NJCAA Division I National Men's Basketball Rankings

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Winners of 18 consecutive games, the 2018 Suncoast Conference champion FSW men’s basketball team was ranked No. 2 in the final NJCAA Division I National Men’s Basketball Top 25 rankings for the 2017-18 season.

The Buccaneers are one of four teams from the state of Florida ranked in the Top 25 and are the lone Suncoast Conference team represented in the rankings. Northwest Florida State are No. 4 in the country and 2017 NJCAA National Runner-up Eastern Florida State (No. 6) and Central Florida (No. 21) are the other teams from the state of Florida represented in the Top 25.

Taking the top spot in the final poll was Indian Hills, who is currently 30-0 overall.

As a team, the Purple and Aqua (28-1 overall, 12-0 Suncoast Conference) lead the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage (36.4 percent) but they also rank in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including blocks per game (7.1; 4th), assists per game (21.3, 6th), steals per game (10.9, 10th), defensive rebounds per game (32.1, 10th), field goal percentage (51.5 percent, 12th), opponents’ three-point field goal percentage (29.8 percent, 13th), points per game (92.2; 19th) and total points (2,675, 20th).

Individually, sophomore point guard Tyler Cheese ranks 13th in the nation in assists per game (6.7), sophomore guard Russell Daniels is 16th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7) and sophomore ShanQuan Hemphill is 37th in the country in field goal percentage (61.0 percent).

The FSW men's squad will return to action on Wednesday, March 7 (1 p.m.) against the No. 2 seed from the Mid-Florida Conference in the quarterfinals of 2018 FCSAA/NJCAA District VIII Men's Basketball Championship, while FSW women will start tournament play on Thursday, March 8 at (1 p.m.) and will also face the No. 2 team from the Mid-Florida Conference. If the teams advance, they'll play on Friday (March 9) and possibly Saturday (March 10) for the State Championship.

FSW will charter a bus for each Buccaneer men's and women's game at the tournament. The cost of each trip is just $15 per person and does not include a ticket to the game. Tickets will be available in session (two games per session) or a full tournament pass. Session tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students, while Tournament Passes are $25 for adults and $15 for students. Kids 3 and under will be admitted free.

Fans wanting to sign up for the bus trip, should call (239) 489-9432. Spots are LIMITED and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and in order to make each trip happen a minimum of 25 signups is needed.

FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.

WATCH THE BUCS ONLINE
All of FSW’s home games will be available online through FSW Livestream (FSW.edu/livestream), and can be viewed on smartphones, tablets and laptop or desktop computers.

SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.

FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball).

Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers is the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW’s men’s and women’s basketball teams compete.

THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America’s two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA’s rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.

On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.

The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.

For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org. 

THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.

Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.

For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.  

NJCAA REGION 8 & THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college. 

The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors. 

FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.

The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota. The women’s basketball program is also in the Suncoast Conference, but with only three other teams (Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and Eastern Florida State College).

For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.