ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (15-9, 7-6 MIAA) is back on the road and headed south to see Pittsburg State (13-9, 7-5 MIAA) on Wednesday and then Missouri Southern (13-8, 7-5 MIAA) on Saturday in battles between teams caught in a jam in the middle of the MIAA standings.
 
Tip-off from John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kansas on Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center is set for 3:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac on the call.
 
The games will also be available to stream on the MIAA Network with a subscription. Southern and Pitt enter the week tied for fourth place in the league standings, with MoWest just a half-game back in sixth.
 
Last Time Out
Griffon Men's Basketball overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half, but fell short 75-70 in overtime to Central Oklahoma (15-11, 8-6 MIAA) on Saturday at MWSU Fieldhouse.
 
MoWest got off to a slow start in the first half, trailing 33-28 at the break. The Griffons shot 11-of-34 in the first 20 minutes. UCO picked up where they left off to start the second half, and led 46-30 with 13:06 to go. MoWest, at last, started to turn the tide and kept chipping away, getting to within a single possession.
 
Trey McKowen's deep three-pointer with 31 seconds left tied the game at 62-62 in regulation. UCO's Matthew Willenborg missed a winning shot in the lane at the buzzer to send the game to OT.
 
MoWest scored first in OT and didn't trail in OT until UCO's Josh Nwankwo hit a layup 'and-one' to put the Bronchos up 71-68 with 44 seconds left. The Griffons never overcame that, and UCO hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the deal.
 
Ty Henry capped a very productive week, tying his career-high again with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three. Marko Pavlovic dropped 15 points with nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
 
Strength in the Schedule
MoWest's schedule is ranked as the No. 2 toughest in NCAA Division II, per the Massey Ratings. MoWest has lost to only one team this season that has a losing record - at Truman State (9-13). The nine teams that have beaten the Griffons this season have a combined record of 128-62 (.674).
 
Takin' Care of Basketball Business
MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 9 in NCAA Division II with only 10.2 giveaways per game. The Griffs rank No. 2 in the MIAA with a +3.25 turnover margin.
 
Finding Many Free Throws
MoWest is No. 2 in the MIAA in made free throws (392) and is No. 3 in the league with 523 attempts for a free throw percentage of 75% (No. 5 MIAA). MoWest makes an average of 16.3 free throws per game (No. 2 MIAA) while averaging 21.8 attempts per contest (No. 4 MIAA).
 
King-Sized Career
Noah King, who's averaging 16.2 points per game (No. 9 MIAA) this season, has scored at least 20 points in eight 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 2,138 career points as a college basketball player, including 749 points at Kirkwood CC and 1,001 in two seasons at Upper Iowa. He owns 135 career starts as well.
 
Marko's Mark
Freshman forward Marko Pavlovic ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (7.8), No. 3 in field goal percentage (60.9%), and No. 3 in blocked shots (32). Pavlovic leads the MIAA with 65 offensive rebounds. His 187 total rebounds is good for No. 2 in the MIAA. Pavlovic has also logged five double-doubles this season.
 
Opponents at a Glance
Pittsburg State (13-9, 7-5 MIAA) has had a tough stretch as of late, going 2-4 in their last six games. However, the Gorillas got back on track with a convincing 95-57 win at Newman this past Saturday.
 
The Gorillas have been a solid three-point shooting team this season, making 35.8% of their shots from long range (No. 3 MIAA), averaging 8.6 made triples per contest. While Pitt State has the second fewest free throw attempts of any team in the league this season (383), they have the third best percentage in the MIAA on the foul line at 75.7%.
 
Connor Rogers has been the offensive leader for Pitt State, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA with 20 points per game, shooting 48.8% from the field.
 
Series History
Wednesday marks the 88th all-time meeting with Pittsburg State. The Griffons hold a 46-41 advantage in the series, though Pitt State has won each of the last two meetings, including 71-61 in St. Joseph on Feb. 13, 2025.
 
Missouri Southern (13-8, 7-5 MIAA) has been lurking in the weeds, winning each of their last four games since Jan. 29. Most recently, the Lions won emphatically on the road last Thursday at Newman (93-75) and at Emporia State Saturday (93-73). MoSo boasts the No. 2 scoring offense in the MIAA, averaging 86.9 points per game (No. 22 nation). Southern shoots very well at the free throw line, connecting on 76.2% of their shots (No. 2 MIAA, No. 28 nation).
 
Jaden Taylor leads Southern offensively with 18.7 points per game (No. 5 MIAA). Meanwhile, Southeast Missouri State transfer Gavin Elkamil shoots 42% from beyond the arc (No. 2 MIAA, No. 24 nation). He's knocked down 58 three-pointers on the season thus far (No. 4 MIAA).
 
Series History
Saturday will be the 107th all-time meeting with Missouri Southern. The Lions hold a 56-50 advantage in this series, but MoWest has taken each of the last three since Dec. 2022. In fact, December 3, 2022 is the last time the MoWest men have even played in Joplin.