King Back in NABC/Division II Top-25
BRISTOL, Tenn. – King Men's Basketball has been placed inside the NABC/Division II Top-25 Coaches' Poll for the second time this season. The Tornado has played their way to a tie for 25th in the poll in an announcement made by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) earlier today.
King (17-4, 9-0) is tied with Winston-Salem State (N.C.) for 25th in the poll. Both teams were unranked in the previous rankings released last week. The poll includes games played and previous rankings through Jan. 29.
Prior to Monday night's game, King was on a nine-game winning streak that began on Dec. 30 in a 102-84 win over Salem International. The Tornado then rattled off eight consecutive wins against league opponents. During the winning streak, senior guard Brian Hewitt averaged 20.2 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. He shot north of 45 percent from the field and three-point range to lead the team. Eddie Piccinini tallied 18.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Michael Fortune led the team with 17 steals over that time while Lio Gedeon has rocked the boards, averaging 9.1 rpg and is currently on a five-game double-digit rebounding streak.
King is No. 1 in the country in three-point field goals per game (12.1). As a team they are a top-50 of the country in scoring, averaging 78.4 ppg for the 45th spot on the list. King has the ninth fewest turnovers per game (11.5) and the 15th best turnover margin in the country (4.0). They reside just outside the top-25 in three-point field goal shooting percentage, hitting 39.1 percent of their shots to place 26th in the nation.
At the top of the rankings, Bellamine (Ky.) received all eight first place votes to hold on to their No. 1 ranking, while West Liberty (W.Va.) is sitting in second. Lincoln Memorial fell four spots to ninth in the poll after sustaining their second loss of the season.
The Tornado will be back in action Feb. 2 in the first of two straight home games against North Greenville University on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at the Student Center (Bristol, Tenn.). Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., following the Lady Tornado game.
NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Jan. 31, 2012)
| No. | Team | Record | Points | Prv | |
| 1. | Bellamine | 18-1 | 200 | 1 | |
| 2. | West Liberty | 19-1 | 191 | 2 | |
| 3. | Tarleton | 19-1 | 185 | 4 | |
| 4. | Winona State | 19-2 | 176 | 6 | |
| 5. | Colorado School of Mines | 17-2 | 158 | 11 | |
| 6. | Alabama-Huntsville | 15-3 | 146 | 12 | |
| 7. | Kentucky Wesleyan | 16-3 | 145 | 7 | |
| 8. | Southern Indiana | 16-3 | 140 | 8 | |
| 9. | Lincoln Memorial | 18-2 | 135 | 5 | |
| 10. | Christian Brothers | 15-3 | 113 | 15 | |
| 11. | Midwestern State | 16-2 | 112 | 10 | |
| 12. | Metropolitan State | 17-3 | 108 | 3 | |
| 13. | Indiana (Pa.) | 15-3 | 106 | 16 | |
| 14. | Shaw | 16-2 | 91 | 17 | |
| 15. | Northern Kentucky | 15-4 | 79 | 9 | |
| 16. | Western Washington | 18-3 | 78 | 18 | |
| 17. | Bowie State | 15-3 | 75 | 19 | |
| 18. | Hillsdale | 17-2 | 71 | 20 | |
| 19. | West Georgia | 18-3 | 63 | 22 | |
| 20. | St. Cloud State | 16-3 | 48 | 13 | |
| 21. | Alaska-Anchorage | 15-4 | 42 | 25 | |
| 22. | Northwest Missouri State | 16-3 | 37 | NR | |
| 23. | Missouri Southern | 16-5 | 15 | 14 | |
| 24. | South Carolina Aiken | 15-4 | 12 | 24 | |
| t-25. | King | 17-3 | 11 | NR | |
| t-25. | Winston-Salem State | 15-3 | 11 | NR | |
Others receiving votes: Arkansas Tech 8, District of Columbia 8, Cal Poly Pomona 6, Central Missouri 6, Indianapolis (Ind.) 6, LIU-C.W. Post (N.Y.) 5, Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 5, Montevallo (Ala.) 3, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 2. Stonehill (Mass.) 2, Adelphi (N.Y.) 1.
Dropped out: Indianapolis (21), Fort Hays State (23).
Records and previous rankings are through games of Jan. 29, 2012. The next poll will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 7.
