JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team is up two spots to #5 in the Central Regional rankings this week. The top 8 teams in reach region will make the NCAA Division II national tournament after conference tournaments finish up.
The Lions are 20-5 overall and have won 13 straight games. They’re currently tied with Fort Hays State for 1st place in the MIAA.
RELEASE FROM MISSOURI SOUTHERN ATHLETICS:
The Missouri Southern women’s basketball program moved up to fifth in the second release of the 2022 NCAA Division II Central Region rankings that came out on Wednesday by the NCAA office.
The Lions are one of five MIAA teams listed amongst the top 10 teams in the region at this point of the season. The top eight teams from each region will advance to the NCAA DII Tournament. Southern has not made a regional appearance since the 1995-96 season. Currently the Lions are on a 13-game winning streak, tied for the longest in the region, with wins over three WBCA ranked teams during the streak. Southern is currently tied with Fort Hays State in first place of the MIAA standings. This year’s NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship will be back to a normal field of 64 teams made up of eight eight-team regionals. The top seed in each region will have the opportunity to host the first three rounds of the tournament (March 11-14) before the eight regional champions meet up in Birmingham, Ala. for the Elite Eight (March 21-25). In the Central Region, the conference champions from the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conference receive an automatic bid with the rest of the field filled with the top five remaining teams at-large. Final selections for the 2022 NCAA Division II Central Region Championships will be announced on Sunday, March 6 at 9 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.CENTRAL | |||
Rank | School | Overall DII Record | In-Region Record |
1 | Fort Hays State | 21-3 | 21-3 |
2 | St. Cloud State | 21-3 | 21-3 |
3 | Minnesota Duluth | 21-4 | 21-4 |
4 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 24-4 | 24-4 |
5 | Missouri Southern | 19-5 | 19-5 |
6 | Minnesota State Mankato | 19-5 | 19-5 |
7 | Nebraska-Kearney | 18-6 | 18-6 |
8 | Missouri Western | 19-6 | 19-6 |
9 | Central Missouri | 16-10 | 15-10 |
10 | Harding | 17-8 | 17-8 |
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