ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — With the race to the MIAA Tournament ending soon, Griffon Men's Basketball prepares to take on Newman on Wednesday and Nebraska Kearney on Thursday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast the game live on the 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call inside the Looney Complex. Fans that want to watch the game can purchase a subscription to the MIAA network. Admission can be purchased by clicking on the "Tickets" tab above. Catch exclusive interviews with Head Coach
Will Martin and Griffon players during the postgame show.
FACULTY & STAFF APPRECIATION NIGHT + STUDENT-ATHLETE ACADEMIC HONORS NIGHT
Faculty and staff members as well as student-athletes with academic honors will be honored on Wednesday night for their hard work and dedication to Missouri Western. Griffon Men's Basketball will also hold autograph signings once their game has concluded.
LAST THREE IN
Eight teams are already locked into the MIAA Tournament, as MWSU is holding on to ninth place and Central Missouri in 10th. If the season ended today, MWSU (11-14, 7-12 MIAA) would play No. 8-seeded Washburn (13-13, 10-10 MIAA), a team the Griffons have beaten twice this season. Central Missouri (11-15, 7-13 MIAA) may have swept MWSU this regular season, but the Mules could potentially miss out on the tournament all together with games vs. Rogers State and Northeastern State this week. The RiverHawks are 10-14 but also 7-13 in the MIAA, meaning the final regular-season game of the season between UCM and NSU could decide who takes the 10th and final seed in the tourney.
To keep the No. 9 seed, Missouri Western needs to win at least two games while UCM loses at least one. Missouri Western has has Newman, UNK and Pittsburg State left -- the bottom three teams in the conference. The Griffons are 1-2 vs. all three with a win at Pitt State earlier this season on Dec. 1, 2022.
PROTECT LOONEY
Approximately 3,265 fans packed the Looney Complex last time out vs. No. 3/4 Northwest Missouri State, setting a new season-high for the MWSU Fieldhouse. Fans were treated to a classic between MWSU and Northwest, with the Griffs holding a lead for 21 minutes and 14 seconds. With three home games left on the 2022-23 slate, the Griffons have a chance to win 10 home games for the first time since 2019-20.
SCOUTING NEWMAN: FEB. 22 - 7:30 PM
Currently in 12th place and out of the postseason picture, Newman (8-18, 4-16 MIAA) is 1-10 on the road this season and has lost three of their last four games overall. Newman's last road win came during the last calendar year on Dec. 16, 2022, against Nebraska Kearney, 74-71. The Jets found a 79-74 win over a banged up NSU team but couldn't string together a set of wins, most recently losing to Rogers, 88-81 on Feb. 18 in Wichita, Kansas.
Head Coach
Amidst his sixth season as head coach, R.J. Allen is 61-99 overall with Newman and 14-69 inside the MIAA. He is 1-3 vs. MWSU and 1-2 vs. Martin-led teams. Overall, he 0-1 vs. the Griffons when playing in St. Joseph, falling on Feb. 16, 2021, at the MWSU Fieldhouse, 86-75. His defense is giving up the most points per game in the league at 77.1.
Who to Watch
Newman has three scorers averaging 10 points or more this season: sophomore guard Stevie Strong (17.8 PPG); junior guard Latik Murphy (14.4 PPG); and fellow junior guard Stevie Smith (10.7 PPG). Strong's average leads all of the MIAA, while Murphy is 12th in the conference. Smith has scored 10 points or more in all 25 games this season, putting up 40 points twice and 21 points last time out vs. Rogers.
Record Rabbit Hole
Half of Allen's tenure with Newman takes up the entirety of the Jets' rivalry with the Griffons, going 1-3 all-time since joining the MIAA in 2019-20. The Griffons are 1-0 when hosting Newman inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Last Time Out
Box Score
The Griffons suffered their first-ever loss to Newman last time these two teams met on Jan. 12 in Wichita, 71-55. Junior guard
Reese Glover hit the 234th 3-pointer of his career in this game, setting the new MWSU Men's Basketball program record. Sophomore guard
Taye Fields led all Griffs in scoring with 16 points and nine rebounds.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: FEB. 22
Box Score
Taking on the No. 17 Lions on this day in 2020, Missouri Western toppled Missouri Southern, 89-85, despite a 54-point night from Cam Martin. The Griffons subdued their guests at the MWSU Fieldhouse by going 23-of-27 at the free-throw line, making 9-of-10 in the final 33 seconds thanks to Tyus Millhollin and
Tony Chukwuemeke. Millhollin went 12-for-13 at the charity stripe, going off for 22 points. Meanwhile, Tyrell Carroll led all Griffs with 23 points, with then freshman guard
Reese Glover exploding for 16 points off the bench on 4-of-8 shooting from downtown.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY: FEB. 23 - 6:30 PM
Reeling from a three-game losing streak, 14th and last-place UNK (5-21, 3-17 MIAA) is mathematically eliminated from the MIAA Tournament and can only play spoiler. The Lopers have most recently lost to Lincoln, Missouri Southern and Pitt State, with the last two being on the road, where UNK is 0-12 this season.
Head Coach
In his eighth season as head coach at UNK, Kevin Lofton is 107-118 overall and 70-91 in the MIAA. He is amidst his 28th overall season on the UNK coaching staff, first starting as a graduate assistant in 1995. In his time as the lone leader of the Lopers, he is 5-5 vs. MWSU, 3-2 against Martin and 2-3 in St. Joe.
Who to Watch
Graduate student forward Darrian Nebeker is dangerous when he's on, scoring 10 points or more in 24 of 26 games played this season, averaging a team-high 16.8 PPG that ranks tied for fifth in the MIAA. He's second in the conference with 4.3 assists per game, slinging the second-most dimes in the league with 113. He is joined by sharpshooting sophomore guard Sean Evans, who is 11th in the MIAA with 14.6 PPG. Evans is also a sniper from deep, leading the team with a mark of 46.5% from beyond the arc.
Record Rabbit Hole
The Lopers lead the all-time series dating back to the 1976-77 season, 22-18. Since picking the rivalry back up in 2013 after a 24-year hiatus, MWSU is 8-7 vs. UNK and 4-3 when playing in St. Joe. No team has won back-to-back games since MWSU won two in a row from 2019-20.
Last Time Out
Box Score
The Lopers defeated the Griffons, 85-75, on Jan. 28 in Kearney.
Taye Fields led all Griffs in scoring with 20 points, notching a double-double in the process with 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard
Julius Dixon complemented Fields with 18 points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: FEB. 23
Box Score
On this day in 2021, Missouri Western escaped Hays, Kansas, with a 78-73 win over Fort Hays State thanks to a 25-point night from Tyrell Carroll. The Griffons got it done once again at the free-throw line, making 20-of-22 attempts while totaling four blocks on defense.
NOTABLES
- Martin's next win will be the 40th of his head-coaching career.
- With five points vs. Northwest last Saturday, junior forward JaRon Thames eclipsed 800-career points. He also recorded his 100th-career assist.
- Fields hit 350 rebounds in his career with 12 against Northwest. He needs just three more to tally 200 boards this season.
- Fields is also three assists away from hitting 100 for his career.
- Glover is two field goals away from the 300th of his career.
