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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team returns home for a 7:30 p.m. tilt Feb. 6 against Central Oklahoma inside the NSU Event Center (3,100). The RiverHawks (11-8, 6-6 MIAA) have lost six of their last seven games and are 8-3 at home this season. The Bronchos (12-7, 6-6 MIAA) are 4-4 on the road.

NSU and UCO have met 35 times since Larry Gipson took over the helm of the RiverHawk program in 1997, and the green and white holds a slight 18-17 advantage after sweeping a home-and-home series last season. Northeastern State dominated to the tune of a 12-3 record in the first seven years of the rivalry, but Central Oklahoma is 14-6 over the last 10 seasons. UCO was selected in the preseason MIAA coaches poll to finish fifth, and NSU was selected to place fourth.

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	Landon DeMasters	6-4, 200	Jr-1L	6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg	Van Alstyne, Texas
F	15	Marcus Sheppard	6-4, 205	Sr-1L	8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg	Vivian, La.
F	22	Curtis Evans	6-7, 215	Jr-TR	10.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg	Springdale, Ark.
G	03	Bryton Hobbs	6-0, 170	Sr-1L	23.5 ppg, 5.6 apg	St. Louis, Mo.
G	20	Dalen Qualls	6-1, 180	Jr-TR	10.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg	Stratford, Okla.
Central Oklahoma's Probable Starters
F	02	Josh Gibbs	6-5, 235	Sr.	20.7 ppg, 11.4 rpg	Kansas City, Mo.
F	21	Cal Andrews	6-7, 200	So.	11.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg	Washington, Okla.
G	01	Aaron Anderson	6-3, 190	So.	14.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg	Edmond, Okla.
G	03	Seth Heckart	6-0, 175	So.	11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg	Woodward, Okla.
G	20	Jacob Strassle	6-3, 225	So.	4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg	Mustang, Okla.

 
SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma (from Edmond, Okla.) currently sits at 12-7 on the year with a 6-6 mark in the league. The Bronchos are 6-6 in their last 12 games, which includes victories over Northwest Missouri State (81-77) and Pittsburg State (74-73) and recent losses to Washburn (76-69) and Emporia State (92-80). UCO is led by one of the league's elite players in Josh Gibbs. He is second in scoring and first in rebounding (20.7 ppg, 11.4 rpg). Aaron Anderson (14.1 ppg), Cal Andrews (11.8 ppg) and Seth Heckart (11.5 ppg) also average double digits.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - PSU 73, NSU 63
Northeastern State fell 73-63 to Pittsburg State on Jan. 29 inside John Lance Arena. The RiverHawks lost their fourth in a row and have now dropped six of their last seven games. The Gorillas earned a much-needed victory in league play. Bryton Hobbs led NSU with 18 points and nine assists. Dalen Qualls added 16 points, and Curtis Evans contributed 15 points. Northeastern State shot 37.3 percent (22-for-59) from the field, 29 percent (9-for-31) from behind the three-point line, and 76.9 percent (10-for-13) at the free-throw line. PSU shot 44.2 percent (23-for-52) from the field, 38.1 percent (8-for-21) from downtown and 76 percent (19-for-25) at the charity stripe. Devon Branch led all scorers with 23 points, Jake Bullard added 16 points and Connor Kjer chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 83, UCO 71 (OT)
NSU closed out Jack Dobbins Field House in style, defeating arch-rival Central Oklahoma 83-71 in overtime on Feb. 27, 2013, in front of a capacity crowd. Bryton Hobbs led NSU with a near triple-double of 22 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He never stepped off the floor and outscored UCO 8-3 in overtime. The Bronchos shot just 1-for-8 in the extra session, while NSU was 5-for-6 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Jermaine Bransford finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Ethan Anderson knocked down a season-high five three-point field goals to end with 17 points, and Landon DeMasters added 11. Overall, Northeastern State shot 45 percent (27-for-60) from the field, 32 percent (6-for-19) from behind the three-point line and 74 percent (23-for-31) at the free-throw line. Central Oklahoma shot 43 percent (26-for-60) from the field, 33 percent (7-for-21) from beyond the arc and just 50 percent (12-for-24) at the charity stripe. Spencer Smith paced the visitors with 21 points and eight boards. Jamell Cormier added 19 and Josh Gibbs dropped 18. The rest of the team combined to score just 13 points.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP FAN LODGING AVAILABLE
The 2014 MIAA Basketball Championships at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium will be held March 6-9. Fan lodging at the Downtown Marriott is now being accepted for the upcoming event. The fan rate is $137 per night and fans have until Wednesday, February 12 to receive that rate. Lodging is available here: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=10982278. Through this website you can book, modify or cancel your hotel reservations at any time and receive updated information about the event.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2014 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 7-9.
 
IF THE SEASON WERE TO END TODAY
NSU is currently 6-6 in the MIAA standings and is tied for seventh with Central Oklahoma. If the season were to end today, the RiverHawks would earn the No. 8 seed and would play host to No. 9 seeded Nebraska-Kearney on March 4 in the first round of the MIAA Championship. The winner of that contest would join seven other schools in Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament. Northwest Missouri State, Fort Hays State, Central Missouri, and Missouri Southern State are all slated to earn the four byes to KC. Northeastern State defeated Nebraska-Kearney 90-85 in Tahlequah on Jan. 16.
 
ID'S REQUIRED FOR ENTRY IN 2013-14
All fans wishing to attend an NSU home football or basketball contest this season will be required to show a ticket prior to entering the facilities. NSU students and faculty/staff will still be allowed free admittance, but NSU ID's will no longer be accepted as a form of entry. Tickets can be purchased at NSU's new ticketing Web site, goriverhawkstickets.com. NSU students and faculty/staff can access goriverhawkstickets.com and secure their free tickets (either printable or downloaded to your smart phone) through their goNSU accounts. For questions regarding ticket options, please contact Brynn Hamner at 918.444.3901.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online and has launced its new, one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com. NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories. The store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials. Every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable. The new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com. The shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.