LILBURN, Ga. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team is ranked 18th in the final Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II poll of the 2020-21 season.
The Pioneers finished with a 19-4 record and gained five positions from the final regular-season poll, when Tusculum was ranked 23rd. It is the first time the Pioneers have ended the season nationally-ranked since 2009-10, when Tusculum was ninth in the final poll after advancing to the Elite Eight.
Tusculum won its second consecutive South Atlantic Conference Championship title with a 59-47 victory over Lincoln Memorial in the finals, then earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 2010 with a 77-64 victory over Tuskegee in the first round. The Pioneers were eliminated in the Southeast Region semifinals by eventual region champion Belmont Abbey by a 74-59 score.
The Pioneers went 15-3 in the SAC during the regular season, finishing second to Carson-Newman by a half-game. Tusculum was 9-1 on the road during the regular season and finished the year 9-2 at home and 10-2 in road and neutral site games.
Tusculum was led by forward Maddie Sutton, who was a first-team All-America selection by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and an honorable mention WBCA All-American. Sutton, a first-team All-SAC selection and the SAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, set school and conference records for rebounding average at 14.6 per game, and led Division II with 20 double-doubles in 23 games including a streak of 16 in a row.
Lubbock Christian, which finished 23-0 and won its second national championship in a row, was the unanimous number-one team in the final poll, followed by national runner-up Drury (24-2), Lander (20-2), Central Missouri (23-5) and Charleston (19-3).
Tusculum was the second-highest ranked team that participated in the Southeast Region this season, trailing only Belmont Abbey (22-3) which was ranked seventh in the final poll. Also ranked from the region were Carson-Newman (15-4) in 24th and Tuskegee (12-2) in 25th.
The final D2SIDA National Media Poll was also released following the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, and the Pioneers were among the teams receiving votes in the poll.
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Final 2020-21 Division II Poll
|
Rk |
School (Record) |
Pts (1st) |
Prev |
|
1 |
Lubbock Christian (23-0) |
575 (23) |
1 |
|
2 |
Drury (24-2) |
551 |
2 |
|
3 |
Lander (20-2) |
518 |
5 |
|
4 |
Central Missouri (23-5) |
491 |
20 |
|
5 |
Charleston, WV (19-3) |
457 |
8 |
|
6 |
North Georgia (18-2) |
431 |
3 |
|
7 |
Belmont Abbey (22-3) |
410 |
13 |
|
8 |
Daemen (14-3) |
364 |
15 |
|
9 |
Nebraska Kearney (23-4) |
345 |
9 |
|
10t |
Fort Hays State (22-4) |
292 |
10 |
|
10t |
Michigan Tech (20-2) |
292 |
6 |
|
12 |
Minnesota Duluth (14-2) |
291 |
7 |
|
13 |
Valdosta State (18-4) |
253 |
12 |
|
14 |
Hawaii Pacific (13-1) |
238 |
4 |
|
15 |
Southwestern Oklahoma State (18-4) |
237 |
19 |
|
16 |
Azusa Pacific (12-5) |
229 |
NR |
|
17 |
Texas A&M-Commerce (14-4) |
215 |
11 |
|
18 |
TUSCULUM (19-4) |
125 |
23 |
|
19 |
Arkansas Tech (14-2) |
118 |
21 |
|
20 |
Ashland (16-9) |
105 |
NR |
|
21 |
Colorado Mines (17-3) |
97 |
22 |
|
22 |
Union, TN (19-6) |
94 |
25 |
|
23 |
Glenville State (12-4) |
93 |
18 |
|
24 |
Carson-Newman (15-4) |
92 |
14 |
|
25 |
Tuskegee (12-2) |
89 |
16 |
Others receiving votes: Gannon (13-1) 82; Barton (13-3) 64;
Truman State (17-5) 64; Benedict (12-3) 51; Westminster, UT (13-6) 35;
Emporia State (18-7) 29; Roberts Wesleyan (12-7) 28; Southeastern
Oklahoma State (13-8) 22; Dominican, NY (12-2) 19; Grand Valley
State (14-6) 15; Cedarville (19-6) 12; Tiffin (18-9) 8; Walsh (17-7) 7.
Six teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 37 combined points.