INDIANAPOLIS - The first edition of the NCAA Division II men's basketball regional rankings were released and Upper Iowa was selected as a top eight team in the region. Due to the disparity of games played this season and the limited data available, the schools are listed as "under consideration" for championship selection in alphabetical order in the graphic above for this regional ranking. The Peacocks have sprinted out on a seven-game tear propelling UIU up the rankings. The win streak is the longest Upper Iowa has put together since joining DII in 2005-06. In their last four series, UIU split with Wayne State College before sweeping Augustana University, Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The Northern Sun Conference had five of the top eight teams in the central region with Augustana University, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Northern State University, and Wayne State all making the cut in the first of three rankings.

The NSIC and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) make up the 30-team NCAA Central Region this year. The top six teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament on March 13-16 hosted by Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining four spots being awarded on an at-large basis.

Participating teams will be announced on Sunday, March 7 as the NCAA DII men's basketball selection show will air at 9:30 p.m. (CT) on ncaa.com. The NCAA Elite Eight will take place on March 24-27 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.