Findlay Jumps to No. 9 in the Latest NABC Division II Top 25 Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Following a tumultuous week that saw a major shift in the national rankings, the final week of the regular season in the NCAA Division II ranks was much calmer, resulting in no change among the top eight spots in the new NABC/Division II men’s basketball rankings as conference tournament week moves into full force.
West Liberty, the last undefeated team in the Division II ranks, is the top-ranked team for the eighth consecutive week. The Hilltoppers are followed by Bellarmine and Humboldt State in the next two spots, with Alabama-Huntsville and Augusta State completing the top five.
The next group of five is headed by Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season champion Minnesota State, followed by Central Oklahoma, Missouri Southern, Findlay and Central Washington, who returns to the top 10 after last week’s No. 9 team, Arkansas Tech, fell in its season finale against Ouachita Baptist.
Southern Indiana and Lincoln Memorial moved up one spot apiece to 11th and 12th, respectively, while Arkansas Tech dropped four spots due to its loss to No. 13. A handful of teams ranked after the 13th spots a week ago suffered losses, allowing the University of Mary and Tarleton State to jump five spots each to 14th and 15th.
Bowie State, the top seed in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament this week, comes in at No. 16 and is followed in the rankings by Harding, Colorado School of Mines, Fort Hays State and Cal State-Dominguez Hills. The final five spots in this week’s poll belong to Rollins, Bentley, Ferris State, Benedict – making its first appearance in the rankings this season – and West Texas A&M.
The NCAA will release its updated regional rankings on Wednesday, March 2.
| Rank | School (first place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
| 1 | West Liberty (W. Va.) (8) | 26-0 | 200 | 1 |
| 2 | Bellarmine (Ky.) | 25-2 | 191 | 2 |
| 3 | Humboldt State (Calif.) | 25-3 | 177 | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama-Huntsville | 25-3 | 177 | 4 |
| 5 | Augusta State (Ga.) | 25-3 | 169 | 5 |
| 6 | Minnesota State | 23-3 | 157 | 6 |
| 7 | Central Oklahoma | 25-3 | 149 | 7 |
| 8 | Missouri Southern | 23-3 | 141 | 8 |
| 9 | Findlay (Ohio) | 23-3 | 137 | 10 |
| 10 | Central Washington | 23-3 | 133 | 11 |
| 11 | Southern Indiana | 23-4 | 121 | 12 |
| 12 | Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) | 24-2 | 106 | 13 |
| 13 | Arkansas Tech | 22-4 | 104 | 9 |
| 14 | Mary (N.D.) | 22-4 | 88 | 19 |
| 15 | Tarleton State (Texas) | 22-4 | 76 | 20 |
| 16 | Bowie State (Md.) | 22-4 | 72 | 22 |
| 17 | Harding (Ark.) | 22-4 | 68 | 14 |
| 18 | Colorado School of Mines | 22-4 | 61 | 23 |
| 19 | Fort Hays State (Kan.) | 22-6 | 51 | 17 |
| 20 | Cal State-Dominguez Hills | 20-6 | 46 | 15 |
| 21 | Rollins (Fla.) | 22-6 | 29 | 18 |
| 22 | Bentley (Mass.) | 20-6 | 25 | 24 |
| 23 | Ferris State (Mich.) | 20-6 | 23 | 21 |
| 24T | Benedict (S.C.) | 20-6 | 21 | NR |
| 24T | West Texas A&M | 22-5 | 21 | NR |
Dropped Out: Hillsdale (16), Mercyhurst (25).
Others Receiving Votes: Hillsdale (Mich.) 20, Indiana (Pa.) 8, American International (Mass.) 6, Northern Kentucky 6, Drury (Mo.) 5, Metropolitan State (Colo.) 3, Georgia Southwestern 1, Stonehill (Mass.) 1.
