Game Notes I Listen Live I Live Stats

Fort Hays State faces Missouri Southern in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament on Friday (Mar. 2) in Kansas City, Mo. Tipoff is set for 2:15 pm at Municipal Auditorium. FHSU is the No. 5 seed in the eight-team tournament, while Missouri Southern, ranked No. 19 in the nation, is the No. 4 seed. This is a rematch of last year's MIAA Championship Tournament final.

The Tigers are the defending conference tournament champions, but will have a very difficult opening round opponent. FHSU lost to Missouri Southern in both meetings this year, by 11 points in Hays and by seven points in double-overtime in Joplin. The last win for FHSU over MSSU was in last year's tournament final with the Tigers taking that game by six. Fort Hays State is 2-0 against Missouri Southern at the MIAA Tournament since joining the conference in 2006-07.

Fort Hays State has won two games in a row entering the tournament after home wins in the final week of the regular season against Pittsburg State and Emporia State. A win over Emporia State, coupled with a Southwest Baptist loss at Missouri Western this past Saturday gave FHSU fifth place alone in the conference standings. Missouri Southern slipped from a four-way tie for first place in the conference with a three-point loss at Northwest Missouri State. Washburn, Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State all tied for the regular season title, dropping Missouri Southern to fourth.

Fort Hays State is led in scoring by All-MIAA Third Team selection Karron McKenzie, who averages 11.8 points per game. Fellow third-team selection Moses Dayee is second on the team at 11.4 points per game and averages 2.9 3-point field goals per game. Kendrick Morse also averages double figures at 10.3 points per game.

Matt Simmons, an All-MIAA Second Team, MIAA All-Defensive Team, and MIAA Defensive Player of Year selection, averages an MIAA leading 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game. He ranks 10th nationally in rebounds. He also chips in 8.4 points and 2.2 assists per game.

Missouri Southern is led by a pair of All-MIAA First Team selections in Keane Thomann, the MIAA Player of the Year, and Jason Adams. The two combine for nearly 40 points per game. Thomann is the conference's leading scorer at 21.5 points per game, while Adams is third at 18.2 points per game.