Men's Basketball 1/6/2026 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

UCO Welcomes Northeastern State Wednesday Night

Bronchos Look To Continue Win Streak

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma is back at Hamilton Field House this week for a pair of MIAA contests beginning with Northeastern State Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

UCO is 9-7 this season and looks to extend its winning streak to three with this week's contests. The Bronchos are 2-2 in the MIAA. Northeastern State is 8-5 on the season overall and has a 1-3 record in league play.

"This is just the beginning of a long stretch of tough games so our focus is on doing what we do to the best of our abilities," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "We've had to really work to get to this point but we can take the things that have gone well and build off that. NSU is a really good team but we're ready to fight for it."

Central Oklahoma enters this week's games averaging 73.4 points per game with a 46.5 shooting percentage through 16 games played. The Bronchos shoot 32.5 percent from behind the 3-point line with an average of 5.6 makes per game. UCO also shoots 69.6 percent from the free-throw line with an average of 12.8 made free-throws per game.

Matthew Willenborg leads UCO in most categories. The junior forward averages 19.8 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, and 2.9 blocks per game - all team highs. He shoots 53.0 percent overall and 37.8 percent from three with a 79.2 percent free-throw rate. Willenborg's 123 made baskets and 28 made 3-pointers both lead the team. His 42 made free-throws are the second most on the roster.

Josh Nwankwo, who has missed the last four games due to injury, is averaging 18.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. His 81 made baskets are second to Willenborg. He also averages 2.3 steals to lead the defense.

Marcus Zeigler Jr. (9.1 PPG) and Parker Hannah (8.4) also lead the offense. Zeigler leads UCO with 60 assists, 3.8 per game, and Hannah's 24 made 3-pointers are second to Willenborg.

The Bronchos are also getting 5.1 points per game out of sophomore Jack Robinson and 4.4 from senior Ben Averitt.

Northeastern State comes to Edmond averaging 88.2 points per game and the Riverhawks shoot as a team 49.5 percent from the floor. NSU shoots 37.9 percent from behind the 3-point line and averages 7.5 made 3-pointers per game, and 71.8 percent from the free-throw line with an average of 17.0 made free-throws per contest.

The Bronchos own a commanding 101-55 record in the all-time series with NSU that dates back more than 100 years. UCO and NSU split last season's two meetings, with the home team winning each time. The Bronchos had won the previous seven in a row (2022-24).

The Bronchos also host No. 5 Arkansas Fort Smith on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Lions are 13-0 on the season, 4-0 in the MIAA, and play at Rogers State Wednesday night before coming to Edmond this weekend.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Ben Averitt: G; 6' 6"; Senior

#22 Parker Hannah: G; 6' 2"; Junior

#15 Jack Robinson: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#21 Matthew Willenborg: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#2 Josh Nwankwo: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#5 Marcus Zeigler Jr.: G; 6' 1"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#12 Ben Averitt
: 6' 6"; Senior
: G

#22 Parker Hannah
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G

#15 Jack Robinson
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: G

#21 Matthew Willenborg
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#2 Josh Nwankwo
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#5 Marcus Zeigler Jr.
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G