By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western men’s basketball team is in its first NCAA tournament since 2010, but for awhile there, this journey didn’t seem likely.
After an 8-1 start this season, the Griffons dropped seven straight in January and February before bouncing back and winning six of their last seven games to end the regular season.
Missouri Western was dealt another tough blow Friday night, losing to Washburn in the MIAA semifinals 101-72 - the largest margin of defeat this season.
Still, at 14-10, the Griffons are the No. 6 seed in the Central Region tournament, and are paired up with No. 3 seed Washburn (19-6) in the first round this Saturday.
It’ll be the fourth matchup against the Ichabods this season, and Missouri Western won the first two. Griffons' head coach Will Martin says his group has already shown the ability to bounce back from tough stretches, and he’s confident they can do so again.
"We've shown resiliency and we've shown fortitude," the first-year head coach said. "Our guys have proven that they can go through something like Washburn, where they get embarrassed and not playing like themselves and lose by 30. You have a week to respond, and you do. So, I'm looking forward to this program's opportunity to respond."
Missouri Western faces Washburn on Saturday night at 8:45 p.m. at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Washburn is fresh off of their 69-68 win over Northwest Missouri State in Saturday’s MIAA tournament title. The Bearcats are the No. 2 seed in the Central Region, and will play the winner of Washburn-Western on Sunday night.
The full regional schedule can be viewed here.