LEBANON, Ill. – The RV men's basketball team will round out regular-season play this week before venturing off to their seventh-ever GLVC Tournament the following week in in St. Louis, as the team will face a mightily No.19 Rockhurst University on Thursday, February 26th at 7:30 PM CT and will conclude the road slate at Southwest Baptist University on Saturday, February 28th at 3:00 PM CT. 

Fans can watch both games live or on-demand on the respective institutions' GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required. Live stats will also be made available to view online. Tickets for the Rockhurst match are available on their athletic website, as the contest against SBU can only be purchased on the day of the event at their ticket office. 

[Rockhurst] [Southwest Baptist] 

SCOUTING THE LAST OUTINGS 

The RV men's basketball team closed out their homestand for the 2025-26 season over the weekend in Lebanon after causing chaos in a comeback victory against upper Iowa University in overtime on Thursday, followed by a romping versus in-state-foe Quincy University for the team's Senior Day on Saturday. 

Against Upper Iowa, sophomore forward Wyatt Zellers (Scottsburg, Ind.) fired away with his 18th triple of the season within the opening minutes of play, and right before Upper Iowa got going on their end of the floor with an 8-0 spurt. Yet it would not take long for McKendree to respond, as they did one better with a 9-0 run to take the four-point lead and hold the Peacocks to nearly six minutes without a basket. As The Peacocks got back to within one with under nine minutes left of the half, the Bearcats enacted on yet another run to separate themselves by scoring 10 straight with senior guard Caleb Burton (O'Fallon, Ill.) starting with three consecutive layups inside. With McKendree still relying on points in the paint, Upper Iowa capitalized on a 15-7 spread to round out the half with the Bearcats up front 33-30. Much like how Upper Iowa ended half number one, they opened up the second almost identically with a 16-7 spurt to go up by six. 13 of the Bearcats' next 15 points came from the charity stripe, while they try to keep within striking distance. Then, Moore took the team on his back in scoring seven of their last nine points to erase a seven point deficit after converting an and-one basket and a second chance lay-in off a self-missed shot with 15 ticks remaining to tie it up at 65-all. And a sound defensive stance kept the Peacocks from getting a last-second shot to go in, and forced overtime. Burton wasted no time in setting the tone in the extra period by nailing a shot from the corner, as sophomore guard Rini Harris (O'Fallon, Ill.) muscled his way through contact to take the five-point edge. After Upper Iowa answered with a couple of made three-pointers, the fifth-year forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.) also powered one in and drew the foul for the old-fashioned three-point play. A layup by Burton with 39 seconds left helped put the game away, along with converting their dues at the line to pull off the comeback in overtime 81-76. Burton made a personal McKendree-high 18 points on the evening on 5-for-7 (71.4%) shooting with five rebounds, two steals, and a block. Harris put up his second career double-double of 16 points and 10 boards to go with four assists and a pair of blocked shots. Franklin and Moore dropped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, as the former corralled six rebounds, while the latter got four boards and a trio of assists.  

Versus Quincy, senior guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.) started off McKendree with their first five points of the game, with fellow veteran Franklin being able to knock in their second three-pointer in the first four minutes of action to lead 8-2. A 7-1 response by the Hawks knotted the game at nine for a brief moment until the Bearcats got back up front behind a couple of made baskets by Zellers, including one from beyond the arc. A 9-0 spurt by the Bearcats gave them the 11-point edge as time was winding down in the first half of play, as Zellers was able to slam it inside with both hands for a second consecutive game, while Woods swished in the step-back triple with five ticks remaining to go into halftime with a comfortable 38-22 lead. For the opening minutes into the second half of play, it was the Hawks squad against Franklin, where the fifth-year player scored eight of McKendree's first 12 points to keep their distance against the opposition. The lead kept growing for the Bearcats as they put their foot down on an 8-0 run by showcasing their presence from the volume of the court, as a turnaround floater by Woods drew him the contact and the foul, where he would subsequently convert at the charity stripe. The Bearcats would also tighten up defensively in the midst of the half, where they held Quincy scoreless from the field for five consecutive minutes of play to capitalize on the consistent protection McKendree has shown all season long. During the process, the Bearcats utilized a 12-2 run to go up by 31 with a hair over four minutes left in regulation. Quincy dropped in a 6-point spurt to cut their deficit to 25, but redshirt sophomore guard Grant Fridley (Trenton, Ill.) buried his squad's 10th three-pointer of the contest, and his eighth of the season to seal the 86-56 win in their final home matchup. Woods finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-for-12 (66.7%) scoring from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 (100%) from three, while also contributing five rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Franklin ended his final home game of his career with 15 points on 6-for-9 (66.7%) shooting plus two boards. Zellers notched a career-high 13 points on the day by going 5-for-7 (71.4%) from the field, along with six rebounds, an assist, and a takeaway. The squad's current 21 wins are now the most-ever in the program's history in their NCAA Division II era (since 2012-13). With the win, the team has clinched their way towards its sixth consecutive GLVC Championship Tournament appearance, and seventh overall since joining the conference in 2012-13. Prior to the game, the program recognized three graduating athletes in guard Caleb Burton (O'Fallon, Ill.), guard Cha'Vez Woods (Louisville, Ky.), and forward Noah Franklin (Cobden, Ill.). While their time at McKendree will soon be coming to an end, they will forever be engraved as part of the Bearcat family. 

HISTORY SHOWCASE 

Against Rockhurst, it will be the 17th matchup ever in the NCAA Division II era, as McKendree has obtained the most recent success. The Bearcats have won the last nine meetings dating back to November 18th of 2020, with the latter four of such coming down to the wire, where McKendree has either won by four points or less, or overtime. In total, the Bearcats hold a 10-6 lead in the series. 

Against Southwest Baptist, it will be the 11th-ever matchup dating back to January 2nd of 2020. The Bearcats came away victorious in each of the last five outings and has a current 3-1 record at the John Q. Hammons Court in Bolivar, Missouri. Overall, McKendree holds the edge in the Bearcat dual, 6-4. 

KNOW THE FOES 

The Hawks currently sit alone at the top of the GLVC standings as of today, and have made their second-consecutive appearance in the NABC Coaches Poll, rising up to No.19 in the country. Posting a 21-5 overall record while going 15-3 in conference play, Rockhurst is coming into the highly anticipated matchup on a nine-game winning streak, dating back to January 22nd, and has won 13 of its last 14 outings. They have lost only once on their home floor in their 12 total games at the Mason-Halpin Field House thus far. 

SBU has ventured into a better-than-anticipated season after being picked last in the 15-team preseason GLVC Coaches Poll, as they now sit 11th in the standings with a 12-14 overall record and a 6-12 mark in GLVC play. The recent stretch has not been kind to the other Bearcats, as the team is coming off five straight losses, and has not won on their home floor since January 24th, when they deflated Lewis University by 34 points. 

BEAR(CAT) THIS IN MIND... 

Fifth-year forward Noah Franklin is just 16 points away from surpassing 1,000 career total points, and if he goes by his scoring average this season (12.1 ppg), he will cross the plateau at his former school, Southwest Baptist University, on Saturday. 

Franklin was a member of the SBU squad for three years from 2021-2024, where he began with a redshirt year before being a high-rotational piece in his latter two seasons before coming to McKendree. 

IT APPEARS TO BE... 

McKendree is once again receiving votes in this week's edition of the NABC Coaches poll with 14 total points. It is the ninth-straight week (and the eighth time overall) the team has made an appearance on the weekly national scale, as they are two weeks removed from their first-ever spot on the top 25, which they held onto for just two weeks at No.23. 

The Bearcats are also appearing in the NCAA's Regional Rankings, which helps their case for an at-large NCAA postseason bid, should they come short of winning the GLVC. 

21... AND GETTING OLDER 

The Bearcats current 21 victories place in the record books as the most wins ever by the program in the NCAA Division II era (dating back to the 2012-13 season), as the previous high was 20 total wins during the 2022-23 season, where the team captured their first GLVC Tournament crown and won their first two games of the NCAA Regionals. 

This team still has at least three more games left on their docket but are determined to play in more! 

FEELIN' KINDA RANKY 

McKendree is seeking a notable feat in their NCAA Division II history, as they look to move to 3-0 on the year against national top-25 opponents, when they face the No.19 Rockhurst Hawks on Thursday. 

The team won both of their other matchups earlier this season against those ranked in the NABC Coaches poll by defeating then-No.21 Concordia University, St. Paul [80-66] on November 26th and then-No.9 Missouri S&T [70-59] on January 22nd. 

Per research, the Bearcats are 9-38 all-time against ranked foes in their DII history (since 2012-13). 

TOURNEY BOUND! 

The McKendree Bearcats last weekend clinched their way into the GLVC Championship Tournament this March (5th-8th) for the sixth consecutive time, and their seventh total appearance. 

The program holds a 4-5 record in the postseason event, with three of those wins coming en route to their 2023 conference championship crown a few years back, as the lone other came the year prior in first-round action. 

COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERS 

The Bearcats are one of America's best closers during the stages of crunch time, as they are a perfect 19-0 when holding the lead at the final two-minute mark in regulation. Even more impressive, is when the game has five minutes remaining, to where McKendree is also a perfect 20-0. 

The team is 2-5 when being down at the two-minute stamp, and a 1-5 when trailing with five minutes left. 

(RE)BOUND TO HAPPEN 

McKendree takes pride in their fundamental approach to the game on a consistent level, and when they do not, things get dicey. 

The team is a remarkable 17-2 on the year when they have outrebounded their opponents, and have not been outrebounded for seven-straight games. But when they do get less than their opposition, they are an even 3-3. 

Not once have the Bearcats allowed a double-digit negative margin on the glass this season, as their lowest of the year was being outrebounded by eight way back on November 25th against the University of Central Missouri. 

NCAA'S TOP 100 (as of 2/24/26) 

McKENDREE 

Team: 

• Effective field goal percentage (39th – 55.0%) 
• Field goal percentage (34th – 48.3%) 
• Field goal percentage defense (3rd – 38.0%) 
• Free throw attempts per game (90th – 21.9) 
• Rebounding margin (36th – +5.5) 
• Defensive rebounds per game (15th – 28.0) 
• Scoring defense (7th – 63.3) 
• Scoring margin (27th – +10.7) 
• Three-point percentage defense (48th – 31.2%) 
• Turnover per game (72nd – 11.6) 
• Winning percentage (23rd – 80.8%) 

Individual: 

N/A 

ROCKHURST 

Team: 

• Effective field goal percentage (25th – 55.7%) 
• Fast break points (92nd – 12.9) 
• Field goal percentage (46th – 41.7%) 
• Free throw attempts per game (25th – 24.7) 
• Free throw percentage (7th – 79.1%) 
• Free throw makes per game (5th – 19.5) 
• Defensive rebounds per game (16th– 27.9) 
• Total rebounds per game (90th – 37.4) 
• Scoring margin (15th – +14.0) 
• Scoring offense (13th – 87.7) 
• Three-point percentage (39th – 36.7%) 
• Three-point percentage defense (22nd – 29.8) 
• Turnover margin (54th – +2.3) 
• Turnovers per game (12th – 10.2) 
• Winning percentage (23rd – 80.8%) 

Individual: 

• Drenin Dinkins –– field goal attempt (40th – 371), field goals made (46th – 170), free throw attempts (15th – 195), free throw percentage (12th – 89.7%), total free throws made (8th – 175), total points (10th – 583), points per game (9th – 22.4), three-point attempts (85th – 166), three-point percentage (30th – 41.0%), three-pointers per game (66th – 2.6), total three-pointers (56th – 68) 
• Jaylen Wesley –– field goal attempts (76th – 346), field goals made (20th – 184), free throw attempts (32nd – 173), total free throws made (21st – 143), minutes per game (89th – 33:52), total points (17th – 553), points per game (14th – 21.3), total steals (48th – 52), steals per game (54th – 2.0) 

SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 

Team: 

• Field goal percentage defense (87th – 42.9%) 
• Fouls per game (6th – 13.7) 
• Rebounding margin (74th – +3.3) 
• Scoring defense (52nd – 69.4) 

Individual: 

• Zac Reedus –– total field goals (68th – 164), free throw attempts (46th – 160), total free throws made (94th – 106), total points (90th – 454), defensive rebounds per game (99th – 5.4) 

LOOKING AHEAD 

After the Bearcats make their final regular season go-around, they will return to the Show-Me state of Missouri, only this time for a chance to capture their second conference title, as the team will head to the GLVC Championship Tournament at the Mark Twain Building in St. Louis (hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis) from March 5th through 8th. 

All tournament contests will be streamed live and on-demand on the GLVC Sports Network via a subscription/download purchase, as live stats will also be available for fans to tune in. Tickets and other relevant information can be found on the conference's TOURNAMENT CENTRAL. 

TUNE IN-FO 

DATE	TIME (CT)	HOME TEAM	AWAY TEAM	LIVE STATS	WATCH LIVE
2/26/26	7:30 PM	Rockhurst	McKendree	STATS	WATCH ($)
2/28/26	3:00 PM	Southwest Baptist	McKendree	STATS	WATCH ($)

---

Keep up with McKendree University Men's Basketball on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCmbb | #D2mbb 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.  
#BearcatsUnleashed