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Andre Simon led the Yellow Jackets with eight points and seven rebounds. Randolph-Macon athletics file photo |
On Wednesday afternoon, the NCAA released the first set of regional rankings that provide a glimpse into which teams may receive at-large bids into the NCAA tournament. A few hours later, Randolph-Macon and Wabash picked up wins that will reshape those rankings.
Randolph-Macon won a defensive struggle over No. 3 Virginia Wesleyan 54-51. The Yellow Jackets didn't have a single player score double digits and only took six free throws, but still came away with the victory. Randolph-Macon's defense held the Marlins to 29.8 percent shooting (17-for-57). Virginia Wesleyan remains a game in front of Randolph-Macon in the ODAC standings, but the win could vault the Yellow Jackets past the Marlins in the next set of regional rankings.
Newly minted No. 1 Hope mashed Kalamazoo 87-59 to clinch the MIAA title. The Flying Dutchmen shot 57.4 percent from the field (39-for-68). They will take their top ranking in the country and the Great Lakes region to archrival Calvin on Saturday.
All the other regionally ranked Great Lakes teams also took the floor on Wednesday and four of them played each other. Wabash toppled No. 22 Wittenberg 55-49 behind Andy Walsh's 18 points. The Little Giants outscored the Tigers 10-5 over the last two minutes to seal the victory. No. 13 Wooster held off Ohio Wesleyan 54-50 for its seventh straight win. Capital outlasted Otterbein 86-75 in overtime to give Damon Goodwin his 300th career coaching victory.
No. 25 UW-River Falls debuted atop the West region rankings but the Falcons needed a late three pointer to hold off UW-Superior, 58-57. Aaron Anderson hit the three with seven seconds left and the Falcons down two. Shane Manor had 22 points for UW-River Falls.
No. 12 UW-Stevens Point also survived a scare at UW-Oshkosh, which hasn't won a game since December 20, 2011. The Pointers topped the Titans 87-83 to remain tied with the Falcons and No. 4 UW-Whitewater in the WIAC standings. The Warhawks eased past UW-Platteville 77-58.
No. 7 Cabrini defended its top ranking in the Mid-Atlantic region and clinched the CSAC regular seson title by beating Neumann 73-60. No. 17 Franklin and Marshall, which is ranked fifth in the region, took care of Gettysburg 60-53 in the teams' 209th meeting. Surging Misericordia beat Eastern 94-89 in overtime to take over first place in the MAC Freedom conference.
In the Northeast region, the highest nationally ranked team that played on Wednesday night won. MIT, which is ranked fifth in the country but seven in its own region, beat Babson 59-47. The highest regionally ranked team in action lost. WPI fell at Wheaton (Mass.) 71-69.
Staten Island, which sits atop the Atlantic rankings, knocked off Medgar Evers 91-83 to clinch the top seed in the CUNYAC. No. 17 William Paterson tipped Rutgers-Newark 69-67 to clinch the top seed in the NJAC North Division.
This is also a good time for spoilers to make their mark on the season. Enter Swarthmore who beat Washington College 84-78 for the Garnett's second win of the season. Similarly Stevenson topped York (Pa.) 75-70 for its third conference win of the season.