INDIANPOLIS – In the final edition of the NCAA Region Rankings before the selection show Monday evening, Carson-Newman held steady in eighth when the results were revealed Wednesday afternoon.
The top eight teams make the NCAA Division II Playoffs with an automatic qualifier coming from the South Atlantic Conference, the Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. The No. 1 team in the region will host the eight teams for three straight days from Nov. 16-18. The winner of the region will advance to the NCAA National Championships from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Conference Carolinas does not have a team in the top 10 but will receive a bid from its conference tournament champion and be seeded eighth so the Eagles need to move up to seventh to qualify for the tournament.
Dave Franklin's group is 6-9 against other teams ranked playing four matches in the last week against teams in the standings. While it earned three wins, C-N has lost both meetings with Lincoln Memorial, the team ranked seventh. The Railsplitters play Anderson in the SAC semifinals on Friday.
The good news for C-N is that the unit will have a chance to get another signature victory on Friday. Wingate has been ranked first all season long and seems destined to host the regional but the Eagles will look for another marquee victory that would give them wins over three of the top four clubs ranked.
While Anderson remained fourth, there was some shuffling in the Peach Belt as USC Aiken closed out the year with wins over Augusta and Georgia College to seal the regular season crown. For the efforts, the Pacers push back to second.
Augusta also lost to Lander thrusting the Bearcats from seventh to fifth with a win over Georgia College in the mix. The Jaguars take on Francis Marion while the Bobcats challenge Flagler in the opening round of the conference tournament on Saturday. Aiken and Lander await the winners in the semifinals.
Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill are slotted ninth and 10th respectively both each club lost in the SAC Quarterfinals and is done for the year.
The selection show is available on Monday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
|
Rank |
School |
Record |
|
1 |
Wingate |
26-1 |
|
2 |
USC Aiken |
21-3 |
|
3 |
Augusta |
21-7 |
|
4 |
Anderson |
25-4 |
|
5 |
Lander |
22-6 |
|
6 |
Georgia College |
14-11 |
|
7 |
Lincoln Memorial |
18-8 |
|
8 |
Carson-Newman |
15-12 |
|
9 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
17-10 |
|
10 |
Mars Hill |
16-12 |
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