ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Saturday is simple: win and you're in. 

Griffon Men's Basketball hosts Pittsburg State on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Senior Day inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. If Missouri Western (12-15, 8-13 MIAA) is to extend its three seniors' collegiate careers, it will need to win in order to punch the Griffs' ticket to the MIAA Tournament next week in Kansas City.

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 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.

SALUTE TO YOUR SENIORS
Missouri Western will honor seniors John Anderson Jr., Will Eames and Alex John on Saturday, as they will be playing their final games inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. Anderson Jr. and Eames are both five-year Griffons, beginning their journey at MWSU together alongside Martin during his first year as an assistant coach in 2018-19. John joined the group shortly after in 2019-20, with all three conforming into a collective veteran presence for the Griffon locker room.

WIN & IN
Currently holding onto the ninth seed in the MIAA Tournament, Missouri Western just needs to beat Pitt State in order to confirm its spot in KC. However, if the Griffons were to lose, they need Northeastern State to defeat Central Missouri in order to keep MWSU in the postseason. If this is the case, the Griffs would slide to the 10th spot in the conference and would take on whoever the seventh seed is, which is currently the Hillcats of Rogers State. If MWSU wins and remains the ninth seed, the Griffons would play the eighth seed, which is currently Washburn. 

SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE: FEB. 25, 3:30 PM
Already eliminated from postseason play, the 12th-place Gorillas (5-16, 8-19 MIAA) have nothing but pride to play for this Saturday. Pitt is already making a potential mess of the MIAA bracket, beating third-place Emporia State on Thursday, 68-67, in Emporia, Kansas. Before that, Pitt beat Nebraska Kearney last Saturday on Feb. 18, 93-85, in Pittsburg, Kansas. Before winning back-to-back games, Pitt fell in four-straight outings against the likes of Central Missouri, Lincoln, Missouri Southern (OT) and Fort Hays.

Head Coach
Pitt State is led by first-year leader Jeff Boschee, who is already 0-1 vs. MWSU and Martin, losing to the Griffs earlier this December. The Gorillas started the season 3-3 before losing to MWSU. Since Dec. 1, Pitt is 5-15, suffering an 11-game losing streak Jan. 2 to Jan. 26.

Who to Watch
Junior forward Deshaun English II has been a problem in the paint for opposing teams this season, posting a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game that ranks second in the MIAA. His average of 14.9 points per game ranks him 10th in the conference, and he is tied for 12th in the nation with 12 double-doubles. Quentin Hardrict is another project the Griffon defense will need to work on slowing down, with his 13.6 PPG putting him at 17th in the conference. Hardrict is first in the MIAA with 129 assists and averages a league-high 4.8 per game.

Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons lead the Gorillas in the all-time series dating back to 1976, 44-39, giving Martin the advantage against his team's MIAA rival at 3-2. With Martin on the staff since 2018, the Griffons are 6-2 vs. the Gorillas. The Griffons play great when hosting the Gorillas, holding a 26-15 record when playing Pitt in St. Joseph. Pitt last won in this series, 72-64, on Jan. 1, 2022, at the Looney Complex. 

Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
These two teams' last collision turned out to be a classic, coming down to the final seconds in a breakneck game with seven lead changes and six ties on Dec. 1, 2022, in Pittsburg at John Lance Arena. Following behind at halftime, 31-26, due to a 33.3% performance from the field, MWSU turned it up a notch thanks to the likes of Taye Fields, who led all scorers with 20 points while snagging a double-double with 12 rebounds. Of course, it was Fields who last touched the ball for the Griffons, slamming home the go-ahead dunk with three seconds to spare. R.J. Forney, who had made 5-of-10 attempts from 3-point range at that point, could not connect for a sixth time from deep, giving the Griffs the 66-65 victory. 

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Reese Glover needs one bucket to notch the 300th-field goal of his career.
• Eames need 20 points to reach 1,200 for his career. He also needs nine made free throws to reach 200.
• Fields only needs 10 points to reach 300 for this season. He's 13 away from hitting 500 points in his career.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: FEB. 25
Box Score | Video Recap
As fate has it, the 2012 Griffons also played celebrated Senior Day on Feb. 25, knocking down a then 18-10 Southwest Baptist in convincing fashion. Taking a 41-32 halftime lead, MWSU shot north of 50% in the second half, making 4-of-10 shots from downtown to keep the Bearcats buried, 78-58. Lavonte Douglas scored a game-high 26 points while tearing down nine rebounds, playing all but two minutes in his final game as a Griffon and at the MWSU Fieldhouse.