Corsairs and Anchormen ranked regionally

PROVIDENCE, R.I.-Two Little East Conference men's basketball teams were listed in the first edition of the NCAA Northeast Regional rankings this afternoon. UMass Dartmouth earned the second ranking, while Rhode Island College debuted at No. 8.

The NCAA regional selection committee use the following criteria based on the games through Feb. 10, 2008 to determine their initial rankings: in-region record, overall record, opponents winning percentage, and opponents opponents winning percentage. The number of ranked teams is relative to the number of teams in the each of the eight regions.    
          
UMass Dartmouth (20-1) was the last NCAA Division III men's basketball team to lose this season, opening the campaign with 20 consecutive victories. The Corsairs are enjoying the best start in the program's history, rising to No. 2 in the D3Hoops.com national poll on Feb. 2, 2008. Under the direction of Head Coach Brian Baptiste, fifth-ranked UMass Dartmouth sports a 2-0 record against teams in the Northeast regional poll, defeating No. 6 Brandeis University (71-64 OT) and the Anchormen (77-70). The Corsairs feature a balanced offensive attack with four student-athletes averaging in double digits in scoring. Senior center Dan Holbrook (Lexington, Mass.) leads the squad in scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.1 rpg), while junior point guard Reece Freeman (Cambridge, Mass.) ranks in the top five in the nation in assists per game (4th, 7.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 3.26), and steals per game (5th, 3.4).

Rhode Island College (16-5) has won three of its past four games, including a 3-0 mark in the Little East Conference circuit. The Anchormen have been among the nations elite teams for the majority of season, earning recognition in nine of the 11 D3Hoops.com national polls. Under the leadership of Bob Walsh, Rhode Island College is 2-1 among the regional powers, winning at No. 4 Trinity College (70-68), while falling to No. 1 Amherst College (97-63) and the Corsairs. Junior guard Tirrell Hill (Bronx, N.Y.) paces the Anchormen with 14.5 points per game, while classmate forward Kaseem Johnson (New Haven, Conn.) is the top rebounder (8.1 rpg) and second leading scorer (10.1 ppg).       

The second edition of the NCAA regional rankings will be released on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. 

Northeast Region

1.   Amherst 21-2 21-1 .616 .539
2.   UMass Dartmouth 20-1 20-1 .558 .540
3.   Bowdoin 18-4 18-4 .565 .529
4.   Trinity (Conn.) 18-5 16-4 .610 .543
5.   Middlebury 17-5 16-4 .609 .513
6.   Brandeis 16-4 15-4 .583 .584
7.   Worcester Tech 16-5 15-4 .548 .539
8.   Rhode Island College 16-5 16-5 .537 .541
9.   Emerson 18-3 17-3 .437 .511
10. Bates 15-6 14-5 .567 .540