Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball team heads a few hours down the road this weekend to face Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western State.
The Lopers tangle with the two-time defending MIAA champions Thursday in Maryville and then face the Griffons Saturday evening. Check the
UNK schedule page for media links and tip times.
UNK (9-7, 6-5) gets only once crack at Northwest and Mo West during the regular season. This marks the second year in a row the Lopers face the Bearcats (11-5, 8-3) in Maryville.
A 12-player Northwest roster is led by 5-9, 143 lbs. sophomore guard Justin Pitts, who is averaging 21.3 points per game. Making 41% of his threes, he also averages nearly five assists per game, second best in the league.
The only senior on the 'Cats, 6-2 guard Connor Crooker, is the other player in double digits (12.4). He has sunk a team-high 37 threes, helping his team rank second in the MIAA with 7.9 made treys a night. Inside, 6-5 junior D'Vante Mosby grabs a 6.3 rebounds per game and is shooting exactly 50% from the floor.
Since joining the MIAA, UNK is 0-3 vs. Northwest.
Heading into a Thursday game with Fort Hays State, the Griffons have a 5-4 home record. Third-year head coach Brett Weiberg has a squad shooting 41% from the field to average 72 points per game.
Junior guards Trey Sampson (11.9) and Aaron Emmanuel (11.2) are the team's offensive leaders with Emmanuel also pulling down 6.7 rebounds per game. Next, Sampson has sunk a team-best 34 threes and is among the MIAA free throw leaders at 89.2%.
Like Northwest, Missouri Western (5-12, 3-8) has just one senior on its roster; 6-8, 240 lbs. forward Kevin Thomas. Last season, the Griffons posted an 81-77 win over UNK in the Health & Sports Center. The Lopers won in St. Joe, 75-70, late in the 2012-13 season.
Currently tied with Washburn for sixth place in the league standings, Kearney is the nation's top free throw shooting team at 81.5%. When including NCAA Division I and NCAA III schools, UNK ranks only behind D3 SUNY-Geneseo (81.9%).
Eight different Lopers shoot 74% or better with the team's poorest showing coming in the season opener (68.8%/22 of 32). On average, UNK scores about 18 points per game at the line.
Defensively, Kearney is third in the MIAA in blocks at 3.8 per game. Seniors
Connor Beranek (1.3) and
Ethan Brozek (0.8), along with sophomore
Trey Lansman (1.1), rank among the league leaders in swats per game.
The team record for blocks in a season came back in 2009-10 (117). UNK's current total is 60, putting them on pace to finish with 110.
The Lopers will have a quick turnaround as they face Wayne State Tuesday night in Rice Auditorium. The game was originally set for November 30th but postponed due to weather.
