Fort Hays State (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) at
Nebraska-Kearney (0-2, 0-2 MIAA)
Saturday, December 5 - 4 pm
Kearney, Neb. - Health & Sports Center
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
Audio Stream: Hays Post
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball looks to shake off a couple of hard-luck two-point losses to start its season when it travels to Kearney, Nebraska on Saturday. FHSU meets Nebraska-Kearney for the 135th time in a series that dates back to 1926. Tipoff is set for 4 pm at the Health and Sports Center.
Saturday's women's game has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols with the Lopers team. A makeup date will be announced at a later.
**Currently, the general public is not allowed to attend UNK home basketball contests. Only a few select family members of the players' choice are allowed to attend for each team**
Since the general public is unable to attend this event, this is a great time to consider purchasing a $100 Season Pass for The MIAA Network, which not only includes all FHSU games this season but also every game in the MIAA. Day passes, which need to be purchased on the day of games, are $10. Aside from watching on a mobile device or computer, The MIAA Network is also available on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV (4th Generation) and Roku by searching for 'The MIAA Network' in the application store on these devices.
The Tigers have a healthy lead in the all-time series 81-53. However, they are looking for their first win in Kearney since the 2012-13 season, which was the first season the Lopers joined the MIAA. UNK has won seven straight meetings in Kearney since. Both teams are 7-1 on their home floor in the series since UNK joined the MIAA in 2012-13.
Both teams enter this contest at 0-2. The Lopers fell to the same two opponents as the Tigers during the first week of the season – Emporia State and Washburn. However, UNK lost those games by an average of 11.5 points, compared to the pair of two-point losses by FHSU.
Fort Hays State has been strong at the free-throw line so far this year, shooting 85.4 percent as a team (35-of-41). That tops NCAA Division II for teams with at least two games played so far this season. UNK on the other hand, has struggled at the charity stripe to just 58.8 percent (20-of-34).
Jared Vitztum leads the Tigers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He ranks ninth in the MIAA in scoring. Alvin Thompson (12.5) and Quinten Rock (10.0) are also averaging double figures in scoring. Rock and Kaleb Hammeke are both averaging at least 4 assists per game through the first two games.