From start to finish, Bears tops in Division II/NAIA Poll

Fuquay-Varina, NC - The Boxtorow National Division II/NAIA HBCU Top 10 Basketball Poll ended the same way it started.

With the Shaw Bears on top.

Shaw received all but two first-place votes to finish the season as Division II/NAIA HBCU champions.  The Bears won the CIAA regular season and finished the season in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.

CIAA Tournament Champion Winston-Salem State received the other first-place votes and finished the season at No. 2.  SIAC Tournament Champion Benedict finished No. 3, with Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season Co-Champion Tougaloo at No. 4, while Bowie State rounds out the top five.

Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season Co-Champion Xavier (La.) finished No. 6, while SIAC regular season champion Tuskegee finished No. 7.  Voorhees finished No. 8, LeMoyne-Owen No.9 and UDC rounds out the top 10.

FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW (Boxtorow) is the nationally syndicated sports talk radio show which places major emphasis on HBCU Sports.  Most of the coaches of the team in this week's poll will appear on this week's show.  The show airs on radio stations around the country and Fridays from 1-2p ET on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 141.

The voters are comprised of some of the top media members in the country who cover Division II/NAIA basketball. The poll is in its fourth year.

2011-12 Boxtorow National Division II/NAIA HBCU Top 10 Basketball Poll
Final: April 3, 2012

Others receiving votes: Virginia Union (15-14) 21, Central State (19-9) 16, Stillman (17-11) 14, Elizabeth City State (15-14) 4, Clark-Atlanta (15-13) 3, SUNO (18-14) 2.
(1st place votes in parentheses)