By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With its 22-game winning streak now in the rearview mirror after last Saturday's 74-72 loss at Central Missouri, all of Washburn University's attention is on the future, beginning with the No. 3-ranked Ichabods 7:30 p.m. Thursday matchup with No. 25-ranked Arkansas-Fort Smith in Lee Arena.
Washburn junior Jeremiah Jones (22) leads the nation in steals entering Thursday night's home MIAA contest with Arkansas-Fort Smith. [File photo/TSN]
"Coach (Brett Ballard) didn't say we needed that (loss), but he said it was good for us as a team and takes the pressure off of us to where we can go out and play free now and not worry about losing and just play hard,'' Ichabod junior Jeremiah Jones said.
"I think that was needed. Obviously the MIAA is very hard and very physical and any team can beat you on any night, so now we just don't want to let one loss become two or let two become three. Coach has really been harping on that and we know that Fort Smith is going to be really tough.''
Ballard said that trying to go undefeated was never something that the Ichabods talked about and said his team just wants to keep improving with postseason rapidly approaching.
"I never really took two thoughts about a team going undefeated,'' Ballard said. "We play the seventh hardest schedule in the country and playing in this league I don't give any thought to that. You just try to win the next one's that in front of you for sure.
"Our focus is just getting better and just trying to go win the next one. The most positive thing for me is we've just had more edge in our practices the last couple of days. I think the guys are hungry to get back on track.''
Washburn is 22-1 and 12-1 in the MIAA while Arkansas-Fort Smith is 18-4 and 9-4 in the MIAA after topping Fort Hays State at home last Saturday, 87-77.
Thursday's game is the only regular-season meeting between the Ichabods and the Lions this season.
The Ichabods have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the MIAA at 88.0 points per game while defensively the Ichabods have the No. 2-ranked scoring defense in the conference, allowing 63.0 points a game.
The Lions are averaging 83.6 points and allowing 69.8 points, ranking fourth on both MIAA stat charts.
Washburn has already recorded its 32nd 20-win season in program history and sixth under Ballard in his ninth season on the Ichabod bench.
The Ichabods are second in NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 25.0 and are ranked second in field goal percentage at 51.7 percent and second in rebound margin plus 10.9.
Jones leads the nation in total steals with 73 and is ranked third in steals per game at 3.32 per contest. Jones now has 75 steals this season, seven off the Ichabod single-season record of 82 set by Will McNeill in 2012-13. Jones needs two steals to break the junior class record of 76 set in 2012.
Washburn sophomore Dillon Claussen is ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 63.2 percent while junior Jack Bachelor ranks 22nd nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 2.61 to 1.
Washburn's 25-game homecourt winning streak is second in the nation behind Nova Southeastern's 97-game winning streak and is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the 28-game streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995.
The Ichabods lost at Arkansas-Fort Smith 87-80 last season in overtime on the road to end Washburn's 22-game win streak.
The Lions have won five of their last six games, including the last three.
Brandon Scott leads Fort Smith in scoring with a 13.6 average while Christian Moore is scoring 12.3 points per game and Jarren McAllister 11.1. Kameron Johnson averages a team-best 6.5 rebounds.
Thursday's meeting will be only the third in program history between the two schools, with Washburn and Fort Smith 1-1.
Washburn will host Northeastern State on Saturday in a 3 p.m. Valentine's Day contest.
