By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
With an 8-0 start to the 2021-22 season, Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball has moved into the latest D2SIDA Top 25 rankings, released on Tuesday (Dec. 14). The Tigers jump in at No. 23 in that poll, while they are the first team in the receiving votes list outside the NABC Top 25.
This is the first time since the 2015-16 season the Tigers have been in the Top 25 of the D2SIDA Poll. They spent one week in the poll at No. 24, jumping in the rankings on December 1 and then falling out on December 8 after going 0-2 that week. That was the only other time the Tigers have been ranked in the D2SIDA Top 25, since the poll has only been in place since the 2014-15 season. The No. 23 ranking for the Tigers in the latest poll is their highest in the D2SIDA Poll. The D2SIDA poll is voted on by a panel of Sports Information/Athletic Communication Directors in NCAA Division II.
Fort Hays State is the highest listed team in the receiving votes section of the NABC Poll. The Tigers received 37 votes, which is just two votes behind No. 25 ranked Union University. The Tigers received just five votes the previous week, so they continue to move up the list among coaches voting on the poll. FHSU could be on the cusp of its first appearance in the Top 25 of the NABC Poll since the 2013-14 season, but the Tigers have another pair of MIAA contests at home this week to potentially strengthen their case for the next set of rankings due to release on December 28.
The Tigers take on Central Oklahoma (Friday) and Newman (Sunday) this weekend at home. Below are both polls for December 14, 2021.
D2SIDA Top 25 Poll – December 14, 2021
| Rank | School | Pts. | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Lubbock Christian (10) | 390 | 9-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Northwest Missouri State (4) | 378 | 9-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Indiana (Pa.) (1) | 357 | 7-0 | 3 |
| 4 | West Texas A&M | 342 | 10-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Chico State | 306 | 8-0 | 5 |
| 6 | Ferris State | 288 | 9-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Mercyhurst | 287 | 8-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Embry-Riddle | 286 | 10-1 | 7 |
| 9 | Nova Southeastern (1) | 263 | 7-0 | 12 |
| 10 | West Liberty | 252 | 8-1 | 10 |
| 11 | Lincoln Memorial | 247 | 8-1 | 11 |
| 12 | Minnesota Duluth | 224 | 11-0 | 13 |
| 13 | Hillsdale | 197 | 8-1 | 14 |
| 14 | Dominican (N.Y.) | 182 | 9-1 | 9 |
| 15 | Augustana | 170 | 10-1 | 17 |
| 16 | Augusta | 162 | 8-0 | 19 |
| 17 | CSU San Marcos | 153 | 9-0 | 18 |
| 18 | CSU San Bernardino | 120 | 8-1 | 20 |
| 19 | Queens (N.C.) | 108 | 8-2 | 16 |
| 20 | Truman State | 80 | 7-2 | 22 |
| 21 | Union | 72 | 9-1 | 15 |
| 22 | Fairmont State | 65 | 7-1 | 23 |
| 23 | Fort Hays State | 64 | 8-0 | RV |
| 24 | Grand Valley State | 33 | 8-1 | RV |
| 25 | UT Tyler | 30 | 6-0 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes (on more than one ballot): Barry – 26; St. Thomas
Aquinas – 18; UNC Pembroke – 17; Charleston – 16; Upper Iowa – 16; Bentley –
14; West Florida – 14; Texas A&M International – 8; Southeastern Oklahoma
State – 4
NABC Top 25 Poll – December
14, 2021
| Rank | School | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Lubbock Christian (13) | 9-0 | 396 | 1 |
| 2 | Northwest Missouri State (3) | 9-1 | 384 | 2 |
| 3 | Mercyhurst | 8-0 | 361 | 3 |
| 4 | West Texas A&M | 10-1 | 341 | 4 |
| 5 | Nova Southeastern | 7-0 | 333 | 5 |
| 6 | Indiana (PA) | 7-0 | 327 | 6 |
| 7 | Chico State | 8-0 | 307 | 7 |
| 8 | Augusta | 8-0 | 291 | 8 |
| 9 | West Liberty | 8-1 | 267 | 10 |
| 10 | Lincoln Memorial | 8-1 | 244 | 11 |
| 11 | Embry-Riddle | 10-1 | 211 | 16 |
| 12 | Cal State San Bernardino | 8-1 | 207 | 11 |
| 13 | Hillsdale | 8-1 | 192 | 15 |
| 14 | Fairmont State | 7-1 | 152 | 17 |
| 15 | Cal State San Marcos | 9-0 | 151 | 23 |
| 16 | Ferris State | 9-1 | 148 | 20 |
| 17 | Minnesota Duluth | 11-0 | 132 | 22 |
| 18 | Dominican | 9-1 | 109 | 14 |
| 19 | Barry | 8-1 | 104 | 12 |
| 20 | Truman State | 7-2 | 85 | 19 |
| 21 | Queens | 8-2 | 84 | 9 |
| 22 | Grand Valley State | 8-1 | 78 | 24 |
| 23 | Augustana | 10-1 | 59 | NR |
| 24 | Upper Iowa | 9-1 | 44 | NR |
| 25 | Union | 9-1 | 39 | 21 |
Others receiving votes: Fort Hays State (Kan.) 37, Georgia College 20, Regis (Colo.) 17, Emmanuel (Ga.) 12, Texas-Tyler 12, Angelo State (Texas) 11, Flagler (Fla.) 11, UNC Pembroke 9, Columbus State (Ga.) 6, Stonehill (Mass.) 6, West Florida 5, Texas A&M International 4, Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 2, Texas A&M-Commerce 1, Wingate (N.C.) 1.