Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opens NCAA Tournament play on Saturday (Mar. 12) when it faces long-time rival Nebraska-Kearney. Game time is set for 8 pm from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Tigers are the No. 5 seed in the regional, while the Lopers are the No. 4 seed.
 
Fans can follow the tournament or get more information about the regional at the Tournament Central Page. Live stats, live audio, and live video are all available for FREE.
 
Fort Hays State is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Mark Johnson, now in his 15^th season guiding the Tigers. It will be the 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance overall in the program's history (FHSU's NCAA affiliation began in 1991-92). The last appearance for FHSU in the tournament was two years ago during the 2013-14 season.
 
The tournament is being hosted by top-seeded Augustana University for the second consecutive season. The tournament features three nationally ranked teams as Augustana is ranked No. 2, Minnesota State-Moorhead is ranked No. 10, and Northwest Missouri State is ranked No. 11.
 
Fort Hays State enters the game at 20-10 overall, while Nebraska-Kearney enters at 20-11 overall. The teams split the regular season series in MIAA play with FHSU winning in Hays and UNK winning in Kearney.

NCAA Men's Central Regional Tournament Schedule
Saturday, March 12
Session 1
Game 1 • 12 p.m. • No. 3 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead vs. No. 6 seed Minnesota State-Mankato
Game 2 • 2:30 p.m. - No. 2 seed Northwest Missouri State vs. No. 7 seed Ouachita Baptist
Session 2
Game 3 • 5:30 p.m. - No. 1 seed Augustana vs. No. 8 seed Harding
Game 4 • 8 p.m. - No. 4 seed Nebraska-Kearney vs. No. 5 seed Fort Hays State

Sunday, March 13
Game 5 • 5 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 6 • 7:30 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Tuesday, March 15
Game 7 • 7 p.m. - Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6