By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeNation
For the second time this month, the Tufts University men’s basketball team secured the top spot in our final New England D-III Men’s Basketball Top 10 Poll followed by Colby College and Springfield College.
The Jumbos, who captured their first-ever New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament title earlier this month, won a pair of NCAA Tournament games, including an exciting (and dramatic) opening-round win over Western Connecticut.
WPI secured the fourth position for the second time this month while Middlebury College switched positions with St. Joseph’s (Conn.). The Panthers advanced to this year’s NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid – they beat Westfield State in the opening round before falling to Brockport in the second round.
The Blue Jays of St. Joseph’s made their initial appearance in the ‘big dance’ under second-year coach Jim Calhoun, who guided the Blue and Yellow to the program’s first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship. Calhoun’s crew lost to Hobart in the opening round of the tournament, but the Blue Jays have a bright future – they will certainly be a team to watch in New England next winter.
Babson College secured the seventh position followed by Amherst College, Nichols College, and Brandeis University.
New England D-III Basketball Men’s Top 10 Week 15 Poll| Monday, March 17th, 2020
| 1. Tufts University | 23-6, 8-2 NESCAC | Previously No. 1 |
| 2. Colby College | 24-4, 8-2 NESCAC | Previously No. 2 |
| 3. Springfield College | 23-5, 11-1 NEWMAC | Previously No. 3 |
| 4. WPI | 20-8, 10-3 NEWMAC | Previously No. 4 |
| 5. Middlebury College | 21-6, 6-4 NESCAC | Previously No. 6 |
| 6. St. Joseph’s (Conn.) | 26-3, 11-0 GNAC | Previously No. 5 |
| 7. Babson College | 20-7, 10-4 NEWMAC | Previously No. 7 |
| 8. Amherst College | 18-8, 7-3 NESCAC | Previously No. 8 |
| 9. Nichols College | 21-9, 12-4 CCC | Previously No. 9 |
| 10. Brandeis University | 17-8, 9-5 UAA | Previously No. 10 |
ON THE RISE: Coast Guard Academy, New England College, and Western Connecticut
Previous Polls: Preseason Poll |Week One| Week Two | Week Three| Week Four| Week Five |Week Six |Week Seven |Week Eight|Week Nine | Week Ten|Week 11|Week 12|Week 13| Week 14
