Central Oklahoma (19-12, 10-9 MIAA) vs.
Fort Hays State (21-9, 12-7 MIAA)
Sunday, March 9 – 1 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. – Municipal Auditorium
 
Fort Hays State will play in the MIAA Tournament Championship Game against Central Oklahoma on Sunday (Mar. 9). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the tournament, while the Bronchos are the No. 8 seed. FHSU enters at 21-9 overall, while UCO is 19-12 overall.
 
This is Fort Hays State's second MIAA championship game appearance. It won its only previous appearance back in 2011 when it won 89-83 over No. 1 seed Missouri Southern. The Tigers were the No. 2 seed that season as well. They now have a 6-2 record as a No. 2 seed in the MIAA Tournament.
 
Fort Hays State carved its path to the championship game with a 67-61 win over Central Missouri in the quarterfinals and then a 61-43 win over Rogers State in the semifinals. The wins helped push FHSU to its 13^th season of 20 wins or more under head coach Mark Johnson. They have reached at least 21 in a season 10 times under his guidance.
 
Central Oklahoma is playing its fourth game in the tournament today. The Bronchos won their opening round game over No. 9 seed Emporia State 73-60 then knocked off No. 1 seed and No. 4/3 nationally ranked Washburn in the quarterfinals 90-84. The Bronchos then knocked off No. 4 seed Pittsburg State in the semifinals 93-81. UCO has won five of its last six games going back into the regular season.
 
Fort Hays State and Central Oklahoma have met three times previously in the MIAA Tournament. The last meeting was two years ago in 2023 when the Bronchos won 55-51 in the semifinals. Fort Hays State's lone win in the MIAA Tournament over UCO was in the quarterfinals of 2016 by a score of 67-61. UCO won the first meeting between the schools in the tournament back in 2014, 83-68 in the quarterfinals.
 
Fort Hays State has an overall record of 5-1 in conference tournament championship games during its NCAA Division II history. The Tigers were 4-1 in title games during their days with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, winning four-straight from 1994 to 1997.
 
This is a matchup of contrasting styles of play. Fort Hays State owns the top scoring defense in NCAA Division II at 59.3 points allowed per game. UCO averages 80.9 points per game offensively, the second-best scoring average in the MIAA behind Washburn.
 
The winner of this game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament next week.