SWOSU Athletics
Doug Self, Sports Information Director
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The first set of NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball regional rankings were released on Wednesday afternoon, with the No. 12/7-ranked SWOSU Lady Bulldogs sitting second in the Central Region with two weeks to play in the regular season.
SWOSU (23-1, 18-0 GAC) has won 23 consecutive games and they have clinched the Great American Conference Championship for the second straight season. The Lady Bulldogs are the lone representative from the GAC in the regional rankings as they seek a second straight appearance in the NCAA Division II national tournament and fourth since 2013.
Leading the Central Region is Fort Hays State, the only other team in the region with just one loss on their record. The team responsible for both SWOSU and Fort Hays State’s lone loss of the season is Emporia State, who is ranked sixth in the first set of rankings. Reigning NCAA Division II National Champion Central Missouri is behind SWOSU in third, followed by Minnesota State-Moorhead, Minnesota Duluth and Emporia State. The final four teams in the rankings are Concordia-St. Paul, Pittsburg State, Lindenwood and Washburn.
At the conclusion of the regular season and conference tournaments, the top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships, which will be hosted by the top team in the region at that point. All three conferences in the region – GAC, MIAA, NSIC – receive an automatic bid to the regional, with the final five bids going to at-large teams.
SWOSU has four games remaining in the regular season, including their final two games of the season at home taking place this weekend. The Lady Bulldogs will host Henderson State on Thursday evening at 5:30 pm before Senior Day on Saturday against Ouachita, with tipoff set for 1 pm. SWOSU has won their last 30 games inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center, a streak that hope to keep intact heading into the postseason.