ATLANTA, Ga (January 22, 2018) – Four SIAC men’s basketball teams were named to this week’s regional polls, sponsored by D2SIDA.
The Men’s Basketball Division II Media Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA, is in its third year of existence. The regional poll is released every Monday, followed by the national poll on Tuesday. These weekly rankings are independent of the official NCAA Regional Rankings that will be released closer to the end of the season. All records are as of Sunday evening.
This week, Morehouse is ranked No. 1, receiving four first place votes, Clark Atlanta is tied at No. 3, Claflin comes in at No. 7, and Benedict rounds it out at No. 10.
Morehouse Men’s Basketball – #1 in South Region (D2SIDA)
The Maroon Tigers won the battle of the top two teams in the SIAC, with an 86-75 win over the Claflin University Panthers. The win extended the Maroon Tigers’ record-breaking win streak to 16 games and solidified the Tigers as the Number One team in the SIAC East Division.
Morehouse, previously ranked No. 2 in last week’s poll, rose to the top at No. 1 with four first place votes and 58 points in the Men’s Basketball Division II Media Regional Poll.
Currently, Morehouse is tied for first place in Win-Loss percentage within Division II, alongside West Liberty, and ranked No. 11 in scoring margin.
Clark Atlanta Men’s Basketball – #3 in South Region
The Clark Atlanta Panthers pushed themselves to their 12th consecutive victory as they defeated Benedict College, 78-75, which solidified their No. 3 spot in the Men’s Basketball Division II Media Poll, previously No. 8 in last week’s poll.
Currently, Clark Atlanta is ranked No. 26 in scoring margin, trailing behind Morehouse (No. 11).
Riding a 12-game winning streak, the Clark Atlanta University Panthers will host Claflin University tonight at 8 p.m. in L.S. Epps Gymnasium in a huge Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up.
CAU, 17-1 overall, is in a first-place tie in the SIAC East Division with Morehouse, both with 11-0 conference records. Claflin, who lost to Morehouse Saturday, is 10-1 and in second place in the conference race. Claflin is 17-2 overall.
Claflin Men’s Basketball – #7 in South Region
The Claflin University men’s basketball team is ranked No. 7 in the South Region of the Men’s Basketball Division II Media Regional Poll, sponsored by D2SIDA.
Claflin (17-2, 10-1) is coming off an 86-75 loss to Morehouse on Saturday (Jan. 20). The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak for the Panthers.
In addition, the Panthers are ranked third in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage defense, holding their opponents to 38% shooting, seventh in scoring defense, allowing just 63.6 points per outing.
Benedict Men’s Basketball – #10 in South Region
The Benedict Tigers broke into the South Regional Media Poll at No. 10 despite their recent loss to Clark Atlanta University.
Benedict had their seven-game winning streak snapped and fell to 15-4 overall and 8-3 in the SIAC.
South | ||||
1 | Morehouse (4) | 16-0 | 58 | 2 |
2 | Valdosta State (2) | 17-2 | 55 | 3 |
T3 | West Florida | 17-2 | 40 | 1 |
T3 | Clark Atlanta | 17-1 | 40 | 8 |
5 | Eckerd | 15-3 | 37 | 7 |
6 | Barry | 12-4 | 27 | 4 |
7 | Claflin | 17-2 | 24 | 5 |
8 | West Alabama | 14-5 | 20 | RV |
9 | Rollins | 12-7 | 13 | 10 |
10 | Benedict | 15-4 | 6 | NR |
RV | Nova Southeastern 4, Christian Brothers 1 |