FHSU Athletics
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State remained fifth in the final edition of the NCAA Central Region Rankings, released on Wednesday (March 6). The top five remained unchanged, while there was some movement in the No. 6 through No. 9 rankings.
No. 1 ranked Minnesota State has already punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NSIC Tournament on Tuesday evening. The Mavericks have been No. 1 in each of the region ranking editions that assigned rankings to teams.
The shift in the rankings this week occurred below the Tigers in the rankings. Minot State dropped from No. 6 to No. 8 this week after falling in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament. Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State moved up one spot each to No. 6 and No. 7 respectively after making the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament. Pittsburg State was introduced to the rankings for the first time this week, replacing Augustana at the No. 9 position. Southeastern Oklahoma State remained in the No. 10 position.
Fort Hays State remains in good shape, sitting at 22-6 overall. In the formula used for the NCAA Region Rankings, the Tigers are 19-6 overall since their three games against NAIA opponents are not factored in.
According to the report for the Central Region linked at the bottom of the region rankings page on NCAA.com, Fort Hays State has the sixth-best In-Region RPI and fifth in Division II Performance Indicator values in the Central Region. The Tigers have the sixth-best In-Region and Overall Division II record among the Central Region and rank 10th among the 41 teams in the Central Region in strength of schedule.
The Tigers are seeking their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2015-16 season after nearly missing an at-large selection each of the last two years when they won 23 and 21 games respectively.
Eight teams from the Central Region will be selected to compete in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament following the conclusion of conference tournaments. The region consists of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and Great American Conference. Champions from each of the three conference tournaments within the region will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has six teams listed in the region rankings, while FHSU, Northwest Missouri State, and Pittsburg State represent the MIAA and Southeastern Oklahoma State represents the Great American Conference (GAC).
2024 NCAA DII Central Region Rankings - March 6
School • Overall DII Record • In-Region Record
1. Minnesota State • 24-2 • 24-2
2. Northwest Missouri State • 23-4 • 23-3
3. MSU Moorhead • 24-5 • 24-5
4. Minnesota Duluth • 24-5 • 24-5
5. Fort Hays State (Kan.) • 19-6 • 19-6
6. Southwest Minnesota State • 19-11 • 19-11
7. Winona State (Minn.) • 20-9 • 20-9
8. Minot State (N.D.) • 18-9 • 18-9
9. Pittsburg State (Kan.) • 18-9 • 18-9
10. Southeastern Oklahoma State • 20-8 • 19-8