Tampa Earns Spot In National Poll

January 4, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The University of Tampa appears at No. 25 in the newly updated NABC/Division II men's basketball rankings. The Spartans earn its first national recognition since the 2007-08 season when it was No. 13.

Head coach Richard Schmidt's Spartans are off to the program's best start since the 1991-92 season. At 12-0, UT needs just two wins to match the 14-0 showing of the 1991-92 squad.

Tampa is coming off an 86-80 victory over defending Sunshine State Conference champion Rollins College on Sunday.

UT will meet its first nationally ranked opponent of the season as it faces No. 23 Eckerd College on Wednesday in St. Petersburg. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (January 4, 2011 - Poll #6)
#, Team, Records, Points, Previous
1. Findlay, (5 first place votes), 11-0, 197, 2
2. West Liberty, (3 first place votes), 9-0, 195, 3
3. Augusta State, 10-0, 184, 5
4. Bellarmine, 10-1, 171, 1
5. Fort Hays State, 10-1, 168, 6
6. Hillsdale, 11-0, 162, 7
7. Kentucky Wesleyan, 8-1, 138, 10
8. Southern Indiana, 10-1, 137, 12
9. Incarnate Word, 11-0, 131, 14
10. Cal State-Dominguez Hills, 9-1, 120, 15
11. Alabama-Huntsville, 11-2, 109, 4
12. Minnesota State, 9-1, 101, 16
13. South Carolina Aiken, 8-2, 92, 13
14. Lincoln Memorial, 9-0, 84, 17
15. Grand Valley State, 10-2, 83, 8
16. Christian Brothers, 11-2, 64, 23
17. Central Washington, 10-2, 53, 11
18. Central Oklahoma, 12-2, 51, 22
19. Montevallo, 7-2, 49, 9
20. Indiana, Pa., 6-2, 48, 18
21. Midwestern State, 10-1, 39, 21
22. Bentley, 9-2, 38, T-24
23. Eckerd, 11-1, 37, T-24
24. Winona State, 7-2, 36, 20
25. Tampa, 12-0, 23, NR

Others receiving votes: West Texas A&M 17, Missouri Southern 16, Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 16, Valdosta State (Ga.) 10, American International (Mass.) 6, Clarion (Pa.) 6, Colorado School of Mines 6, Harding (Ark.) 6, Fairmont State (W.Va.) 4, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 2, Merrimack (Mass.) 1.

Dropped out: Missouri Southern (19).

Records are through games of Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011. The next poll will be released on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011.