ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (17-9, 9-6 MIAA) is back home for MIAA battles with Arkansas-Fort Smith (18-6, 9-6 MIAA) and Northeastern State (12-12, 5-10 MIAA)
 
Tip-off from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph on Thursday is set for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game will be at 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 alongside Hall of Fame coach Tom Smith.
 
The games will also be available to stream on the MIAA Network with a subscription. The Griffons enter the week on a roll, winning four of their last five games with chances to improve their MIAA tournament seeding and potential NCAA tournament seeding.

Saturday will also serve as Senior Day for Noah King, Devin Butler and Ty Henry.
 
Last Time Out
Griffon Men's Basketball overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half and held off Missouri Southern for a 66-65 win at Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium inside the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center in Joplin on Saturday.
 
Southern's lead grew to 44-34 with 18:08 to go, but MoWest stayed the course and eventually took its first lead of the second half at 59-58 with 6:30 to go, thanks to a Noah King three-pointer.
 
Another big three by Devin Butler put MoWest ahead 64-61 with 2:57 remaining. The Griffons never trailed after that, but Southern cut it to a one-point game with 14 seconds to go.
 
After a missed front end of a 'one-and-one,' Southern got the ball back with a chance to win at the buzzer, but a three-pointer at the tail end by MSSU's Gavyn Elkamil went out, giving MoWest the win.
 
Butler came off the bench for a team-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a 4-of-5 effort from three. Frank Keller came off the bench for a season-high 11 points. The Griffs were 10-of-27 (37%) from three and 21-of-49 (42.9%) from the field overall. MoWest also made 14-of-17 (82.4%) at the foul line.
 
The Griffons got 38 points from their bench and scored 12 points off of 10 Southern turnovers.
 
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 (10-14).
 
Takin' Care of Basketball Business
MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 14 in NCAA Division II with only 10.3 giveaways per game. The Griffs rank No. 2 in the MIAA with a +2.85 turnover margin.
 
Finding Many Free Throws
MoWest is No. 2 in the MIAA in made free throws (419) and No. 4 in the league with 557 attempts for a free throw percentage of 75.2% (No. 3 MIAA). MoWest makes an average of 16.1 free throws per game (No. 2 MIAA) while averaging 21.4 attempts per contest (No. 4 MIAA).
 
King-Sized Career
Noah King, who's averaging 15.8 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 2,160 career points as a college basketball player, including 749 points at Kirkwood CC and 1,001 in two seasons at Upper Iowa. He owns 137 career starts as well.
 
Marko's Mark
Freshman forward Marko Pavlovic ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (7.7), No. 2 in field goal percentage (62.1%), and No. 4 in blocked shots (32). Pavlovic ranks No. 2 in the MIAA with 68 offensive rebounds. His 200 total rebounds is good for No. 2 in the MIAA as well. Pavlovic has also logged five double-doubles this season.
 
Opponents at a Glance
Arkansas-Fort Smith (18-6, 9-6 MIAA) took the MIAA by storm early this season by starting 13-0 overall, but the Lions, second-year members of the MIAA, have fallen off somewhat, going 5-6 in their last 11 games since Jan. 7. UAFS had a particularly hard week last week, falling at No. 3 Washburn, 81-53, before falling at now No. 25 Central Missouri, 80-52.
 
UAFS has been a strong three-point shooting team this season, sitting at No. 2 in the MIAA in three-point percentage (36.3%) and No. 2 in the league in made three-pointers (239), averaging 9.6 makes per game. The Lions also sit No. 2 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (39.3), including 11.4 offensive rebounds per contest (No. 2 MIAA).
 
UAFS has three players averaging 11 points per game or better, led by senior guard Brandon Scott, who's averaging 13.3 points per game, ranking No. 5 in the MIAA with 58 made three-pointers.
 
Series History
Thursday marks the third all-time meeting with UAFS. The Lions lead the series 2-0 all-time with both of those games being played in Fort Smith.
 
Northeastern State (12-12, 5-10 MIAA) is fighting for its postseason life currently as the Riverhawks are the first team out of the MIAA tournament field, sitting just one game behind 10th place Nebraska-Kearney. NSU, however, is currently on a three-game slide, most recently falling at No. 3 Washburn this past Saturday.
 
NSU, led by sixth year head coach Ja Havens, are often a high-scoring offense and are again this season, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA in scoring offense (82.9). The Riverhawks are also No. 2 in the MIAA in field goal percentage (49%) and No. 3 in assists per game (15.96).
 
Xavier Glenn is the leading scorer for NSU, ranking No. 4 in the MIAA with 18.7 points per outing. Meanwhile, veteran big Ethan Blackmon, who's on his third season in Tahlequah, sits No. 2 in the MIAA with eight rebounds per game.
 
Series History
Saturday will be the 20th all-time meeting with NSU. MoWest leads the all-time series 13-6, as the Griffons have won eight of the last 10 dating back to December 2017.