FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men's Basketball is back among the receiving votes section of the NABC Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday. The Tigers are one of four teams from the MIAA recognized in the latest edition. FHSU is off to a 7-2 start this season, including a 3-1 mark in MIAA play so far.
With the 57-49 win in Hays last week, Fort Hays State ended Northwest Missouri State's streak of being ranked in the Top 25 for 121 consecutive polls, which dated back to February of the 2015-16 season. Northwest Missouri State is now among the teams receiving votes in the poll with Fort Hays State. The Tigers ended a long 16-game losing skid to the Bearcats that dated back to the 2012-13 season. In the Top 25 this week from the MIAA is Central Oklahoma (No. 7) and Emporia State (No. 15), which are both currently 9-1 overall after a UCO win in a non-conference game on Monday.
Fort Hays State has ended two impressively long Northwest Missouri State streaks in national coaches' polls this year as FHSU Football ended Northwest Missouri State's streak of being in the Top 25 for 242 consecutive polls going back to 2003 with a 17-6 win in Hays back in September.
The Bearcats were not the only ranked team the Tigers took out last week. FHSU knocked off a No. 22 ranked Missouri Western team on the heels of their win over Northwest Missouri. It was the first time the Tigers won back-to-back games over NABC ranked teams since the 2010-11 season, and first time they won back-to-back home games over ranked teams since 1997-98.
Ahead for the Tigers this week is a non-conference game at home with Bethel College on Wednesday night and an MIAA contest at Newman University on Sunday (Dec. 17).
Below is the NABC Top 25 Poll for December 12, 2023.
Rk - Team (1st) - Record - Points
1 - Nova Southeastern, Fla. (16) - 7-0 - 400
2 - MSU Moorhead, Minn. - 10-0 - 376
3 - Minnesota State - 10-0 - 369
4 - West Georgia - 9-0 - 312
5 - West Texas A&M - 7-1 - 295
6 - West Liberty, W.Va. - 8-1 - 290
7 - Central Oklahoma - 8-1 - 287
8 - Colorado Mesa - 7-1 - 256
9 - Cal State San Bernardino - 7-1 - 254
10 - Saint Martin's, Wash. - 10-1 - 235
11 - Dallas Baptist, Texas - 7-1 - 213
12 - Benedict, S.C. - 8-0 - 201
13 - California, Pa. - 7-0 - 194
14 - North Georgia - 8-1 - 179
15 - Emporia State, Kan. - 9-1 - 160
16 - Ashland, Ohio - 6-1 - 149
17 - Fort Lewis, Colo. - 8-1 - 143
18 - Gannon, Pa. - 7-0 - 130
19 - St. Thomas Aquinas, N.Y. - 10-1 95
20 - Angelo State, Texas - 7-1 - 81
21 - Minnesota Duluth - 8-2 - 73
22 - Converse, S.C. - 8-0 - 69
23 - Ferris State, Mich. - 7-2 - 54
24 - Winona State, Minn. - 7-1 - 53
25 - Chico State, Calif. - 6-2 - 43
Receiving Votes: Cal State Dominguez Hills 41, Hillsdale (Mich.) 39, Northwest Missouri State 29, Georgia College 26, Lander (S.C.) 16, Post (Conn.) 16, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 14, MSU Denver (Colo.) 14, Saint Michael's (Vt.) 9, Catawba (N.C.) 8, Hawai'i Hilo 7, USC Aiken (S.C.) 7, West Alabama 7, Lake Superior State (Mich.) 6, Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 6, Colorado School of Mines 5, Concord(W.Va.) 5, Eastern New Mexico 5, Dominican (N.Y.) 3, Midwestern State (Texas) 3, Florida Tech 2, Cal State East Bay 1, Southern New Hampshire 1.