Fort Lewis College Athletics

MBB NBAC National Ranking Graphic - Mar. 13, 2024

Men’s basketball rises to No. 5 in final NABC Poll

3/12/2024 4:00:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

DURANGO, Colo. – The 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament Champions and No. 2 seed in the South-Central Region Fort Lewis College men's basketball team has risen to a No. 5 ranking in the final National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll of the 2023-24 season.

Fort Lewis defended its crown last weekend as the Skyhawks captured back-to-back RMAC Tournament Championships for the first time in program history after downing then No. 21-ranked Colorado School of Mines (24-8) 87-73 and then No. 5-ranked Colorado Mesa (27-4) 86-75 back-to-back in Brownson Arena up in Grand Junction, Colo., to also secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Skyhawks heard their name called on Selection Sunday as the second overall seed in the South-Central Region meaning a first-round matchup against seventh-seeded Lubbock Christian (23-10) for the second consecutive year down in Canyon, Texas, on the campus of top-seeded West Texas A&M (26-4).

The NCAA Tournament will kick off with regional quarterfinals this Friday and Saturday, Mar. 15-16. The Skyhawks and Chaparrals will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Saturday, Mar. 16. The game will be broadcast live pay-per-view with live statistics also available free of charge on NCAA.com. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, Mar. 13^th, at 9:00 a.m. MST through the WTAMU Ticket Office.

As for a regional outlook, Fort Lewis has reclaimed its title as the highest-ranked team in the South-Central region at No. 5. Colorado Mesa falls to the Skyhawks previous No. 6 spot while West Texas A&M also falls to No. 9. Dallas Baptist (24-5) drops two spots to No. 12, and Mines also falls a pair of spots to No. 23. Lubbock Christian is receiving votes alongside Eastern New Mexico (22-9).

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