KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team opened the season at No. 1 in the NCAA Division II national coaches’ poll and the unbeaten Hilltoppers continue to stand head and shoulders above the pack as the calendar pages flip to 2013.
Coach Jim Crutchfield’s veteran squad pulled in 12 of the 16 first-place votes in the first Top 25 poll of the New Year assembled by the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ NCAA Division II rankings panel. The results of the balloting were announced Tuesday afternoon and included games played through Sunday.
The top five spots remained unchanged with Metro State, Colo. (11-0) receiving one first-place vote to hold off Alabama-Huntsville (11-1) for the No. 2 spot. The No. 3 Chargers, whose only loss came at the hands of NCAA Division II Kansas State, received two first-place votes. Bellarmine, Ky. (10-0) didn’t receive any first-place votes but held onto No. 4 by a single point over defending national champion Western Washington (12-0), which collected the lone remaining first-place vote.
Kentucky Wesleyan (10-0), Indianapolis (10-0), Seattle Pacific, Wash. (10-2), Cal Poly-Pomona (9-1) and Southern Indiana (9-1) rounded out the Top 10.
The Hilltoppers (12-0), who returned to action on Monday with a wild 114-109 victory at Shepherd, have now appeared in 45 consecutive NABC Top 25 polls. That’s the longest run in the national rankings by a WVIAC team since former league member Salem was ranked for an NCAA Division II record 76 consecutive weeks from 1997 to 2003.
West Liberty is the WVIAC’s lone representative in the Top 25 but Shepherd was listed among teams also receiving voters for the third straight week. The Hilltoppers go back on the road Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. game against Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pa.
NABC DIVISION II TOP 25 Men’s Basketball
1. WEST LIBERTY (12) 12-0 393 1
2. Metro State, Colo. (1) 11-0 375 2
3. Alabama-Huntsville (2) 11-1 366 3
4. Bellarmine, Ky. 10-0 353 4
5. Western Washington (1) 12-0 352 5
6. Kentucky Wesleyan 10-0 316 9
7. Indianapolis, Ind. 10-0 298 11
8. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 10-2 257 7
9. Cal Poly Pomona 9-1 245 6
10. Southern Indiana 9-1 242 17
11. Minnesota State 10-1 218 21
12. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 9-1 210 20
13. Washburn, Kan. 8-2 161 8
14. Franklin Pierce, N.H. 9-2 156 10
15. Cal State-San Bernardino 8-1 139 NR
16. Florida Southern 9-1 130 NR
17. Winston-Salem State, N.C. 9-2 123 23
18. Adams State, Colo. 9-1 118 NR
19. Newman, Kan. 11-1 96 18
20. Tampa, Fla. 12-1 91 22
21. Indiana, Pa. 9-2 79 16
22. King, Tenn. 10-1 70 NR
23. Barton, N.C. 8-2 58 15
24. NW Missouri State 11-2 43 NR
25. Fort Lewis, Colo. 9-1 34 NR
Others receiving votes: Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 29, St. Mary’s (Texas) 28, Michigan Tech 26, Minnesota State-Moorhead 26, Augusta State (Ga.) 25, Dominican (N.Y.) 23, West Texas A&M 18, Assumption (Mass.) 15, Rollins (Fla.) 15, Findlay (Ohio) 13, North Georgia 13, Wayne State (Mich.) 9, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 8, Saint Leo (Fla.) 8, Drury (Mo.) 4, Harding (Ark.) 4, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 3, SHEPHERD 3, North Alabama 2, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 2, Winona State (Minn.) 2, Augustana (S.D.) 1.
