Although no new teams entered the mix, Week 10 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Women’s Mid-Major Top 5 was rife with movement, with four of the five teams occupying a different spot in the rankings than the previous week.
5. Edward Waters Lady Tigers (23-5, 21-3)
The Lady Tigers of Edward Waters took a tumble down the rankings, falling from No.2 Edward Waters was shockingly, unceremoniously, and emphatically bounced out of the SIAC Tournament via an 80-49 quarterfinal beatdown at the hands of Albany State. Despite not putting their best foot forward in the conference tournament, the Lady Tigers’ impressive body of work this season was enough to garner a bid to take part in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball South Regional Tournament where they are matched up with UAH in the opening round.
4.Langston Lady Lions ( 24-5, 18-4)
Langston moves up a spot to No.4 in this week’s polls. As was also the case with Edward Waters, their time in its conference tournament was unexpectedly cut short, with the Lady Lions getting clipped by the No.8 seeded Rams of Texas Wesleyan 60-56 in the opening round, Similarly to Waters, Langston’s gaffe in the SAC Tournament was not to keep them out of postseason action, as the Lady Lions still earned a place in the NAIA National Champioship Tournament, where they will be matched up with the No.9 seed Bethel (Ind.) in the opening round,
3. Fayetteville State Lady Broncos (21-5, 13-3)
The Lady Broncos moved up one spot to No.3 in the Week 10 rankings. Fayetteville State’s CIAA Tournament run ended with a 60-43 loss to Winston-Salem State in the Championship game. Despite the loss, the Lady Broncos earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament as the No.5 seed. They are matched up with the No.4 seed Seton Hill out of the PSAC.
2.Miles Lady Golden Bears ( 26-3, 14-2)
Miles comes in at No.2 in this week’s polls, one spot up from the previous week. The Lady Golden Bears defeated Lane 59-52 in the SIAC Championship game to take the SIAC crown for the third consecutive season. Fresh off the conference three-peat, Miles earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament for the third straight year. The Lady Golden Bears earned a No. 4 seed in the South Region and will face No.5 Nova Southeastern in the opening round.
1. Winston-Salem State Lady Rams ( 26-3, 14-2)
The Lady Rams remain at the pinnacle of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Week 10 Women’s Mid-Major Division Top 5. WSSU defeated Fayetteville State 60-43 to win the CIAA Tournament. With the automatic bid that comes with winning the CIAA tourney, the Lady Rams entered the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament as the No.3 seed, where they will face No.6 Glenville.
Dropping Out: N/A
Receiving votes:
Lane Lady Dragons ( 22-6, 19-5) -32
Bowie State Lady Bulldogs ( 19-8, 10-5) -27
Oakwood Lady Ambassadors ( 16-8, 10-2) -23
Wiley Lady Wildcats ( 13-7, 9-3) -21
Paul Quinn Lady Tigers ( 14-10, 8-4) -15
