FLORENCE, S.C. – The Francis Marion University women’s basketball team returned to the national rankings for the first time in seven seasons as the Patriots occupy the No. 24 spot in this week’s USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, released Tuesday afternoon.
At 10-1, the Patriot women are off to their best start in 10 seasons and are second in the Peach Belt Conference standings with a 3-1 mark.
FMU last appeared in the national rankings at the 22nd spot in the Dec. 12, 2001 poll. That ended a run that saw the Patriots appear in 45 of 53 national polls between January 1998 and December 2001.
North Georgia College & State University (#23) is the only other PBC school in this week’s Top 25. The Lady Saints handed Francis Marion its lone loss 87-82 on Dec. 1. Interestingly, FMU and North Georgia were picked to finish seventh and ninth respectively in the pre-season Peach Belt coach’s’ poll.
Unbeaten University of North Dakota (17-0) garnered 23 of 26 first-place votes and occupies the top position in this week’s rankings.
Francis Marion travels up Interstate 95 into the Tar Heel state on Wednesday to face PBC rival UNC Pembroke (6-6, 1-4) in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
FMU leads the all-time series 32-17 although the Lady Braves won both meetings last year. Francis Marion has already surpassed its win total of last season when the Patriots were 6-22.
The FMU men (7-4, 1-3) will face UNCP (6-6, 1-4) at 7:30 p.m. in the nightcap of the doubleheader. The Patriots men, who have won five of the last six meetings in the series, will be making their third attempt at win No. 500 in the program’s history.
USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 NCAA II women's basketball poll
Week 7 poll ; Jan. 15, 2008
Rank Institution - First Place Votes Record Points
1. University of North Dakota - 23 17-0 647
2. Delta State University (Miss.) - 3 13-0 627
3. Concordia University, St. Paul (Minn.) 16-0 598
4. Seattle Pacific University (Wash.) 13-0 545
5. Valdosta State University (Ga.) 14-1 541
6. Indiana University Of Pennsylvania 15-1 478
7. Drury University (Mo.) 12-2 470
8. Washburn University (Kan.) 11-2 463
9. University Of Alaska Anchorage 14-2 445
10. University Of South Dakota 15-1 435
11. Holy Family University (Penn.) 12-0 432
12. Stonehill College (Mass.) 13-2 359
13. Minnesota State University, Mankato 14-2 344
14. Northern Kentucky University 11-3 230
15. Franklin Pierce University (N.H.) 13-2 228
16. California State University, Chico 12-3 216
17. Southern Connecticut State University 12-4 193
18. Fairmont State University (W. Va.) 11-1 173
19. Emporia State University (Kan.) 9-4 141
20. University Of California-San Diego 12-4 114
21. Fort Lewis College (Colo.) 13-1 103
22. West Texas A&M University 10-3 81
23. North Georgia College & State University 10-2 72
24. Francis Marion University (S.C.) 10-1 55
25. University of West Georgia 15-2 52
Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M University-Commerce 52; Michigan Technological University 42;
Augustana College (S.D.) 41; University Of Indianapolis (Ind.) 41; Assumption College (Mass.) 39; Anderson
University (S.C.) 29; Arkansas Tech University 19; Missouri Southern State University 19; Ferris State
University (Mich.) 15; Bentley College (Mass.) 14; Hillsdale College (Mich.) 14; Lander University (S.C.)
13; Augusta State University (Ga.) 11; Sonoma State University (Calif.) 9; Bowie State University (Md.) 8;
Wayne State College (Neb.) 7; California State Unviersity, San Bernardino 6; Johnson C. Smith University
(N.C.) 6; Gannon University (Pa.) 5; University Of South Carolina Aiken 5; Wingate University (N.C.) 5;
Truman State University (Mo.) 4; University Of Nebraska - Kearney 3; Concord College (W. Va.) 1
