UNK, UMD & UCM Battling to Host
Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team is once again first in the NCAA Rankings for the Central Region.
These rankings determine the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament field (eight teams, eight regions). UNK and the MIAA are in the Central 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 this weekend in Kansas City with the Lopers (27-3) the number one seed. The GAC tourney is Thursday-Sunday with Minnesota-Duluth having already won the NSIC event. The Lopers face either Newman or Northwest Missouri in a quarterfinal game Thursday at 6 p.m.
The NCAA “Selection Show” will be aired Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. Central at www.ncaa.com with regional play set for March 10-11 & 13.
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.
Central Region #2 Minnesota Duluth (27-3, 21-1 NSIC) held off Minnesota State, 80-74, to win the NSIC Tourney Tuesday evening in Sioux Falls. UNK beat UMD in each of the last two Central Regionals; 65-57 in 2021 and 77-70 in 2022.
Rank
School
Overall DII Record
In-Region Record
1
Nebraska-Kearney
25-3
25-3
2
Minnesota Duluth
25-3
25-3
3
Central Missouri
22-3
22-3
4
Minnesota State Mankato
23-3
23-3
5
Augustana
22-4
22-4
6
Pittsburg State
20-6
20-6
7
Missouri Southern
23-6
21-6
8
Missouri Western
22-6
21-6
9
Southern Nazarene (OK)
24-4
24-4
10
Fort Hays State
17-11
17-10
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