Oct 29, 2024

🏀 FHSU men tabbed No. 16 in NABC Preseason Top 25

Posted Oct 29, 2024 7:05 PM
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FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men's Basketball will begin the 2024-25 season ranked No. 16 in the NABC Top 25 Poll, as the preseason edition was released on Tuesday. The Tigers are coming off a 23-8 overall record in 2023-24, making an appearance in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament. They finished at No. 19 in the NABC Top 25 last year.

This is the first appearance for FHSU in the NABC Preseason Top 25 since 2006-07, when it had a ranking of No. 25 to start the year. FHSU was receiving votes in the preseason polls of both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. The Tigers have finished with at least 21 wins in each of the last three seasons.

Fort Hays State has now been ranked in the Top 25 in eight consecutive polls released by the NABC, going back to January 30 of last season. The Tigers ranked as high as No. 14 in the poll during the regular season last year on February 20.Fort Hays State is one of three MIAA schools listed in the Preseason Top 25, joining No. 10 ranked Washburn and No. 20 ranked Northwest Missouri State. Washburn was listed as the MIAA favorite by the coaches this year, while FHSU was listed as the favorite by the media. Northwest Missouri State is coming off its 11th-straight MIAA regular season title, but enters the year with a new coach at the helm. Pittsburg State was listed in the receiving votes section. FHSU, NWMSU, and PSU were participants in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Fort Hays State opens the regular season on November 8-9 with a pair of games in Marshall, Minn. against Southwest Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. Southwest Minnesota State was also a participant in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament last year and is among the receiving votes section of the national poll to start the season.

NABC Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Rank - Team - Record - Points - Prev
1. Minnesota State (10) - 35-1 - 393 - 2
2. Nova Southeastern, Fla. (6) - 32-3 - 390 - 1
3. West Texas A&M - 30-5 - 346 - 9
4. MSU Moorhead - 25-6271 - 11
5. Dallas Baptist - 25-6 - 233 - 12
6. California, Pa. - 27-4 - 222 - 8
7. Gannon, Pa. - 32-3 - 204 - 3
8. Colorado School of Mines - 24-9 - 160 - 23
9. North Georgia - 28-7 - 1841 - 4
10. Washburn - 19-11 - 169 - NR
11 . Charleston, W.Va. - 29-5 - 162 - 7
12. Cal State Dominguez Hills - 22-8 - 160 - NR
13. Minnesota Duluth - 26-7 - 143 - 10
14. Cal State San Bernardino - 27-8 - 141 - 20
15. Central Washington - 22-10 - 139 - NR
16. Fort Hays State - 23-9 - 135 - 19
17. West Liberty, W.Va. - 26-7 - 129 - 16
18. Lincoln Memorial - 24-9 - 107 - NR
19. Florida Southern - 23-10 - 99 - NR
20. Northwest Missouri State - 29-5 - 95 - 4
21. Colorado Mesa - 29-5 - 91 - 6
22. Fort Lewis, Colo. - 29-4 - 90 - 5
23. Saint Michael's, Vt. - 24-9 - 80 - NR
24. Arkansas Tech - 25-7 - 77 - NR
25. Ferris State, Mich. - 28-8 - 72 - NR

Receiving Votes: Alabama Huntsville 67, UNC Pembroke (N.C.) 60, Truman State (Mo.) 60, Clark Atlanta (Ga.) 59, Lake Superior State (Mich.) 52, St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) 48, USC Aiken (S.C.) 48, Point Loma (Calif.) 43, Walsh (Ohio) 40, Lubbock Christian (Texas) 38, Lander (S.C.) 37, Kentucky Wesleyan 35, Southern New Hampshire 34, Cal State LA 32, Pittsburg State (Kan.) 31, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 30, Indianapolis (Ind.) 24, MSU Denver (Colo.) 21, St. Edward's (Texas) 21, Illinois Springfield 11, Miles (Ala.) 11, Catawba (N.C.) 10, Southwest Minnesota State 10, Post (Conn.) 9, Hillsdale (Mich.) 8, William Jewell (Mo.) 7, Lincoln (Pa.) 6, Bentley (Mass.) 5, Montana State Billings 5, Concord (W.Va.) 4, Daemen (N.Y.) 4, Upper Iowa 4, Academy of Art (Calif.) 2.