Men's Basketball Slotted First in Region I in Second Set of NCAA Regional Rankings
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team was slotted first in Region I in the second set of regional rankings that were released Tuesday evening by the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee. The second set of regional rankings are in ranked order and include results against other regionally-ranked teams around the country.
The Blue Jays (24-0, 17-0 GNAC) were picked first, followed by six teams from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) to form the list for Region I. Middlebury College (19-4, 7-3 NESCAC) and Williams College (21-3, 7-3 NESCAC) were pegged second and third, respectively, followed by Wesleyan University (16-8, 7-3 NESCAC), Tufts University (18-6, 6-4 NESCAC), Hamilton College (16-8, 7-3 NESCAC), and Trinity College (16-8, 4-6 NESCAC). Region I is comprised of teams from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), the NESCAC, and the North Atlantic Conference (NAC).
Saint Joseph has played three teams from across the country that appeared in the second iteration of the regional rankings. The undefeated Blue Jays are 3-0 against those opponents, featuring victories over Region I's Tufts, Region II's WPI, and Regions IX's Wis.-Oshkosh. Tufts was picked fifth in Region I, while WPI was second in Region II and Wis.-Oshkosh claimed the top spot in Region IX.
Regional rankings are separate from national polls and are used to advise the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Committee when determining at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament, as well as potential hosting opportunities. Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. on D3hoops.com's Hoopsville, the Championship Committee will reveal their Top 16 seeds as if the tournament started this week. A link to watch that show live can be found here.
The Blue Jays conclude the 2022-23 regular season Tuesday night, looking to become the first men's basketball program in GNAC history to go undefeated throughout a regular season, when they return to the hardwood for a GNAC South Division contest on the road at Johnson & Wales University. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Wildcats is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. inside the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I.
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