LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Feb. 25) – The California (PA) men's basketball team was slotted sixth in the initial ranked-order list of the NCAA Atlantic regional rankings, which were released on Wednesday afternoon.

The NCAA regional rankings determine the participants for the NCAA Tournament. The Atlantic Region consists of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), Mountain East Conference (MEC) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). All three conference tournament champions receive an automatic bid with the top-five remaining teams in the final regional rankings earning at-large bids.

The PSAC continues to feature half of the teams in the latest rankings, while the MEC placed three teams and the CIAA boasted two programs this week.

Gannon (24-2) was slotted first in the Atlantic Region with the most wins in the region. West Liberty (23-3) sits second behind a 13-game winning streak, while Fairmont State (21-4) was positioned third on Wednesday. IUP (19-4) was slotted fourth and Virginia Union (21-4) sat fifth after finishing first in the CIAA Northern Division.

Cal (18-7) was positioned sixth and Fayetteville State (20-6) was ranked seventh after entering the CIAA Tournament with the region's longest active winning streak at 14 games. West Chester (19-6) was slotted eighth, while Charleston (WV) (17-8) and East Stroudsburg (19-7) rounded out the latest regional rankings.

Note, rankings and records reflect games played through Sunday, Feb. 22

The Vulcans, which boast the third-best strength of schedule in the region, strengthened their post-season candidacy with victory over regionally-ranked IUP on Wednesday night. Cal closes the regular season with a home game versus Slippery Rock on Saturday, Feb. 28.

The CIAA Tournament is being played this week in Baltimore, Maryland, while the MEC and PSAC Tournaments will be conducted next week.

The regional rankings will be released again next week before the final rankings and NCAA Tournament selections are announced on March 8.