RV/NR Fort Hays State (16-3, 11-3 MIAA) at
#16/16 Central Oklahoma (18-3, 13-2 MIAA)
Saturday, February 5 – 3:30 pm
Edmond, Okla. – Hamilton Field House
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
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Fort Hays State Men's Basketball returns to the court on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 5) in Edmond, Oklahoma. The Tigers will face No. 16/16 ranked Central Oklahoma at 3:30 pm, which follows the women's contest at 1:30 pm. FHSU enters at 16-3 overall, 11-3 in the MIAA, while UCO enters at 18-3 overall, 13-2 in the MIAA. The Tigers are receiving votes in the latest NABC poll.
The Tigers are coming off a 63-60 win over Newman on Thursday night in Wichita, which produced head coach Mark Johnson's 400th career win in exactly 600 games coaching the Tigers. All 400 of his wins are at FHSU, starting in 2001-02. The win gave the Tigers a regular season sweep of the Jets after winning the first meeting of the season in Hays, and pushed their current win streak to five games.
Fort Hays State is looking for its first win over a ranked team since the 2018-19 season. The Bronchos were not ranked in the Top 25 yet when the teams first met this season in Hays. UCO won that contest 77-60 and then moved into the Top 25 shortly after that. It also marked Central Oklahoma's first-ever win at Gross Memorial Coliseum. FHSU was No. 23 in the D2SIDA Top 25 at that time. Kaleb Hammeke scored 30 points for the Tigers in what was one of their three setbacks so far this season. FHSU has played only one Top 25 ranked team so far this season, that being then No. 2/2 ranked Northwest Missouri State back on January 12.
Fort Hays State won the last meeting in Edmond with Central Oklahoma by a score of 89-79 in 2020-21. The Tigers hit their first nine 3-point field goals of that game on their way to 17 made overall. That tied their record for made 3-point field goals in an MIAA game.
Hammeke and Jared Vitztum lead the Tigers in scoring, both at 15.1 points per game. Vitztum continues to average a double-double for the season, adding 10.1 rebounds per game, and Hammeke is the top assister on the team at 3.3 per game.
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