Dixie State, BYU-Hawaii ranked 5th, 6th in men’s region; Grand Canyon, HPU women ranked in Top 10

Dixie State, BYU-Hawaii ranked 5th, 6th in NCAA II Men's West Region Poll; Grand Canyon, Hawai‘i Pacific women also ranked in West Region Top 10

INDIANAPOLIS - Dixie State and BYU-Hawaii are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the latest NCAA Division II Men's Basketball West Region Poll.

The national ranking was announced by the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee on Wednesday, March 3, from its headquarters in Indianapolis. The top 10 teams in each of eight regions are ranked with the top eight teams in position to earn an NCAA II playoff berth.

The West Region stacks up as follows:

Team (Division II Record /Division II In-Region Record)

1. Seattle Pacific (21-3/21-3)
2. Western Washington (21-5/20-4)
3. Cal Poly Pomona (18-4/18-4)
4. Humboldt State (21-5/21-5)
5. Dixie State (18-5/18-5)
6. BYU-Hawaii (15-4/13-4)
7. Cal State San Bernardino (17-5/17-5)
8. Central Washington (13-8/13-7)
9. Alaska Anchorage (11-7/11-7)
10. Cal State Dominguez Hills (16-9/16-9)

This marks the final 2010 regular-season regional poll for Division II with the next ranking being the actual selection of the 64-team championship field. Seven of the eight regions will be announced on Sunday, March 7, at 9:30 p.m. EST with the West Region being held until Monday, March 8, following the completion of the Pacific West Conference regular season.

The PacWest received an extension to complete its season on March 8 following the extraordinary circumstances of Feb. 27 when a tsunami warning postponed the Chaminade @ Hawai‘i Hilo game and the BYU-Hawaii @ Hawai‘i Pacific contest in Honolulu.

BYU-Hawaii, HPU and Dixie State are currently tied in the loss column at two. And while HPU is not listed in the regional ranking, the Sea Warriors could still earn an NCAA II playoff bid by claiming the PacWest's automatic qualifier for finishing first.

The Division II women's rankings also were announced on Wednesday with Grand Canyon seeded eighth and Hawai‘i Pacific cracking the Top 10 at 10th. Like the men, the PacWest women's season also was extended. Seven of the eight regions comprising the Division II women's bracket will be announced this Sunday, while the West Region will be announced on Monday following the make-up games.

HPU, Grand Canyon and Dixie State are currently battling for the PacWest Championship and the automatic qualifier for the NCAA II National Championship tournament.

The following is the women's West Region ranking:

Team (Division II Record/Division II In-Region Record)

1. UC San Diego (23-3/23-3)
2. Seattle Pacific (19-3/19-3)
3. Western Washington (21-4/21-3)
4. Alaska Anchorage (20-3/18-3)
5. Cal Poly Pomona (21-5/21-5)
6. Northwest Nazarene (17-7/17-7)
7. Cal State Chico (19-8/18-8
8. Grand Canyon (18-7/18-7)
9. Cal State Monterey Bay (17-8/17-8)
10. Hawai‘i Pacific (15-5/15-3)