Games 27 & 28:
Newman (8-18, 4-16 MIAA) @ Missouri Western (11-14, 7-12 MIAA)
Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. | St. Joseph, Mo. (MWSU Fieldhouse)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  MSU Athletics
 
vs. #7 Central Oklahoma (23-3, 17-3 MIAA)
Saturday, February 25, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
AN END IS ONLY A BEGINNING IN DISGUISE
The Newman men's basketball team concludes its season this week and celebrates Senior Day on Saturday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Jets battled back from 18 down in the first half but a late run by Rogers State punched the Hillcats ticket to the MIAA Tournament with an 88-81 victory over the Jets Saturday Feb. 18 at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The Hillcats streaked to a 16-3 lead to start the game and the Jets chased the deficit for most of the first half, trailing 36-18 at one point in the period before going into the half down 44-31.  With Newman's own postseason life hanging in the balance, the Navy & Red wasted no time getting back into the game with a 12-4 run cutting the deficit to five after the intermission.  The Hillcats slowly built the lead back to 13 with just over 11 minutes to go when the Jets finally made their move with 10-straight points to get within one.  NU eventually took their only lead of the second half on a Latik Murphy jumper at 77-75 with 3:35 to go, but the 'Cats answered with their own 10-0 run.  NU was never closer than two possessions in the final minute.  Latik Murphy led Newman with 23 points.  The loss eliminated the Jets from postseason contention.
 
Earlier in the week, the Jets avoided postseason elimination again with a 79-74 victory over Northeastern State.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Missouri Western enters the final week of the season in a virtual tie for ninth place with Central Missouri and Northeastern State.  Missouri Western is scheduled for three games this week due to a postponement from earlier this season due to Coronavirus protocols inside the Western program.  The Griffons were unable to continue their recent momentum in 2021-22.  After back-to-back winning seasons, the Griffons finished 14-17 a year ago with a 10-12 MIAA record.  2021 marked Western's return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 ending a 10-year drought.  The Griffons finished 18-12 with a 12-8 MIAA record in 2009-10 which, until the last two seasons, was the last winning record for the program and the last time they finished above .500 inside 'The Association' until an 18-14 season in 2019-20 that saw Western go 13-6 against league foes.  The Griffons made their only other Big Dance trip this millennium following a 23-7 campaign in 2001-02 in which the Griffs finished 16-3 versus MIAA opponents.  Missouri Western is looking for its 13^th berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and fourth-straight postseason appearance overall.
 
Coming into the week, Missouri Western was led in scoring by Julius Dixon at 12.9 ppg.  Taye Fields paces the Griffons in rebounds at 7.4 rpg which ranked fourth to start Week 9 in the MIAA.  Reese Glover ranked tied for fourth at 43.8% from outside the arc to begin the week and was also tied for fourth at 2.7 three-balls per game.
 
The Bronchos enter the last week of the regular season in second place in the league standings trailing Northwest Missouri by one game with two games to play.  Last season, UCO logged its first 20-win season since 2017-18 by finishing 24-7 with an 18-4 MIAA record to clinch a share of the regular season MIAA title with the Bearcats.  The back-to-back winning seasons for Central are their first since notching 14 in a row from 2004-18.  The Bronze & Blue made their first return to March Madness last year since hosting the 2011 South Central Regional.  Last year's season ended in the first round of the Big Dance with a 91-74 defeat to Upper Iowa.  The Bronchos are seeking their 19^th appearance in a national postseason tournament in 2023 and their 14^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Central is fourth in the conference in scoring with 70.9 ppg against MIAA foes while ranking third in 'The Association' in scoring defense allowing 62.1 ppg to conference opponents.  Jaden Wells leads the Bronchos in scoring and ranks third in the conference at 17.1 ppg while Curtis Haywood II is 10^th in the league in rebounding with 6.1 boards per night.  Wells leads the conference shooting 43.8% from the 3-point line while Haywood is tied for third in 'The Association' in assists with 4.0 per game and tied for fourth with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.7.
 
Central Oklahoma looks to keep their MIAA championship hopes alive while visiting Northwest Missouri on Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
Western leads the series 3-1 with the all the games being played as MIAA rivals.  MWSU won the only matchup in St. Joseph 86-75 February 26, 2021.
 
The Bronchos lead the series 8-2 with a 6-1 lead in both NU's NCAA Division II era and in MIAA competition.  Central has won the last four in the series.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
The Jets blasted into the lead with a 14-2 run to begin the game and held off a late Griffons charge to pick up their first-ever win over Missouri Western 71-55 January 12, 2023, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The Jets torched the nets shooting 54.5% from the field in the game while canning 8 of 18 from the 3-point line.  The Griffons shrunk the lead to 3 with a 9-0 run midway through the second half, but the Jets ended the game on a 12-2 run to pick up the win.  Stevie Strong led Newman with 13 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
After taking a 32-31 lead into halftime, the Jets couldn't hold back a Central Oklahoma avalanche at the free throw line as the #4 Bronchos escaped with an 88-81 victory over the Jets Saturday Jan. 21 at Hamilton Field House in Edmond, Okla.  UCO started the game strong taking early 17-7 and 23-13 leads.  Through the first 10 minutes of the game, UCO ripped the nets at better than 60% from the field while the Jets were hitting fewer than a quarter of their shots, but NU settled in and used a 12-2 run to lead by three just before halftime.  The Bronchos hit two free throws late to clip the deficit to one.  In the second half, the whistles blew early and often and the Bronchos took advantage with a massive 22-point edge at the free throw line.  UCO shot 36-for-41 at the free throw line in the half on the way to shooting 42-for-48 in the game while the Jets were awarded just 25 charity shots cashing in on 17 of them.  The Jets were whistled for 33 fouls while Central Oklahoma was called for just 20.  Stevie Strong tied for the game-high score of 24 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
JUST HOW STRONG IS THIS GUY?
In just two seasons with the Navy & Red, Stevie Strong is already showing himself to be one of the best pure scorers in the history of the program.  In just his second season, Strong has already entered the top ten list in career scoring in program history after passing Dametrius Walker, James Pegues, Ryan McCarthy, and Ryan Bradley last week.
 
CAREER SCORING
Rk            Player                                      Points      Games    Years      
1.             Marshawn Blackmon              929          57            2018-20
2.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     810          58            2015-17
3.             Jeremy Espinoza                     742          52            2013-15
4.             Ben Ayre                                 736          56            2017-19
5.             Stevie Strong                          732          46            2021-23
6.             Ryan Bradley                           730          53            2007-09
7.             Ryan McCarthy                        719          113          2011-15
8.             James Pegues                         710          56            2014-16
9.             Dametrius Walker                   704          56            2017-19
10.           Kevin Bryant                            688          82            2015-18
 
Stevie is also working his way up the season scoring list passing Walker, Shamar Acuay, and Marshawn Blackmon on that chart last week.
 
SEASON SCORING
Rk            Player                                      Points      Games    Year        
1.             Reggie Baker                           546          26            2014-15
2.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     507          28            2016-17
3.             Marshawn Blackmon              496          28            2019-20
4.             Gavin Thurman                       457          30            2015-16
5.             Taylor Schieber                       453          27            2016-17
6.             Stevie Strong                          444          25            2021-23
7.             Marshawn Blackmon              433          29            2018-19
8.             Shamar Acuay                         412          28            2012-13
                Dametrius Walker                   412          28            2017-18
10.           James Pegues                         409          30            2015-16
 
Strong's career and single-game averages would also rank in the top ten of those lists if the season ended today.
 
IS THERE A SHOT HE DOESN'T LIKE?
Stevie Strong is lighting up the scoreboard from the 3-point line in his sophomore season with the Jets.   Strong needs one more to become the ninth Jet to make at least 100 treys in his Newman career.
 
CAREER 3PT FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      3PTM      Games    Years      
1.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     136          58            2015-17
2.             Keaton Schultz                        135          72            2007-11
3.             Taylor Schieber                       118          57            2015-17
4.             Chip Steven                             117          54            2009-11
5.             Christian DeYoung                  114          101          2015-19
6.             Trae Beck                                110          52            2012-14
7.             Ryan McCarthy                        108          103          2011-15
8.             Ben Ayre                                 104          56            2017-19
9.             Stevie Strong                          99            46            2021-23
10.           Camilo Londono                      87            56            2007-09
 
Strong has now passed Taylor Schieber for seventh in career 3-pointers attempted and has jumped into sixth in season 3-pointers attempted.
 
MURPHY'S LAW
Stevie Strong isn't the only Jet lighting it up from outside the arc.  Latik Murphy's 59 3-pointers ranks in a tie for eighth in single-season treys with Ben Ayre.  Murphy is four 3-point tries away from tying Trae Beck for 10^th in season 3-point attempts.  Murphy passed Strong's current season and passed Branden Bunn and Trae Beck on the season list.
 
SEASON 3PT FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      3PTM      Games    Year        
1.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     76            28            2016-17
2.             Taylor Schieber                       75            27            2016-17
3.             Kyle Smith                               73            26            2007-08
4.             Keaton Schultz                        72            28            2009-10
5.             Reggie Baker                           64            26            2014-15  
6.             Chip Steven                             63            27            2009-10
7.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     60            30            2015-16
8.             Ben Ayre                                 59            29            2018-19
                Latik Murphy                          59            26            2022-23
10.           Trae Beck                                58            26            2012-13
X.             Stevie Strong                          55            25            2022-23
 
Murphy went 7-for-9 at the 3-point line against the RiverHawks last week, tying for the fourth-most trifectas in a single game.  It is the 10^th occurrence of seven three-balls in a game by a Jet.
 
STEVIE IS LIVING FREE
No one has made more free throws in a single season in Newman's Division II era than Stevie Strong.  Strong broke the record held by James Pegues who connected on 126 in 30 games in the 2015-16 season.  He broke the record in seven fewer games and still has two more games to stretch the mark out at the end of the season.
 
SEASON FREE THROWS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      FTM        Games    Year        
1.             Stevie Strong                          141          25            2021-23
2.             James Pegues                         126          30            2015-16
3.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     125          28            2016-17
4.             Ben Ayre                                 123          27            2017-18
5.             Ryan Bradley                           113          27            2008-09
6.             Marshawn Blackmon              112          29            2018-19
7.             Marquis Cuyler                        110          25            2013-14
8.             Shamar Acuay                         106          28            2012-13
                Taylor Schieber                       106          27            2016-17
10.           Marshawn Blackmon              103          28            2019-20
 
Strong also set the record for free throws attempted this season with 176 shots passing Marshawn Blackmon who shot 176 charity shots for the Jets in 2018-19.  Strong has notched up to fourth in career free throws made earlier this month and has a shot to take the career record this season.
 
CAREER FREE THROWS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      FTM        Games    Years      
1.             James Pegues                         228          56            2014-16
2.             Ben Ayre                                 221          56            2017-19
3.             Marshawn Blackmon              215          57            2018-20
4.             Stevie Strong                          209          46            2021-23
5.             Kevin Bryant                            200          82            2015-18
6.             Ryan Bradley                           194          53            2007-09
7.             Jeremy Espinoza                     194          52            2013-15
8.             Daniel Nwosu Jr.                     190          56            2015-17
9.             Dametrius Walker                   171          56            2017-19
10.           Marquis Cuyler                        167          53            2012-14
 
Strong's current career free throw percentage would also crack that top ten list if the season ended today.
 
STEVIE SHARES THE ROCK
Strong is not only great at creating his own shot, he's also been able to get his teammates involved this season.  With an incredible 19 assists last week, Strong stormed onto both the career and season assist lists last week passing Ryan McCarthy and Jarvis Jackson.  Strong is now trailing teammate Ian Lee whose 149 career assists ranks eighth on the career list.
 
CAREER ASSISTS
Rk.           Player                                      Ast           Games    Years      
1.             Ben Ayre                                 240          56            2017-19
2.             Eric Saunders                          208          54            2010-12
3.             Cortrael Colbert                      204          56            2014-16
4.             Tyjil Hereford                          171          98            2017-21
5.             Jake Darby                               169          48            2008-10
6.             Bobby Wesley                         160          47            2010-13
7.             Kevin Bryant                            150          82            2015-18
8.             Ian Lee                                    149          67            2020-23
9.             Stevie Strong                          140          46            2021-23
10.           Jarvis Jackson                          139          54            2007-09
 
Strong is the seventh Jet to register at least 100 assists in a season and is tied for sixth-most in a season with Eric Saunders who also tallied 101 back in 2011-12.
 
SEASON ASSISTS
Rk.           Player                                      Ast           Games    Year        
1.             Cortrael Colbert                      138          26            2014-15
2.             Ben Ayre                                 134          29            2018-19
3.             Bobby Wesley                         108          28            2012-13
4.             Ben Ayre                                 106          27            2017-18
5.             Eric Saunders                          107          27            2010-11
6.             Eric Saunders                          101          27            2011-12
                Stevie Strong                          101          25            2022-23
8.             Jake Darby                               97            27            2009-10
9.             Jalen Love                                92            30            2015-16
10.           Jarvis Jackson                          83            27            2008-09
Ian Lee                                     83            27            2021-22
 
ELEVEN?  ELEVEN!
Stevie Strong dished out 11 assists in Newman's victory over Northeastern State last week.  It was the first time a Jet had registered double-digit assists since Ben Ayre passed for 10 assists in an NU win over Kansas Christian December 15, 2018.  The 11 assists are tied with Cortrael Colbert and another performance by Ayre in the 2017-18 season.  Only Cole Elliott has recorded more with 12 assists at Lincoln back in the 2007-08 campaign.
 
SINGLE-GAME ASSISTS
Rk.           Player                      Ast           Opponent                Date       
1.             Cole Elliott              12            at Lincoln                 1/26/08
2.             Cortrael Colbert      11            OPSU                       1/10/15
                Ben Ayre                 11            Cameron                 11/10/17
                Stevie Strong          11            Northeastern State 2/15/23
5.             Perryonte Smith     10            at Fort Hays State   11/19/13
                Cortrael Colbert      10            UAFS                       2/19/15
                Cortrael Colbert      10            Rogers State           2/21/15
                Ben Ayre                 10            Kansas Christian      12/15/18
9.             Multiple                  9
 
Strong's current assist per game average would also rank in the top ten if the season ended today.
 
SLOW 'EM DOWN
The Jets are trying to find the right mix defensively moving into the last month of the season.  The last six opponents for the Jets have hit over 50% of their shots from the field.  Three of the last four Jet foes have scored at least 88 points.
 
NO SIR, I DON'T LIKE IT
Central Oklahoma hit 42 of 46 free throws in their win over the Jets earlier this season.  It was the most free throws made against the Jets in regulation and the most made and attempted since Cameron hit 37 of 51 charity shots against the Jets in the 2018-19 season.  The record for most free throws made against the Jets is currently held by former Heartland Conference foe St. Mary's.  On January 11, 2018, the Rattlers went a staggering 46-for-61 at the free throw line against the Navy & Red and prevailed in double overtime with a 99-94 victory over the Jets at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas.  After shooting 19-for-26 from the charity stripe in the second half, the Rattlers were then awarded 27 free throws just in the two overtimes cashing in on 21 of them.  The Jets on the other hand attempted just 25 free throws in the entire game making 18 of them.  The 43 personal fouls by Newman against the Rattlers in the game is also a program record as five Jets fouled out of the game.
 
A DEFINITE STEP UP
To get a sense of the strength of the MIAA, Newman's new league, all one has to do is check the number of games Newman is playing against ranked teams.  The Jets will play the team ranked #4 in both the Coaches' Poll and Media Poll in back-to-back games when they face the Bronchos on Saturday.  NU's first twelve seasons as an NCAA program were spent in the Heartland Conference and during that time NU played 11 games against the Top 25:  seven against Heartland Conference foes and four against MIAA competition.  NU is now in its fourth season of membership in the MIAA and this weekend will already be playing its 12^th game against a ranked opponent. 
 
HITTING THE RODEE
Long-time Newman supporter Mike Rodee will be working the Newman scoring table for the final time on Saturday.  He'll be recognized as part of Newman's Senior Day festivities.  Rodee has assisted in several roles at Newman over the years including scoreboard operator and public address announcer.  Rodee is a member of the Newman Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2017) due to his long-time support of Newman Athletics through his business South Central Sealing & Paving.  We look forward to seeing Mike in the stands enjoying the competition next season following his retirement and thank him for all of his contributions to the Navy & Red over the years!
 
CAPTAIN OF THE FLEET
R. J. Allen begins his sixth season as the head coach of the Jets in 2021.  It will be his 12th season with the program.  Allen has compiled a record of 53-81 over his first five years in Wichita with a 10-55 record in MIAA play.  Allen has coached a player to the All-MIAA team each of his first three years in the league.  Israel Barnes received All-MIAA Honorable Mention recognition last season, Joel Boyce was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention in 2021, while Marshawn Blackmon earned Third Team recognition in 2020.  During the Jets' last year in the Heartland Conference, Allen led NU to a 20-9 overall record while finishing third in the Heartland Conference at 11-5.  The 20 wins tied the NU record for victories in their NCAA Division II era.  NU also finished the season in the Top 10 of the South Central Regional Rankings.  Allen was named the 2018 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm at Newman after guiding the Jets on a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season that saw NU finish 14-14 overall and third in the conference with a 10-6 record.
 
Allen arrived in Wichita in 2011 and spent six seasons as an assistant and eventually associate head coach under Mark Potter, NU's all-time winningest coach.  The Jets won 88 games over those 6 years and made four trips to the Heartland Conference Tournament and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after going 20-8 in 2012-13.  He was also on the bench when the Jets knocked off No. 2 seed Lubbock Christian in the first round of the 2016 Heartland Conference Tournament to earn its first ever postseason victory as an NCAA program.
 
Allen is no stranger to the Air Capital after growing up in Wichita and playing his prep years for his dad, Ron, at Wichita East High School.  Allen was a two time All-City and All-State selection and helped lead the Blue Aces to the 2002 6A state championship.  Following high school, Allen stayed local playing two years at Hutchinson Community College.  The Blue Dragons dominated during Allen's career going 57-9 over the two-year span with a 41-1 record in Jayhawk Conference play and winning the conference title in 2004.
 
Allen is 1-3 against the Griffons and 1-6 against the Bronchos.
 
GRINDING WITH THE GRIFFONS AND BUCKING WITH THE BRONCHOS
Will Martin is in his third year with Missouri Western men's basketball and entered the season with a 28-28 record in St. Joseph and a 23-21 mark in conference play.  The Griffons finished tied for third in the league standings and danced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade in Martin's first season in 2020-21.  Martin ascended to the head coaching role following two years on the staff of former Western head coach Sundance Wicks who returned to his home state to join the coaching staff at Wyoming.  Martin previously spent time as an assistant at Martin Methodist College (NAIA) and as director of basketball operations at San Francisco serving under former Jayhawk Rex Walters.  Martin was a graduate assistant at Tulsa for two seasons working as video coordinator on the staff of former Jayhawk Danny Manning and former Missouri head coach Frank Haith.  Martin's collegiate years were spent as a manager of the men's basketball team at Kentucky.  During his time in Lexington, the Wildcats made three trips to the Elite Eight, twice reached the Final Four, and won the 2012 National Championship with their defeat of Kansas in the title match.  St. Joseph is Martin's only stop as a head coach in his basketball career. 
 
Martin is 2-1 against the Jets as Western's head coach.


Bob Hoffman is in his fourth year leading the Bronze & Blue and entered the season with a 48-36 record in Edmond while tallying a 38-25 mark against 'The Association.'  In his 29^th year of coaching, Hoffman began the season with a 655-371 record.  He was named the 2022 MIAA Coach of the Year after leading the Bronchos into a share of the regular season conference title, his first with UCO.  Hoffman previously coached at NCAA Division I member Mercer of the Southern Conference from 2008-19 and led the Bears to a 208-165 record, two Atlantic Sun Conference championships, the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title and a victory over No. 3 seed Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  During his time in Macon, Ga., Hoffman also led the Bears to one National Invitation Tournament berth (2013), two College Basketball Invitational appearances, and two trips to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, including the 2012 CIT title.  Hoffman previously spent five seasons at Texas-Pan American where he led the Broncs to a 68-77 record. 
 
Hoffman is no stranger to the Sooner State after spending nine seasons at Oklahoma Baptist where he led the Bison to a sparkling 243-78 record from 1990-99 with six NAIA Tournament appearances, seven 20-win seasons and four 30-win seasons.  Hoffman started as a collegiate head coach by going 88-16 in three seasons leading the Crimson Storm women's basketball program at Southern Nazarene from 1987-90.  He began his coaching career as a high school coach at Piedmont High School from 1981-85.  Hoffman has also spent time as a head coach in the American Basketball Association, the NBA Development League, and as an assistant for two seasons at Oklahoma. 
 
Hoffman is 6-1 against the Jets.
 
LEADING 'THE ASSOCIATION'

• Entering the week, former Campus Colt Stevie Strong leads the league in scoring at 17.8 ppg.
• Latik Murphy ranks tied for ninth in the MIAA connecting on 2.3 3-pointers per game.
• Strong is seventh in the conference in free throw percentage at 79.7%.
• Strong's 4.0 apg ranks him third in the league in assists.
• Strong's 1.7 assist to turnover ratio is tied for fourth in the MIAA.
• Strong ranks tied for fourth in steals with 1.5 pilfers per game.

 
NU STATS 'N STREAKS

• Stevie Strong has scored in double figures in 27-consecutive games dating back to last season. 
• Junior Latik Murphy has scored in double figures in back-to-back games and in eight of his last nine.
• Strong's 11 assists against NSU set a new career high.
• With 12 points in the same game, Strong picked up his first career double-double and the first points/assists double-double of the season.
• That was the first double-double for the Jets since Joel Boyce scored 14 points with 10 rebounds against Rogers State January 7, 2021.
• Murphy averaged 24 ppg last week for the Jets.
• Strong is one steal away from tying Chip Steven for 10^th in single-season steals in Jet history.  He needs 13 steals to join Jarvis Jackson in 10^th on the career steals leaderboard.
• Sam Somerhalder scored over 10 points in his second-straight game.
• With 21 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists against Rogers State, Strong was just shy of recording the first triple-double in program history.
• In conference games, the Navy & Red rank eighth offensively scoring 68 ppg.
• The Jets are ranked 14^th defensively allowing 78.1 ppg against league foes.
• The Jets are looking for their first winning season since 2018-19 when Newman finished 20-9 while tying for third in the Heartland Conference.  NU also seeks its first 10-win season since that same campaign.  2018-19 was also the last season NU participated in the postseason, losing in the first round of the final Heartland Conference Tournament to Rogers State.
• Newman has lost 13 straight against the Top 25.  The Newman men picked up their last win over a ranked foe when they beat #24 Dallas Baptist 74-62 February 24, 2018, to earn the program's first back-to-back wins against ranked foes.
• Rogers State turned the ball over just four times in their victory over the Jets last week.  That ties the record for fewest turnovers by an NU opponent.  Fort Hays State committed just four turnovers in a win against the Jets February 3, 2022.

 
AND THEN…
Newman heads into the offseason and the coaches hit the recruiting trail next week.
 
2022-23 MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1:  Bennett Stirtz – Northwest Missouri
Week 2:  Alijah Comithier – Emporia State
Week 3:  Will Eames – Missouri Western
Week 4:  Kaleb Hammeke – Fort Hays State
Week 5:  Diego Bernard – Northwest Missouri (2)
Week 6:  Owen Long – Emporia State (2)
Week 7:  Jaden Wells – Central Oklahoma
Week 8:  Jaden Wells (2) – Central Oklahoma (2)
Week 9:  Owen Long (2) – Emporia State (3)
Week 10:  Diego Bernard (2) – Northwest Missouri (3)
Week 11:  Owen Long (3) – Emporia State (4)
Week 12:  Stevie Strong – Newman
Week 13:  Alijah Comithier (2) – Emporia State (5)
Week 14:  Kaleb Hammeke (2) – Fort Hays State (2)
 
2022 MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLLS
Coaches
1.  Northwest Missouri (11) – 167 Points
2.  Central Oklahoma (3) – 158 Points
3.  Fort Hays State – 137 Points
4.  Washburn – 131 Points
5.  Emporia State – 125 Points
6.  Northeastern State – 100 Points
7.  Missouri Western – 93 Points
8.  Missouri Southern – 85 Points
9.  Central Missouri – 73 Points
T-10.  Pittsburg State – 63 Points
T-10.  Rogers State – 63 Points
12.  Nebraska-Kearney – 36 Points
13.  Lincoln – 26 Points
14.  Newman – 17 Points
 
Media
1.  Northwest Missouri (14) – 261 Points
2.  Central Oklahoma (4) – 243 Points
3.  Fort Hays State – 216 Points
4.  Washburn – 209 Points
5.  Emporia State – 181 Points
6.  Missouri Western – 163 Points
7.  Missouri Southern – 146 Points
8.  Northeastern State – 135 Points
9.  Central Missouri – 112 Points
10.  Pittsburg State – 106 Points
11.  Rogers State – 92 Points
12.  Nebraska-Kearney – 67 Points
13.  Newman – 33 Points
14.  Lincoln – 31 Points