TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team enters the final weekend of the regular season on the outside looking in at a playoff berth. The RiverHawks (8-16, 7-13 MIAA) still control their destiny when they play host to Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney in the final two games of the season. NSU will first welcome the Tigers (18-8, 12-8 MIAA) at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 before entertaining the Lopers (17-9, 13-7 MIAA) at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 27. Both visiting teams are regionally ranked and currently in the top four of the MIAA standings.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	24	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Sr-3L	13.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
F	33	Erick Broadnax	6-9, 200	Jr-TR	1.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg	Tullahassee, Okla.
G	23	Braxton Williams	6-4, 195	Jr-TR	5.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg	West Plains, Mo.
G	25	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Sr-1L	13.0 ppg, 4.5 apg	Denton, Texas
G	30	Peyton Pratt	6-0, 175	Fr-HS	4.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg	Sperry, Okla.
Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	21	Jake Stoppel	6-5, 210	Sr.	11.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg	Wilson, Kan.
F	24	Dom Samac	6-9, 215	Sr.	14.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg	Zagreb, Croatia
G	03	Craig Nicholson	5-8, 160	Sr.	12.0 ppg, 5.0 apg	Wichita, Kan.
G	11	Rob Davis	5-11, 185	Jr.	17.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg	Detroit, Mich.
G	22	Kenny Enoch	6-0, 175	Sr.	7.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg	Indianapolis, Ind.

Northeastern State and Fort Hays State are tied 3-3 in the all-time series with Fort Hays State during NSU's NCAA era (since 1996). The RiverHawks won the lone meeting in 2012-13 (76-61 in Tahlequah), while the two teams won on each other's floors in 2013-14. FHSU and NSU then flipped the script and won both home contests last season, and the Tigers defeated the RiverHawks in Hays earlier this year.
 
Nebraska-Kearney holds a 5-2 series lead over NSU since the RiverHawks joined the NCAA in 1996-97. The two teams first met in the NCAA Elite Eight on March 26, 2003, with NSU winning 94-75 en route to winning the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship. UNK won the lone contest of the 2012-13 when the teams met for the first time as members of the MIAA. The two teams split in 2013-14 with each squad winning at home, while UNK won both meetings last season. Nebraska-Kearney defeated Northeastern State 70-69 in Kearney earlier this season.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - ESU 85, NSU 65
NSU lost 85-65 to Emporia State Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium. Dakota Caudill paced the visitors with 16 points, while Killven Samuel and Trey Mohair added 11 and 10, respectively. NSU shot 40 percent (22-for-55) overall, 36.4 percent (4-for-11) from behind the 3-point arc and 73.9 percent (17-for-23) at the free-throw line. ESU shot 48.6 percent (35-for-72) from the field, 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from deep and 64.3 percent (9-for-14) at the charity stripe. Charles McKinney led Emporia State with 20 points. Terrence Moore added 17, while Tyler Jordan scored 13 and Jevon Taylor chipped in 10. Kevin Allen pulled down 11 rebounds. Emporia State led in rebounding (43-32), assists (16-12), blocks (5-4), points in the paint (50-34), points off turnovers (19-9), second-chance points (20-12), fast-break points (14-8), bench points (33-27), and fewer turnovers (14-10). The two teams tied with eight steals each.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - FHSU 84, NSU 74
Northeastern State lost to Fort Hays State 84-74 on Jan. 14 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Killven Samuel led all scorers with a season-best 24 points. Dakota Caudill added 19 points, and Montre' Williams scored 11 points in the final 3:31 of the game to reach double figures for the sixth time this season. Trey Mohair tallied a career-high six steals, and he was one off his career best with seven assists. Northeastern State was 27-for-63 (42.9 percent) from the field, 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) at the free-throw line. FHSU shot 52.8 percent (28-for-53) overall, 50 percent (10-for-20) from deep and 85.7 percent (18-for-21) at the line. Rob Davis paced the home team with 24 points, while Craig Nicholson added 15 and five assists. Dom Samac tallied a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Fort Hays State led in rebounds (41-24), assists (18-15), blocks (4-2), and fast break points (7-2). Northeastern State led in steals (14-5), points in the paint (34-28), points off turnovers (24-12), second-chance points (7-6), bench points (26-19), and fewer turnovers (11-20).
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - UNK 70, NSU 69
The RiverHawks lost to Nebraska-Kearney 70-69 on Jan. 16 at the Health & Sports Center. Dakota Caudill led NSU with 15 points and seven rebounds. Trey Mohair and Killven Samuel both chipped in 10 points, while three others had at least eight. NSU shot 39.1 percent (27-for-69) from the field, 34.8 percent (8-for-23) from behind the arc and 70 percent (7-for-10) at the free-throw line. UNK shot 41.1 percent (23-for-56) overall, 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from distance and 95.5 percent (21-for-22) at the charity stripe. Connor Beranek (30 points, 10 rebounds) and Ethan Brozek (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles to lead the home side to victory. Nebraska-Kearney led in rebounds (42-34), assists (16-13) and blocks (6-4). Northeastern State led in steals (6-5), points in the paint (30-26), points off turnovers (13-10), second-chance points (13-11), fast-break points (5-4), bench points (36-9), and fewer turnovers (10-13).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
NSU is currently 7-13 in league play and is in a three-way tie for 11th place in the MIAA standings. If the season were to end today, the RiverHawks would be one of two teams, along with Southwest Baptist, who would miss out on the 2016 MIAA Championship. There are 12 teams that qualify for the postseason tournament, but the RiverHawks would be the odd man out due to tiebreakers with Central Missouri and Missouri Western State. Despite being on the outside looking in, Northeastern State actually controls its own destiny. The team will qualify for the MIAA Championship with victories over Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney in the final two regular season games this weekend.
 
STRUGGLING AWAY FROM HOME
Northeastern State is currently enjoying Year 2 of the Jason Tinsley era. During that time, however, the RiverHawks have not fared well away from the friendly confines of the NSU Event Center. Over the last two seasons, NSU is just 2-24 on the road, which includes a 1-13 mark last season and a 1-11 record this year. The only two road wins for Northeastern State over the past two years came against Emporia State (73-63 win on Feb. 12, 2015) and Washburn (70-67 win on Feb. 17, 2016). This past weekend, the RiverHawks snapped a 13-game losing streak on the road with the win over the Ichabods. NSU was able to pick up a neutral-site victory earlier this season when they defeated Northwestern Oklahoma State 92-90 on Nov. 14 in Durant, Oklahoma. 
 
RETURNING JUST 3
NSU entered the 2015-16 campaign with just three players who have stepped on the court for the RiverHawks prior to this year. Senior forward Dakota Caudill had posted the most experience, as he is currently in his fifth year with the program. Senior guard Trey Mohair and sophomore guard Montre' Williams are both in their second seasons donning the green and white. Junior guard Mytaa'h Crawford and freshman guard Mike Thompson were both on the team last season, but they redshirted and did not see any playing time. In total, NSU's current lineup features eight newcomers. That includes one senior transfer (Killven Samuel), five junior transfers (Erick Broadnax, Braxton Williams, Javon Wallace, KD Moore, Stefon Rich) and two true freshmen (Peyton Pratt, Tanner Mouse). There is also another junior transfer (Scott Kingsley) and two more true freshmen (Gordon Hill, Trent Cantrell) who are sitting out the season.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2016 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualified for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 1, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 4-8. NSU advanced to the MIAA Championship quarterfinals in both 2012-13 and 2013-14 before bowing out in the first round last season.
 
NSU SELECTED 13TH IN MIAA PRESEASON POLLS
The Northeastern State men's basketball team was selected to finish 13th in the 2015-16 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The RiverHawks earned 29 points in the coaches' poll and were projected to finish just outside the cut line for the MIAA Championship tournament in March. NSU has qualified for the tournament all three years since joining the league, including last season when the team finished in a tie for 12th. Each of the top five teams in the preseason poll received at least one first-place vote, headlined by Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats were awarded nine first-place votes and were projected to win the league with 164 points. Central Missouri earned one first-place vote and landed in second with 143 points. Nebraska-Kearney fell into third with 141 points (one first-place vote), and Missouri Southern State was selected fourth with 140 points (two first-place votes). Pittsburg State earned the final first-place vote and was predicted fifth with 134 points. The RiverHawks were slated to finish ahead of Lincoln (14 points).