Fort Hays State (0-3) at
Kansas State (1-3)
Tuesday, December 8 – 7 pm
Manhattan, Kan. – Bramlage Coliseum
(Exhibition for FHSU, regular season for KSU)
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball had a sudden addition to its schedule over the weekend when Kansas State confirmed a meeting for Tuesday evening (Dec. 8) in Manhattan. Tipoff is set for 7 pm at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. This is an exhibition contest for FHSU, but will count toward Kansas State's regular season record.
The Wildcats were left searching for a replacement in their schedule for a road contest at Butler University, which was supposed to be part of the Big 12/Big East Battle, that was canceled due to COVID-19 related issues at Butler. Fort Hays State will serve as the replacement in the schedule and this will be Kansas State's fifth-straight home game to start this season. This game is an exhibition for Fort Hays State since it cannot exceed the 22-regular season game maximum set for NCAA Division II schools this year. FHSU's entire regular season consists of a 22-game MIAA slate.
There are no single-game tickets available for the contest to the general public, as K-State is limited to 15 percent capacity at Bramlage Coliseum, which will be filled by season-ticket holders.
How To Watch?
The game will be on ESPN+, which is a streaming subscription service only available online that costs $5.99/month. Subscriptions will automatically renew on a monthly basis unless canceled.
Upcoming Games List for Big 12 Now on ESPN+
ESPN+ is available to stream in HD through the ESPN App on your favorite connected devices (living room devices, phone, tablet, computer, smart TV) and on ESPN.com.
The Series
The Tigers last played Kansas State in an exhibition contest to open the 2017-18 season. That contest was an exhibition for both teams, which Kansas State claimed 79-56. The Tigers and Wildcats have played three exhibitions at Kansas State since 2011-12, all claimed by the Wildcats.
The last time the Tigers met an NCAA Division I school after the beginning of their regular season and still claimed it as exhibition was during the 2016-17 season when they took on the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The last time Kansas State claimed a contest toward their regular season record against Fort Hays State was in 2009-10. The game was also a regular season contest for FHSU. The Tigers had a lead midway into the second half in that game before K-State ultimately prevailed by seven points. This will be the first time one of the teams claims this meeting as regular season, while it is an exhibition for the other.
Kansas State leads the all-time regular season series 3-2. FHSU won the first two meetings between the teams in history back in 1936 and 1938. The Tigers won the only meeting ever between the teams in Hays in 1938, but all other meetings (regular season and exhibition), have been in Manhattan. K-State won all four exhibition games between the teams from 2007 to 2017.
Player/Team Notes
Jared Vitztum of FHSU is averaging a double-double so far this year at 21.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He had new career highs in both categories at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, scoring 29 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Quinten Rock leads the Tigers in assists at 5.0 per game, which ranks second in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State ranks fourth among Division II teams in free-throw percentage, hitting at an 86 percent clip as a team. The Tigers are second among teams that have played at least two games.
Kansas State's lone win this season was over Missouri-Kansas City by a score of 62-58 on November 30. The Wildcats fell to Drake, Colorado and UNLV in their other three contests this year, all at home. Senior Mike McGuirl leads KSU in scoring so far this year at 13.5 points per game.
FHSU Athletics