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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team head to Topeka, Kansas, to take on Washburn at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 inside Lee Arena. The RiverHawks (6-15, 4-10 MIAA) will be attempting to pick up a season sweep of the Ichabods (12-14, 7-8 MIAA).

NSU holds a 5-1 record over Washburn since joining the NCAA in 1996-97. Northeastern State topped the Ichabods 64-59 in the NCAA Second Round en route to winning the 2003 National Championship (March 15, 2003). The RiverHawks upset then-No. 10 ranked Washburn 85-78 Jan. 19, 2013. The two teams split the series during the regular season last year, while NSU defeated WU 79-75 in the opening round of the 2014 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship (Mar. 4, 2014). The RiverHawks defeated WU 80-73 earlier this year in Tahlequah. Northeastern State was picked 12th in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll, while Washburn was slated third.
 
SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn University is located in Topeka, Kansas, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Ichabods are 12-14 in the 2014-15 season and have put up a 7-8 record in MIAA play. Beginning with a setback at NSU, Washburn has lost four of its last six games. The Ichabods, however, defeated UCO their last time out (71-65). Kyle Wiggins (14.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) leads the Ichabods in scoring. Alex North (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg) also averages double-figure scoring and leads the squad in rebounding. Washburn averages 70.6 points per game and shoots .443 as a team.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - NSU 73, ESU 63
The RiverHawks earned their first road win of the season by defeating Emporia State 73-63 Thursday night inside White Auditorium. NSU had six players score at least nine points and four reach double figures. Keon Littleton came off the bench to pace the winning side with 17 points and seven rebounds. Demone Harrison registered 14, while Dakota Caudill and Trey Mohair each added 12. Amir Gilliam and C.J. Winzer each chipped in nine points. The RiverHawks torched the nets to a season-best mark of 60.9 percent (28-for-46). They also shot 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from behind the 3-point line and 47.6 percent (10-for-21) at the free-throw line. Emporia State was held to 41.5 percent (22-for-53) shooting overall, 30.8 percent (8-for-26) from distance and 78.6 percent (11-for-14) at the charity stripe. NSU outrebounded ESU 29-26 and also led in assists (15-10), steals (9-6), points in the paint (34-26), fast-break points (12-4) and bench points (26-17).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 80, WU 73
Northeasterm State picked up its second-straight victory after topping Washburn 80-73 on Jan. 24 inside the NSU Event Center. Keon Littleton powered NSU's offense with 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He also added four assists and was 5-for-5 from downtown in the contest. Trey Mohair made all 10 free-throw attempts en route to a 17-point outing. Dakota Caudill tallied 12 points, while C.J. Winzer chipped in 10. Northeastern State shot 50 percent (23-for-46) from the field, 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from behind the 3-point arc and 22-for-28 (78.6 percent) at the free-throw line. All three marks were in the top four shooting performances for NSU this season. Washburn shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) overall, 45 percent (9-for-20) from behind the 3-point line and 58.8 percent (10-for-17) at the line. Alex North paced the visitors with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Wiggins added 16 points before fouling out, and David Salach scored 11 off the bench.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2015 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. 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 2, 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 5-8. Both NSU basketball programs have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in Kansas City in each of their first two years in the league.
 
IF THE SEASON WERE TO END TODAY
NSU is currently 4-10 in league play and is tied for 11th in the MIAA standings. If the season were to end today, the RiverHawks would earn the No. 12 seed and would travel to No. 5 seed Nebraska-Kearney on March 2 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. Central Missouri, Northwest Missouri State, Lindenwood and Pittsburg State are currently slated to earn the four byes to KC.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online for the past two years with a 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.