INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 17) -- The Central Washington University men's basketball team, which has won five of its last six games, has moved up three places in this week's NCAA Division II West Region poll. The Wildcats are ranked seventh this week according to the official poll released by the NCAA national office.
Central Washington has a 14-7 overall record and is third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with an 8-3 conference record. The Wildcats played five of their last six games on the road, winning four of those, including victories at Alaska Fairbanks (89-77) and Alaska Anchorage (62-57). The sweep in Alaska was the first-ever by a Central men's team against those two schools.
CWU was ranked ninth in each of the first two weekly regional polls this season before falling to 10th in last week's ranking. After two tough road wins in Alaska, including the five-point win over then-regionally eighth-ranked Alaska Anchorage, the Wildcats moved up three positions to their highest regional ranking of the season.
Seattle Pacific and Western Washington traded spots in this week's poll, with SPU returning to first in the region following Western's loss at Alaska Anchorage. Central is the third-ranked GNAC team, while Alaska Anchorage fell one spot this week to number nine.
Of the other nine teams in this week's regional poll, Central Washington has played against five of them. The Wildcats have wins over the region's top-ranked team (Seattle Pacific) and the ninth-ranked team (Alaska Anchorage), while having also played second-ranked Western Washington, sixth-ranked Dixie State, eighth-ranked Brigham Young-Hawaii, and a home loss to Alaska Anchorage.
The NCAA regional poll is the official poll from which tournament appearances will be based at the end of the 2009-10 season. The top eight teams in the region, assuming the conference champions from the GNAC, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), and the Pacific West Conference are among those eight, will qualify for the Division II tournament that will start Mar. 12 at a site to be determined.
Central Washington plays three of its final five games of the regular season at home in Nicholson Pavilion, beginning with this Saturday night's game against Northwest Nazarene at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
2009-10 NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL WEST REGION POLL #4 (February 17, 2010)
1. Seattle Pacific
2. Western Washington
3. Cal Poly Pomona
4. Cal State San Bernardino
5. Humboldt State
6. Dixie State
7. CENTRAL WASHINGTON
8. Brigham Young-Hawaii
9. Alaska Anchorage
10. Cal State Dominguez Hills
