Men's Basketball 1/19/2022 4:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

No. 18 Central Oklahoma Hosts No. 2 Northwest Missouri

Bronchos welcome Bearcats in crucial MIAA showdown

EDMOND – No. 18 Central Oklahoma hosts No. 2 Northwest Missouri in a seismic MIAA showdown Thursday night at Hamilton Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is 15-2 this season. Northwest Missouri is 16-1.

The Bronchos are 10-1 in MIAA play and sit in second place in the league standings. The Bearcats are 9-0 in the MIAA and are currently in first place.

UCO is on an 11-game win streak (all by double digits). NWMSU is on a 14-game win streak (the first 13 all by double digits).

"They're a fun team to watch if you're not playing them," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said about Northwest Missouri. "Our guys know what's in front of them. We've been working on getting better every day since last spring when we lost in the MIAA Championship Semifinals to this team. We know we got a lot of different guys that can step up and are ready to step up. It's going to be a fun game."

Central Oklahoma welcomes Northwest Missouri to Hamilton Field House as the highest scoring team in the MIAA. The Bronchos average 84.2 points per game through 17 games played this season. UCO does so efficiently, shooting an even 50 percent from the floor. The Bronchos also shoot 38.4 percent from 3-point range and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma allows 67.8 points per game, solidifying a +16.3 points per game margin. The Bronchos hold opponents to 41.4 percent shooting, with a 31.6 percent mark on 3-point attempts and a 65.3 percent mark on free-throw attempts.

Central leads the MIAA in several categories in addition to scoring offense. UCO ranks first in scoring (84.2), field goals made (507), free-throws attempted (332), rebounds (641), assists (298), and the Bronchos have the best assist-turnover ratio (1.5) in the league. Central also ranks second in both offensive and defensive field goal percentage (50.0 – 41.4), 3-point percentage (38.4), and free-throws made (259).

Isaiah Wade, who last weekend was named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List, leads Central Oklahoma into Thursday night's matchup. The senior forward averages 18.5 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Both lead UCO. Wade is shooting 57.9 percent from the field this season in 16 games played. He has a team-high 58 made free-throws as well.

Camryn Givens is Central's second-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and he is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 5.6 per game. Givens shoots 55.2 percent overall, 41.5 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 75 percent from the free-throw line. Givens has been steadily climbing the all-time scoring list at UCO. He enters Thursday's matchup with 862 points, putting him on track to become Central Oklahoma's 43rd 1,000-point scorer this March.

Jaden Wells checks in at No. 3 on UCO's list of scoring leaders for this season. The second-year freshman is one of the best shooters in the country and is averaging 15.2 points per game through 17 games played this season. Wells shoots 46.6 percent overall, 46.9 percent from 3-point range, and 97.2 percent from the free-throw line. He is 60-for-128 on 3-point attempts this season. The 60 makes are tied for the second-most in the league and his 46.9 percent rate on shots from outside is the best mark in the MIAA.

In conference play alone, Wells is shooting 50 percent overall, 51 percent from the free-throw line, and 100 percent from the free-throw line.

Callen Haydon is averaging 12.8 points per game but he creates much more. The junior guard also averages 5.9 assists per game, the best mark in the MIAA and a rate that ranks 22nd in the nation. Haydon fills up the stat sheet with a little bit of work all over the floor. Besides shooting 47.4 percent overall, 36.7 percent from outside, and 89.4 percent from the free-throw line, Haydon also averages 3.2 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game.

Jalyn Turner adds 3.6 points per game as Central's fifth starter. He also helps out on the glass, posting 2.1 rebounds per game.

Central Oklahoma gets 23 points per game off the bench and that is led by No. 23 Preston Aymond.

A freshman forward, Aymond averages 8.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game, finding his way into the mix on any occasion. He shoots 52.5 percent overall, has a 32.6 percent rate from 3-point attempts, and is at 85.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Davon Richardson has also chipped in a lot off the bench. The second-year freshman guard averages 5.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game and is active on the defensive end with 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks per contest. Richardson shoots 52.2 percent overall.

Carson Calavan (3.1 PPG) not only adds a little offense but is a great compliment to Haydon at the point guard position. Calavan averages 3.6 assists per game and ranks seventh in the MIAA. The duo averages 9.2 assists per game, which is more than any other duo in the MIAA.

Northwest's top player is point guard Trevor Hudgins, who averages 24.7 points per game. He's the only player in the league with more 3-pointers than Wells. Hudgins has hit 82 of 194 shots from outside, a 42.3 percent rate, and he is also fourth in the MIAA at 4.3 assists per game. Wes Dreamer (14.2) and Diego Bernard (12.3) also average double figures for Northwest, who as a team averages 80.5 points per game. Hudgins and Bernard were both named to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watchlist along with Wade.

Northwest does own an advantage in the all-time series, winning 15 of 18 overall and each of the last 10 meetings. UCO and Northwest last played in the 2021 MIAA Championship Semifinals last March. Northwest Missouri has not only controlled this series. The Bearcats have won eight consecutive MIAA titles and Northwest won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

Thursday night's matchup will be the first time two ranked teams played one another inside Hamilton Field House since March 13, 2011, when then No. 4 Central Oklahoma beat No. 13 Fort Hays State to advance to the Sweet 16.

Central Oklahoma was scheduled to play Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon to wrap up a short, two-game homestand. That contest was postponed however and has yet to be rescheduled. The Bronchos are scheduled to visit Emporia State next week on Wednesday before facing off against Washburn next Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Carson Calavan: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#33 Camryn Givens: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#10 Jalyn Turner: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#2 Isaiah Wade: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#1 Davon Richardson: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#24 Jaden Wells: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#14 Callen Haydon: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#23 Preston Aymond: F; 6' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#13 Carson Calavan
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

#33 Camryn Givens
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#10 Jalyn Turner
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#2 Isaiah Wade
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#1 Davon Richardson
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#24 Jaden Wells
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#14 Callen Haydon
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#23 Preston Aymond
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: F