Men's Basketball 3/4/2022 8:09:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO To Face Washburn In MIAA Semifinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Oklahoma continues is postseason trek Saturday against Washburn in the semifinals of the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championship presented by Citizen's Bank & Trust. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Central Oklahoma, ranked No. 17 in the country and the No. 1 seed in the championship tournament, beat ninth-seeded Northeastern State 77-66 on Thursday in the quarterfinals. UCO won the MIAA regular season title for the first time since joining the league 10 years ago. The Bronchos have made nine of 10 postseason tournaments and Saturday will mark the fifth time Central has played in the semifinals.

Central Oklahoma heads to the semis averaging 82.7 points per game. The Bronchos shoot 49.9 percent as a team overall. UCO averages 8.4 made 3-pointers per game and shoots 37.5 percent from behind the arc. Central also averages 17.1 made free-throws per game and shoots 79.6 percent from the stripe.

Isaiah Wade is UCO's leading scorer this season, averaging 18.9 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game. The senior forward posted a 23-point, 9-rebound performance in Thursday's quarterfinals win.

Wade is shooting 59 percent this season. That's the best mark in the MIAA – and by more than four percentage points. He also shoots 43.5 percent from behind the 3-point line and has made 100 free-throws in 28 games this season.

Callen Haydon is Central's second leading scorer at 15 points per game and also leads the team in assists at 6.3 per game. The junior point guard posted a 21-point, 10-assist performance in Thursday's quarterfinals win over Northeastern State. He also had three rebounds and three steals. Haydon averages 2.9 boards and 1.7 steals per game this season.

Haydon's 175 assists this season are the most of any player in the MIAA and are the sixth most of any player in the country. That mark also ranks fourth in UCO's record books for most in a single season.

Jaden Wells is averaging 14.6 points per game. The second-year freshman sharp shooter is hitting 42.7 percent of his 3-point attempts. He has 85 made threes on the season. Wells is also the nation's best free-throw shooter. He is 77-for-81 at the line this season, posting a DII best 95.1 percent.

Wells is also Central's second-leading rebounder at 5.7 boards per game. He posted a 14-point, 5-rebound performance in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Camryn Givens is Central's fourth leading scorer and fourth double-digit scorer this season. Givens averages 13.6 points per game this season. He also pulls down 5.2 rebounds per game. He posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday. Givens is a 52.9 percent shooter, hitting 136 of 257 shots this season. He also shoots 42.5 percent from 3-point range and 77.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Givens is eying a significant achievement in Saturday's semifinal. He has scored 992 points in his career at UCO. He would become the 43rd member of the 1,000-point club at Central with eight more points.

Central Oklahoma's rotation also includes starter Jalyn Turner (3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds), and second-unit standouts Preston Aymond (7.5, 4.3), Davon Richardson (5.8, 3.3), and Carson Calavan (2.7 points, 2.6 assists).

UCO has played Washburn twice this season and the teams split the series with the home team winning each game. Central Oklahoma won 97-87 in overtime in Edmond back in December. That was the second of 13 straight wins by the Bronchos. Washburn won 96-86 in Topeka in January.

Central Oklahoma has only played Washburn once in the MIAA Basketball Championship. That came in Central's first appearance in the postseason tourney in 2013. The Bronchos won 99-88 in the quarterfinals.

The winner of Saturday's semifinal matchup will advance to Championship Sunday. The 2022 MIAA men's basketball championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

The winner of the league's postseason championship receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II men's basketball championship next weekend. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Sunday, revealing the 64-team field for the national tournament that is scheduled to begin March 11.

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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