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Hilltoppers No. 1 in NCAA Coaches' Top 25

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Men's Basketball | 11/1/2016 2:39:00 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The West Liberty University men's basketball team found itself in a familiar spot on Tuesday afternoon when the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released its annual NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 poll.
Number One.
Coach Jim Crutchfield's Hilltoppers have been ranked No. 1 in the NABC's Top 25 at some point in each of the past six seasons and have appeared in every Top 25 poll since Feb. 2, 2010. That 96-week run is by far the longest streak of unbroken Top 25 appearances since the poll was instituted at the start of the 1960-61 season.
This is WLU's third Top 5 national ranking of the preseason. The Hilltoppers were also No. 1 in The Sporting News College Basketball Preview magazine and were ranked No. 2 in the nation by the Division II Bulletin.
West Liberty received 11 of the 16 first-place votes from the NABC Division II ranking committee to nail down the No. 1 slot with 394 points. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. – which edged WLU in a 103-102 Final Four thriller a year ago before falling to Augustana, S.D. in the national championship game – was No. 2 with 368 points despite not receiving a single first-place vote.
Perennial power Bellarmine, Ky. was a strong No. 3 with four first-place votes and 357 points while Saginaw Valley State, Mich. (282) and Alabama-Huntsville (276) were a bit farther back at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
The Mountain East Conference was well represented with Wheeling Jesuit at No. 7 and Fairmont State picking up the lone remaining first-place vote to squeeze into the poll at No. 25. Both teams joined West Liberty in the final NABC Top 10 a year ago and the Cardinals spent a week at No. 1 for the first time in school history late in the regular season.
The Hilltoppers open at home on Nov. 11 against Cheyney (Pa.). Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the ASRC.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
National Association of Basketball Coaches
NCAA Division II 
Preseason Top 25 Poll
Team (FPV) Rec Pts Pvs
  1. WEST LIBERTY (11) 31-4 394 5
  2. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 34-3 368 1
  3. Bellarmine, Ky. (4) 23-7 357 15
  4. Saginaw Valley State, Mich. 25-8 282 25
  5. Alabama-Huntsville 25-8 276 NR
  6. NW Missouri State 27-6 270 11
  7. WHEELING JESUIT 28-4 257 6
  8. St. Thomas Aquinas, N.Y. 27-5 242 NR
  9. California Baptist 28-7 210 14
10. Tarleton State, Texas 24-9 201 NR
11. Chico State, Calif. 22-7 195 20
12. Alaska-Anchorage 21-11 189 NR
13. Southern Conn. State 22-8 185 NR
14. Kutztown, Pa. 23-7 156 NR
15. Fort Lewis, Colo. 28-4 127 4
16. Barry, Fla. 26-7 115 19
17. Minnesota State 22-10 109 NR
18. Augustana, S.D. 34-2 105 2
19. Angelo State, Texas 25-7 98 16
20. Midwestern State, Texas 24-6 92 7
21. Colorado School of Mines 24-8 91 NR
22. Drury, Mo. 19-8 81 NR
23. Arkansas-Fort Smith 23-9 76 NR
24. Indiana, Pa. 21-8 66 NR
25. FAIRMONT STATE (1) 25-5 62 8
Others receiving votes: Queens (N.C.) 55, Western Oregon 44, Indianapolis (Ind.) 42, Delta State (Miss.) 41, Montevallo (Ala.) 32, West Texas A&M 32, Kentucky Wesleyan 31, Lander (S.C.) 31, West Georgia 31, Southern New Hampshire 28, Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 24, MSU-Moorhead (Minn.) 17, Eckerd (Fla.) 16, Philadelphia (Pa.) 16, Quincy (Ill.) 15, Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 15, Stonehill (Mass.) 13, Lewis (Ill.) 12, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 11, Wisconsin-Parkside 11, Barton (N.C.) 9, Western Washington 9, Wingate (N.C.) 9, Washburn (Kan.) 8, Benedict (S.C.) 7, Ashland (Ohio) 6, Virginia State 6, Virginia Union 6, Dixie State (Utah) 5, East Central (Okla.) 4, Dallas Baptist (Texas) 3, UC-San Diego 3, Point Loma (Calif.) 2, Metro State (Colo.) 1, West Florida 1.
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