FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team moved up one spot to No. 9 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA Division II poll, marking the highest ranking for the Falcons this season.

The No. 9 ranking is the highest the Falcons have been ranked since being ranked No. 9 in late December during the 2010-2011 season. Montevallo (18-2 overall, 11-2 in Peach Belt Conference) has now been ranked in the top 25 for 11 consecutive weeks during the regular season.

The current 11-week streak in the top 25 is the second-longest streak in school history. Montevallo was ranked during all 13 weeks of the 2005-06 season, which included two separate stretches as the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

The Falcons, who received 276 votes in the latest poll, are coming off a 73-71 win over visiting Clayton State University in a Peach Belt Conference game Feb. 8 at Trustmark Arena.

Montevallo junior Troran Brown scored the final four points at the free-throw line in the final minute, including the go ahead free throws with four seconds remaining, to help the Falcons overcome a 71-69 deficit in the victory.

The Falcons are one of two Peach Belt Conference teams ranked in the top 25 in the latest poll. USC Aiken moved up five spots to No. 17 in the latest poll. GRU Augusta dropped out of the poll this week and is listed among the teams receiving votes.

Metro State (Colo.) remains the top-ranked team in the poll and received 15 first-place votes. Drury (Mo.), the defending NCAA Division II national champion, moved up two spots to No. 2 in the poll and received one first-place vote.

West Liberty (W. Va.), Tarleton State (Texas) and Indianapolis (Ind.) round out the top five teams in the national poll.

The Falcons are also ranked No. 10 in the BennettRank.com national rankings. BennettRank.com is a website featuring a computer model-driven system that uses proprietary algorithms to weigh each team’s historical performance directly related to all other teams in their individual divisions and conferences.

Montevallo, which reached its highest ranking in the poll one week ago at No. 9, began the season ranked No. 17 in the preseason poll and has been ranked in each of the website’s 15 polls during the regular season.