Week 8 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Division Top 5 largely saw the status quo remain, with no new teams entering the rankings and only a pair of teams changes positions.
5 Fayetteville State Lady Broncos (19-4, 13-3) 36
Fayetteville State remains fifth in this week’s rankings. The Lady Broncos ended the last week of the regular season splitting a pair of games. FSU lost a road game to Claflin, 51-48, as they were unable to erase a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit. They bounced back from that disappointing defeat by easily dispatching Shaw 75-50 in the season finale. Up next for the Lady Broncos is the CIAA Tournament.
4 Miles Lady Golden Bears (22-5, 20-4) 43
The Lady Golden Bears of Miles College stand pat at No.4 in this week’s standings. In a busy three-game week, Milea went 2-1, handily defeating Spring Hill 76-51 on February 16, losing to Edward Waters on February 19 but finishing the week on a positive note with a 100-50 obliteration of Savannah State. The Lady Golden Bears enter the SIAC Tournament as the No.1 seed out of the Western Division.
3 Edward Waters Lady Tigers (23-4, 21-3) 56
Edward Waters holds the third position in the Week 8 polls. The Lady Tigers ended the regular season with a perfect 3-0 week. EWU began the week with a 51-43 defeat of Benedict College on February 16. They chased that by defeating the top team in the Eastern Division, Miles, 60-52 on Thursday, and then closing out the week, as well as the regular season by beating Tuskegee 53-41. The Lady Tigers enter the upcoming SIAC Tournament as the Western Division’s No.1 seed.
2 Langston Lady Lions (24-4, 18-4) 64
The Lady Lions fall from atop the polls to No.2 in the weekly rankings. Langston started the week with a heartbreaking 55-54 loss to Texas Wesleyan on February 19. The Lady Lions shook off that defeat and bounced back with a 78-62 win over Nelson University in their season finale. Langston is the No. 1 seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.
1 Winston Salem State Lady Rams (23-3, 14-2) 66
Winston-Salem State moves up to the top spot in Week 8 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major Top 5. The Lady Rams started out the week with a 66-55 defeat of Johnson C. Smith and ended the week with a 61-54 loss at Livingstone on February 21 that snapped their 7-game winning streak. Winston-Salem State enters the CIAA Tournament as the overwhelming favourites due to their dominance this season.
Dropped Out: N/A
Receiving Votes: Bowie State Lady Bulldogs ( 18-7, 10-5) -33 Lane Lady Dragons ( 18-5, 17-5) -33 Oakwood Lady Ambassadors ( 16-8,10-2) -24 Wiley Lady Wildcats ( 13-7, 9-3) -20 Paul Quinn Lady Tigers ( 14-10, 8-4) -15
