KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 8 Central Oklahoma and No. 2 Fort Hays State move on to semifinal rounds of the 2025 MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after defeating No. 1 Washburn and No. 7 Central Missouri on Wednesday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. 

GAME ONE: No. 8 Central Oklahoma 90, No. 1 Washburn 84 (Box Score)
No. 8 Central Oklahoma knocked off top-seeded Washburn, 90-84, in the first upset of the 2025 MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It was a tight contest that featured four ties and five lead changes as UCO came back after trailing by as much as 13 in the first half. The Bronchos shot 60 percent (30-of-50) from the field while holding the Ichabods to just 39.7 percent (27-for-68). In a physical battle, the two teams combined for 49 fouls and shot 62 free throws.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 in the first half, it was JV Seat’s 30-piece – the first of the tournament – that aided the Bronchos to the upset victory. He ended the day with a stat line of 31 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Israel Hart added another 20-point game at 25 points and seven assists. Matthew Willenborg had a dominant showing on both ends as he recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and six blocks. 

Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Year Jacob Hanna notched a double-double with 29 points and 13 rebounds in the Ichabod loss. Andrew Orr contributed 13 points and Jack Bachelor totalled 11.

The Bronchos advanced to the semifinals and will play the winner of the No. 4 Pittsburg State/ No. 5 Nebraska Kearney at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. 

GAME TWO: No. 2 Fort Hays 67, No. 7 Central Missouri 61  (Box Score)
The Tigers scored the first 11 points of the game and grew their lead to as many as 22 while fighting off an attempted Mules comeback that got within a single possession as FHSU took the quarterfinal matchup, 67-61.

No. 2 Fort Hays shot 46.0 percent (23-for-50) from the field while No. 7 Central Missouri went 33.3 percent (16-for-48) in the contest.

Kaleb Hammeke was the only Tiger in double digits as he led all scorers with 22 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals. Fort Hays had eight of its ten players tally four or more points in the game.

Three Mules ended in double figures with DeAirius Barker’s team high of 16, followed by 15 points from Josh Nwankwo and Elijah Farr’s 12. The trio combined for 43 of UCM’s 61 total points.

Fort Hays will return to action at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, to take on the winner of No. 3 Rogers State / No. 4 Missouri Western quarterfinal contest.

To view today’s first-round results and check out day two of quarterfinal action tomorrow, visit the Championship Central page.