20th-ranked Mules built a 14-point second half lead then held off a late charge from Northern State to earn an 82-72 win in the Central Regional opener on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon. The Wolves got to within two of the Mules, but UCM got some clutch buckets and was able to ice the game at the foul line.
    The Mules (25-6) broke a 4-all tie with a 7-2 spurt capped by a Brad Woodson three-pointer to lead 11-6 with 13:07 to go in the first half. The Wolves (23-9) responded with four quick points to cut the lead to one at the 11:09 mark.
    A three from Rakeem Dickerson started an 11-2 run that gave the Mules a 10-point cushion, 22-12, with 8:39 to play in the opening half. The Wolves were able to claw back to within five by the 6:35 mark, but the Mules kept the pressure on with hot shooting. A layup from Dickerson pushed the lead to five and following an NSU free throw, Kyle Wolf drilled a three to give UCM a 31-22 lead.
    The Wolves got back to within eight on a couple of occasions, but a jumper from TJ White and a layup from Dillon Deck pushed the Mule lead to 12 at 40-28. Mitch White drained a three for Northern State with just under two minutes to play in the half, but Deck made 1-of-2 foul shots and White scored with just under a minute to play in the half and UCM led 43-31 at halftime.
    Northern State opened the second half on a 5-0 run to pull within seven, but Brennen Hughes' layup with 17:56 to play made it a nine-point lead. Two foul shots from NSU cut it to seven, but Hughes put UCM back in front by nine with a thunderous dunk over an NSU defender. The dunk sparked a 7-1 run that gave the Mules a 52-39 lead with 14:32 to play in the game.
    The Mules pushed the lead to 14 at 60-46 with 12:05 to play in the game, but that's when the Wolves started their comeback. They cut the lead to nine at 64-55 by the 8:07 mark then cut it to five on buckets from Darin Peterka and DJ Pollard with 7:09 to play.
    A pair of free throws from Tydan Stottusten cut the lead to three at the 6;47 mark, but Hughes scored on a layup to push the lead to five and Kyle Wolf knocked down two foul shots to give UCM a 68-61 lead with 6:02 to play. Hughes made one of two free throws to push the lead to eight, but after a pair of traded buckets Skye Warwick hit a three and the lead was five with 4:32 to play. Pollard made two more foul shots to cut the lead to three and two more on the next trip to make it a two-point game, 72-70, with 2:15 to play.
    Deck came up with a huge tip-in on the Mules' next possession to push the lead back to four then made one of two free throws to give UCM a five-point cushion. Following a missed three pointer by NSU, Preston Brunz calmly hit two free throws and UCM led 77-70 with :59 to play. The Mules would make 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to salt the game away and come out with the 82-72 win.
    Dickerson led UCM w/ 22 points to go along with six assists. Deck added 18 points and six rebounds while Wolf had 11 points and seven boards and White chipped in 10 points. The Mules shot 55 percent from the field, 26-of-47, and were 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. UCM was 26-of-35 at the foul line for 74 percent.
    The Wolves were led by Pollard's game-high 24 points. Seth Bachand had 14 and Peterka added 11. NSU was 22-of-52 from the field for 42 percent and made just 4-of-23 three-point attempts for 17 percent. They were 24-of-32 at the foul line for 75 percent, including 20-of-24 in the second half.
    The Mules out-scored the Wolves 42-34 in the paint and held a 37-24 advantage in rebounding.

MULES IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
• Central Missouri has a 38-21 record in 22 NCAA Tournament appearances after the opening round win over Northern State. 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 21-9 in NCAA Tournament games played on a neutral court, which will be the case for their semifinal round matchup with Minnesota State-Moorhead.
• The Mules are 6-7 in second round regional games.
• UCM is 14-9 in regional first round games, including 6-2 in their last eight after the win on Saturday.
• 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 5-1 this year and 55-21 in neutral site games over the last 13 years after the win over Northern State on Saturday afternoon.
• The Mules were 9-1 in neutral site games last season.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME?
• The Mules are 5-0 playing in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon, after their 82-72 win over Northern State in the opening round.
• 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 11-1 in non-conference games this season and 126-30 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.

A UCM WIN WOULD...
• Give the Mules an 26-6 overall record and advance UCM to the Central Region Finals on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
• Give the Mules a 6-0 record at the Sanford Pentagon.

A UCM LOSS WOULD...
• End the Mules' season at 25-7 overall.
• Snap the Mules' seven-game NCAA Tournament win streak.

BLOCK PARTY
• Senior Dillon Deck has 71 blocked shots in his UCM career, fourth most on UCM's career blocks list, while Brennen Hughes has 49 in his career, the ninth most.
• Deck is five blocks shy of tying Kelvin Richardson (1995-96) for third place on UCM's career list, while Hughes is tied with Darryl Somerset (2005-07) and Matt Webb (2011-13) for seventh on the list.
• Deck blocked 32 shots last season, the ninth most in a single season in Central Missouri history. His 39 blocks this season the sixth most in a single season.
• Hughes has 33 blocked shots this season the eighth most on the single-season blocks list.

KARLESKINT ERA OFF TO A GOOD START
• Doug Karleskint is 25-6 in his first season as the head coach at Central Missouri and 115-40 (.742) 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 1,640-930 (.638) record in 2,570 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 Minnesota State-Moorhead on Sunday night they will advance to Tuesday night's regional championship game at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the NCAA-II Elite Eight in Evansville, Indiana.