INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA announced that the Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team is ranked No. 8 in the Central Region rankings, keeping them in the hunt for a spot in the 2026 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship.
In recent years, the NCAA released a list of the teams in rank order in two subsequent releases. Final selections for the field of eight teams will be announced on Sunday, March 8, with five at-large teams joining the champions from the GAC, MIAA, and NSIC. The regional tournament will run March 13-16 at the top overall seed with the regional champion moving on to Pittsburgh, Pa. March 24-28 for the DII Elite Eight.
The Lady Rangers are one of three schools from the GAC in the rankings, with Harding coming in at No. 3 and Arkansas Tech at No. 7. The NSIC leads the way with four teams in the rankings, while the MIAA has three.
The Lady Rangers will be back in action on February 26, when they take on Oklahoma Baptist University inside Percefull Fieldhouse at 5:30 p.m.
2026 NCAA DII Central Region Rankings - Records Through February 22
Ranking - Team - Overall DII Record - In-Region Record
| 1 |
Minnesota State |
26-1 |
22-1 |
| 2 |
Fort Hays State |
23-3 |
22-3 |
| 3 |
Harding |
22-4 |
21-4 |
| 4 |
Concordia-St. Paul |
21-6 |
21-6 |
| 5 |
Central Missouri |
19-5 |
17-5 |
| 6 |
Washburn |
19-7 |
18-6 |
| 7 |
Arkansas Tech |
17-6 |
17-6 |
| 8 |
Northwestern Oklahoma State |
16-8 |
16-8 |
| 9 |
Minnesota Duluth |
19-7 |
19-7 |
| 10 |
Mary |
20-9 |
18-9 |
