Men's Basketball | 12/8/2020 4:19:00 PM

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Although they're still a month away from tipping off an abbreviated regular season, the West Liberty University men's basketball team moved up one spot to No. 6 on Tuesday when the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) released its first weekly NCAA Division II Top 25.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers, who return all five starters from last year's 27-4 Mountain East Conference championship squad, aren't expected to hit the floor until the majority of NCAA Division II teams tip off in early January but anticipation continues to build on the hilltop.
    The No. 6 ranking marks the 149^th Top 10 ranking in school history for the Black and Gold and it's the 177^th Top 25 appearance overall. The 149 Top 10 rankings are the fourth-highest in NCAA Division II history while the 177 poll appearances rank No. 6.
    The three-time defending MEC champions won't have an easy path to a 'four-peat' once the games get under way as the Mountain East is one of only two leagues nationwide with three teams in this week's Top 25.
    Joining West Liberty in the national rankings are Fairmont State at No. 19 and Charleston at No. 21. The Northern Sun Conference also has a trio of ranked squads in No. 7 Northern State, No. 13 Augustana and No. 25 Sioux Falls.
       Team (FPV)                                                 Rec          Pts       Pvs
  1. NW Missouri State                                   3-0         400           1
  2. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)                       2-0         383           2
  3. West Texas A&M                                     0-0         366           3
  4. Florida Southern                                      0-0         340           5
  5. Nova Southeastern (Fla.)                       0-0         325           6
  6. WEST LIBERTY                                          0-0         291           7
  7. Northern State (S.D.)                              0-0         285           8
  8. Colorado School of Mines                      2-0         261         13
  9. St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.)                      0-0         244         12
10. Azusa Pacific (Calif.)                                0-0         231         11
11. Alabama-Huntsville                                 0-0         220         14
12. Ferris State (Mich.)                                  0-0         212         15
13. Augustana (S.D.)                                      0-0         171         17
14. Point Loma (Calif.)                                   0-0         147         16
15. St. Edward's (Texas)                                0-0         143         17
16. Valdosta State (Ga.)                                0-0         138         18
17. Washburn (Kan.)                                      4-0         131        NR
18. Truman State (Mo.)                                 3-0         118        NR
19. FAIRMONT STATE                                   0-0         101         20
20. Queens (N.C.)                                           2-2           95         10
21. CHARLESTON                                           0-0           77         22
22. Colorado Mesa                                         2-0           63        NR
23. Augusta (Ga.)                                            1-0           60        NR
24. Findlay (Ohio)                                           1-0           58        NR
25. Sioux Falls (S.D.)                                       0-0           54         23
       Others receiving votes: Missouri-St. Louis 40, Missouri Western 37, Bridgeport (Conn.) 31, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 22, Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 18, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 17, Mercyhurst (Pa.) 17, Tusculum (Tenn.) 15, UNC-Pembroke 13, Lindenwood (Mo.), McKendree (Ill.) 10, Flagler (Fla.) 9, Daemen (N.Y.) 8, Emporia State (Kan.) 7, Dallas Baptist (Texas) 6, Missouri Southern 6, Westminster (Utah) 5, Lubbock Christian (Texas) 3, Union (Tenn.) 3, Wingate (N.C.) 3, Biola (Calif.) 2, Southern Indiana 2, Angelo State (Texas) 1, Minnesota State 1, Rockhurst (Mo.) 1, Stonehill (Mass.) 1.