INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team was still leading the Atlantic Region pack when the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Ranking Committee released its second set of weekly regional rankings late Wednesday afternoon.
The rankings, which will be used to select and seed teams for the Atlantic Region tournament at the end of the season, reflect games played through Sunday, Feb. 19.
Coach Jim Crutchfield’s Hilltoppers have been ranked No. 1 in every Atlantic Region poll for the past two seasons.
This week’s poll reads like a virtual Who’s Who among West Virginia Conference powers as half of the 10 teams in this week’s list hail from the WVIAC.
Shaw (N.C.) holds down the No. 2 spot for the second straight week but Charleston checks in at No. 3 with West Virginia Wesleyan leaping from No. 8 to No. 4 this week.
Indiana (PA), which has met West Liberty in the last two Atlantic Region championship games, rounds out the top five with Bowie State (MD) slipping a spot to No. 6.
Alderson-Broaddus dropped from No. 4 to No. 7 with Winston-Salem State (NC) dropping down a tick from No. 7 to No. 8.
Mercyhurst (PA) edged up from No. 10 to No. 9 while Wheeling Jesuit moved down from No. 8 to No. 10 in this week’s rankings but is poised to make a big move next week after snapping the Hilltoppers’ 60-game WVIAC win streak in a 109-99 upset on Wednesday night.
The final set of regional rankings will be released on Feb. 29 with Selection Sunday and the announcement of the Atlantic Region tournament field set for March 4. The Atlantic Region tournament is scheduled for March 10-13 and will be hosted by the No. 1-ranked team in the region.
West Liberty, which has already clinched its third consecutive WVIAC championship, closes out the regular season at home on Saturday with a 4 p.m. game against Davis & Elkins.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings
Overall Div. II
Team Record Record
1. WEST LIBERTY 25-1 24-1
2. Shaw (NC) 22-2 21-2
3. Charleston 21-5 21-4
4. W.Va. Wesleyan 17-7 17-7
5. Indiana (PA) 20-4 19-4
6. Bowie State (MD) 19-5 18-5
7. Alderson-Broaddus 17-7 17-7
8. Winston-Salem State (NC) 18-6 16-6
9. Mercyhurst (PA) 16-8 16-8
10. Wheeling Jesuit 18-8 16-8
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