Hilltoppers Vault to No. 2 in NABC Coaches' Poll

Hilltoppers Vault to No. 2 in NABC Coaches' Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team rode its 8-game winning streak to the No. 2 spot in Tuesday’s National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division Top 25.

   In a week that saw no less than 12 of the nation’s Top 25 squads go down to defeat, Coach Ben Howlett’s Hilltoppers (22-2) moved a couple steps closer to their fifth consecutive Mountain East Conference title with a pair of blowout victories.

   The Black and Gold got things started with a 102-70 romp past Glenville State on Wednesday and followed that up with a 107-86 runaway win at Concord on Saturday. With just two weeks left in the regular season, West Liberty now owns a two-game lead over its closest pursuers with just four games remaining.

   This week’s No. 2 national ranking is the highest for a West Liberty team since the 2018-19 squad hit No. 2 on Feb. 12, 2019. It’s the 101st Top 5 ranking, 163rd Top 10 appearance and 200th NCAA Division II Top 25 ranking since the NCAA Division II poll was established during the 1960-61 season.

   Nova Southeastern, Fla. (22-0) also picked up a pair of wins to hold onto the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive week while Indiana, Pa. (22-2) won three games last week to move up to No. 3. Lubbock Christian (22-2) and Augustana, S.D. (21-2) rounded out the Top 5.

   Fairmont State (19-4) couldn’t dodge an upset bullet at Notre Dame (Ohio) last week and slipped from No. 10 to No. 16. The Falcons will have a chance to move back up the rankings this week when they host West Liberty on Saturday afternoon in a key MEC encounter.

   The Hilltoppers return to action on Wednesday when they welcome Frostburg State to the ASRC. Tipoff time is set for 7:30 p.m.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

NCAA Division II Top 25

(February 15, 2022)

     Team (FPV)                                                Rec         Pts      Pvs

 1. Nova Southeastern (16)                      22-0        400          1

 2. WEST LIBERTY                                       22-2        382          4

 3. Indiana, Pa.                                            22-2        359          7

 4. Lubbock Christian, Texas                    22-2        335          3

 5. Augustana, S.D.                                     21-2        329          9

 6. CSU-San Bernardino                             18-2        313          8

 7. NW Missouri State                               23-3        311          2

 8. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn.                     21-3        290        11

 9. UNC Pembroke                                     21-2        257          5

10. Queens, N.C.                                         22-3        248        15

11. Chico State, Calif.                                 15-3        244        14

12. Augusta, Ga.                                          21-3        206        18

13. Minnesota-Duluth                                21-4        187          6

14. CSU-San Marcos                                   14-3        178        16

15. Upper Iowa                                            22-4        169        19

16. FAIRMONT STATE                                19-4        156        10

17. Bentley, Mass.                                       17-3        148        21

18. Central Oklahoma                                20-4        136        13

19. Mercyhurst, Pa.                                    20-4        126        20

20. Ferris State, Mich.                                18-4          92        12

21. Flagler, Fla.                                            19-4          85        17

22. Fort Hays State, Kan.                           18-4          54       NR

23. West Alabama                                       20-4          40       NR

24. Daemen, N.Y.                                        17-6          30       NR

25. Barry, Fla.                                               16-5          26       NR

    Others receiving votes: Miles (Ala.) 18, Union (Tenn.) 17, West Texas A&M 17, Biola (Calif.) 16, St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) 10, Michigan Tech 7, Dominican (N.Y.) 4, Regis (Colo.) 4, Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 4, Adelphi (N.Y.) 1, Georgia College 1.