By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Barring some anomalies in the voting, when the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 is released on Tuesday, the Washburn University men's basketball team will be in the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division II national rankings.
Brett Ballard's Washburn Ichabods, off to a perfect 15-0 start, are expected to move up to the No. 1 spot in the national ranking on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Senior Michael Keegan has helped Washburn get off to a dominating 15-0 start with just one single-digit game. [File photo/TSN]
And while the ultimate goal for the Ichabods is to be in the top spot at the end of the season, WU coach Brett Ballard wants his team to be proud of the coveted honor.
"I think it's a big deal,'' Ballard said after Saturday's 96-66 romp past perennial power Northwest Missouri State, a four-time Division II national champion. "If we do get that -- and if we don't it's OK -- I think it's a testament to the guys we have now, it's what we've tried to build, and I think it's a testament to our former players and the foundation that they've established and the culture that they established with the program, to our assistants and everybody involved with Washburn.
"To be No. 1 potentially out of over 300 Division II teams, that's a big deal to me.''
WU senior standout Andrew Orr agreed.
"It's special,'' Orr said. "There's 300 and some Division II teams and to be ranked No. 1 is amazing. And we deserve it, if I'm being honest. We play really hard, we're really good and I don't see why we wouldn't be No. 1.''
Washburn, which has not been top-ranked since 1992, has been No. 2 in the KABC Top 25 coaches poll for multiple weeks and is a good bet to move up after previous No. 1 Nova Southeastern lost 89-66 to Palm Beach Atlantic on Jan. 8 on the road.
Washburn, meanwhile, is 15-0 overall and 6-0 in the MIAA after Saturday's 30-point win, the largest by an Ichabod team over Northwest since a 31-point win on March 2, 1993 in Topeka.
The Ichabods have had just one single-digit outcome on the season -- 81-73 over William Jewell -- and WU has posted seven wins by 20 points or more and three by 30 or more, with a season-high victory of 40 points.
All five Ichabod starters reached double figures double figures against Northwest, led by sophomore Brayden Shorter with 18 points while Orr had 16 points, senior Jacob Hanna had 13 points with four steals, sophomore Jack Bachelor had 11 points and added five assists and senior Michael Keegan had 11 points and three steals.
Washburn will be back in Lee Arena Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup with rival Emporia State.
The Ichabods beat the Hornets 105-77 in Emporia on Jan. 4.
