INDIANAPOLIS – The MSU Denver men's basketball team has dropped to ninth in the NCAA Division II South Central Region rankings.
 
On Sunday, eight teams will be selected to play in the regional tournament. Two spots will go to the champions of the Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournaments – and the remaining six at-large spots will be awarded to the highest ranked teams in Sunday's final regional rankings.
 
Angelo State (Texas), ranked ninth in the region last week, passed MSU Denver. Angelo State won its only game last weekend, while MSU Denver lost to highly-ranked Fort Lewis before defeating Adams State.
 
Wednesday's ranking doesn't reflect Tuesday night's MSU Denver loss at Black Hills State in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.
 
Angelo State, seeded fifth in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, plays fourth-seeded Eastern New Mexico on Thursday in the first round of that league tournament.
 
Eastern New Mexico is ranked sixth in the region, so even if the Rams lose, it likely won't have a negative impact on their ranking, especially considering Eastern New Mexico has a stronger profile than Black Hills State.
 
Prior to Tuesday's game, Angelo State ranked ahead of MSU Denver in four of the eight key statistical indicators (overall Division II strength of schedule, performance indicator, region RPI and results vs. Division II ranked teams), while MSU Denver led in three (Division II in-region winning percentage, overall Division II winning percentage and record vs. common opponents). The other category is head-to-head record, and the teams did not play this season.