NABC Coaches Poll (Feb. 23)
NCAA DII Atlantic Region Rankings (Feb. 24)
INDIANAPOLIS – Both Hillsdale and Findlay moved up two spots in this week’s National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Poll while the new “Under Consideration” rankings for men’s programs in the Atlantic Region also were released.
Going into the final weekend of the regular season, the Chargers cemented their status with a lofty and well-deserved top 10 billing sitting at ninth nationally.
Hillsdale has already secured the regular season championship by virtue of winning percentage in the conference standings and have unofficially locked in the No. 1 seed in the Great Midwest Championship tournament with placement in the Point Rating System (PRS).
The Chargers are 18-1 overall and have won 15 straight games following last night’s close final against Tiffin. Hillsdale was ranked previously in 11th nationally but carved out victories at Ohio Dominican and at home vs. Ohio Valley to receive that bump.
Hillsdale is the second team from the Great Midwest ranked in the top 10 for 2020-21 since Findlay was slotted at No. 6 earlier in the year.
The Oilers are 16-4 now following last night’s road victory at Cedarville and check in at No. 21 this week. Previously 23rd, the program recently welcomed two new members to the 1,000 point scoring club, seniors Tommy Schmock and Anthony Masterlasco.
Findlay is currently second in the PRS at 4.13 and is positioned to host a first-round quarterfinal game in the postseason next week.
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference is contending for NCAA bids as the national committee released its second set of Atlantic Region rankings yesterday. Hillsdale, Findlay and Kentucky Wesleyan, remain in the category of “Under Consideration” leading up to the conference tournament.
The Great Midwest still receives an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship bracket and will be competing for four at-large bids among the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
The MEC is represented by Charleston, Fairmont State, Glenville State and West Liberty, in the Under Consideration rankings. The PSAC features No. 4 nationally-ranked Mercyhurst to comprise the eight programs in the list.
The top 8 teams in the final PRS totals will qualify for the 2021 Great Midwest Championship tournament bracket. The regular season will officially come to a close on Sunday and the bracket will be announced later that evening.
The all-conference team and individual awards will be announced on Thursday afternoon in lieu of the traditional championship banquet at the final four site.