KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A team that has spent
a good deal of time as the nation’s top-ranked team in recent
seasons is back on the top of the list, as West Liberty has
supplanted Metropolitan State as the No. 1 team in the latest
NABC/Division II rankings.
Metro State dropped a 72-69 decision Saturday at then-No. 7
Western Washington, moving West Liberty to the top spot as a
result. It marks the fifth time since 2011 that the
Hilltoppers are the nation’s top-ranked squad, where they
have spent 20 previous weeks in that position.
The loss by the Roadrunners also allowed Bellarmine, Drury and
Florida Southern to move up in the rankings to the three spots in
back of West Liberty, while Western Washington jumped over Metro
State into the fifth spot with the Roadrunners in sixth.
Indiana (Pa.) jumped to seventh in this week’s poll,
followed by Findlay, Minnesota State and Dixie State to complete
the top 10. Southern Indiana checked in at No. 11, with
Montevallo, Livingstone, Tarleton State and Fort Hays State taking
the next four spots. Seattle Pacific fell seven spots to
16th after a loss Saturday at Chico State, while the top
20 spots are completed with East Stroudsburg, Arkansas-Fort Smith,
Colorado School of Mines and Midwestern State.
The final five teams include four making their first appearance in
the rankings this season. Bentley is No. 21 and Washburn is
at No. 22, while Lincoln Memorial dropped 10 spots to
23rd. The last two are undefeated teams from
Georgia Southwestern and Texas A&M-Commerce.
NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Dec. 3, 2013 – Poll #3)
Record Points Pvs
1. West Liberty, W.Va. (12 first place
votes)
5-0
391
2
2. Bellarmine, Ky. (3 first place
votes)
4-0
381
3
3. Drury, Mo. 5-0 360 4
4. Florida Southern (1 first place vote) 8-0 348 5
5. Western
Washington
4-0
344
7
6. Metropolitan State,
Colo.
3-1
321
1
7. Indiana,
Pa.
6-0
289
10
8. Findlay, Ohio 3-0 278 8
9. Minnesota
State
7-1
258
11
10. Dixie State,
Utah
4-0
248
12
11. Southern Indiana 4-0 241 14
12. Montevallo, Ala. 5-0 210 16
13. Livingstone, N.C. 4-0 188 15
14. Tarleton State, Texas 6-0 184 17
15. Fort Hays State, Kan. 7-0 165 20
16. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 7-2 131 9
17. East Stroudsburg, Pa. 6-0 109 23
18. Arkansas-Fort Smith 6-0 107 25
19. Colorado School of Mines 4-0 98 24
20. Midwestern State, Texas 5-2 89 6
21. Bentley, Mass. 7-0 88 NR
22. Washburn, Kan. 7-0 67 NR
23. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 5-1 62 13
24. Georgia Southwestern 7-0 34 NR
25. Texas
A&M-Commerce
8-0
27
NR
Dropped out: Fort Lewis (18), Alaska-Anchorage
(19), Northeastern State (21), North Alabama (22).
Others receiving votes: Alaska-Anchorage 23, North Alabama 16, North Carolina-Pembroke 16, Indianapolis (Ind.) 15, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 15, Cal State-San Bernardino 14, Lake Superior State (Mich.) 14, South Carolina Aiken 10, Cal State-Stanislaus 6, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 6, Delta State (Miss.) 6, Florida Tech 6, Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 6, Lewis (Ill.) 6, Northeastern State (Okla.) 6, Angelo State (Texas) 5, Valdosta State (Ga.) 4, Benedict (S.C.) 2, San Francisco State (Calif.) 2, California Baptist 1, Central Missouri 1, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 1, St. Mary’s (Texas) 1.
Records are through games of December 1, 2013.