Stevens has compiled a 72-34 record in Simon Smith's four seasons. Stevens athletics photo

If he didn't stand 6-5 and weigh 200 pounds, you might not realize Simon Smith was standing in the same room as you. Put him on a basketball court, however, and it's a different story.

Smith's numbers -- 17.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game -- speak loud enough, but his commitment to a program in the midst of its Golden Era may speak louder.

In his four years at Stevens Institute of Technology, Smith has yet to miss a game, or even a single practice. It's that dedication and durability that's helped Smith become arguably the most productive player in school history.

Earlier this season, Smith eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. He followed that by surpassing 1,000 career rebounds in the Ducks' win over St. John Fisher on Jan. 21. In doing so, Smith became the first player to tally at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in Stevens history.

The soft-spoken Smith also accomplished the feat at Cranford High School in Cranford, N.J.

"It's pretty special that I was able to do it in high school and college," Smith said. "I'm really proud."

Fourth-year Stevens head coach Bobby Hurley said Smith's accomplishments have come in conjunction with Stevens' recent success.

"As a coach, it's terrific," Hurley said. "You always want your players to get individual honors. And it's even better because we've had team success."

As it turns out, individual honors and team success are, in the scheme of Stevens' athletic history, relatively new. While the now-defunct football program dates back to the 1800s, and the basketball programs can claim similar histories, the start of the 21st century coincides with, as Hurley describes it, the school's commitment to athletics.

This new commitment, which has seen improvements in all athletic facilities, increases in recruiting budgets and a focus on hiring more full-time assistants, has helped Stevens improve all of its teams on the field.

The men's basketball team made its only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006-07 after earning a Pool C bid. The Ducks won the ECAC Metro tournament in 2008 and 2011. Prior to that, the team had only earned one ECAC bid in program history. One accolade that remains on Stevens' to-do list is a conference title. Stevens has never won a conference -- including the Empire 8 -- and hence has never earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

"We're still trying to make history here at Stevens," Hurley said. "Our success is really in the last five, six, seven years. As much as that NCAA tournament berth in '06-07 was great, we still need to get a conference championship. That's one thing still eludes us."

Smith wasn't around for the Ducks' first NCAA Tournament run, which ended with a loss to Amherst in the Sweet 16. But if he has his way, the Ducks will be making a return trip this season. Smith, along with teammates Michael Cutri and Sheldon Jones, who both also eclipsed 1,000 career points this season, has emerged as a viable Empire 8 Player of the Year candidate.

His offensive numbers -- 17.5 points per game, team-best 62 percent field goal percentage -- are impressive, but it's Smith's rebounding prowess that separates him from virtually every other player in the country. Smith ranks fifth in the nation in rebounds per game at 12.3.

"I take a lot of pride in rebounding because I know everybody can score the ball at this level [and] the high school level," Smith said. "But it's something that separates me from the rest of the people."

Smith, a business and technology major with concentrations in marketing and finance, isn't the tallest or strongest player, but, according to Hurley, he has the innate ability to read the ball off the rim that so many great rebounders possess.

"He just had that knack for rebounding the ball, which is something we actually haven't had in the past, so to add that to our program was a high priority for us," Hurley said. "... It's something that not everybody possesses. It's something that he just has, that talent."

Smith, a co-captain this season, and Hurley both said Smith's hands work in his favor as well.

"If I get my hands on it, I'm probably going to come down with it," Smith said.

Hurley jokes that, as a coach, he can never be satisfied with Smith's production. But he also acknowledged that Smith's style and prolonged success will leave a positive impression on a rising program.

"It's funny," Hurley said. "We'll look at our stats after the game and he'll have 16, 17 rebounds and we'll remember the two missed box outs, or a chance to get another rebound. It's tough as a coach to realize, 'Alright well he had 17 rebounds.' As a coach, you always want more. ... We keep pushing him."

Stevens (19-5, 10-3 E8) faces Hartwick (22-2, 11-2) in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon. The Hawks have already clinched a share of the Empire 8 regular season title, but the Ducks would like to earn the same.

Amherst leads Northeast regional rankings

The NCAA released the first regional rankings of the season last Wednesday, and it came as little surprise that Amherst ranked No. 1 in the Northeast. Three other NESCAC teams -- Middlebury (No. 2), Wesleyan (No. 9) and Tufts (No. 10) -- were among the 12 ranked teams.

The LEC also ranked four teams -- Rhode Island College (No. 3), Western Connecticut (No. 4), Eastern Connecticut (No. 6) and Keene State (No. 8) -- among the 12. WPI (No. 5) and MIT (No. 7) -- both from the NEWMAC -- and Becker and Albertus Magnus rounded out the group.

No team appears completely out of place, nor does there appear to be anything I'd consider shocking. However, we can debate the merits of Rhode Island College ranking third and Albertus Magnus ranking 12th.

Rhode Island College ranks third in the region despite sitting in fourth place in its own conference. How is this possible? Well, for starters, the Anchormen boast a solid mark against in-region opponents and have faced one of the toughest schedules in the Northeast. So while they've only gone 4-3 since Jan. 24, the Anchormen were rewarded for their early-season success against a tough slate. And after back-to-back wins over Bates and Southern Maine, Rhode Island College could be heating up at the right time.

Senior center Mike Akinrola (18.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG) has been a consistent force down low, while Mason Choice and Tahrike Carter have played crucial roles as well. All three players are shooting at least 56 percent, a remarkable feat.

And as far as recent histories go, Rhode Island College can match their resume against nearly any other team in the country. The team has won the LEC regular season in five of the last seven seasons, and won the conference tournament four times. The Anchormen have reached the NCAA tournament each of the last five seasons, including the Sweet 16 the last two seasons and the Elite Eight in 2007.

Albertus Magnus, a team covered in detail in this column not long ago, still hasn't lost since Dec. 6, 2011. True, the GNAC isn't the most daunting conference in the country, so that hurts the Falcons' strength of schedule. But the team passes the eye test -- it looks like a tournament team (obvious disclaimer: The NCAA does NOT use an eye test. This is just me taking my own liberties as a columnist).

Hartwick No. 1 in East regional rankings

There were no real surprises in the East regional rankings, either. The Empire 8 ranked two teams -- Hartwick (No. 1) and Nazareth (No. 6) -- in the top six teams. That's hardly a shock, considering the quality of the top teams in the conference.

Oswego State, NYU, Hobart and Medaille rank No. 2 through No. 5, respectively.

If there's any lingering surprise with this region, it's likely simply over the fact that the Hawks -- for so long a bottom feeder in the Empire 8 -- have already clinched a share of the regular season conference crown. Hartwick's 11 conference wins are its most since the formation of the Empire 8. The Hawks sit at 22-2 overall. The last time they won at least 20 games was the 1991-92 season.

Third-year head coach Todd McGuinness has turned the program around quickly, increasing the Hawks' win total each season -- from 10 to 17 to 22.

Sophomore forward Jared Suderley, who picked up his second Empire 8 Player of the Week honor this week, has powered the Hawks this season, averaging 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Hartwick has one regular season game remaining, and its a big one -- at home Saturday afternoon against Stevens.

The Hawks can't lose the regular season conference title, but a win would clinch them the title outright, which always looks better than earning a share. Of course, it ultimately means little -- the conference tournament champion gets the automatic bid. But should the Hawks slip up along the way, they've at least played themselves into the conversation for a Pool C bid. Again, there's a lot of basketball left between now and then, but it's at least worth noting.

Collins, Dobrovic reach 1,000-point mark

Babson junior center Sarah Collins has had one incredible two-week stretch. Since the calendar turned from January to February, Collins has twice been named NEWMAC Player of the Week, and reached 1,000 points for her career.

Collins eclipsed the milestone in Babson's 76-43 win over Wellesley on Feb. 1. The junior joined senior teammates Nicki Wurdeman and Kathleen King over the 1,000-point plateau, marking just the 12th known time three current teammates have simultaneously had more than 1,000 points in Division III women's basketball history.

Collins, who is averaging 17 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, has been named NEWMAC Player of the Week five times this season, and has helped the Beavers (20-2, 16-0 NEWMAC) clinch their third straight conference regular season title.

MCLA senior guard Alie Dobrovic joined classmate Jen Wehner in the 1,000-point club in the Trailblazers' 80-67 win over MASCAC rival Framingham State on Saturday.

Dobrovic (16.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG) and Wehner (17 PPG, 11.8 RPG) have led MCLA to four wins in its last five games to move into second place in the MASCAC standings behind leader Bridgewater State.

Key games this week

Most teams are wrapping up the regular season in the next week or so. With that in mind, here are some key games that matter in terms of regular season conference titles, conference tournament positioning, etc.:

Men
- Becker at Wheelock, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 14
- MIT at WPI, 7 p.m., Feb. 15
- Buffalo State at Oswego State, 8 p.m., Feb. 17
- Castleton State at Colby-Sawyer, 3 p.m., Feb. 18
- Stevens at Hartwick, 4 p.m., Feb. 18
- Washington U. at NYU, noon, Feb. 19

Women
- University of New England at Endicott, 6 p.m., Feb. 14
- St. Joseph's (Maine) at Emmanuel, 7 p.m., Feb. 14
- New Paltz State at Oneonta State, 6 p.m., Feb. 17
- Castleton State at Colby-Sawyer, 1 p.m., Feb. 18
- Stevens at Hartwick, 2 p.m., Feb. 18

This week's buzzer beaters

Feb. 7: Gary Robinson beat the buzzer with a layup on a feed from DaQuan Brooks as Western Connecticut beat rival Eastern Connecticut 82-81 in overtime. Watch.

Note: Send in your buzzer beaters. A buzzer beater must be in the air as time expires for the second half or overtime and tie the game or give the team the lead. We'll also post halftime buzzer beaters if they are from halfcourt or beyond. Email video clips or links to info@d3sports.com.

Top 25 roundup -- Amherst, MIT leapfrog Middlebury

Amherst jumped from No. 6 to No. 2 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 men's poll by virtue of its 77-75 win over Middlebury. The Panthers slipped to No. 4, behind MIT (No. 3).

Oswego State climbed from No. 18 to No. 16, Albertus Magnus jumped up from No. 24 to No. 20 and Hartwick broke the marks of the ranked at No. 25. Western Connecticut, Keene State, New York University, Wesleyan, Williams, Eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island College and Hobart also received votes.

Amherst made it 11 straight weeks atop the women's Top 25 poll. Rochester held at steady at No. 11, while Babson jumped one spot to No. 17. Williams, Colby, Rhode Island College, Ithaca, Tufts, Buffalo State and Southern Maine all received votes.

In the NCAA's first regional rankings, Hartwick and Amherst topped the men's East and Northeast regions, respectively. Rochester and Amherst, not surprisingly, sat atop the women's East and Northeast rankings, respectively. The full rankings can be viewed here.

Quick hits

Dan O'Brien scored a game-high 20 points to lead Elmira to a 70-62 upset win over Ithaca on Friday, the Soaring Eagles' first win of the season. O'Brien added 18 points, five rebounds and six assists the following day in a loss to Utica. ... Travis Curley tallied 20 points and seven rebounds to lead Clark to a 70-64 win against Tufts Monday night. ... Michael Mayer poured in 21 points and hit all 11 of his free throws off the bench to lift Williams to a 67-60 victory over Trinity (Conn.) Saturday night. Williams, seeded No. 7 in the NESCAC conference tournament, will face second-seeded Middlebury. ... Anthony Fortes scored 18 points and Michael Lofton added 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench as Bridgewater State defeated Worcester State 81-50 Saturday night. ... Brendan Degnan netted a game-high 20 points for Wheaton (Mass.) in a 67-62 win over Coast Guard Saturday night. ... Donna Lawson turned in a monster effort for the Lyndon State women's team, tallying 24 points and 24 rebounds in a 62-55 win over Maine-Farmington Friday night. ... Alycia Gervais stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 18 points, 12 rebounds and six steals in the Daniel Webster women's team's 75-42 win over Wheelock on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles have won four straight and seven of their last eight.

Contact me

Whether you have an interesting story idea, know of a player or coach approaching a career milestone, or just want to talk basketball, I want to hear it. Please reach out to me at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com. You can also follow me on Twitter (@andrew_lovell).