KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The West Liberty University men’s basketball team slotted in at No. 14 Tuesday afternoon when the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released its first NCAA Division II Top 25 poll of the regular season.
Coach Jim Crutchfield’s Hilltoppers have now been ranked in 25 consecutive NABC Top 25 polls, the longest run by a WVIAC program since former league member Salem was ranked for an NCAA Division II record 76 straight weeks from 1997 to 2003.
West Liberty (4-1), which travels to Fairmont State tonight, moved from No. 6 in the preseason rankings to No. 14 on the strength of an 84-80 overtime loss to then-No. 7 Findlay (Ohio). Findlay (3-1) is No. 13 in this week’s first regular-season rankings.
Defending national champion Bellarmine (Ky.) was a unanimous No. 1 pick in the preseason poll and the unbeaten Knights (5-0) once again pulled down all eight first-place votes to retain their spot on top of the national heap.
The rest of the preseason poll was completely scrambled with Missouri Southern (6-0), Metropolitan State, Colo. (5-0), Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (6-0) and Southern Indiana (4-0) rounding out the top five.
Humboldt State, Calif. (4-0) checked in at No. 6, followed by Alabama-Huntsville (3-1), Indiana, Pa. (4-0), Kentucky Wesleyan (4-0) and Benedict, S.C. (2-0).
West Liberty was the only West Virginia Conference squad to crack the Top 25 but Charleston (6-0) was among the teams also receiving votes. The Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles are scheduled to meet in Charleston Thursday night at 8 p.m.
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