INDIANAPOLIS – The MSU Denver men's basketball team is ranked No. 8 in the official NCAA Division II South Central Region rankings.
 
The region rankings are eventually used to determine seedings and at-large qualifiers for regional tournaments. In the South Central, the champions of the Rocky Mountain Athletic and Lone Star Conferences earn automatic trips to the regional, with six at-large invitations issued based on the regional ranking.
  
The Roadrunners rank tied for sixth among South Central teams in Division II winning percentage, seventh in "performance indicator," tied for seventh in in-region winning percentage, eighth in RPI, 13^th in Division II strength of schedule and 14^th in winning percentage against ranked teams. Those are among the categories that are considered by regional ranking committees.
 
MSU Denver will get a bump in its strength of schedule ranking this week, as it plays host to Fort Lewis – ranked Nos. 2 and 6 in the national polls – on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Auraria Event Center.

The next region rankings are due for March 6. The final region rankings, unpublished, are reflected in the seedings for the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced on March 10.