BYU-Hawaii, Dixie State & Chaminade crack the NCAA Division II West Region Top 10

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - If the season ended today and BYU-Hawaii submitted a bid to host the NCAA Division II West Regional, eight teams would be converging on Laie this weekend to decide a berth in the Division II Elite Eight.

With a perfect 7-0 record in the West Region and an 11-1 overall mark, BYU-Hawaii claimed the number one spot in the first NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Regional Poll of 2008-09.

The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Committee released this week's poll on Wednesday, listing the Top 10 teams in each of eight regions across the country. The regional rankings will be released weekly on Wednesdays through March 4, 2009.

The Seasiders are one of three PacWest teams listed in the Top 10 in the West Region. Dixie State sits at number eight, while Chaminade, who battled BYU-Hawaii in the West Region Semifinals last year in Alaska, sits 10th.

The top eight teams in each region have the best shot at claming berths in the NCAA Division II West Region Championship Tournament.

The West Region consists of three leagues - the PacWest, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Each league has an automatic qualifier while the CCAA is the only conference with a post-season tournament to decide its league champion.

Cal State Dominguez Hills stands second in the region with a 13-2 overall record and 13-2 West Region mark, while the GNAC dominates third through fifth place with Seattle Pacific (104/8-3), Western Washington (6-3/5-3), and Central Washington (8-4/7-4).

UC San Diego is ranked sixth (9-4/9-4), followed by Humboldt State in seventh (10-6/9-5), Dixie State (7-5, 7-5), Cal Poly Pomona (6-5/6-5) and Chaminade (8-3/6-2).