By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The ultimate goal for Washburn University basketball this season is to make another run at an NCAA Division II championship after reaching the national semifinals a year ago.
But the immediate goal for Brett Ballard's Ichabods is to successfully defend their MIAA regular-season title, a quest that begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Lee Arena against Nebraska-Kearney.
Brett Ballard's 8-0 Washburn Ichabods will open MIAA play Thursday at home against Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN]
"I told our guys I don't know that the people outside of our circle appreciate it as much as we do, but winning the conference is a big, big deal for us,'' Ballard said. "It was a huge deal last year and we're going to fight like heck to do it again this year.
"If you can win this conference, that's a memory these guys will have forever, so a new season kind of starts (Thursday) and we need to try to take care of business at home.''
Washburn is 8-0 after topping the 100-point mark for the second game in a row in a 115-30 win over Ottawa last Saturday in Lee Arena, setting several school records in the process.
The Ichabods are 22-13 all-time in MIAA openers winning, last season's conference opener over the Lopers 87-52 in Kearney.
The Ichabods lead the nation in scoring margin in the NCAA D-II ranks at plus-35.4 points per game and third in field goal percentage at 55.1 percent.
Washburn went over the 100-point mark for the 84th time in program history in its 115-30 win over Ottawa last time out.
Jack Bachelor is 11th in the nation in 3-pointers made with 22 and Dillon Claussen is eighth in the nation in field goal percentage at 71.4, leading the MIAA.
The Ichabods have five Nebraska natives on their roster this season in Brady Christiansen (Lincoln), Claussen (Omaha), Marcus Glock (Wahoo), Kade Cook (Gretna) and Tayvin Zephier-Murphy (Omaha).
Tyson Ruud has scored a career-high 13 points in three of the last four games.
The 85-point winning margin over Ottawa is the largest in program history, topping the 77-point difference against Manhattan Christian on Nov. 30, 2017 in a 128-51 win.
The 30 points allowed by the Ichabods were the fewest by an opponent in the shot clock era since Peru State scored 41 against Washburn on Nov. 16, 2009 in a 71-41 Ichabod win.
Ja'Bryant Hill leads Nebraska-Kearney in scoring with a 19.3 average while Anthony Swift is averaging 14 points with 7.2 rebounds per game followed by Kendrick Gilbert at 11.1 and Wade Williams at 10.3.
