Ferris State Basketball Squads Both In Top Five In Final Midwest Regional Rankings

Big Rapids, Mich. - Both the Ferris State University men's and women's basketball teams remain listed among the top eight schools overall in the final NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings, which were announced today (March 4), and both remain in position in potentially receive NCAA Division II National Tournament bids when the selections are unveiled this weekend.

The Bulldog men's squad is ranked second in the region with the women fifth overall this week. The rankings were compiled prior to Tuesday evening when both squads fell in the opening round of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament.

Top eight teams at the end of the year will earn berths into the NCAA Division II Tournament with the tournament champion from each of the three conferences in the region receiving an automatic bid. 

The NCAA Tournament selections will be announced on Sunday (March 8) evening at NCAA.com in a live selection show announcement with the women's broadcast beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) and the men's at 10:30 p.m. (ET).

Both Ferris State teams claimed Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division Championships during the regular-season with the men's team also winning the outright league title.

In this week's men's basketball regional poll, Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) member Indianapolis is ranked first followed by FSU and Missouri-St. Louis of the GLVC in the top three. Fellow GLIAC member Grand Valley State is fourth with Truman State (Mo.) fifth, Bellarmine (Ky.) sixth and Southern Indiana seventh. Michigan Tech (eighth), Drury (ninth) and Findlay (10th) round out the poll.

On the women's side, Drury (Mo.) of the GLVC is atop the regional listing followed by Ashland, Grand Valley State and Walsh in the top four overall. FSU is fifth with the remaining spots in the top 10 filled in order by Southern Indiana, Lindenwood (Mo.), Lewis (Ill.), Truman State and Kentucky Wesleyan.

The eight teams who earn berths into the national tournament will compete in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional with the women's tournament set for March 13-16 and the men's tournament March 14-17 at campus sites to be determined. The winner of all three conference tournaments (GLIAC, GLVC, G-MAC) will earn an automatic bid with the number one team in the region likely to host the Midwest Regional Tournament in March.

Ferris State has made 13 previous NCAA Tournament appearances in men's basketball, including four of the last five seasons to date. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship Game and the Sweet Sixteen of the national tournament four years ago before making another regional semifinal appearance in 2017. Two years ago, the Bulldogs claimed their first national championship while finishing with all-time NCAA best 38-1 overall record after winning the Midwest Regional on their home floor at Jim Wink Arena. FSU narrowly missed returning to the tournament for the fifth consecutive year last season.

Meanwhile, the Bulldog women's squad has made four all-time NCAA Tourney appearances with the last coming in 2011-12 when FSU reached the Midwest Regional semifinals. The Bulldogs also made berths in 1999-00, 2003-04 and 2006-07 when FSU made its deepest run by reaching the regional final and the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen.

The Bulldog men's squad, which is currently 27-6 overall and ranked 10th in the country, won its 16th all-time conference title and third in the past four years this season. Meanwhile, the FSU women's team, which is presently 21-8 overall, claimed its third-ever league crown and first since 2012.

Below are the current NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings: