d3hoops.com Division III National Polls
BEREA, OHIO -- Both the Baldwin-Wallace College women's and men's basketball teams are listed in this week's d3hoops.com Internet Web Site Division III national polls. The polls were released on Monday, February 16 and encompass games played through Saturday, February 14, 2004.
The Yellow Jacket women, 20-3 overall, 13-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference are ranked 18th in Division III and moved up five places in the rankings from last week after beating Ohio Northern University (75-66) and the first place Capital University (76-73). B-W is currently tied for first place in the OAC with Capital, Wilmington College and Otterbein College. The entire d3hoops.com women's Division III poll can be viewed by clicking here.
This week's women's games will decide the one through four seeds in next week's OAC Tournament which begins on Monday, February 23. B-W will not open play until Tuesday, Feb. 24. Right now, the Yellow Jackets are gauranteed of hosting one game. With wins against both John Carroll University on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. start) and Otterbein on Saturday (a 3:00 p.m. tipoff), B-W would host again on Thursday, Feb. 26. Two B-W wins combined with an Otterbein win against Wilmington on Wednesday or a Capital loss would vault B-W into the number one seed. Either way, B-W must win twice.
The Yellow Jacket men's basketball team, 18-5 overall, 13-3 in the OAC is all alone in first place in the conference. The Yellow Jackets are the first team is listed in the "Others Receiving Votes" section and with 24 points. The entire d3hoops.com men's Division III poll can be viewed by clicking here.
B-W has won nine straight games prior to traveling to second place JCU on Wednesday (a 7:30 p.m. tipoff) and then end the regular seaason at Otterbein on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. A win at JCU on Wednesday would clinch B-W's first outright OAC regular season title since 1978-79 and the school's fifth overall regular season crown. B-W must win at least one of two games to share the crown and earn either the first or second seed in the tourney. The B-W men will not play on Monday, are already gauranteed to host a game on Wednesday, Feb. 25 in the second round and could host the final four with a win versus JCU and next Wednesday in the second round. The OAC Men's Final Four is Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28.
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. For more information on the upcoming OAC Tournament, please either call OAC Media Relations Director Julie Work at (330) 963-0444, FAX her at (330) 963-0459 or e-mail her at jwork@oac.org.
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