INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Hillcat men's basketball (19-9, 13-6 MIAA) jumped two spots in the third NCAA Division II Central Region rankings that were released on Wednesday afternoon. The final rankings will be announced on Sunday at 10 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.
 
RSU finished the regular season strong with a pair of wins against Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith. Now, the Hillcats will shift their focus to the postseason, starting with the MIAA Men's Basketball Championships at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. They secured the No. 3 seed in the tournament after finishing third in the MIAA standings. They will face No. 6 seed Fort Hays State on March 6 at 8:15 p.m. in a rematch of last year's semifinal. The semifinal game is scheduled for Saturday at 8:15 p.m., with the championship game set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The tournament champion will automatically lock a spot.
 
The Hillcats are one of five teams from the MIAA included in the rankings. No. 3 Washburn occupies the top position, followed by No. 6 Oklahoma Baptist, Central Missouri, St. Cloud State, Missouri Western, Ouachita Baptist, Rogers State, Arkansas-Fort Smith, Harding and Southern Nazarene. Minnesota Duluth secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament after defeating St. Cloud State in the NSIC Tournament Championship game on March 3.
 
For the complete list, visit DII Men's Basketball Rankings - Regional Ranking | NCAA.com. 

The top eight teams in the Central Region will earn a spot in the 64-team NCAA Division II National Tournament following the conclusion of the conference postseason tournaments on Sunday, March 8.