ST. JOSEPH, Mo. –The Missouri Western men's basketball team (12-6, 4-4 MIAA) returns home after a four-game road trip to rematch Central Missouri on Wednesday and the top-ranked Washburn on Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Action against the Mules (9-8, 4-4 MIAA) is set for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The theme of the game will be a 'White Out.' The first 50 students will receive a free rally towel.
The weekend will conclude with a game against the undefeated, top-ranked team in the country, Washburn (17-0, 8-0 MIAA), on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The theme for the game is "Jersey Night."
Tommy Rezac will call both contests. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes before the game, live on the Varsity Network App and at
GoGriffons.com/listen.
WATCH - MIAA NETWORK
All MIAA football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball, baseball and softball regular season conference games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network. The MIAA Network showcased over 1,500 live broadcasts for its 14 member schools last season. For more information, visit
https://www.themiaanetwork.com/.
LISTEN - GRIFFON SPORTS NETWORK (Varsity Network App & GoGriffons.com/listen)
Live streams of Missouri Western athletics are now available on The Varsity Network app! All home and away football and men's and women's basketball games will be available to listen to for FREE on the Varsity Network App and at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts.
Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen to the Griffons,
click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at
GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at
GoGriffons.com/listen in the 'On Demand' section, and on the
Griffon Sports Insider Podcast, which is available on Spotify, Apple and wherever you podcast.
MIAA STANDINGS
| School |
Conf |
CPct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
Streak |
| Washburn |
8-0 |
1.000 |
17-0 |
1.000 |
W17 |
| Fort Hays State |
5-2 |
.714 |
12-4 |
.750 |
W3 |
| Northeastern State |
5-2 |
.714 |
11-5 |
.688 |
W1 |
| Rogers State |
5-3 |
.625 |
14-6 |
.700 |
W1 |
| Pittsburg State |
5-3 |
.625 |
9-8 |
.529 |
L1 |
| Nebraska Kearney |
4-3 |
.571 |
6-9 |
.400 |
L1 |
| Missouri Western |
4-4 |
.500 |
12-6 |
.667 |
W1 |
| Central Missouri |
4-4 |
.500 |
9-8 |
.529 |
W2 |
| Missouri Southern |
4-4 |
.500 |
9-8 |
.529 |
L1 |
| Newman |
3-5 |
.375 |
10-7 |
.588 |
L2 |
| Central Oklahoma |
3-5 |
.375 |
9-8 |
.529 |
W1 |
| Northwest Missouri |
2-6 |
.250 |
4-13 |
.235 |
L3 |
| Arkansas-Fort Smith |
1-6 |
.143 |
7-9 |
.438 |
L1 |
| Emporia State |
1-7 |
.125 |
4-13 |
.235 |
L7 |
TOP GRIFFON PERFORMERS
Zane Nelson, a senior transfer from Arkansas Monticello, is having an incredible season with the Griffons. He leads the team with 289 points and has an impressive shooting percentage of 45% (102-for-232) from the field. Averaging 16.1 points per game, he ranks third in the conference in scoring, and his 77 assists are the third-highest in the league.
Zion Swader has also enjoyed an impressive senior year, averaging 11.4 points per game with a shooting accuracy of 45% (71-for-155). Defensively, he has recorded 32 steals, which ranks him fifth in the MIAA. Additionally, he has amassed a total of 80 rebounds and 39 assists.
Senior
Julius Dixon paces the Griffs with 117 rebounds, ranking 4th in the MIAA. Additionally, fellow senior
Kiani Saxon leads the team with 22 blocks, tying for fourth in the MIAA. Rounding out the starting five, senior
Justin Bubak has recorded 168 points (9.3 AVG/G), 68 rebounds, 12 steals and nine blocks.
ABOUT THE MULES
Since their tightly contested 59-55 home loss to MWSU on January 11, the Mules have rallied with two straight wins against Newman (80-70) and Emporia State (48-45).
Central Missouri and Missouri Western are 5-5 in their last 10 matchups heading into Wednesday's clash. The Mules won the last meeting in St. Joseph, 79-74, but the Griffs have won three of the previous four on Tom Smith Court.
UCM's player to watch is senior guard DeAirius Baker. The Cincinnati, Ohio native leads the team in scoring with 212 points (12.5 AVG/G) on 66-of-163 (41%) shooting this season. He has also recorded 41 rebounds, 27 assists and 24 steals.
ABOUT THE ICHABODS
Washburn is experiencing a remarkable undefeated season to this point, which has led to its No. 1 ranking. Following their 92-74 victory over Western in Topeka on January 8, they have secured three convincing wins: 96-66 against Northwest, 83-72 against Emporia State and 121-73 against Newman.
The Ichabods have controlled recent series history between the two teams, winning eight out of the last 10 matchups against the Griffons. They took last season's game in St. Joseph with a score of 83-77, but the previous four encounters at the Looney Complex have been evenly divided between the two teams.
WU's player to watch is Brayden Shorter from Springfield, Missouri. The sophomore guard is averaging 16.6 points per game on 98-of-216 (45%) shooting this season. Additionally, he tallied 70 rebounds, 20 steals, 15 assists and six blocks.
LOOKING AHEAD
After this week's matchups with the Mules and Ichabods, the Griffons will wrap up their non-conference schedule against Haskell on January 29 before finishing their four-game home stand against Northwest Missouri State on February 1.
