Geoff Schneider

Men's Basketball Moves To #4 In NABC Poll

1/27/2026 6:12:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - After going 1-1 last week, Daemen University is ranked No. 4 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll for week nine of the 2025-26 regular season. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 25 successive national polls, including 22 straight weeks in the top five, dating back to last season.

Daemen is off to a 21-1 start this season, including a 9-0 mark in East Coast Conference play. The Wildcats are one of just five Division II teams with one or fewer losses, all of which are ranked in the top five this week. The Wildcats saw their season-opening 20-game winning streak get snapped following a 79-61 road loss to No. 10 Gannon (up to No. 7 this week) last Wednesday. Daemen got back on track with a 90-65 throttling of crosstown rival D'Youville last Saturday afternoon, extending their conference winning streak to 31 straight games.

JAN 27, 2026 NABC DIVISION II MBB POLL

Daemen's success this season has been rooted at the defensive end of the court. The Wildcats rank 21st nationally (and first among ECC teams) in scoring defense, allowing just 65.8 points per game. Daemen's field goal percentage defense (.396) ranks 16th nationally (also first in the ECC). The Wildcats also lead the country in blocks per game (6.0) and rank fourth in rebounding margin (+10.6).

The Wildcats have been led this season by veterans Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.), Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.). Philipkoski, who is a three-time ECC Player of the Week, is shooting 51.6 percent from the field and averaging a team-high 18.0 points to go with 7.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He has posted nine 20-point outings so far, and ranks fifth in scoring, sixth in rebounding and seventh assists among the ECC's leaders.

Hemphill leads the team in assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) while scoring 11.7 points and grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game. He recently became the first player in program history to total more than 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in a career, and ranks in Daemen's top 10 all-time for rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.

Bill, the 2025-26 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 11 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 stepped up in Bill's absence, averaging 12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per over the last 13 games.

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 has played in more than 100 games with 82 starts to his credit. He scored the 1,000th point of his career in Saturday's win over DYU, and is averaging 11.4 points per outing this season.

Heath is in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by averaging 9.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game - all career highs. He's also been a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection.

Daemen is now 49-2 since the start of the 2024-25 season, and the Wildcats have gone 4-1 against nationally ranked teams this year. They ow wins over No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne (Nov. 1), No. 5 Fairmont State (Nov. 18), No. 21 Assumption (Dec. 17) and No. 22 Adelphi (Jan. 1).

The No. 4 Wildcats are back in action this Saturday, Jan. 31 when longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan comes 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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