Fort Hays State Men's Basketball begins the 2026-27 season this weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota in the NSIC/MIAA Challenge. The Tigers open their season with Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul for the third-straight year. The Tigers face SMSU on Friday (Nov. 13) at 4 p.m., then take on weekend host CSP on Saturday (Nov. 14) also at 4 p.m.
 
How to Watch
Both games will be on Midco Sports Plus (NSIC Network). Fans can purchase a subscription for $15/month - The NSIC Network.
 
Series History vs Southwest Minnesota State
Tied 4-4
Last Meeting: FHSU won 65-56 in Hays (11/15/25)
FHSU Record in Hays: 2-0
FHSU Record in Marshall, Minn.: 1-2
FHSU Record in Neutral Games: 1-2
 
Series History vs Concordia-St. Paul
CSP leads 2-0
Last Meeting: CSP won 79-68 in Hays (11/16/25)
FHSU Record in Hays: 0-1
FHSU Record in St. Paul: NA
FHSU Record in Neutral Games: 0-1
 
Johnson in 26^th Season Leading the Tigers
Head coach Mark Johnson enters his 26^th season as the head coach of Fort Hays State. He is nearing a major milestone in wins as he goes into the season with a record of 492-240 overall. The Tigers are 17-8 in season openers under his guidance.
 
Third Year of NSIC-MIAA Challenge with SMSU and CSP
This is the third-straight year the Tigers are facing Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul to open the season. The Tigers defeated SMSU 65-56, but fell to CSP 79-68 last year in Hays. In 2024-25, FHSU fell to both SMSU and CSP in Marshall, Minn. This is the first time in history Fort Hays State will play at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Non-Conference Away from Home
Fort Hays State holds a record of 54-54 in non-conference games away from Hays under Mark Johnson's guidance. The Tigers are 4-games over .500 in true away non-conference contests under Johnson, while they are 4-games under .500 in neutral games under Johnson.
 
National Attendance Leaders
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball led NCAA Division II in attendance last year, averaging 2,307 fans per home game. Fort Hays State was the only program that averaged at least 2,000 fans per game last year.
 
Nine NCAA Tournament Appearances Under Johnson
Fort Hays State made its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance under Mark Johnson in 2024-25. It was the second-straight year the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers qualified for the national tournament in the following years under Johnson - 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2024, 2025.

Four Conference Championships Under Johnson
Fort Hays State has won four conference championships during Mark Johnson's tenure as head coach. The Tigers won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title in 2005-06, which was the first conference title under Johnson. The Tigers have three MIAA titles, one regular season and two tournament. The last regular season title for FHSU occurred in 2012-13 when the Tigers were MIAA Co-Regular Season Champions with Central Missouri. FHSU was the MIAA Tournament champion in 2011 and 2025.
 
Tigers Over 1,700 Wins
Fort Hays State reached 1,700 wins in its men's basketball program history with a win over MSU Denver on December 20, 2024. FHSU is now one of 11 NCAA Division II schools with 1,700 wins in its history. Three of the 11 schools reside in the MIAA as Central Missouri has 1,802 and Washburn has 1,737. The Tigers enter the 2026-27 season ranked 9th on the all-time wins list.
 
Top 10 for Scoring Defense in NCAA Division II 5-Straight Years
Fort Hays State was the national leader in scoring defense in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, and the two years prior to that the Tigers were 2nd in the nation. They remained in the top 10 last year with the seventh-best mark in the nation. The Tigers allowed just 57.9 points per game in 2023-24 and then 59.9 points per game in 2024-25 to lead NCAA Division II. Last year, the Tigers allowed 63.3 per game, which broke a string of keeping their average under 60 points per game for 4-straight years. In 2025-26, the Tigers held 11 of 29 opponents inside of 60 points.
 
Make it Difficult to Make Shots
Fort Hays State has ranked among the Top 15 teams in field goal percentage defense in NCAA Division II for the last 5 years. The Tigers were consistent in producing nearly the same field goal percentage defense all 5 of those years, a .398 percentage in 2021-22, .397 in 2022-23, .398 in 2023-24, .398 again in 2024-25, and .399 in 2025-26. FHSU ranked 9th nationally in 2021-22, 7th in 2022-23, 6th in 2023-24, 8th in 2024-25, and 11th in 2025-26. FHSU held opponents inside of 40 percent in 14 of 29 games in 2025-26, with 57.7 as the high allowed to Arkansas-Fort Smith (the only team to shoot 50 percent or better vs. FHSU in 2025-26).
 
Defending the 3-Point Line
Fort Hays State held opponents to just 29.0 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point line in 2025-26, which ranked 9th in NCAA Division II for 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Tigers held 19 of 29 opponents inside of 30 percent shooting beyond the 3-point line last season. The Tigers held the opposition inside of 20 percent seven times.
 
Last Time vs. Southwest Minnesota State
Fort Hays State defeated Southwest Minnesota State in the season opener last year in Hays by a score 65-56. The Mustangs went into the game ranked No. 9 in the 2025-26 NABC Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Tigers pulled back even with the Mustangs in the all-time series history, 4-4. The Mustangs return three regular starters from last year's squad that finished 16-12 overall.
 
Last Time vs. Concordia-St. Paul
Concordia-St. Paul knocked off Fort Hays State in Hays last season by a score of 79-68. The 79 points were the fourth-most scored by a Tiger opponent last season and was the second-most for games that finished in regulation. Arkansas-Fort Smith's 87 points were the most surrendered by the Tigers in a game, regulation or overtime last year. Concordia-St. Paul is now 2-0 against Fort Hays State in the brief series history between the schools. The Golden Bears return three regular starters from last year's squad that finished 19-10 overall.