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CITY (NewsDakota.com)–Both Viking basketball teams picked up momentum in the new polls this week.
Valley City State moved up three spots to number 20 in the mens poll, while the women received a vote in the national poll and moved to second in the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) rankings.
Both Viking teams are ranked second in the AII poll. The poll determines the field for the postseason AII tournament, which will be played in Madison, SD at Dakota State University February 23rd through the 25th.
The top four teams in the poll qualify, along with the host school. If the host team is in the top four, a fifth team qualifies. The top two finishers in the tournament qualify for their respective national tournament.
As of the moment, you may as well call the mens AII tournament a Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) tournament.
All four remaining NAIA Division II teams in the current Dakota Athletic Conference, including the Vikings, Jamestown College, Dickinson State, and Mayville State, are in the top five. The Jimmies are the top-ranked team, and ranked tenth nationally. The Vikings are second, Dickinson State is fourth, and Mayville State is fifth.
Dakota State, the host school guaranteed its spot, is currently third in the rankings. They represent the only other former DAC team to remain NAIA Division II.
This scenario gains new perspective this weekend, when Valley City State hosts a pre-season DAC tournament. The Vikings will play Mayville State Saturday, with the Jimmies facing Dickinson State. The winners and losers meet Sunday.
First round losses by any team could hurt their position in the rankings, and a first round loss by Mayville State or Dickinson State could threaten their ability to qualify for the post-season at all.
On the womens side, the Vikings are second in the AII ranking to the Jimmies, who are ranked 13th nationally. The second-place ranking in the AII is a move from third last week, with Indiana Northwest moving up to third, and Cal State-San Marcos, last week’s second-place team, now fourth.
Mayville State is currently fifth, and as of today, would not qualify for the post-season, as Dakota State would receive the final spot. That makes Saturday’s game between the Vikings and Comets critical to the post-season standings.
The Vikings play the Comets at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., womens and mens, respectively, Saturday in the first round of the DAC preseason tournament at the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse. The Jimmies and Bluehawks square off at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.