INDIANAPOLIS – The Ouachita men's basketball team checked-in at No. 7 in the NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, released Wednesday.
The Tigers were listed in the second installment of the Central Region rankings, positioning themselves on the radar for an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. Regional rankings serve as the blueprint to help determine the 64-team national bracket heading into March.
Conference champions earn automatic qualifiers and are joined by at-large selections with consistent performance against Division II competition, while the committee also weighs strength of schedule and regional results. Ouachita is 17-6 against D2 opponents and holds a 2-4 record in six games against ranked teams listed in the Central Region. Three of those four defeats came by four points or less.
Ouachita suffocates opponents behind a defensive identity powered by relentless effort from playmakers who thrive on disruption. The Tigers rank second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 62 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 27% from 3-point range against Ouachita, which is the lowest rate in America.
Freshman Jaxon Conley emerged on the scene as a lethal perimeter defender for the Tigers, evidenced best by his 59 steals to lead the Great American Conference and rank second nationally among Division II freshmen. Junior Christian Parks has patrolled the interior with authority, leading the league with 61 blocks, just three shy of the program's single-season record.
While the Tigers are defined by their defensive presence on the court, senior Devon Hancock supplies the spark for the offense. Hancock ranks third in the GAC, averaging 17.8 points through 26 games. The Dallas native has knocked down 60 threes, while hitting an impressive 41% from deep and 86% from the free throw line, which all rank second in the league. When pressure rises in crunchtime, Hancock's poise and ability to make shots have proven to lift the Tigers down the stretch of tight games.
The men's basketball team has reached the NCAA Tournament twice in 2008 and 2016. The Tigers intend to add another resilient chapter to reconnect the program to its postseason pedigree after a near decade-long drought.
With GAC tournament-seeding still looming in the final week of the regular season, the path to Indianapolis remains clear. Win out. Ouachita (20-6, 16-4 GAC) hosts Southern Arkansas (10-16, 7-13 GAC) for Senior Night on Thursday, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside Bill Vining Arena.
