By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball will be the No. 4 seed in the 2019 MIAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., slated for March 6-10 at Municipal Auditorium. The Tigers finished in fourth place alone in the MIAA and will take on No. 5 seed Lincoln University in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 7 at 12 pm. The MIAA released the official bracket on Saturday evening (March 2) after the conclusion of the 2018-19 regular season.
The MIAA Tournament has a new format this year as only 10 teams qualify for the tournament as compared to 12 in the past. There are no longer any first-round home site games. The entire tournament is in Kansas City.
On Wednesday, opening round games feature the No. 7 vs. No. 10 seed and No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed. Winners of those games move on to Thursday to meet the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the quarterfinals. The winner of the 7/10 matchup plays the No. 2 seed and the winner of the 8/9 matchup plays the No. 1 seed.
Fort Hays State’s portion of the tournament begins on Friday when quarterfinal matchups of the No. 4 vs. 5 seed and the No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed take place for both the men and women. Winners will move on to the semifinals on Saturday. The winner of the (No. 4) Fort Hays State/(No. 5) Lincoln game would potentially meet No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State, No. 8 seed Emporia State, or No. 9 seed Northeastern State in the semifinals.
Fort Hays State produced its 12th consecutive winning season and reached 18 wins in a season for the 15th time under head coach Mark Johnson by finishing the regular season 18-10 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA. The Tigers enter the tournament winners of their last two games after defeating Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State in the final week of the regular season in Hays. Under Johnson’s guidance, the Tigers have qualified for the conference tournament in all 13 years of their membership with the MIAA. FHSU owns a record of 12-11 in the tournament in that span.
Single session tickets are available for $20, while student tickets are $5 per session and children ages 6 and under are FREE. Tickets can be purchased at the FHSU Athletic Office, Cunningham 138 or by calling 785-628-4050.
Tiger fans traveling to Kansas City are encouraged to meet up with other Fort Hays State fans at Johnny’s Tavern, the official hangout of #MIAAMadness and home of Tiger Spirit Parties, hosted by the FHSU Alumni Association. Fans can visit this link to view the complete schedule of Tiger Spirit Parties.
See the complete schedule for the 2019 MIAA Men’s Basketball Championship below.
Schedule
Wednesday, March 6 – Opening Round
No. 8 Emporia State vs No. 9 Northeastern State – Noon (Men’s)
No. 7 Lindenwood vs No. 10 Southwest Baptist – 2:15 p.m. (Men’s)
Thursday, March 7 – Quarterfinals Day One
No. 1 Northwest Missouri vs No. 8/9 Winner – Noon (Men’s)
No. 2 Washburn vs No. 7/10 Winner- 2:15 p.m. (Men’s)
Friday, March 8 – Quarterfinals Day Two
No. 4 Fort Hays State vs No. 5 Lincoln – Noon (Men’s)
No. 3 Missouri Southern vs No. 6 Pittsburg State – 2:15 p.m. (Men’s)
Saturday, March 9 – Semifinals
Semifinal One (Men’s Game 7) – Noon
Semifinal Two (Men’s Game 8) – 2:15 p.m.
Sunday, March 10 – Championship
Men’s Championship Game – 1 p.m.