ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (12-5, 4-2 MIAA) stays home to rematch a pair of MIAA foes - Fort Hays State (11-4, 3-3 MIAA) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and then Nebraska-Kearney (8-9, 1-5 MIAA) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
 
Both games will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
 
Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac will be on the call, with former Griffon Men's Basketball coach and Hall-of-Famer Tom Smith as analyst.
 
MoWest gets set for its first rematches of the season. The Griffons rung in the New Year on Jan. 1 with a 104-80 win at Nebraska-Kearney, but followed that up with a narrow 67-65 loss at Fort Hays State on Jan. 3.
 
A Quick Recap
Griffon Men's Basketball captured a momentum-building win Saturday with an 88–76 victory over Central Missouri (13-5, 4-2 MIAA) at MWSU Fieldhouse.
 
The Griffons caught fire in the second half, building its largest lead of the game at 73–57 with 8:07 remaining.
 
MoWest closed the game, shooting 55.9% from the field (33-of-59). The Griffons went 43.8% from three-point range (7-of-16) and finished 15-of-18 at the free-throw line (83.3%).
 
Ty Henry led the Griffons by matching his career-best 23 points, delivering an efficient 9-of-12 outing from the field. He connected on 3-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc and went a perfect 2-of-2 at the line, while also contributing two rebounds and three steals.
 
Noah King followed with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field, connecting on 1-of-4 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 at the free-throw line, while contributing five rebounds and a team-high six assists.
 
Marko Pavlovic also finished with 18 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-4 at the line, while pulling down nine rebounds and adding a steal. Trey McKowen chipped in 10 points in 14 minutes, going 3-of-4 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free-throw line.
 
Takin' Care of Basketball Business
The Griffs' 1.36 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks No. 2 in the MIAA. Their turnover margin of +3.29 ranks No. 2 in the MIAA as well. MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 4 in NCAA Division II with only 10.1 giveaways per game.
 
Finding Many Free Throws
MoWest currently leads the MIAA in made free throws (277) and is No. 3 in the league with 373 attempts for a free throw percentage of 74.3% (No. 4 MIAA).
 
King-Sized Career
Noah King, who's averaging 17.4 points per game (8th MIAA) this season, 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, 2025.
 
King is up to 2,046 career points as a college basketball player, including 749 points at Kirkwood CC and 1,001 in two seasons at Upper Iowa. He owns 129 career starts as well.
 
Marko's Mark
Freshman forward Marko Pavlovic ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (8.4), No. 5 in field goal percentage (58.3%), and No. 3 in blocked shots (22).
 
Pavlovic leads the MIAA with 53 offensive rebounds – tied for No. 9 in NCAA Division II. His 142 total rebounds is good for No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 18 in NCAA D2.
 
Ty on the Line
Senior Ty Henry ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 18 in NCAA D2 in free throw percentage at 91.5% (43-of-47).

Opponents at a Glance
Fort Hays State (11-4, 3-3 MIAA) is playing well, winning six of their last seven games, though stumbling at Nebraska-Kearney last Tuesday, 68-67.
 
But as usual, under 25th-year head coach Mark Johnson, Fort Hays State boasts an impressive defensive threat, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 3 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense, allowing just 60 points per game. The Tigers also limit opponents to just 37.3% shooting from the field (No. 1 MIAA, No. 3 nation) and 25.9% from long range (No. 1 MIAA, No. 3 nation).
 
Hays' leading scoring threat is Dan Mukuna, who averages 19.1 points per game (No. 6 MIAA) while shooting 64.5% from the field (No. 2 MIAA, No. 9 nation). He's also blocked 18 shots on the season (No. 4 MIAA) and averages 7.3 rebounds per game (t-4th MIAA).
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 62nd all-time meeting with Fort Hays State. The Tigers lead the series 41-20 all-time, winning five of the last six meetings overall, including a 67-65 win over the Griffons in Hays on Jan. 3, thanks to a Lucas Hammeke basket that broke a tie with just four seconds remaining.
 
Nebraska-Kearney (8-9, 1-5 MIAA) got off to a strong start this season, scoring wins over then No. 10 Colorado School of Mines and No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State back in November.
 
However, the Lopers have had a humbling start to MIAA play with losses at No. 2 Washburn (92-64), at Central Missouri (99-69) and most recently at Emporia State (82-79). UNK has also lost home conference battles to MoWest (104-80) on Jan. 1 and Northwest Missouri State (100-94) on Jan. 3. The Lopers' lone conference win came at home against top rival Fort Hays State, as they beat the Tigers 68-67 on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
 
UNK has shown the ability to shoot the three this season, making 145 triples (No. 3 MIAA) for an average of 8.5 makes per game.
 
UNK is led in scoring by returning starter Ja'Bryant Hill, who's averaging 17.3 points per game (No. 9 MIAA) and 5.6 assists per contest (No. 2 MIAA, No. 15 nation). Hill's 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks No. 4 in the MIAA as well. Hill scored 25 points against the Griffons on Jan. 1 and has scored 20 or more in seven games this season.
 
Tom Connelly is the leading threat from beyond the arc for UNK, sinking 42 triples on the season (No. 3 MIAA).
 
Series History
Thursday marks the 57th all-time meeting with Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers lead the all-time series 24-22, but MoWest has now won three of the last four meetings.