Get your tickets at gogriffons.com, call 816-271-4481 or pick them up from our office located in Looney Complex 229 and is open 8 AM - 4:30 PM Monday - Friday.  Tickets may be purchased on game day beginning 90 minutes prior to tip off at the fieldhouse.

Griffon Notes

• This marks the 44th season of Griffons men's basketball

• This marks the first season in 25 years that the MWSU basketball team will be playing under a new head coach. Brett Weiberg is in his first season at MWSU and 8th season overall. He is 134-90 as a head coach with the previous seven seasons being at Northeastern Oklahoma College. He is just the 4th head coach in MWSU history and had  a 27-4 record last season at Northeastern. 

• The Griffons have been balanced in the scoring category with six players scoring eight or more points a game. Two players average double digit numbers with Cortrez Colbert leading the way at 16.1 points per game. Ryan Devers and Cedric Clinkscales have pitched in 14.1 and 9.8 points respectively. 

• The Griffons have struggled to rebound the ball getting outrebounded by nearly six a game. They have just 33.9 rebounds to their opponents 39.6. They do have three players averaging four or more rebounds per game with Cedric Clinkscales snaring 6.9 a game. 

• The Griffons have 21 less turnovers than it's opponents and 26 more steals. Eight players have at least three steals this season with Fulton leading the charge with 14. 

• Since joining the MIAA in 1989-1990 the Griffons are 15-9 in MIAA openers. The Griffons are 6-3 at home and 9-6 on the road. This marks the first time the Griffons and the Tigers have met in an MIAA opener. 

• Since 1989-90 the Griffons are  18-6 in home MIAA openers. They fell last season against the Truman State Bulldogs by a score of 71-69 on Wednesday, December 5. The Griffons then lost in overtime against Fort Hays State by a score of 84-74 on Saturday, December 8. 

• The Griffons are 3-1 since 1994-95 in games that are played on December 7. The Griffons are 2-1 at home and 1-0 on a neutral floor. They are also 1-0 against a ranked opponent as they defeated then #1 Missouri Southern by a score of 75-67 in 2011 in the fieldhouse. 

• The Fort Hays State Tigers are currently 7-0 on the season and ranked 20th in the nation. Three of their seven games have been played in Hays. The Tigers have beaten its opponents by nearly 20 points per game. They have five players scoring in double figures with Dwayne Brunson leading the way with 19.9 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Craig Nicholson is dumping in 15.4 points per game a dishing out nine assists. 

• The Griffons were picked to finish 11th in the MIAA preseason coaches poll and 12th in the preseason media poll while the Tigers were picked 1st in both preseason polls.  

Coaches vs. Each Program (FHSU):

This marks the first meeting for Brett Weiberg with the Tigers. Fort Hays head coach Mark Johnson is 11-5 all-time against the Griffons. Johnson is 1-1 on a neutral floor, 4-3 in St. Joseph and 6-1 in Hays. 

The Series vs. the Tigers:

The Griffons and the Tigers will meet for the 44th  time in school history. The Tigers led the series 31-12. The Tigers lead 14-8 in St. Joseph, 16-3 in Hays and the two teams are tied 1-1 on a neutral floor. 

Taking Care of the Ball

In order for the Griffons to be successful this season they have to keep the turnovers down. So far this season they have done just that turning it over just 73 times for an average of 9.1 per game. When the Griffons have turned the ball over less than their opponents they are 5-1 this season. When they turn the ball over the same amount of more they are 0-2.

Dishing the Rock

The Griffons have been very good at getting their teammates involved. Guards Ryan Devers, Cortrez Colbert and Adarius Fulton have dished out 34, 28 and 20 assists respectively. The Griffons have 115 assists on the season and when they dish out 15 assists or more the Griffons are 4-1 this season and when they have less than 15 assists they are 1-2. 

Got to Rebound

With being undersized the Griffons have to rebound the ball. They are getting outrebounded by nearly six a game. The Griffons have been outrebounded in all but two of their games this season. When they either outrebounded or keep the rebounding margin under ten they are 5-2 on the season. 

Same Starting Lineup

The Griffons have used the same starting lineup in all eight games this season. They have started guards, Cortrez Colbert, Ryan Devers and Adarius Fulton. Underneath they have used Cedric Clinkscales and Dzenan Mrkaljevic. 

Griffon Wins Against Top-25 Ranked Teams:

Since 2001-2002 the Griffons have defeated 14 teams that were ranked in the top-25 which includes their biggest upset yet on Dec. 7 in the fieldhouse when they defeated No. 1 Missouri Southern 75-67.

02/06/13 @ #17 Washburn - 79-74

01/12/13 vs. #24 Northwest Missouri State - 71-58

12/7/11 vs. #1 Missouri Southern - W, 75-67

12/11/10 vs. #6 Fort Hays State - W, 78-77

02/01/10 vs. #3 Fort Hays State - W, 75-69

02/24/09 vs. #2 Central Missouri - W, 55-49

12/18/09 vs. #12 Drury - W, 91-84 in High Desert Classic in Las Vegas

11/21/09 vs. #17 Central Oklahoma - W, 83-79 in Hillyard Tipoff Classic

2/19/05 @ #6 Central Missouri - W, 70-68

12/29/04 vs. #6 Washburn - W, 73-70

1/29/03 @ #18 Washburn - W, 68-67

1/23/02 vs. #13 Missouri Southern - W, 80-73

1/2/02 @ #4 Washburn - W, 95-92

1/30/02 vs. #11 Washburn - W, 73-71

2/4/02 @ #3 Northwest Missouri State - W, 64-59

Up Next

The Griffons open up road MIAA play on Thursday, December 19 with a trip to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on the Northeastern State Universtiy RiverHawks in MIAA action. Game time is set for 7:30 pm in the Multipurpose Event Center.