Indianapolis – The NCAA released the first men's basketball regional rankings of the 2018-19 season this afternoon, with the Northern State University Wolves landing third in the Central Region. Northern is ranked behind No. 1 Northwest Missouri State and No. 2 Washburn.
The Wolves are joined by NSIC opponents No. 4 St. Cloud State, No. 7 Minnesota State, and No. 9 Wayne State.
The NSIC, the Great American Conference (GAC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 42-team NCAA Central Region again this year. The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 16-17, 19. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, GAC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots being awarded on an at-large basis.
The NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Show is set to air on NCAA.com at 9:30 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, March 10. The NCAA Elite 8 will take place on March 27-28, 30 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
| Rank |
School (Conf) |
Overall DII Record |
In-Region Record |
| 1 |
Northwest Missouri State (MIAA) |
22-0 |
21-0 |
| 2 |
Washburn (MIAA) |
17-5 |
16-5 |
| 3 |
Northern State (NSIC) |
20-6 |
19-6 |
| 4 |
St. Cloud State (NSIC) |
18-7 |
16-7 |
| 5 |
Missouri Southern State (MIAA) |
18-5 |
17-5 |
| 6 |
Southern Nazarene (GAC) |
22-4 |
21-4 |
| 7 |
Minnesota State (NSIC) |
16-9 |
15-8 |
| 8 |
Lincoln (MIAA) |
14-8 |
14-8 |
| 9 |
Wayne State (NSIC) |
15-8 |
15-8 |
| 10 |
Southern Arkansas (GAC) |
16-6 |
16-6 |
