ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (10-3, 2-0 MIAA) resumes its 2025-26 season in the New Year, diving back into MIAA play with a road trip out west.
 
The Griffons take one of their longest trips of the season with a game at Nebraska-Kearney (7-6, 0-2 MIAA) on Thursday before a meetup at Fort Hays State (8-3, 0-2 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Thursday's game is set to tip at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday's set to start at 2 p.m. Both games will be carried live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac calling the action.
 
The games are also available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription. Saturday's game at Hays is the MIAA Game of the Week, and will be televised regionally on 38 The Spot (Optimum Channel 17 and United Fiber Channel 38 in St. Joseph).
 
A Quick Recap
Griffon Men's Basketball closed out its non-conference schedule with a 100–91 loss at Truman State on Saturday, December 20 at Pershing Arena in Kirksville, Missouri, snapping what was a seven-game win streak.
 
Truman State delivered an outstanding offensive performance, shooting 38-of-61 (62.3%) from the floor. The Bulldogs were sharp from three-point land, knocking down 8-of-18 attempts (44.4%).
 
MoWest finished the game shooting 46.4 percent from the field (32-of-69). The Griffons also knocked down 41.9 percent from three-point range (13-of-31). At the foul line, MoWest went 14-of-19 (73.7%).
 
Noah King led MWSU with 23 points on 40.0% shooting (6-of-15), going 9-of-10 at the free-throw line, while adding five assists and four rebounds. Marko Pavlovic followed with 20 points on 62.5% shooting (10-of-16), adding a team-high 13 rebounds and two assists.
 
Sharp Shooters
MoWest has made 114 three-pointers on the young season, ranking second in the MIAA and tying for No. 21 in the nation. The Griffons are averaging 8.8 made three-pointers per game (5th MIAA).
 
Offensive Glass
MoWest ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game, collecting 166 total through the first 13 games. The 166 O-boards is second most in the MIAA and tied for 18th most of all teams in NCAA Division II.
 
Takin' Care of Basketball Business
The Griffs' 1.47 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and 22nd best in NCAA Division II. Their turnover margin of +3.46 ranks No. 5 in the MIAA as well. MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 4 in NCAA Division II with only 9.9 giveaways per game.
 
Individual Standouts
Noah King has been a scoring machine thus far, averaging 18.5 points per game (7th MIAA). King has scored at least 20 points in seven different games this season, including a career-best 31 in a 90-72 win over Arkansas Tech on November 28 in St. Joseph.
 
King is up to 1,991 career points as a college basketball player, including 749 points at Kirkwood CC and 1,001 over his two seasons at Upper Iowa.
 
Freshman starting forward Marko Pavlovic continues to impress, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (8.2), No. 4 in field goal percentage (61.5%), and No. 2 in blocked shots (18). His 18 blocks is tied for 16th most amongst all players in NCAA Division II.
 
Pavlovic currently leads the MIAA currently with 44 offensive rebounds – tied for No. 8 in NCAA Division II. His 106 total rebounds is good for No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 23 in D2.
 
Elsewhere, Gavin Hershberger currently sits No. 7 in the MIAA with 29 made three-pointers, and William Kiburis ranks No. 6 in the league in field goal percentage (58.2%).
 
Opponents at a Glance
Nebraska-Kearney (7-6, 0-2 MIAA) is off to a strong start in 2025-26, scoring wins this season over then No. 10 Colorado School of Mines and No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State in November.
 
The Lopers had a humbling start to MIAA play in early December, falling at No. 2 Washburn (92-64) and then at Central Missouri (99-69). Still, UNK has played well at home, going 4-0 in the Health and Sports Center so far.
 
The Lopers have shown the ability to shoot the three this season, making 112 triples (No. 4 MIAA) for an average of 8.6 makes per game.
 
UNK is led in scoring by returning starter Ja'Bryant Hill, who's averaging 16.7 points per game (No. 9 MIAA) and 5.5 assists per contest (No. 2 MIAA, No. 15 nation). Tom Connelly is the leading threat from beyond the arc, sinking 31 triples on the season (No. 6 MIAA).
 
Series History
Thursday marks the 56th all-time meeting with Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers lead the all-time series 24-21, with the last 10 meetings since 2021 being split down the middle. MoWest went to Kearney last January and won 83-72.
 
Fort Hays State (8-3, 0-2 MIAA) went into the holiday break on a three-game winning streak, including a 102-42 drubbing at Regis on Dec. 20. The Tigers fell at Central Missouri (64-50) and at No. 2 Washburn (73-66) on Dec. 4 and 6 to open league play.
 
Hays has played well at home, going 5-1 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum thus far. Two of those wins are against NAIA opponents (Bethel, Sterling) and one against NCCAA member Manhattan Christian.
 
As usual, under head coach Mark Johnson's tutelage, Fort Hays State boasts an impressive defensive threat, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 2 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 58.8 points per game. The Tigers also limit their opponents to just 37.4% shooting from the field (No. 2 MIAA, No. 10 nation) and 27.5% from long range (No. 2 MIAA, No. 20 nation).
 
Hays' lead scoring threat is Dan Mukuna, who averages 18.2 points per game (No. 8 MIAA) while shooting 67% from the field (No. 2 MIAA, No. 8 nation). He's also blocked 16 shots on the season (No. 4 MIAA).
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 61st all-time meeting with Fort Hays State. The Tigers lead the series 40-20 all-time, winning four of the last five meetings overall and each of the last four meetups in Hays.
 
FHSU has held MoWest to 50 points or less in each of the last five get-togethers. The Griffons are 1-4 in those five games.