Lopers Looking for Rare Home Win over Rival Tigers
Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team is ranked first in the Central Region in the second edition of the NCAA Region Rankings for the 2022-23 season.
These rankings determine the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament field (eight teams, eight regions) in March. UNK and the MIAA are in the Central Region along with schools from the Great American Conference (GAC) and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Each conference tourney winner receives an automatic bid to the Central Regional; the MIAA tourney is next weekend in Kansas City.
The rankings will be released every Wednesday afternoon with the “Selection Show” being held on Sunday, March 5. Regional play is set for March 10-11 & 13 (Sweet 16).
The national polls have no bearing on the regional rankings. UNK is currently seventh in the Women’s Basketball Coaches (WBCA) Top 25 and eighth in the D2 Sports Information Directors of America poll.
The Lopers (26-3; 19-2 in MIAA) hosts longtime rival Fort Hays State this Saturday to close out the regular season. UNK has already secured a share of the 2022-23 MIAA regular season title and can win it outright with a victory over the Tigers (19-10). However, Hays is 11-1 in Kearney since the 2009-10 season.
Central Region #2 Minnesota Duluth (24-3, 21-1 NSIC) is the top seed in this week’s NSIC Tournament which in Sioux Falls. The Bulldogs will face Minnesota State-Moorhead or Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday morning.
Rank
School
Overall DII Record
In-Region Record
1
Nebraska-Kearney
24-3
24-3
2
Minnesota Duluth
24-3
24-3
3
Central Missouri
20-3
20-3
4
Minnesota State
22-3
22-3
5
Augustana
21-4
21-4
6
Missouri Southern State
21-6
19-6
7
Missouri Western State
21-5
20-5
8
Pittsburg State
18-6
18-6
9
Southern (OK) Nazarene
22-4
22-4
10
Fort Hays State
17-10
17-9
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