INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Rogers State men's basketball earned its second NCAA Tournament berth in program history after receiving an at-large bid and being named the No. 6 seed in the Central Regional on Sunday during the NCAA Selection Show. 

The Hillcats (21-10) will face No. 3 seed Central Missouri (23-9) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 14, at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kansas. In the regular season, RSU defeated UCM 70-61 at the Claremore Expo Center.
 
Rogers State is one of four teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) participating in the tournament, joining No. 1 seed Washburn, No. 3 seed Central Missouri and No. 5 seed Missouri Western. Washburn is hosting the regional for the second consecutive year.
 
The Great American Conference (GAC) is represented by No. 2 seed Oklahoma Baptist and No. 7 seed Harding, while the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) features No. 4 seed St. Cloud State and No. 8 seed Minnesota-Duluth.
 
The Hillcats are coming off their first appearance in the MIAA Tournament Championship Game, where they came up short against top-seeded No. 3 Washburn. RSU had earlier victories in the tournament over Fort Hays State (70-63) and Missouri Southern (72-70) to secure a runner-up finish – the best in program history.
 
In the 2019-20 season, the Hillcats' inaugural NCAA Tournament appearance was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, in the 2011-12 season, they made a significant run in the NAIA National Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals.