ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (18-10, 10-7 MIAA) rounds out its regular season this week with a home game against Emporia State (9-17, 5-12 MIAA) and then a road trip to face Newman (5-21, 1-16 MIAA) in Wichita.
 
Tip-off from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph on Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game at Fugate Gymnasium 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. The games will also be available to stream on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
 
The Griffons have officially clinched its spot in the MIAA tournament for a seventh consecutive season. MoWest has chances this week to improve its MIAA seeding and pad its status for a potential NCAA Central Region tournament bid as well. The Griffs are currently one of six MIAA men's teams under regional consideration.
 
Last Time Out
Griffon Men's Basketball never trailed on Senior Day at the Looney Complex, defeating Northeastern State (12-14, 5-12 MIAA) 97-83 on Saturday.
 
On Senior Day, honoring Noah King, Devin Butler and Ty Henry, MWSU jumped out to a fast start, building a 36-15 lead at the 9:13 mark of the first half. NSU trimmed the Griffon lead to 56-48 at the 15:32 mark of the second half. MWSU answered with its largest advantage of the game, pushing the margin to 23 at 84-61 with 7:34 remaining.
 
Noah King finished with 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three and 5-of-7 at the line, while adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bode Goodman scored a career-high 20 points, going 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 9-of-11 at the free-throw line, while recording three rebounds.
 
Ty Henry added 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, hitting 2-of-4 from three and 2-of-2 at the stripe, while contributing six rebounds. MWSU connected on 31-of-65 (47.7%) overall, went 11-of-23 (47.8%) from deep and finished 24-of-30 (80.0%) at the stripe.
 
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 (12-14).
 
Takin' Care of Basketball Business
MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 10 in NCAA Division II with only 10 giveaways per game. The Griffs rank No. 2 in the MIAA with a +3.00 turnover margin.
 
Finding Many Free Throws
MoWest is No. 2 in the MIAA in made free throws (460) and No. 3 in the league with 611 attempts for a free throw percentage of 75.3% (No. 3 MIAA). MoWest makes an average of 16.4 free throws per game (No. 1 MIAA) while averaging 21.8 attempts per contest (No. 3 MIAA).
 
King-Sized Career
Noah King, who's averaging 16.5 points per game (No. 9 MIAA) this season, has scored at least 20 points in 10 games this season, including a career-best 31 in a 90-72 win over Arkansas Tech on November 28, 2025. King is up to 2,213 career points as a college basketball player, including 749 points at Kirkwood CC and 1,001 in two seasons at Upper Iowa. He owns 140 career starts as well.
 
Marko's Mark
Freshman forward Marko Pavlovic ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in rebounds per game (7.5), No. 3 in field goal percentage (61.4%), and No. 4 in blocked shots (34). Pavlovic ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 71 offensive rebounds. His 211 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
Emporia State (12-14, 5-12 MIAA) still has a fighting chance to make the MIAA tourmanent, sitting in 13th place but sitting only one game below the cut line. The Hornets got a needed win this past Saturday, dominating Newman 92-63, which snapped a three-game losing skid.
 
ESU is a somewhat young team with six freshmen and three sophomores. Four transfers were added to the roster as well. Sophomore and second-year Hornet Chris Harris is the lead scorer and rebounder with 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
 
Series History
Wednesday will be the 89th all-time meeting with ESU. The Griffons lead the series 50-38, winning at Civic White Auditorium on December 6, 84-74.
 
Newman (5-21, 1-16 MIAA) is a Jet that's seemingly out of fuel, as their season comes to a close this week. Newman has lost 17 games in a row dating back to December 13. The Jets beat Northeastern State in conference play back on Dec. 14, but have since dropped 16 league games in a row.
 
Newman is young with four freshmen on the roster. Sophomore Cyrus Shaw is their leading scorer with 11.6 points per game. The Jets have had struggles due to injuries and several midseason player departures.
 
Series History
Saturday marks the ninth all-time meeting with Newman. The Griffons lead the all-time series 6-2, and have won each of the last three meetings since January 2024. The Griffs are 3-1 all-time at Fugate Gymnasium as well.