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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team closes out the regular season with the final game inside Jack Dobbins Field House (1,000).
 
The RiverHawks (18-7, 11-6 MIAA) will play host to surging Central Oklahoma (12-12, 10-6 MIAA) at 8 p.m. Feb. 27.
 
UCO was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish seventh, while NSU was picked 14th.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	Landon DeMasters	6-4, 200	So-RS	7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg	Van Alstyne, Texas
F	15	Marcus Sheppard	6-4, 205	Jr-TR	6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg	Vivian, La.
F	21	Jermaine Bransford	6-7, 225	Sr-1L	15.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg	Sand Springs, Okla.
G	3	Bryton Hobbs	6-0, 170	Jr-TR	18.0 ppg, 4.9 apg	St. Louis, Mo.
G	20	Ethan Anderson	6-3, 205	Sr-3L	10.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg	Cleburne, Texas
Central Oklahoma's Probable Starters
F	2	Josh Gibbs	6-5, 235	Jr.	17.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg	Kansas City, Mo.
F	21	Cal Andrews	6-7, 200	Fr.	8.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg	Washington, Okla.
F	33	Spencer Smith	6-6, 220	Sr.	12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg	Sapulpa, Okla.
G	4	Christian Huffman	6-5, 175	Jr.	7.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg	Midwest City, Okla.
G	11	Jamell Cormier	6-0, 180	Sr.	10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Stillwater, Okla.

THE RIVALRY
NSU and UCO have met 34 times since Larry Gipson took over the helm of the RiverHawk program in 1997, and the two teams are tied 17-17 over that span. Northeastern State dominated to the tune of a 12-3 record in the first seven years of the rivalry, but Central Oklahoma is 14-5 over the last nine seasons. NSU snapped a six-game losing streak to UCO earlier this year, when the green and white walked into Edmond and recorded an 80-71 victory.
 
SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma owns a 12-12 mark with a 10-6 conference record this year. The Bronchos are currently tied for fifth with Northwest Missouri State and Lindenwood in the current MIAA standings. The trio sits a half-game behind Northeastern State for the fourth spot. UCO was on a conference-best five-game win streak before losing at Missouri Southern State (85-77) Monday. During the streak, the Bronchos posted wins over Central Missouri (69-67), Emporia State (83-69) and Pittsburg State (92-76). Josh Gibbs leads the squad in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg) and passing (2.8 apg). Spencer Smith averages 12.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg, while Jamell Cormier averages 10.4 ppg.
 
SENIOR NIGHT
The Northeastern State men's basketball team will be celebrating Senior Night when the RiverHawks welcome Central Oklahoma to Jack Dobbins Field House Feb. 27. NSU will be honoring Ethan Anderson, Jermaine Bransford, Zach Jones, Christian Mack, Jon Miller, and John Schneider prior to Wednesday's regular-season finale.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Northeastern State currently owns an 11-6 record in its first season in the MIAA. The RiverHawks are fourth in the league table and sit a half-game behind Washburn and Fort Hays State (11-5). Central Missouri leads the way (12-4), and Lindenwood, Northwest Missouri State and Central Oklahoma are all tied for fifth at 10-6. NSU was selected to finish 14th in the conference this season by both the media and the league coaches.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2013 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualify for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 4, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 7-10.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the MIAA Basketball Championships at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium are now on sale at the NSU Ticket Office. Northeastern State has qualified for the MIAA Championship and is fighting to clinch one of the top four spots to earn a bye to KC. Tickets for first round games will be available through the host sites only. For the Kansas City portion of the tournament, all-session passes, which will allow access to all 14 games of the tournament, are just $50 if purchased through Northeastern State. Passes purchased at the Municipal Auditorium Box Office will be $65. Single-session passes are $20 and are good for any single session of the tournament. Both all-session and single-session passes can be purchased through Northeastern State. NSU students can purchase single-session passes for $5 (with valid NSU ID). Children six and under will be admitted free of charge. Visit Northeastern State's ticket office or call 918-444-3901 for more information. The Kansas City Downtown Marriott is the host hotel for the tournament. Special room rates are available by mentioning the MIAA fan rate or by booking online through www.themiaa.com.
 
20 AND 20
Jermaine Bransford scored a game-high 23 points and recorded career highs in rebounds (20) and steals (five) in leading NSU to a 67-62 road victory over Emporia State Feb. 23. Bransford's 20 rebounds were the most by anyone in the MIAA this season and were two shy of tying the most by any in the nation this year. He is currently ninth in the NCAA in double doubles (13) and 14th in rebounding (9.8 per game).
 
THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Senior forward Jermaine Bransford entered 2012-13 with just one double-digit rebounding effort and no career double doubles. He recorded his first double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds Dec. 5 against Emporia State, and he now has reached at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 13 of his last 19 games. He also has near double-doubles against Arkansas Tech (eight points, 12 boards), Northwestern Oklahoma State (31 points, nine boards), Harding (12 points, eight rebounds), and Central Oklahoma (22 points, nine rebounds). Over his last 18 games, Bransford is averaging 17.2 ppg (309 total points) and 10.8 rpg (195 total rebounds). He leads the MIAA in rebounding this season with 9.8 rpg.
 
BRILLIANT BRYTON
Northeastern State received a welcomed addition in the offseason in junior transfer Bryton Hobbs. The guard from St. Louis, Mo., has come to Tahlequah via both Pratt Community College and Cowley College. He has taken the MIAA by storm in his first season with the RiverHawks, as he is currently the league's third-leading scorer at 18.0 ppg, and he is fifth in assists with 4.9 dimes a night.
 
IN THE LEAGUE
Northeastern State leads the MIAA in three statistical categories this year. The team is the league leader in free-throw percentage (.777) and three point field-goal percentage defense (.325). The team is also second in field goal percentage (.477) and three-point field goal percentage (.393).
 
FROM THE FIELD
The RiverHawks have posted great shooting percentages this season, making 48 percent of their attempts from the field (624-1,309), 39 percent from downtown (170-433) and 78 percent from the free-throw line (386-497). Of those with at least 30 attempts, senior forward Jermaine Bransford leads the team in shooting percentage (158-297, .532) and senior guard Jon Miller is the team leader in three-point percentage (29-68, .426).
 
NSU's GIPSON IN 16TH SEASON
NSU's Larry Gipson (Heidelberg College, '74) is in his 16th season as the RiverHawks head coach. The long-time leader of the men's basketball program enters the year with a 263-186 record over his illustrious career at NSU. He is returning to the bench after having missed most of the 2011-12 season with an illness. Gipson is second all-time in school history behind only Jack Dobbins (314 wins) in career wins, and his .578 winning percentage is the best in school history. He reached the 100- and 200-win milestones faster than any other coach in school history. Gipson has posted eight winning seasons in his time at NSU, and those include five 20-win campaigns and a national championship in 2002-03 (32-3 record).
            Gipson was inducted into the NSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. He and Nolan Richardson are the only two head coaches ever to lead teams to a national championship at both the NCAA and NJCAA level. Gipson, Richardson and Ray Harper (NCAA D-II, NAIA) are the only three coaches in college basketball history to win national titles at two different levels. Gipson began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tulsa under Richardson. Gipson has won three national coach of the year honors throughout his career. He was named the 2003 Division II Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), he earned the 2003 Molten/Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year award and he was also the 1989 NABC national junior college coach of the year. He was appointed by his peers as the President of the Board of the Directors for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in April 2012.
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE CELEBRATING 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The RiverHawks are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their historic national championship run from the 2002-03 campaign. The team posted a school-record 32 wins to just three losses that season and defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 75-64 on March 29 in Lakeland, Fla., to earn the first and only men's basketball national championship in Northeastern State history. Four different RiverHawks averaged 10 points per game that season, led by Jon Shepherd's 14.6 ppg average. Reggie Battee was the top rebounder at 6.2 rpg, and Darnell Hinson led NSU at 4.1 assists per game.
 
NSU SELECTED 14TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was selected to finish 14th in the 2012-13 MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. “I think the ranking is what we deserve based on last year,” NSU head men's basketball coach Larry Gipson said. “I don't see how we could be picked very highly, but it's up to us to prove that we're not a bottom-end team in the MIAA. Washburn, who won last season's conference tournament, has been picked by both the media and coaches to finish first again this year. The Ichabods represented the MIAA in the NCAA Tournament along with Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern. Central Missouri, who finished tied for the conference regular season crown, has been picked second in both polls picking up three first place votes from the coaches. Northwest Missouri, who also took home a piece of the regular season crown, has been picked to finish third this season in both polls, picking up a first place vote from the coaches.
 
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