INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The first edition of the NCAA Division II men's basketball regional rankings were released and Winona State is under consideration in the central region. Again this year, for NCAA Division II sports with regional rankings, schools will be listed as under consideration in alphabetical order for the first ranking of the season. The Warriors also appeared in the NABC Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 23.

With just two games remaining in the regular season, Winona State is currently tied for first place in the NSIC standings and WSU will look to clinch at least a share of the NSIC regular season title this weekend.

The Warriors are joined by seven other NSIC schools in the initial regional rankings, including Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, MSU Moorhead, Minot State, St. Cloud State, and Southwest Minnesota State.

The NSIC and the Great American Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 41-team NCAA DII Central Region this year.  The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 15-16, 18.  Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, GAC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots being awarded on an at-large basis.

The NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Show will air on www.NCAA.com on Sunday, March 9 at 10 p.m. (CT). The NCAA Elite Eight will take place on March 25, 27, 29 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.