KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Schedules for the 2020-21 Fort Hays State men's and women's basketball seasons were released by the MIAA office on Thursday. In response to last month's decision by the Division II Presidents Council to reduce the maximum number of regular season basketball games to 22 during the 2020-21 season, the MIAA CEO Council and the Institutional Representative Council made the decision to create a complete 22-game conference schedule for the upcoming season.
Each school in the conference will play 11 home games and 11 road games between November 19 and February 27. The Tigers are slated to open the season against a pair of in-state rivals, hosting Washburn on Thursday, November 19 before battling Emporia State on Saturday, November 21 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
As a result, the Tigers will face off with nine conference rivals twice and four schools just once. Fort Hays State will play one regular-season game against in-state rivals Washburn, Emporia State and Pittsburg State as well as Missouri Southern, while challenging the other nine league schools twice throughout the regular season.
Before kicking off the regular season, the women's basketball team will play exhibition contests against UConn on Monday, November 2 and K-State on Thursday, November 5.
An exhibition schedule for the men's team will be announced at a later date.
In an additional cost-saving measure, the CEO Council voted to modify the 2021 MIAA Championship tournament to include the top eight teams in the final regular season standings. After including 10 teams and five days of competition inside historic Municipal Auditorium each of the last two years, this year's event will transpire over a four-day span in Kansas City, Mo.
2020-21 Fort Hays State basketball schedule
*Dates and times are subject to change
Thursday, November 19 Washburn
Saturday, November 21 Emporia State
Saturday, December 5 at Nebraska-Kearney
Thursday, December 10 at Central Oklahoma
Saturday, December 12 at Newman
Thursday, December 17 Northeastern State
Saturday, December 19 Rogers State
Thursday, January 7 at Central Missouri
Saturday, January 9 at Lincoln
Thursday, January 14 Northwest Missouri State
Saturday, January 16 Missouri Western
Thursday, January 21 at Missouri Southern
Saturday, January 23 at Pittsburg State
Saturday, January 30 Nebraska-Kearney
Thursday, February 4 Newman
Saturday, February 6 Central Oklahoma
Thursday, February 11 at Rogers State
Saturday, February 13 at Northeastern State
Thursday, February 18 Lincoln
Saturday, February 20 Central Missouri
Thursday, February 25 at Missouri Western
Saturday, February 27 at Northwest Missouri State
Thurs.-Sun.March 4-7 MIAA Championships
Fri.-Tues.March 12-16 NCAA DII Central Regional
Tues.-Sat.March 23-27 NCAA DII Elite Eight
Home games in bold
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