AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University men's basketball team is tied for sixth out of 10 teams in the second of three
NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, released today by the regional advisory committee. The East Region consists of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Northeast-10 Conference, and the regional rankings are used to determine at-large bids to the East Regional portion of the NCAA Tournament following conference tournaments at the end of the season.
Last week's initial poll consisted of an alphabetical listing of 10 teams that were under consideration. The committee will rank the teams one through 10 in the final two polls. The third and final poll will ne released next Wednesday (March 6). The selections for the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament will be announced on Sunday, March 10.
St. Thomas Aquinas College (22-5) and Saint Michael's College (20-7) are tied for first in this week's poll. Post University (18-7), Bentley University (19-9) and Southern New Hampshire University (16-10) round out the top five. The remaining five include Adelphi University (18-9), Daemen (20-7), Pace University (17-10), Jefferson University (18-8) and Bloomfield College (18-8).
Daemen has won five straight games and sits in third place in the
ECC standings. Daemen has featured a balanced scoring attack and solid defense thus far. Six players are averaging in double figures and the Wildcats lead the ECC in fewest points allowed per game (71.7). Senior
Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) recently returned to the lineup after missing six games with a hand injury. He has averaged 18.4 points since returning from the injury and is averaging a team-high 16.6 points overall. Graduate student
Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.), the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. A five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, he ranks third among the ECC leaders in blocks (49) and fourth in steals (44). Sophomore
Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) is averaging 12.3 points and 3.4 assists with 48 three-pointers. Fifth-year senior
Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) is averaging 11.1 points, while senior
Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) is contributing 11.0 points with a team-high 72 three-pointers. Senior
Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) is producing 10.4 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per contest.
The Wildcats close out the regular season with an ECC game at Roberts Wesleyan University Saturday (Mar. 2).
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
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