Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball team battles the Washburn Ichabods in an
MIAA Tournament quarterfinal game Friday in Kansas City.
This will be the first of four quarterfinal contests and tips at noon. Check the
Loper schedule page for media links.
This is round three between the third-seeded Ichabods (20-8) and sixth-seeded Lopers (16-13) this year. Washburn beat UNK in Topeka, 78-71, and then won at the Health & Sports Center, 87-73. That stopped a stretch of eight straight losses to the Lopers including three last winter. The third setback came in the MIAA quarters and ended the long career of head coach
Bob Chipman.
To solve one of the MIAA's top defensive units (league low 41.2 field goal percentage defense), UNK will have to work around three-time MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Brady
Skeens. The 6-7, 210 pound senior leads the nation in field goal percentage (72.6) and ranks first in the league in blocks (66). Averaging a double double on the year, he had a big effort in the win in Kearney (28 pts., 14 rebs., and three blocks).
Last year in the three wins over Washburn, UNK shot 56 percent from the field and made 36 threes. Junior
Isaiah McKay (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) had 11 of those bombs and has sunk at least two in five of his last seven games. With his return to the court, the Lopers have had a double digit trey total in four of its last seven games. Over the first 22 contests of the year, UNK had just three such efforts.
Besides Skeens, Washburn has 2018 honorable mention guard Javion Blake (14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game). Like the Lopers, the 'Bods are a veteran unit with 10 upperclassmen on a 16-player roster.
Among UNK's seniors, forward
Trey Lansman (Harlan, Ia.) needs two more rebounds to be the 11th Loper with 800 in a career while guard
Ty Danielson (York) is six made threes short of becoming the third UNK player with 200 in a career.
The UNK/WU winner faces second-seed Missouri Southern State (20-8) or seventh-seed Fort Hays State (18-11) Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Lions and Tigers play the third game on Friday.
