INDIANAPOLIS - The sixth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team is one of 10 teams currently under consideration for selection into the 2026 NCAA Division II Central Region Championships, announced Wednesday (Feb. 18) by the NCAA office.
 
In recent years the NCAA has released its first set of region rankings in alphabetical order before announcing the teams in rank order in two subsequent releases. Final selections for the field of eight teams will be announced on Sunday, March 8, with five at-large teams joining the champions from the MIAA, GAC and NSIC. The regional tournament will run March 13-16 at the top overall seed with the regional champion moving on to Pittsburgh, Pa. March 24-28 for the DII Elite Eight.
 
Leading the MIAA at 23-2 overall and 14-2 in league play, the Tigers are one of three league schools listed in the initial set of regional rankings. FHSU is joined on the list by Central Missouri and Washburn. The GAC also has three teams in the mix, while the NSIC leads the way with four teams mentioned.
 
Fort Hays State has played in nine of the last 11 regional championship tournaments, serving as the top overall seed four times and playing in three regional finals.
 
Two of the statistical metrics that the regional selection committee takes into consideration are KPI and in-region RPI. Fort Hays State ranks third in the region in each category with a KPI of .262 and an in-region RPI of .611.
 
The Tigers have three regular season games left on the schedule beginning Thursday (Feb. 19) with a trip to Missouri Southern.
 
2026 NCAA DII Central Region Rankings - February 18
Team - Overall DII Record - In-Region Record
Arkansas Tech - 17-4 - 17-4
Central Missouri - 17-5 - 15-5
Concordia-St. Paul - 19-6 - 19-6
Fort Hays State - 22-2 - 21-2
Harding - 21-3 - 20-3
Mary - 19-8 - 17-8
Minnesota Duluth - 17-7 - 17-7
Minnesota State - 25-0 - 21-0
Northwestern Oklahoma - 13-8 - 13-8
Washburn - 17-7 - 16-6
*teams listed in alphabetical order*