Wildcats Stay Ranked Second In NABC Poll

12/24/2025 11:13:00 AM

AMHERST, N.Y. - For a second straight week, Daemen University is the No. 2 ranked team in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll released today. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 21 successive national polls, including 18 straight weeks in the top five, dating back to last season.

Daemen is off to a 14-0 start this season, and the Wildcats have won 45 consecutive regular season contests dating back to the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats already own a trio of wins against nationally-ranked teams, defeating No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (Nov. 1), No. 5 Fairmont State (Nov. 18) and No. 21 Assumption (Dec. 17).

NABC Division II Coaches Poll for Dec 23 2025

NABC Division II Coaches Poll for Dec 23 2025

The Wildcats are coming off a 2-0 week, including that top-25 showdown with Assumption. The Greyhounds returned to Lumsden Gymnasium where they won their first regional title in some 50 years last March, but were sent away with a 77-67 loss thanks to Daemen's game-closing 25-14 spurt. The Wildcats then welcomed Saint Michael's for a Saturday (Dec. 20) matinee, winning 73-61 - their eighth straight win by at least 10 points.

The Wildcats have been led this season by the triumvirate that is Philipkoski, Hemphill and Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.). Philipkoski is shooting 53.1 percent from the field and averaging a team-high 18.1 points to go with 7.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Hemphill leads the team in assists (5.3 apg) and steals (2.4 spg) while scoring 10.0 points per game. He scored his 1,000th career point in the win over Fairmont State and recently became the first player in program history to total more than 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.

Bill, the 2025 ECC Preseason Player of the Year and a consensus All-American last season, has posted six double-doubles and is producing 17.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. But, the junior center has missed three straight games after going out with an injury in a win at Mercy on Dec. 12. Redshirt junior forward Phil Nwugwo (Rochester, N.Y.) has averaged 12.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in Bill's absence.

The Wildcats have also gotten solid contributions from the backcourt duo of Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.). Now in his third season as a full-time starter, Glover is scored a season-high 19 points in the recent win over Saint Michael's, and is contributing 11.0 points per outing while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range. Heath is in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by averaging 10.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

The No. 2 Wildcats put their unblemished record on the line New Year's Day when they welcome No. 22 Adelphi, newly ranked this week, to Lumsden Gymnasium for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

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.

Follow the Daemen University men's basketball program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenMBB.

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