UCO Men’s Basketball Exits MIAA Tournament in Quarterfinals

The University of Central Oklahoma men’s basketball team lost in the quarterfinals after winning in the first round last week at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Tournament in Kansas City, bringing their 2025-26 season to an end. 

UCO entered the post-game tournament as the No. 8 seed, matching up against No. 9 Pittsburg State in game one.

The Bronchos won their opening round matchup versus Pittsburg State before getting pummeled by the No. 1 seed Washburn 52-91 to spoil their hopes of some March madness. 

The Bronchos needed to make a run and win the MIAA tournament to earn a bid in the NCAA tournament, but came up short against the eventual tournament champions.

Central Oklahoma got off to a good start against the Gorillas with a staunch defensive showing in a game where they never trailed.

It was a low-scoring, sluggish game to begin with, UCO being the first to reach double digits when Matthew Willenborg scored to make it 10-3 at the 12:05 mark. 

The Bronchos stretched their lead to 10 when they went up 17-7 off a Parker Hannah layup with seven minutes left and went into halftime with a 22-16 lead.

UCO opened the offensive floodgates in the second half by getting to the free-throw line, where they had 20 attempts after having none in the first. Their strong free-throw line attendance helped hold onto an insurmountable lead for the duration.

They also improved their shooting percentage from 34% to 57% half-to-half.  

Willenborg was an anchor in the paint defensively, tallying two blocks and three steals to go along with nine rebounds. He also got his own on the offensive end with 21 points to lead the Bronchos in scoring, bolstered by eight attempts at the charity stripe.

Guard Marcus Zeigler Jr. added 16 points on 6-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two steals. 

Third Team All-MIAA selection Josh Nwankwo struggled from the field, going 4-for-11, including 1-for-5 from three. He was just the third Broncho in double-digit scoring, however, and finished with 11 points.

There was nothing flashy about the win, and the separator was team defense. While the Bronchos shot just 17% from three, they held Pittsburg State to a dreadful 13% and 32% overall clip.

After gutting out the win, the Bronchos had to turn the page quickly to what would be their toughest chapter. 

Washburn was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and ranked No. 3 nationally coming in, having lost just one game all year, setting up a near-impossible hurdle for UCO to clear – and UCO came crashing down. 

Central Oklahoma was outmatched in every way, and Washburn proved their elite shotmaking capability with a 58.8% field goal percentage and 50% three point rate. 

Meanwhile, UCO shot 31% in total and 10% from three.

It was already going to be a tough task for the Bronchos, but two early foul calls against All-MIAA selection Willenborg extinguished any hope the Bronchos had. He finished with nine points and three rebounds in just 19 minutes. 

The one thin silver lining was a career-high 13 points from redshirt freshman Trey Tuck, who hasn’t seen a ton of tick but has flashed potential in limited minutes. The blowout game afforded Tuck more playing time, and he exhibited a skillset that head coach Bob Hoffman can explore next season. 

UCO finished the season 17-16 in what was an obstacle-ridden and challenging year, hindered by injuries propagated across the whole roster.

Still, the Bronchos seem primed for a redemption season next year with a heap of young talent and a coach who has proved his ability to compete no matter the circumstances.