ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The most competitive time of the year is here.

Griffon Men's Basketball (3-2) enters MIAA play this week riding back-to-back wins for the first time this season. They face road matchups against Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern this Thursday and Saturday, two teams picked below Missouri Western in both the MIAA Media Poll and Coaches Poll.

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
Griffon fans wishing to watch or listen to the games can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac on the MIAA Network and KFEQ Radio. Derek Zimmerman-Guyer and Paul Smith will handle broadcast duties on Thursday at Pitt State, while Rezac returns for Saturday's game against Southern. Admission can be purchased by clicking on the "Tickets" tab above. Catch exclusive interviews with Head Coach Will Martin during the pregame shows. 

REINING AND DEFENDING ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Junior forward/guard Will Eames is fresh off of winning his first-ever MIAA Athlete of the Week Award, averaging 15.5 points, seven rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in last week's 2-0 run through Rockhurst and Avila. Eames dropped a season-high 19 points last Thursday vs. the Hawks and followed up with 12 more against the Eagles. Eames ranks ninth in the MIAA with seven rebounds per game, while teammate Julius Dixon is sixth with 7.6 RPG. Eames' time on the court is reaching iron-man levels of consistency, ranking tied for fourth in the league with 34.2 minutes played per contest. 

DIXON IS DYNAMITE
Speaking of consistency, Dixon's scoring prowess is yet to be slowed down this season. The sophomore Griffon averages a team-high 13.4 PPG, which is 20th in the MIAA. Dixon is the only Griffon and one of just 11 MIAA players to score in double-figures in every game this season after scoring 10 vs. Avila. He's been close to a double-double twice this season, pulling in nine rebounds against both Minnesota Crookston and Avila. Since going 2-of-4 from the free-throw line in the first game of the season, Dixon is a perfect 12-of-12 since then, with last Saturday's game marking the first time he didn't appear at the charity stripe.

SCOUTING PITT STATE: DEC. 1 - 7:30 PM
Pittsburg State (3-3, 1-0 MIAA) welcomes MWSU with a conference game already under the Gorillas' belts. They defeated Lincoln on Monday, 66-54, in Pittsburg, Kansas, at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court. Thursday will be Pitt's fifth-straight home game in a six-contest stretch, where it has gone 2-2 in that span. The Gorillas were swept by Quincy and Illinois-Springfield on their own home court at the Pitt State Classic on Nov. 18-19, but they were able to bounce back with their first consecutive wins of the season, including an 80-75 win over NAIA program Harris-Stowe State.

Head Coach
The Gorillas are led by first-year Head Coach Jeff Boschee. Pitt was picked tied for 10th in the MIAA Coaches Poll and 10th in the Media Poll. This is his first game vs. MWSU.

Who to Watch
With its first MIAA win of the season also came Pitt's first milestone moment of 2022, as Deshaun English II tied a 56-year-old program record with 23 rebounds vs. Lincoln, chipping in 17 points on top of that. English II is one of two MIAA players (Kevin Kone, Lincoln) to average a double-double, pulling down a league-high 13.6 RPG while averaging a team-high 13.4 PPG.

Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons lead the Gorillas in the all-time series dating back to 1976, 43-39, putting Martin even against his team's MIAA rival at 2-2. With Martin on the staff since 2018, the Griffons are 5-2 vs. the Gorillas. Pitt does hold a slight advantage at home, however, going 23-16 vs. MWSU when playing at John Lance Arena. Pitt last won in this series on Jan. 1, 2022, in a 72-64 final in St. Joseph.

Last Time Out
Missouri Western handled business on Feb. 12, 2022, defeating Pitt, 75-53, at John Lance Arena in a game the Griffons never trailed in. Five Griffons scored in double-figures, with Eames leading the way with a game-high 17 points. Meanwhile, none of  Pitt's starters scored more than seven. 

SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN: DEC. 3 - 3:30 PM
Missouri Southern (4-2) rides into this week's contests with one game vs. No. 1 Northwest Missouri (6-0) on Thursday a 7:30 p.m. in Joplin, Missouri. After that, the Lions will stay put at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center for their fourth-straight home game in Saturday's test vs. Missouri Western. After starting the season 0-2, Southern defeated both Illinois Springfield and Quincy by single-digits and swept through NAIA programs Tabor College and Central Christian College to extend its winning streak to four.

Mr. McMahon 
The Lions are led by first-year Head Coach Sam McMahon. His team was tabbed eighth in the MIAA Coaches Poll and seventh in the Media Poll. This is his first game vs. MWSU.

Who to Watch
Ndongo Ndaw is not someone to take lightly on the boards, as he averages 7.5 RPG, good for seventh most in the MIAA. He also averages the second-most blocks per game with a slash of 1.8. Winston Dessesow is 11th in the conference with 2.4 3-pointers per game, while Avery Taggart is 12th with 2.3

Record Rabbit Hole
Dating back to 1969, Southern is 56-47 vs. MWSU. The Lions hold a three-game winning streak over Martin and the Griffons, as MWSU's head coach is 1-3 vs. MSSU. That lone win as a head coach occurred on Dec. 19, 2020, in Martin's first season as head honcho, where his No. 19 Griffons defeated the Lions, 88-86, in Joplin. It was just MWSU's first win in Joplin since 2011, as MSSU is 38-12 when playing the Griffons at home. Since he joined the program in 2018, Martin is 2-5 vs. Southern.

Last Time Out
In a crucial game with both teams teetering around .500 last season, Southern escaped St. Joseph with a 71-68 victory in a game that saw seven ties and four lead changes. All but one Lion starters scored in double-figures, while three Griffon starters followed suit. JaQuaylon Mays of MWSU fired a last-second 3-pointer to tie the game, but it came up short. 

ON THESE DAYS IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: DEC. 1-3
Twelve years ago on this very day, the 2010 Griffons also played Pitt State, defeating the Gorillas from bell-to-bell in a 94-79 triumph. P'Allen Stinnett led the team with 22 points, as did Jonathan Phelps off the bench. TJ Johnson, James Harvey and Jeffrey West all scored in double-figures as well. The Gorilla's largest lead was by just six points midway through the first half.

On Dec. 3 in 2008, Missouri Western also played Pitt, once again winning, 86-75. The Griffon starters got after the Gorillas on offense, as all five MWSU starters score more than 10. Dominique Thuston led the Griffons with 23 points, as MWSU outscored PSU in the paint, 30-22.

NOTABLES

• Reese Glover needs nine more 3-pointers to tie Heath Dudley for second all-time at 217. He is 29 points away from 800 career points and one field goal away from his 250th.
• With 683 career rebounds, Will Eames needs two more to tie Dave Byers (1971-75) for fifth all-time.
• Eames is also the fifth-ever Griffon to record over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
• MWSU blocked a season-high five shots vs. Avila.
• Also, against Avila, the Griffons shot a season-high 28 3-pointers on Saturday. 
• In its last two games, MWSU held both opponents to under 30% from the field. 
• The Griffons have not been out-rebounded all season.

NABC Coaches Poll - Nov. 20, 2022

D2SIDA Men's Basketball National Media Poll Week 3 – Nov. 29, 2022