Benjamin Bill extends his arm and shoots a layup from point blank range

Geoff Schneider

Wildcats Maintain No. 4 Ranking In NABC Poll

2/24/2026 1:45:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen University men's basketball team is ranked No. 4 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll for week 13 of the 2025-26 season, marking the 26th straight poll in which the Wildcats have been among the top five teams in the country. It also marks the Wildcats' 29th consecutive appearance in the NABC poll, a string that dates back to last season.

Daemen's record sits at 27-1, including a 15-0 mark in East Coast Conference play. The Wildcats are one of just four Division II teams with one or fewer losses, and their 27 wins are the most in the country. The Wildcats posted a road conference win over D'Youville (90-67) in their only action last week, sweeping the season series with their crosstown rivals. The win also extended Daemen's ECC winning streak to 37 consecutive games (dating back to February of 2024). The Wildcats have already locked up the league's regular season title for a second straight season.

NABC Division II Men's Basketball Coaches Poll for Feb 24 2026

NABC Division II Men's Basketball Coaches Poll for Feb 24 2026

Daemen's success this season has been rooted at the defensive end of the court, where they're allowing just 65.8 points per game, ranking 18th nationally. Daemen's stingy defense includes the best shot-blocking numbers in Division II, averaging 6.0 blocks per contest. They also own a +10.0 rebounding margin per game (fourth in Division II) and are holding opponents to just 39.5 percent field-goal shooting (ninth in Division II).

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 50.2 percent from the field and averaging a team-high 17.6 points to go with 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He has scored in double figure in all but two games this season, with 11 outings of 20 points or more to his credit, including a season-high 28 in Sunday's win over D'Youville. He ranks fourth in scoring, sixth in rebounding and seventh in assists among the ECC's leaders.

Hemphill leads the team in rebounds (8.7 rpg), assists (5.2 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) while scoring 11.6 points per outing. He is a five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week honoree and has posted a team-best nine double-doubles. Hemphill is the only player among the league's top five leaders in rebounds (second), assists (third), blocked shots (fourth) and steals (fifth). He's also the only player from an ECC team to record a triple-double this season, totaling 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Mercy on Feb. 13.

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 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. The redshirt junior center missed 11 games with an injury, but returned to the lineup Jan. 31 vs. Roberts Wesleyan.

Philipkoski and Bill were recently named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, putting them in contention for one of Small College Basketball's highest honors, which goes to the non-Division I player deemed to have had the finest overall season. Hemphill was recently named to the Trevor Hudgins Award Top 25 Watch List, an honor that goes to the non-Division I player with the best overall career.

The Wildcats have also gotten solid contributions from the likes of Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.), Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) and Phil Nwugwo (Rochester, N.Y.).

Now in his third season as a full-time starter, Glover has played in 111 games with 88 starts to his credit. He scored the 1,000th point of his career in Daemen's earlier win over D'Youville, and is averaging 11.3 points per outing with a career-high 56 three-point field goals this season.

Heath is in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by averaging 9.7 points, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game - all career highs. He's also been a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection.

Nwugwo has scored 10+ points in 17 of the last 19 games. He had only four double-figure scoring games in his career coming into the season. The 6-foot-6 redshirt junior forward stepped into the starting lineup while Bill was out of the lineup, and has raised his contributions significantly. For the season, Nwugwo is averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Daemen is now 55-2 since the start of the 2024-25 season, and the Wildcats have gone 4-1 against nationally ranked teams this year. They own 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 close the regular season Wednesday (Feb. 25) when they visit longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats will then be idle until hosting the semifinal and final rounds of the ECC Championship March 7-8 at Lumsden Gymnasium.

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.

Print Friendly Version