By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
In the first weekend of December, the FHSU men’s basketball team went on the road to begin conference play and came away with two losses against No. 1 Washburn and Central Missouri. Since then, the Tigers have won 10 out of 11 games, reaching a 15-4 overall record and 7-3 mark in the MIAA, good for second place in the standings.
FHSU will now have a chance to avenge those losses this weekend. Washburn, still undefeated and still No. 1 in the nation, enters GMC on Thursday, and UCM will play against the Tigers on Saturday.
While Washburn has rolled through their season, FHSU is one of just two teams (CUM) to play within 10 points of the Ichabods. Washburn knocked off FHSU 73-66 earlier this year and the Tigers hope to build on the home atmosphere at the Gross Memorial Coliseum to upset the visitors from Topeka.
FHSU head coach Mark Johnson said he thinks the Tigers’ first game against Washburn was one of the Tigers’ better games this season, despite the loss, and that with the support of the crowd at home, he hopes for a different outcome against the Ichabods this time.
Johnson provided some insights into the team’s preparation for this game, explaining the main keys for the Tigers to beat Washburn.
“I think we’re playing at a much better level than that week. But at the same time, I thought we played fairly well against them,” Johnson said. “The big keys for them, if you look at the stat sheet, are that we turned it over 21 times, and we gave up 16 offensive rebounds. And if you look, that’s what they do. They average 13 offensive rebounds a game and they lead the league in forced turnovers. So we’ve really got to take care of the ball, keep them off, play good first-shot defense, and keep them off the glass.”
Against UCM, the Tigers are hoping to have a better day behind the arc than in their last encounter, where they went just 3-14 from three in a 64-50 loss. Johnson complimented the Mules’ defense for their effort against the Tigers, and added that a few more made threes in Saturday’s game would make a big difference.
“I think anytime you shoot it that bad or struggle that much, you’ve got to give some credit to to the defense,” he said. “I think it’s probably a combination of both. They’ve got quick, athletic guards, and I thought their effort was really good.”
Kyle Grill, who is leading the Tigers this season with 28 made threes and is the second-best scorer on the team with 13.6 points per game, spoke about the team’s struggles on the road against UCM.
“Well, honestly, last year at Central Missouri, we also shot pretty badly. So I don’t know if it’s the gym or what it is, but it’s tough to shoot on the road,” Grill said. “Whenever you’re shooting in a gym that you haven’t shot in before. When you’re shooting at home, and you shot there all season, it’s a lot easier to shoot at home.”
Additionally, Grill said the team is fully confident in their ability to win both games this weekend, citing their excellent form.
“Washburn’s the number one team in the conference, and Central Missouri has been in the top four the whole year, so they’re both very difficult games on the road, but we’re feeling confident, especially since it’s on our home floor,” he said. “The way we’re playing right now, we’re feeling pretty confident.”
FHSU and Washburn tip off at 7:30 tonight from Gross Memorial Coliseum while the Mules and Tigers will square off at 4 p.m. on Saturday.