WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's and women's basketball programs have been selected to host an NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase event for the second consecutive season.
    The Hilltoppers' Feb. 8 Mountain East Conference doubleheader against the University of Charleston will be featured as part of the Division II initiative at the ASRC. The women's game will now tip off at 2:05 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 4:05.
    Both games will be part of the Showcase's hybrid model, opening them up for regional television or online distribution. Live streams will also be available via the NCAA social media accounts – specifically Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) – along with the MEC's digital network, mountaineast.tv and TopperStation.com.
    Division II selected a total of 28 games to be highlighted on ESPN3 or NCAA social media as part of an effort to promote the division on several platforms throughout the academic year. An additional eight games as part of four flex doubleheaders will be finalized in February. Those games are expected to highlight premier and pivotal matchups toward the end of the regular season.
    "The basketball season is off to an exciting start," Division II Vice President Terri Steeb Gronau said. "We're looking forward to another great Division II Basketball Showcase that highlights our student-athletes' achievements on and off the court. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating the women's Elite Eight in Birmingham and the men's national championship game in Atlanta as part of combined championships with Divisions I and III."
    The current showcase schedule, which runs through February, features 14 of the 23 basketball-sponsoring conferences in Division II and was created from a pool of conference nominations.  
    The West Liberty men and women will be in action at the ASRC tonight as the Lady Hilltoppers take on Winston-Salem State (N.C.) at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men's game against Salem (W.Va.) at 7:30.