#6 seed Fort Hays State (19-9, 11-8 MIAA) vs.
#3 seed Rogers State (19-9, 13-6 MIAA)
Friday, March 6 – 8:15 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. – Municipal Auditorium
 
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball preps to face Rogers State in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday night (Mar. 4) in Kansas City. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium. Both teams enter at 19-9 overall for the season.
 
Fort Hays State won the only meeting of the regular season with Rogers State. The Tigers topped the Hillcats in overtime 80-75 in Hays back on January 22 in Hays. FHSU has won three-straight games against RSU going back to the 2024-25 season. The Tigers hold a 7-5 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.
 
Fort Hays State has met Rogers State in the MIAA twice and won both times. The most recent was last year in the semifinals, when FHSU won 61-43. The 43 points was just one off the MIAA Tournament record low of 42. Fort Hays State has made it to at least the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament four years in a row and is looking to extend the streak to five this year.
 
This is the first time ever that the Fort Hays State men are the No. 6 seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers won the tournament last year as the No. 2 seed. FHSU defeated Central Missouri, Rogers State, and Central Oklahoma to win the conference tournament in 2025. FHSU has a 17-15 record overall in the MIAA Tournament since joining the conference in 2006-07.
 
Dan Mukuna and Kyle Grill were recently named among the MIAA Postseason Awards list. Mukuna was an All-MIAA First Team and MIAA All-Defensive Team selection, while Grill was an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection for the second-straight year. Mukuna leads the Tigers at 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while Grill is second in both scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounds (5.4 per game).
 
Fort Hays State fell from the NCAA Central Region rankings on Wednesday (Mar. 4). The Tigers were ranked No. 8 in the region rankings the week prior, but slipped out even after going 1-0 in their final week of regular season play. The Tigers will likely have to produce a strong showing at the MIAA Tournament for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight year.
 
FHSU continues to rank among the top 10 nationally in three major defensive categories. FHSU allowed just 63.1 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally. The Tigers have the ninth best overall field goal percentage defense nationally, allowing a 39.7 percent success rate from the field, and they rank eighth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.8 percent).