KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Western Men's Basketball begins its postseason journey with a round-one matchup against Washburn on Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium for a spot in the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals.

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will bring Griffon fans the games live on 680 AM and 95.3 FM, as well as streaming live on their website. Tommy Rezac, "The Voice of the Griffons", will bring fans the game live, with pregame coverage beginning thirty minutes before tipoff. Coverage will include an exclusive interview with Griffons Head Coach Will Martin.

GRIFFS GET GOING
Saturday's win over Pittsburg State was the Griffons' (13-15, 9-13 MIAA) second win in a row and fifth win in their last eight games. After a six-game slide, the Griffons are figuring out how to win tight games and getting hot at the right time. One of those five wins came against Washburn in thrilling fashion, winning in overtime on the first-annual basketball Gold Rush Night at the MWSU Fieldhouse. 

MR. CONSISTENCY
Julius Dixon has been nothing short of reliable this season, scoring in double-figures in all but two games this season. His minutes have been consistent as well, playing in 25 or more minutes in every game in all but one this year ,and he has started in 27 of the Griffons' 28 games this season. 

SCOUTING WASHBURN: MARCH 1 - 12 PM
The Ichabods (14-14, 11-11 MIAA) come into the MIAA Tournament as the eight seed, having dropped three of their last five games. The Ichabods have faced the Griffons in two of the last three MIAA Tournaments, so the two teams are familiar with each other when it comes to must-win games.

Head Coach
The 2022-23 season marks Brett Ballard's sixth year in charge of the Ichabods. He is 118-63 overall in charge of Washburn and 56-26 in the MIAA. The run to Ballard's third straight NCAA tournament with the Ichabods starts with Washburn's game against the Griffons on Wednesday. 

Who to Watch
Andrew Orr is leading Washburn with 13.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. Orr is firing at 58.4% from the field, good for second in the MIAA. Tyler Nelson is the only other Washburn player scoring in double-digits with 11.9 PPG. Washburn has been consistent with its starting lineup, with five players starting at least 20 games this season. 

Record Rabbit Hole
Washburn leads the all-time series with the Griffons, winning 60 games compared to MWSU's 43. The last time the Griffons took down Washburn in the postseason was March 6, 2020; a 72-20 win that saw MWSU hold off a furious comeback attempt from the 'Bods, who nearly overcame a nine-point gap in the final five minutes of the game before falling to the Griffs.

Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
The Griffons snapped a six-game skid both against the Ichabods and in the 2023 season, winning in overtime, 81-80, in thrilling fashion. JaRon Thames knocked down the game-winner with two seconds left in overtime to down Washburn in front of a near-capacity crowd at MWSU Fieldhouse. 

NOTABLES

• Since 2020, The Griffons and Ichabods have squared off three times in the postseason. Washburn is 2-1 in those games. 
• Thames has scored 15 or more points in the last three games. 
• Both Dixon and Reese Glover have nailed 61 3-pointers, the highest on the team.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: MARCH 1
Box Score | Video Recap
March 1, 2016, saw the Griffons beat Washburn, 70-54, in the first round of the MIAA Tournament behind Clole Clearman's 20 points. Miles Wentzien scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win. With Washburn tabbed as the sixth seed, the Griffons became the first 11 seed to win in the MIAA Tournament.