Grizzly Men Ranked Fifth In Central Region, Highest Ranking in NCAA D-II History

Chris Day
ASC Sports Information
The Adams State College men’s basketball team has checked in at the fifth spot of the initial set of Central Regional Rankings, released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee.
Those rankings, which will updated and released each Wednesday through Mar. 2, will eventually determine the teams that receive at-large bids to the NCAA Division II Tournament.  They will also eventually determine the seeding for the 8-team Central Regional, to be held March 12, 13 and 15 at the highest seed, who submits an approved hosting bid.
The No. 5 regional ranking is the program’s highest in the Grizzlies’ NCAA Division II history and is a result of the Grizzlies’ strong 13-3 overall start, which includes a 10-3 mark against NCAA Division II opponents.
The Grizzlies also sport a 10-3 “in-region” record and stand in a second place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with the same mark.
The Grizzlies were last included in the regional rankings, made up of the top 10 teams from the RMAC and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conferences, in 2008, a season that saw the Grizzlies win an NCAA Division II era school-record 18 games.
The Grizzlies only previous appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament came in 2007, when they entered the regional tournament as the seventh seed after spending the two prior weeks ranked eighth in the region before advancing to the championship game of the RMAC Shootout.
The Grizzlies, who are one of six RMAC teams amongst the region’s top 10, will face top-ranked Fort Lewis on Saturday at 8 p.m.
The Skyhawks are 14-3 overall and are tied with the Grizzlies in the RMAC standings at 10-3.
Minnesota State, which leads the NSIC standings, is tabbed second in the regional rankings while RMAC-leading Metro State, who the Grizzlies defeated 59-54 last Saturday, is third.  Colorado Mines, also tied with the Grizzlies in the RMAC standings, is ranked fourth while Winona State (Minn.), Mesa State, Mary (N.D.), Augustana (S.D.) and New Mexico Highlands sit behind the Grizzlies in the regional rankings occupying the No. 6 through 10 spots, respectively.