Thursday, Jan. 1 | 7:30 p.m. (CT) | Gross Memorial Coliseum | Hays, Kan.
Northwest Missouri State at Fort Hays State
WATCH | LISTEN | STATS | TICKETS

Saturday, Jan. 3 | 4 p.m. (CT) | Health & Sports Center | Kearney, Neb.
Northwest Missouri State at Nebraska-Kearney
WATCH | LISTEN | STATS | TICKETS

THIS WEEK'S ACTION
The Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team (8-5 overall, 1-1 MIAA) will begin 2026 on the road with conference matchups against Fort Hays State (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) and Nebraska-Kearney (Saturday, 4 p.m.).

ALL-TIME VS. FORT HAYS STATE
Northwest owns a 24-13 advantage over Fort Hays State in the all-time series. FHSU has won two straight and three of the last four matchups.
    Head coach Matt Keeley is 0-2 vs. FHSU.

ALL-TIME VS. NEB.-KEARNEY
Northwest is 16-3 all-time vs. Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers have won two straight matchups with the Bearcats. Head coach Matt Keeley is 0-2 vs. the Lopers.

NORTHWEST SURPASSES WIN TOTAL FROM LAST YEAR
The Bearcat men's basketball team has surpassed its win total from last year (6-22). The Bearcats are 8-5 this season.
    Northwest is 4-1 at home this season after going 0-10 in Bearcat Arena in 2024-25.

GET TO 70 FOR THE WIN
Northwest is 8-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.

80 OR MORE FOR KEELEY
The Bearcats are 6-0 when they score 80 or more points under head coach Matt Keeley.
    Northwest went 2-0 in the 2024-25 season when scoring 80 or more points.
    Nothwest is 4-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points.

Northwest Scoring 80 or More (Keeley)
W, 96-58 vs. Kansas Wesleyan (12/17/25)
W, 97-59 vs. York (11/26/25)
W, 85-72 vs. Augustana (11/15/25)
W, 82-79 vs. UMSL (11/1/25)
W, 81-74 at Northeastern State (2/20/25)
W, 83-80 at Central Washington (12/16/24)

SECOND 90-POINT GAME
Northwest surpassed 90 points for the second time this season and second time in head coach Matt Keeley's career as a Bearcat with a 96-58 drubbing of Kansas Wesleyan.
    Northwest put up a season-high 97 points vs. York on Nov. 26.

ROYCE ROLLS UP NUMBERS
Senior guard Royce Williams leads the Bearcats in rebounds (5.8) and steals (23). Williams is second on the squad in scoring (13.2 ppg).
    Williams ranks tied for No. 6 in the MIAA in steals (23).
    
ROYCE IS HOT FROM THE LINE
Williams is 38-of-41 (92.7%) at the free throw line. Williams had a streak of 28 straight made free throws snapped with a miss against No. 12-ranked Missouri S&T.
    He ranks tied for No. 15 in the nation and No. 1 in the  MIAA in free throw percentage.
    
GAIR ADDS SCORING FLAIR
Senior Aiden Gair leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), assists (40) and three-pointers made (34).
    Gair has sank 129 three pointers in his NCAA collegiate career with 95 made triples at Millersville.
    Gair ranks third in the MIAA in three-pointers made with 34. He ranks tied for No. 21 in the country in three-pointers made.
    
MIAA 3-Point FGs Made - Leaders
1. Jevon Hill (Central Missouri)    51
2. Jack Bachelor (Washburn)    36
3. Aiden Gair (Northwest Mo. St.)    34
4. Benard Omooria (Rogers St.)    33
5. Gavyn Elkamil (Mo. Southern)    32

MAYES IS A SCORING BOOST, AT A HIGH PERCENTAGE
Senior Matthew Mayes is third on the team in scoring (13.1 ppg).
    Mayes is shooting 55.2% from the floor having drained 58-of-105 shots. Mayes ranks No. 8 in the MIAA in field goal percentage.
    Mayes tied his career-high in points with 22 against Kansas Wesleyan. Mayes also had a 22-point scoring effort at Henderson State against Northwestern Oklahoma State on Feb. 6, 2025.

SCORING NOTES
Senior Matthew Mayes recorded his 27th career double-figure scoring game with a team-high tying 16 points on the road at William Jewell.
    Senior Royce Williams also tallied 16 points against William Jewell for his 22nd career double-figure scoring game.
    Redshirt freshman Larenz Walters captured 13 points for his third double-figure scoring game of the year.

Career Double-Figure Scoring Games
Aiden Gair - 34
Matthew Mayes - 27
Royce Williams - 22
Jack Ratigan - 11
Trey Moala - 10
Robby Garcia - 3
Larenz Walters - 3
Gob Gob - 2
Presley Ibeh - 1

Career 20-Point Scoring Games
Aiden Gair - 5
Royce Williams - 5
Matthew Mayes - 2

Career 30-Point Scoring Games
Aiden Gair - 1
Royce Williams - 1

ACTIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES LIST
Junior Jack Ratigan owns Northwest's only active career double-doubles with two.

Career Double-Doubles
Jack Ratigan - 2

WALTERS NETS BACK-TO-BACK STRONG SCORING EFFORTS
Redshirt freshman Larenz Walters scored a career-high 16 points against Missouri Western and followed it up with a 14-point performance at home against Emporia State.
    Walters is averaging 14.0 points per game in MIAA play and 7.8 points per game in all games.

WILLIAMS HITS FOR 30 VS ESU
Senior guard Royce Williams registered a career-high 30 points in leading Northwest to a 77-70 win over Emporia State. It is the 12th 30-point game posted by an MIAA men's player this season.
    Williams also tied career-high with nine rebounds vs. the Hornets.
    Williams went 9-of-13 from the floor and was perfect at the free throw line by sinking all eight attempts. Williams buried 4-of-5 from three-point range vs. ESU.
    Williams put up 21 points at Missouri Western to open MIAA play.
    Williams is averaging 25.5 points per game in MIAA games. Williams is 8-of-13 (61.3%) from three-point range in MIAA games.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE IN BEARCAT ARENA
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Northwest has compiled a home mark of 180-25, including a tally of 121-19 in MIAA play.
    Since Jan. 14, 2015, Northwest has compiled a home record of 135-18. In that same stretch, Northwest is 97-13 in home MIAA contests.

Year        Record (MIAA Games)
2011-12    12-1 (9-1)
2012-13    12-3 (6-3)
2013-14    12-1 (9-1)
2014-15    13-2 (8-1)
2015-16    13-0 (11-0)
2016-17    18-0 (10-0)
2017-18    12-2 (8-1)
2018-19    17-0 (9-0)
2019-20    16-0 (10-0)
2020-21    12-2 (10-1)
2021-22    12-2 (9-2)
2022-23    15-1 (11-0)
2023-24    12-0 (11-0)
2024-25    0-10 (0-9)
2025-26    4-1 (1-0)

FOUR RETURNERS
The Bearcat roster features four players returning from last year's squad.
    Juniors Jack Ratigan and Trey Moala are the only two returnees who saw action last season.
    Larenz Walters and Presley Ibeh were on the squad last season but redshirted and did not see any action.
    
TRANSFER PORTAL
Northwest added six NCAA Div. I or Div. II transfers for this year's roster.
    Gob Gob is a Div. I transfer from UMKC. Gob played 19 games and scored 57 points for the Roos. Gob tallied a 16-point output vs. Oral Roberts (Feb. 1, 2025).
    Aiden Gair is a Div. II transfer from Millersville in Pennsylvania. Gair started 30 games and averaged 14.4 points for the Marauders. Gair buried 95 three-pointers to rank No. 17 in the nation.
    Matthew Mayes is a Div. II transfer from Henderson State. Mayes played in 28 games and made 21 starts for the Reddies. Mayes averaged 11.3 points per game. He dished out 77 assists and tallied 70 steals. Mayes ranked No. 17 in the nation in steals in 2024-25.
    Royce Williams is a Div. II transfer from Southern New Hampshire. Williams played three seasons for SNHU and saw action in 69 games with 15 starts. He averaged 9.3 points per game in 2024-25. He shot 46.6% from the floor and grabbed 83 rebounds. Williams played in the 2025 NCAA Tournament for SNHU.
    Osa Obasohan is a Div. I transfer from Hawaii. Obasohan played in 10 games for the Rainbow Warriors and scored six points. He played in a French under-21 league in 2023-24.
    Jack Webb is a Div. I transfer from Central Michigan. Webb last played for the Chippewas in the 2021-22 season. He played in 29 games and scored 13 points for the Chippewas in the Mid-American Conference.

35-10 VS. RANKED OPPONENTS SINCE 2015-16
Northwest is 35-10 vs. ranked opponents since the 2015-16 season. Northwest went 0-3 last season against foes ranked in the NABC Top 25.

Bearcats vs. NABC Ranked Foes (Since 2016)
L, 80-54 vs. No. 12 Missouri S&T (12/13/25)
L, 80-69 vs. No. 1 Washburn (1/22/25)
L, 96-66 at No. 2 Washburn (1/11/25)
L, 68-56 vs. No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State (11/23/24)
L, 43-42 at No. 2 Minnesota State (3/19/24)
W, 71-62 vs. No. 10 Minnesota-Duluth (3/17/24)
W, 64-61 (2OT) vs. No. 24 Fort Hays State (2/3/24)
W, 63-59 vs. No. 15 Emporia State (12/16/23)
W, 65-47 vs. No. 21 Northern State (11/10/23)
L, 61-57 vs. No. 15 Southern Nazarene (3/12/23)
W, 61-53 vs. No. 12 Central Oklahoma (3/5/23)
W, 65-51 vs. No. 7 Central Oklahoma (2/23/23)
L, 69-58 at No. 7 Central Oklahoma (1/12/23)
L, 74-65  at No. 22 Emporia State (12/17/22)
W, 78-62 vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M (11/5/22)
W, 67-58 vs. No. 5 Augusta (3/26/22)
W, 70-57 vs. No. 22 Black Hills State (3/24/22)
W, 61-43 vs. No. 14 Bentley (3/22/22)
W, 70-56 at No. 5 Augustana (3/15/22)
W, 53-50 vs. No. 21 Fort Hays State (3/5/22)
W, 57-49 vs. No. 18 Fort Hays State (2/2722)
L, 76-75 (OT) at No. 18 Central Oklahoma (1/20/22)
W, 64-59 vs. No. 21 Seattle Pacific (11/7/21)
W, 68-55 vs. No. 15 Northern State (11/6/21)
W, 80-54 vs. No. 5 West Texas A&M (3/27/21)
W, 77-46 vs. No. 8 Flagler (3/25/21)
W, 98-77 vs. No. 18 West Liberty (3/24/21)
W, 91-86 (OT) at No. 2 Northern State (3/16/21)
W, 85-44 vs. No. 17 Washburn (3/14/21)
W, 88-85 (OT) at No. 15 Washburn (2/20/21)
W, 78-76 vs. No. 22 Missouri Southern (3/8/20)
W, 77-76 vs. No. 17 Missouri Southern (2/20/20)
W, 96-75 at No. 14 Missouri Southern (2/13/20)
W, 100-88 vs. No. 9 Southern Nazarene (11/2/19)
W, 85-65 vs. No. 22 Daemen (11/1/19)
W, 64-58 vs. No. 6 Point Loma (3/30/19)
W, 76-53 vs. No. 20 Saint Anselm (3/28/19)
W, 70-59 vs. No. 13 Southern Nazarene (3/17/19)
W, 100-86 vs. No. 13 Ferris State (11/4/19)
W, 70-56 vs. No. 15 Lincoln Memorial (12/19/17)
W, 71-61 vs. No. 3 Fairmont State (3/25/17)
W, 79-67 vs. No. 15 Lincoln Memorial (3/23/17)
W, 55-52 vs. No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State (3/14/17)
W, 82-71 vs. No. 18 Augustana (11/17/16)
L, 80-78 at No. 1 Augustana (3/15/16)

MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Bearcats have been projected to finish 11th by the media and 14th by the coaches in the MIAA's preseason basketball polls.

2025-26 MIAA Coaches Poll
1. Washburn [13] – 169 points
2. Rogers State [1] – 141 points
3. Central Oklahoma – 137 points
4. Fort Hays State – 134 points
5. Pittsburg State – 127 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 106 points
7. Central Missouri – 102 points
8. Missouri Western – 79 points
9. Northeastern State – 62 points
10. Emporia State – 59 points
11. Newman – 52 points
12. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 41 points
13. Missouri Southern – 35 points
14. Northwest Missouri State – 30 points
Coaches Are Not Allowed To Vote For Their Own Team

2025-26 MIAA Media Poll
1. Washburn [23] – 346 points
2. Fort Hays State [1] – 297 points
3. Rogers State [1] – 286 points
4. Pittsburg State – 280 points
5. Central Oklahoma – 229 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 211 points
7. Central Missouri – 186 points
8. Missouri Western – 169 points
9. Emporia State – 159 points
10. Northeastern State – 132 points
11. Northwest Missouri State – 108 points
12. Newman – 93 points
13. Missouri Southern – 69 points
14. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 59 points