KANSAS CITY \u2013 The ending for West Liberty University\u2019s storybook men\u2019s basketball season has yet to be written but when it is, the unbeaten Hilltoppers will be going into the NCAA Division II books as the nation\u2019s No. 1 team for the 2010-11 campaign.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the word from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), which released its final NCAA Division II Top 25 poll of the season on Tuesday afternoon. The NABC made West Liberty (29-0) \u2013 the nation\u2019s only undefeated college basketball team at any level \u2013 the unanimous No. 1 pick for the ninth consecutive week.<\/p>\n
That 9-week run at No. 1 is the longest such streak ever compiled by a West Virginia Conference team. Former WVIAC member Salem-Teikyo (now Salem International) ranked atop the NCAA Division II poll for seven consecutive weeks during the 1999-00 season.<\/p>\n
Coach Jim Crutchfield\u2019s Hilltoppers have now been ranked in the Top 25 for 23 consecutive weeks, dating back to the 2009-10 season. That\u2019s the longest streak by a WVIAC men\u2019s team since Salem\u2019s NCAA Division II record 76-week Top 25 run from Jan. 21, 1997 to March 11, 2003.<\/p>\n
West Liberty finished with a flourish last week, surviving their two worst shooting nights of the season while rolling to the school\u2019s first West Virginia Conference tournament title in 40 years with three straight double-digit wins.<\/p>\n
The Hilltoppers, who will carry a 46-game home winning streak into this week\u2019s Atlantic Regional event at the ASRC, have won 27 of their 29 games by 10 or more points and lead the nation in eight offensive categories.<\/p>\n
Bellarmine, Ky. (27-2) edged Southern Indiana in overtime to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship and held onto the No. 2 spot while Peach Belt champion Augusta State moved up to No. 3 in the final poll. Central Oklahoma, the winner of the Lone Star Conference Tournament is fourth and Great Northwest Athletic Conference champ Central Washington rounds out the top five in the last ranking of the year.<\/p>\n
West Liberty is one of three Top 25 teams in this weekend\u2019s 8-team Atlantic Region field. Bowie State, Md. (22-5) finished at No. 19 after being upset in the CIAA Tournament while defending regional champion and 2010 national runner-up Indiana, Pa. (24-5) jumped up to No. 21 after winning the PSAC tournament title.<\/p>\n
Indiana is the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region while Bowie State is seeded No. 3.<\/p>\n
The Hilltoppers hit the ASRC boards at 6 p.m. Saturday when they take on No. 8 seed Slippery Rock, Pa. (21-10) in the third of four quarterfinal games set for Saturday. The regional semifinals are scheduled for Sunday night with the Atlantic Region championship game on tap for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KANSAS CITY \u2013 The ending for West Liberty University\u2019s storybook men\u2019s basketball season has yet to be written but when it is, the unbeaten Hilltoppers will be going into the NCAA Division II books as the nation\u2019s No. 1 team for the 2010-11 campaign. That\u2019s the word from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college"],"yoast_head":"\n