January 11, 2012

King Recognized Among Nation’s Top Programs

BRISTOL, Tenn. – In the latest rankings released by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), King College Men's Basketball has entered the ranks of the top teams mentioned in NCAA Division II. The Tornado received votes for the first time since joining the NCAA ranks and is within the top-35 going into the weekend.
King received three votes for the NABC poll after beginning their season 12-3 through its first 15 games of the season. The announcement comes on the heels of its most recent victory over Belmont Abbey College, 92-81, to remain unbeaten against Conference Carolinas opponents and extend their current winning streak to four games.

 

During their current winning streak, the Tornado have beaten their opponents by double digits three times with an average margin of victory of 13.5 points per game. They have achieved this primarily by shooting well from three-point range, knocking down a NCAA Division II best 12.1 treys per game. Senior Brian Hewitt (Lexington, Ky.) has led that effort, individually ranking 12th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (3.3) and supported by teammate Michael Fortune (Beckley, W.Va.) who is just outside the top-50 in the same category with 2.7 threes per game. As a team, they are shooting 37.8 percent from long range.

Two of King's three losses this season were to new No. 1 Lincoln Memorial (14-0) by a combined eight points with their other loss coming at the hands of NAIA runner-up Mountain State. King has won eight of its last nine games behind play that focuses on fast-paced, smart play. The Tornado have allowed the sixth fewest turnovers per game (11.2) in the nation and possess a turnover margin (4.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34) that rank them in the top-15 in the country.

The Tornado return to the court against Coker College (7-6, 1-3) on Jan. 14 at 4:00 p.m. from Timberlake-Lawton Gym (Hartsville, S.C.).

RANK SCHOOL (1ST-PLACE VOTES) RECORD POINTS PREVIOUS
1 Lincoln Memorial (6) 14-0 196 3
2 Kentucky Wesleyan (2) 12-0 194 4
3 Bellarmine 11-1 186 5
4 West Liberty 12-1 163 7
5 Metro State 13-1 159 1
6 Tarleton State 11-1 154 9
7 Southern Indiana 11-1 151 2
8 Northern Kentucky 12-0 145 11
9 Colorado Mines 12-1 142 12
10 Cal Poly Pomona 9-1 129 6
11 Midwestern State 12-0 126 16
12 Bowie State 9-1 115 15
13 Winona State 13-2 88 10
14 Indiana (Pa.) 10-2 81 20
15 Christian Brothers 11-2 69 NR
16 Minnesota State-Moorhead 12-1 59 19
17 Alabama-Huntsville 9-3 52 13
18 Hillsdale 13-1 46 NR
19 Fort Hays State 10-3 45 8
20 Montevallo 12-2 39 NR
21 St. Cloud State 11-2 33 NR
22 District of Columbia 12-1 31 NR
23 Missouri Southern 12-3 29 14
24 Northwest Missouri State 12-1 27 NR
25 West Georgia 14-21 26 25
 

Dropped out: No. 17 Findlay, No. 18 Alaska-Anchorage, No. 21 Augustana (S.D.), No. 22 Arkansas Tech 22, Western Michigan 23, Benedict 24.

Others receiving votes: Findlay 20, Western Oregon 20, Alaska-Anchorage 16, Arkansas-Monticello 15, South Carolina Aiken 13, Western Washington 10, Bentley (Mass.) 6, Charleston (W.Va.) 4, Seattle Pacific 4, King 3, West Texas A&M 3, Missouri-St. Louis 1.