The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball team was ranked #3 in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll, released on Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans improved to 23-6 and 14-3 in East Coach Conference competition with victories over New York Institute of Technology, 97-74 and LIU Post, 77-64 last week.
STAC has appeared in each of the previous two NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament and stands as the reigning East Regional Champions, advancing to the Elite Eight last season before falling to eventual-champ Northwest Missouri State. Eight teams in each of the eight regions comprise the 64-team field that will vie for the National Championship.
In the East Region, the Tournament Champions of the ECC, Northeast-10 (NE-10), and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) each earn an automatic bid to the NCAAs with the other five bids offered to the remaining top-ranked teams on an "at-large" basis. The current rankings have LeMoyne College (NE-10, 21-5 record) in the top slot, University of Bridgeport (ECC, 22-4) at No. 2, and College of Saint Rose (NE-10, 19-8) in the No. 4 slot.
On Saturday, the Spartans close out the regular-season by hosting the University of the District of Columbia. They have already clinched a berth for the ECC Tournament and are still in the running for a first-round bye. First round action will take place on Wednesday, February 28 with the semi-finals held at Roberts Wesleyan College on Saturday, March 3. The winners of Saturday's semis advance to the tourney final the following day.
NCAA Men's East Region Rankings
- LeMoyne (21-5)
- Bridgeport (22-4)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (23-6)
- College of Saint Rose (19-8)
- Bloomfield (21-5)
- Saint Anselm (19-7)
- Dominican (19-7)
- Daemen (19-7)
- Merrimack (17-10)
- New Haven (16-9)