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.